It may be Thursday already, but they didn’t really have us do any work as soon as we arrived.
We had time to slowly look around the place we would be staying for a whole day yesterday. After finishing lunch, we wandered around the station for about thirty minutes before gathering again and moving to Winterfield Castle with Jennifer, exploring here and there while being introduced. It was good to get familiar with the residents since it would make it easier to get help later on, no matter what happens.
Since there were fifteen noble students gathered around, led by a noble teacher, residents didn’t come near us while we wandered around. Well, given that the teacher was at the front, and all the students behind were wearing coats, it’s understandable.
The inner school uniform seemed like a slight improvement with some resemblance to school attire, but the coat was almost indistinguishable from an officer’s coat. To the residents without detailed military knowledge, it must have looked like a bunch of officers wandering around.
In the afternoon, I, Alice, and Charlotte went inside to rest until the next day, but the others seemed to be actively wandering around. Even Mia Crowfield was one of those students.
“…Ugh, it’s cold to be out this early in the morning,” Alice muttered, shaking her body as she stepped outside.
Even though it’s already May, it’s still cold, proving that the North is indeed the North. Is this chilling feeling due to the meticulous creation of the world by the producers, or is it just the atmosphere of the fantasy continent giving rise to the image that ‘the North is cold’?
Well, the reason doesn’t really matter.
Regardless, the weather was so cold that I ended up putting on my coat, which I had draped over like a cloak.
By the way, I already put on thick black stockings on my legs long ago. Even without Jennifer telling me, as soon as I stepped off the train, this unsettling cold made me think about mere survival first.
And I guess my actions seemed desperate to the others as well, since everyone quietly purchased warm gear next to me.
Thanks to that, we were able to be out here at this hour.
“Anyway, the quest board is open. Look,” Claire pointed to the quest board nearby Winterfield Castle.
All the surrounding stores and restaurants were dark. While the gas lamps were lit, they didn’t completely dispel the gloomy atmosphere of the street. At least, since we were inside the castle walls, it wasn’t too dreary; if we were near the station, the forest at the end of our sight would have looked incredibly eerie.
The Empire’s security system is surprisingly modern, with the military and police being separate. The army takes care of military affairs, while the imperial police handle security.
However, the range of activities for the imperial police is mostly limited to the emperor’s direct jurisdiction. Even though the Empire has centralized governance and abolished private soldiers, the lords desired at least minimal autonomy. So, regions that could manage their police force with just their tax revenues had their own police.
While they can’t militarize out of fear of the emperor, they still maintain enough troops to protect themselves somewhat in case the emperor attacks.
Though general private soldiers have been abolished, special lords, such as those on the border or the Duke of Winterfield who have somewhat unstable security due to outside factors, can operate an exempted private force as ‘auxiliary troops’ of the imperial army. However, beyond military status, the ultimate command remains with the emperor.
If the emperor deems it an army that falls outside those exemptions and orders disbandment, then it must be done. Otherwise, the imperial army would come rushing in like a storm.
Well, I’m not sure if the Duke of Winterfield can even reach that far. The local commanders of the imperial army seem to be extremely loyal to Winterfield.
In any case, due to this ‘strangulation’ from the royal family, prominent lords in the region have pondered how to create something similar to private soldiers. This led to the establishment of these ‘quest boards operated by the territory.’
To put it bluntly, they are mercenary groups directly hired by the territory.
The quest boards were founded decades ago under the pretense of dealing with threats from beasts on the roads, maintaining security in undeveloped areas of the territory, or addressing the grievances of residents requiring some level of force…
And to monitor these quest boards, the Empire sends students under the guise of ‘dispatching’ them to solve a certain amount of quests registered by the boards. As a result, the quest boards find themselves somewhat under the supervision of the Imperial Academy.
“…At this rate, we might freeze to death, so let’s go inside quickly,” Charlotte suggested, and everyone nodded in agreement. Even Mia Crowfield, who looked a bit sleepy, and Jake, who had a drowsy expression after the meal, now showed signs of alertness.
…But seriously, are they actually planning to carry out quests in this weather?
Are their eyes sharp as eagle eyes or something?
…After thinking for a bit, I concluded that their eyes might just actually be as sharp as eagle eyes, and despair settled in.
In a world where terms like sword energy, meditation, and Sword Saint casually come up, it makes sense.
I guess today I’ll find myself rolling back time dozens of times.
Thankful that the stone paths where the wagons run had no accumulated snow beneath the hot steam pipes underground, I hurried to follow the main characters ahead of me.
*
“Ah!?”
Bang!
“Yikes.”
A muscular woman slammed her hands down on the counter with an extremely ‘angry noise’ that seems straight out of a Japanese manga, causing Mia Crowfield to let out a frightened sound.
“Are you kidding me, making me work at this hour!?”
The woman, who looked incredibly pissed, seemed like she used to be quite something in her younger days, as she had multiple large scars across her arms. Wearing a fitting short-sleeved shirt that showcased those wounds as if she had fought a bear, it honestly felt like she was anything but an ordinary receptionist.
Flinch.
Alice’s eyebrow twitched slightly. Clearly, she was not liking the attitude of the person in front of her.
Nevertheless, she didn’t say anything. Most probably, these people had already had some back-and-forth discussions between Jennifer and her.
“Um, but we saw the door was open, so… aren’t you on duty yet?”
Oh.
Leo’s nonchalant remark was something I was familiar with. It was a line that came up when you chose ‘don’t be scared and reply honestly’ in the original work. Extra point one.
However, I wasn’t sure if that kind of point had any meaning here.
…In the original, they at least seemed to move after dawn, making this look like merely a stubborn display, but right now, it felt like… well, it slightly came off as a legitimate complaint. Still, if this was indeed her working hours, getting mad didn’t seem normal.
“Huh?”
And the receptionist’s response was as I saw it before. I recognized it from having seen the choice sequence a few times.
In the game, the expression data was limited, so she would have still looked mad in this situation, but the expression on the receptionist’s face that came into my view now seemed to say ‘what’s up with this punk?’ The dialogue would have been “……”.
“I’m really sorry for being here so early. But… we did come knowing it’s duty time…”
Leo carefully asked.
“Well, that’s true,”
the receptionist maintained a bothersome expression but shrugged her shoulders and pointed to the right wall with her index finger.
“There’s plenty over there, so pick a suitable one. If you fail and give up, I’ll just whack your head for each failure, so be prepared and choose carefully. Only what you can handle.”
I slyly glanced at the receptionist’s hand.
…Her hand looked so big that my face could fit right into it if she spread her fingers wide.
Is it really okay to refer to that punch as merely a ‘whack’?
Well, if I’m with these guys, I’m sure I won’t fail, so I’m not worried.
The receptionist, scratching her sprawling orange hair with her fingers, seemed to lose the venom in her expression. Well, if it were me, I’d lose my edge fast if I had to be angry since dawn.
Leaving the yawning receptionist behind, we approached an enormous corkboard that filled the wall.
“…So many.”
“Right.”
Claire murmured, and Leo responded.
In the game, only about three or four quests would pop up at once, but the tasks displayed in front of us now were so numerous that I couldn’t even count them at a glance.
Well, considering fifteen students have been added, there must also be quests that hired mercenaries need to handle, so realistically, it’s not surprising that there are this many.
“Hmmm….”
“Is this one okay?”
While Claire was lost in thought, Charlotte pointed to one of the quests.
[Quest – Eliminate the Elemental Bear “Red Claw.”
Capture not necessary. The body will be dealt with on contact.
Quest Fee 5 Pounds. Additional compensation is possible if the corpse is intact. Other details have been communicated to the receptionist.]
5 pounds per quest is quite a decent amount. If we convert it by regional standards, it’s just over 500,000 won. Since the value of the pound in the 1900s is being converted to yen with an easy formula of 1 pound = 10,000 yen for players, it should be around that.
Well, if the yen drops, it might even be below 500,000 won.
If five of us work together, it’ll be 1 pound each. It’s sufficient to get by for a day. Well, if we sell the corpse directly, it might be a different story, but the people who post these quests are not fools. Among those handling the disposal, they have their own networks, so if a hunter tries to sell directly, it won’t sell unless they offer significantly lower prices.
Moreover, things like Marmaros’ magical processing require quite a few acquaintances.
Everyone nodded at Charlotte’s words. Catching a bear alone may be impossible, but with all of us, it’s definitely doable.
Charlotte selected a few more quests apart from the Elemental Bear one. There were four in total, and fortunately, they were all side quests I was aware of.
“Hmm? Elemental Bear?”
When the receptionist glanced at the quest, her gaze fell on Leo’s hair. After spotting Claire’s hair color beside him, she seemed to realize and said, “Ah.”
“You guys are the little ones from Grace’s Estate, right?”
Having her recognize the kids from the Baron Grace’s estate before the Crown Princess felt a bit odd, but well, that’s how it was in the original.
“Ah, yes, that’s us.”
“I see. Then this would be something I can entrust you with.”
…And then I noticed her glance pass over to Alice and me for a moment, so it didn’t seem like she failed to recognize us.
“Alright. Let me give you the documents with details.”
Quest details sometimes contain information too good to be revealed to just anyone. That’s why the receptionist won’t reveal precise details unless they find the person trustworthy.
“Thank you!”
With that, Claire happily accepted the slender bundle of documents.
“We’ll handle this quickly!”
“Sure, just don’t die.”
Seeing Claire’s lively expression, the receptionist seemed to lighten up, smiling as she spoke.
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