After I made sure Rita and Lauren arrived at their mansion in the next town, I quickly said my farewells and got myself into an inn at the opposite side of the city.
While my walks through the city were… normal, I guess? This atmosphere doesn't feel very fantasy-like. Though, I do hear passing civilians muttering about a 'monster in the forest' and 'magical beasts' here and there.
As much as I'd like to travel around freely… I need money to do so comfortably.
Which means, I have to become an Adventurer!
Or… what this world boringly calls 'Mercenary'. Despite the different title, mercenaries do the same job as a typical fantasy book's 'Adventurer', just with the option to take on requests to go to war.
Oh, well. I can still technically call myself an adventurer.
I walk into the Mercenary Guild and look around. All gruff-looking men… I see no women around. There goes my muscle-mommy Adventurer fantasy. I'll look for a different type of muscle-mommy, then.
"A woman? Did we have a female Mercenary here?"
"She sure is pretty. Think I got a chance?"
"With your face? I think you'll be better off talking to an orc! Hahaha!"
It seems like I'm gonna be mistaken for a female no matter what, so no point in correcting anyone I'm not close with.
I ignored the whispers about me and headed to the front counter, where a man with an eyepatch was waiting for me.
"What can I do for the little lady?" He smiled, showing his crooked but fairly white teeth. At least his breath doesn't stink.
"I'd like to apply for a mercenary license."
He looked a bit taken aback but shrugged his shoulders. "You look way too delicate, but that sword on your hip should mean you have at least some experience…"
The man hesitated for a bit before sighing. "…It's not my job to care, so… if you want a license, you need to pass a test."
He held up three fingers, "You've got three options; beasts, monsters, or bandits. Kill and gain proof of the kill, of any combination of the three, and do it solo. Easy, right? I recommend Beast for you, though… they're the easiest."
The man says he's not paid to care, yet he gave me advice with a face that screamed 'be careful out there!'.
What a nice guy.
"Alright. Three of any combination. I'll be right back." I said with a bright smile on my face.
"O-oh…! R-Right. Be careful out there, Lass."
I turn around and walk right back out of the Guild, overhearing the new conversation the man on the counter was having with another Mercenary.
"Think that cutie's gonna be okay? I'd be willing to shadow…"
"Pah! You'd sooner be labeled a bandit if you get caught!" The man with the eyepatch joked. "Plus, I think she'll be fine… I have the feeling she's more experienced than she looks."
"Well… if you say so… Good luck out there, Cute Lady!"
I shiver at being called such a thing… I'm a man, for fuck's sake!
"*sighh…* Remember, Astolfo… even if they call you a girl, you still have that."
I made my way out of town and into the nearby forest in a bad mood.
••••••••••
I've walked the forest for about an hour or so, but all I've come across are some boar-like creatures. They were boring as hell, but at least they were delicious.
"Damn, even without salt… roasted boar is great! I can only imagine how much better it would taste with just salt and pepper…!"
If animals in this world are this good, I might just turn into a foodie.
*snap!*
"…!"
The sound of a muffled snap shook me out of my good vibes and I instinctively unsheathed my sword and looked to the source of the noise.
Out of the tree line, came-a-stompin'… an Orc?
"That's an orc, right? Big, fat, brown furred and bipedal pig-thing… Ogres are just big and muscled and green, usually… I've never bothered researching the difference between them." I muttered to myself while smiling without a care in the world.
"You're uglier and smellier than I thought you'd be." I verbally taunt the monster, even knowing it doesn't understand me.
It seemed to work, though, as it swung down the crude club it was holding right at my head. So slow… It's like I'm watching him move at a quarter of the speed he was supposed to go.
With a quick slash across its neck, I severed the monster's head clean off. As the body fell, I caught the head with my free hand before it could touch the ground.
"That's one monster down… and where there's one of you… There should be more!"
Needless to say, travelers don't have to worry about orcs in this area anymore.
After gathering just three orc heads and stuffing them in a hemp bag, I made my way back to the city.
I ignored the mutters of the locals as they watched me— a small 'young woman'— carry a big, slightly bloody bag, to the Mercenary Guild. I do agree, that if I saw that scene, I'd also think it was weird.
Unfortunately, I was the subject of those mutters and I was the one being mistaken for a woman!
I'm never getting over this, and the only reason I'm able to put up with it is because of my little (big) 'bro' hiding under my skirt.
With a thud, I place the trophies down on the counter. "Three of any combo! Just like you said!"
The eyepatch man of the Mercenary Guild counter looked shocked to see me so soon, but opened the bag.
"Three orcs?! You defeated three orcs by yourself in just half a day? Color me surprised and impressed, Lass!" The man and his friend from earlier looked through the bag, looking for something else.
"Didja nab the runestone? And the orc meat?" The friend dude asked.
Ah… runestone? I assume that's one of those mana crystals, typically found in monsters. A staple in a lot of fantasy media…
Gahhh!!! I should have known that was a thing! I killed so many of them! My precious money!
Oh, well. I can get more valuable runestones from better monsters later. Plus, he mentioned orc meat, so I guess monster meat is safe to eat, too.
After a bit of time, the man came back with a license denoting the holder to be a Mercenary of 2-Star Rank with a blank space for a name. The ranking system is thankfully not the stereotypical Letter Grade system. Instead, it's by the number of stars on your ID. 1-Star being the lowest and 7-Star being the highest.
"What name should I put you under, Lass?"
"Astolfo," I said confidently.
"Astolfo, huh? That's a pretty masculine name for a lady?" The man wondered.
"Sure is!" I simply agreed. I do not need to explain to anyone that I am a man. At least… I'd explain if some weirdo starts stubbornly hitting on me. Only because that'll get them to go away.
"I'd like to take a job right away, if that's fine." I asked.
The man pointed with his thumb to a big board with numerous wooden tags on it. "You sure are an eager one. That board there has all the available jobs for a 2-Star rank like yourself. Go ahead and take your pick. Granted, most of them are errands or odd jobs. The big important jobs… well, the Merc Troupes get priority on 'em."
I walk over and look at all there is and read the details… to no avail.
I don't know how to read this world's language… So, I pick one at random. "This one!"
The man reads the tag that I brought him and raises a brow. "An escort mission for gathering herbs in Rata Village? You really want this one, Lass?"
Ah, good ol' escort missions. How I miss those pain-in-the-ass, video game-like missions already.
"I have no problem with doing it." Plus, it won't hurt to learn the geography of the area, nor would it hurt to learn about the local herbs.
"All right, then! Just make sure you're extra nice to this client, eh? I'm sure she'll like you a lot!" The man said with a big smile on his face.
"Uh? Sure..."
I'm always nice.