After a quick wash-up, the two of them left the inn and flowed into Orario's morning crowd.
Zyhark led Yukino toward the Adventurers' Street along the northwest main road.
The Guild headquarters—the Pantheon—stood on that bustling avenue.
The closer they drew to the Guild, the more people in adventurer gear they saw.
Folk of every race strode past in armor and with weapons in hand:
humans, Pallum, Amazoness, beastmen, dwarves, elves…
In the middle of all that, Yukino in her Sōbu High uniform stood out like a beacon, drawing more than a few curious—or appraising—looks.
She knit her brows.
Almost unconsciously she quickened her pace and kept tight to Zyhark's side.
"Yukino, here—breakfast. Eat while we walk."
Zyhark ignored the stares from passersby, and held out a boiled egg and a hunk of dry bread.
He'd picked them up for two hundred valis at a breakfast stall they'd passed.
Yukino glanced down and, in the end, took only the egg.
"No bread?"
Zyhark's eyes were puzzled.
"No."
Came Yukino's cool reply as her slender fingers began peeling the shell.
"Alright. Then I'll treat you to something good at lunch."
…
At the Guild entrance rose a stately stone building.
The great doors stood open; inside, a vast space roared with life.
A crowd packed around the enormous quest board.
Clerks behind the service counters worked nonstop.
The whole hall buzzed with energetic, glorious chaos.
Zyhark, practiced and at ease, guided Yukino to the front desk for new registrants.
The receptionist was a female elf with long, slender ears and a polished professional smile.
"Good day, kami-sama. How may I help you?"
Her voice was sweet, tinged with respect.
In this world, the locals could usually tell a god at a glance— well, except Syr.
And as for Yukino, a non-local, it was understandable she hadn't noticed at first.
"I'm here to register her as an adventurer."
Zyhark motioned to Yukino.
His gaze flicked to the name on the badge at the elf's chest: Sophie.
"Of course. Please fill out this form."
The elf passed over a sheet and a feather pen.
It asked for name, sex, age, race, familia, and the name of one's god, as well as the date they received Falna.
Yukino picked up the pen, hesitated for a breath, and wrote "Human" under race.
For familia and god, she truthfully wrote "Zyhark Familia" and "Zyhark."
The elf took the form.
At the words "Zyhark Familia," a faint, almost imperceptible surprise crossed her eyes.
A new power?
No wonder she hadn't heard this god's name—likely a recently descended deity.
Her professional training kept her from prying. She processed the paperwork swiftly.
After confirming everything, she slipped it into a Guild-sealed parchment privacy sleeve and sealed it carefully.
"Miss Yukino, congratulations on officially becoming an adventurer of Orario."
"Please be sure to follow Guild regulations and stay safe."
The elf smiled, then added:
"In addition, new adventurers may visit a Guild-designated armory to receive one set of basic issue weapons and light gear free of charge."
"Alternatively, you can obtain better equipment on credit."
"The limit is 5,000 to 30,000 valis, repayable to the Guild within a year."
It was, without question, good news.
Zyhark had been fretting about their thin starting funds and couldn't outfit Yukino properly.
Following the directions, they arrived at one of the Guild's affiliated weapon shops.
Inside, rows of weapons and armor glinted in neat displays.
Zyhark looked to Yukino.
"Pick something you'll handle well."
Her eyes swept the racks and finally settled on a row of standard longswords.
She lifted one of the better-looking, relatively light blades and tested the balance.
"This one."
A practical choice.
Then—
Zyhark took up a reasonably sturdy leather cuirass and offered it over.
"Armor, too. Safety first."
However, Yukino's brows pinched; clear resistance colored her face.
She looked from the somewhat bulky, mobility-stealing leather to Zyhark, and spoke with a cool, proudly sharp tongue:
"Pardon my bluntness, but this cumbersome, movement-hindering deadweight will only burden me in a dangerous environment."
"Rather than relying on such passive defense, it would be better to focus on ending the enemy faster—and with precision."
"And besides…"
She paused, glanced at the crude finish and homely styling, and cooled further:
"I wouldn't call its aesthetics… commendable."
Zyhark pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Hey, ojō-sama, the Dungeon isn't P.E. class!"
"Monsters don't argue philosophy. One stray hit can cripple you—or kill you!"
"Even if it slows you down, some armor is better than none!"
"I stand by my judgment."
Yukino folded her arms, utterly unmoved.
"Over-reliance on external protection breeds complacency and neglect of one's own reflexes and technique."
"Besides, I'm reasonably confident in my evasion."
Seeing that "my mind is made up" look and the uncompromising gleam in her eyes,
Zyhark's mouth twitched. He swallowed the rest of his lecture.
He thought of Yukino's SSSR-rarity potential, and the ice-attribute magic she carried.
Maybe… she really had her own calculus.
Or maybe it was that fierce pride talking.
Forget it.
After the Dungeon smacks her around once, she'll behave.
"Fine—have it your way."
Zyhark sighed, yielding to her choice.
"Let's hope that confidence doesn't get you punished down there."
In the end, they purchased the higher-grade longsword on credit for a total of 20,000 valis.
By the time they left the armory, it was nearly noon.
Zyhark patted his protesting stomach and said to Yukino, who was quietly gripping her new sword:
"C'mon—let's try an isekai tavern for lunch."
"It's a good place to feel the rhythm of Orario—and its adventurers."
They picked a lively tavern nearby that seemed popular with regulars.
When they pushed open the heavy wooden door, a gust of smells—malt beer, roast meat, and the varied scents of many races—washed over them.
A wave of noise crashed down at once.
The wide hall was packed.
Adventurers of every race laughed loud, traded Dungeon stories, mugs clinked, rough banter flew, and servers wove briskly through the crowd.
All those sounds braided together into a scene raw with vitality and wildness.
Yukino paused at the threshold, brows faintly drawn.
Clearly, this kind of noisy, rough atmosphere didn't sit well with her.
She eyed the bare-chested, boisterous dwarves, listened to the unabashed coarse talk, and a cool look of distance flashed across her face.
"Different from the restaurants in your world, huh?"
Zyhark grinned, led her to a relatively quiet corner, and ordered the house roast and some fruit juice.
Yukino looked around again.
The manners were crude, but most eyes brimmed with energy and hope.
She drew a small breath and nodded.
"Indeed… quite different."
Her tone was still calm, but some of the rejection in her gaze gave way to observation and thought.
"It's… brimming with primal life."
She raised her cup and sipped the otherworldly juice, her eyes drifting to the adventurers slugging back ale and talking big, as if she could peer through them and glimpse the rawest, most vivid face of this alien city.
Watching her absorbed profile, Zyhark knew she was working hard to digest and adapt.
His first familia member's adventure was finally about to begin in earnest.
…
…
(End of Chapter)
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