Upon being informed of the identity of the girl in front of them, the clerk kneeled next to her superior, and both of them remained silent. With each passing second, their faces grew paler.

(Crap. Now this is awkward.)

"... Why are you two bowing to me? Please raise your heads."

"I... I sincerely apologize, my Lady. I harshly judged your looks, your voice, your skills, and I even tried to injure you. As one of your father's vassals, I have shown you such disrespect that I cannot possibly apologize enough. Please do not punish this woman."

"I do not plan to punish anyone... I disguised myself, so I did not expect to be treated as a noble in the first place. I only showed you my face because you asked for proof that I am of age."

"I-I thank you ever so much for your magnanimity, my Lady. I am aware that you have recently had your coming-of-age ceremony, so you are no longer obliged to show your face to us if you do not want to."

"Now that it is done, I do not see the need to hide anymore. I only did so to be treated equally. So, what rank will you assign to me?"

"..."

Will's eyes darted away, his lips pressed into a thin line. From his expression, it was apparent that he wasn't sure about how honest his answer should be.

"Just ignore my status and make your decision only based on the examination test I just passed. As I said, I want to be treated just like anyone."

"Please, Lady Alice, try to understand that I cannot just ignore this fact. D and C ranks are those which bear the most deaths. The missions associated with these ranks often include the hunt of dangerous beasts and fights with criminals. I could not allow a young lady such as you to start from there. Please consider starting at E-rank."

"Ha?! That is discrimination, is it not? And here I am, telling you that I will not use my status to pressure you. I might just do it, you know?"

"It is for your sake, my Lady... I am sure Lord Edgar would agree."

(Ugh. He might be right...)

"Can we not compromise on D-rank? E is just too low."

"... How about this? Either we make you start at E-rank and you will be completely free to choose any quest you like, or you start at D-rank but we will not allow you to participate in dangerous missions or missions alone until we deem you experienced enough. I cannot compromise more than this, my Lady."

"Now we are talking."

***

"Are you eager to join a party, my Lady? You decided on the second option quite quickly."

"I am not particularly enthusiastic. I just thought that if I want to increase my rank quickly, I will eventually need to join one anyway. And please, do not call me that, Melisande. I want to hide the fact that I am a noble from the other adventurers."

"Alright, I won't speak formally with you then. You should do the same if you want to maintain your double identity. You give off a rich daughter aura when you speak like that."

"Y-yeah... you're right. I'll work on that."

The two women emerged from the annex to do the registration at the reception desk. Alice's cloak still draped over her, the hood casting a shadow over her features. But now, her face was no longer hidden, exposed to the curious gazes around her. After all, using this spell impaired her vision.

(Oh, crap. Everyone is watching me.)

"You'll probably want to register under a different name."

"Another one, huh? Who will even accept a girl like me in their party when I'm clearly hiding myself?"

"Not a lot, I assume. You should ask everyone here to see if they are searching for new members."

"Ugh. Do you have a couple of leads so that I can ask them in priority?"

(Well, more like so that I don't have to speak to most of those present.)

"A party in need... Oh, there is one! A party of one, more exactly. He is currently having trouble getting stars alone."

"So you're suggesting a loser. I pass."

"D-don't say it like that! He's actually experienced and skilled. It's just that he has been rejected from his party when all its members but him became C-ranks."

"That's too bad for him. Anyway, do you know any party of gi-"

"Cyne! Can you come here for a second?"

"H-huh? I didn't give my approval though?!"

"Don't worry, Alice! Since you're shy, I'll do the talking."

A tall man with brown hair rose from his chair, wiping crumbs from his mouth.

As he approached the reception area, Alice could see his red, intimidating eyes. Most likely, he was annoyed to be called like a dog by the clerk.

"What's up, Melis?"

"That little one here is registering as an adventurer, and I proposed that you accompany her during her first few missions. Is that alright?"

"It isn't, of course! Do I look like a babysitter to you?"

"She is actually an adult. Also, Sir Will gave her the D-rank, so she's the same as you."

"Sorry, what did you just say? Did that shorty really get that rank in an hour?"

"Well... Her case is a complex one. Since she lacks experience, we don't want her to go solo for a while. That's where you come into action! This collaboration might just be the trigger you needed to regain your momentum!"

"As if. I don't see how protecting a little girl will get me more productive than usual."

"I'm doubling your rewards for every mission you take alongside her."

"..."

"So?"

"I do think it's important to assist newcomers. I would have appreciated someone doing that for me in the past. Let's do it."

(Wah... Does he have no shame in saying this now?)

"I'm Cyne. Nice to meet you."

"Oh... Likewise. My name is Al-"

Alice stopped her sentence midway when she saw the clerk girl wildly gesturing in her peripherical vision.

(...! I almost blew my cover with the first thing I say to him! Am I an idiot?!)

"... Iris. The name's Iris."

(Uh... That one will do, right?)

The clerk was now making a thumbs-up, so it was probably fine.

"I'll complete the registration for Iris, the D-rank adventurer, by myself. Now that you two have agreed to this collaboration, how about choosing a simple mission from the ones pinned to the board over there? Cyne, please show her the way."

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Okay~. Iris, come with me."

Just like that, the young man left the reception area. In this vast building, it seemed the actual adventuring section was in the back. Multiple boards were positioned here and there, and various tools to sharpen weapons were free to use.

Alice watched Cyne walk away for a little while, and then she turned to the mischief who was evidently trying to force her hand.

"I-I still haven't agreed to anything though..."

"... You're difficult to please. If you want to search for another party in need of new members, there's this one in the corner. I heard those burly men were specifically looking for a woman. Just go talk to them."

"O-oh... N-no, thanks... I can't wait to go with Cyne!"

***

(How did it turn out like this? I've been had, haven't I?)

Alice, or rather Iris, was walking in the wild side-by-side with Cyne, the supposedly experienced adventurer who would show her how to complete a mission. In this case, they just had to investigate the sightings of hordes of not-too-dangerous monsters and potentially hunt them. She had wanted something a little more challenging, but he ultimately chose an easy quest.

(He said it was for my sake but, in reality, he's probably overcautious all the time. Why else would he stagnate at D-rank for months? Will this collaboration even be beneficial to me?)

And yet, here he was with his over-the-top black and red armor, with a black sword in his sheath.

(Tch. I bet he just wants to look cool.)

"Stop eyeing me like that, missy. If you've got something to say, just do it."

"Ah... I was just wondering how much your armor costs. It doesn't look like a standardized one."

"You're right. I had a friend make it for me. It's cheap but it looks cool, so I'm satisfied with it."

"I see."

(He actually said it...)

"What about you? Do you have any armor under that suspicious robe?"

"I'm not interested in buying those ridiculous bikini armors. I can defend myself just fine."

"I wonder about that. I still have trouble believing that old geezer made you start at this rank. You didn't agree to any shady condition like servicing him, did you?"

"E-eh? N-no, it wasn't like that! ... I think? Then again, he did talk about getting whipped and such the first time I made contact with him..."

"..."

Simultaneously, Iris and Cyne locked eyes, their expressions draining of color as a shared realization settled upon them.

"A-am I in trouble?"

"You bet you are! I'll talk to that degenerate as soon as we get back."

"Please do..."

"Still, that means you're in fact not strong enough to participate in a D-rank mission. Let's go back to the Guild."

"Huh? I'm not returning there empty-handed on my first mission. I would die from embarrassment. Let's at least take out one of those goblins and bring it back with us."

"... We're fighting wirants, not goblins. They do look alike, but wirants are monsters."

"..."

"You do know the difference between animals and monsters, right?"

"... I don't."

"Did you live your entire life without leaving your house or something?"

(I kind of did, actually...)

"Monsters use magic, while animals don't. It's as simple as that."

"Even though both should have mana veins?"

"That's right. It's just a classification used mostly by adventurers to know if one will have to take measures against magic while facing a beast."

(This denomination has no biological backing, then.)

"I suppose that means monsters are more dangerous than animals."

"Well, in this case, wirants are more dangerous than goblins. Most of them have a fire element which, although not very strong, can still burn a small village if they set up their traps beforehand."

"I see. They sound like vile and cunning creatures."

"... Maybe it would have been better if you had asked for information about the targets before agreeing to that quest, you know?"

"Well, from the drawing, I just thought they were red goblins. In any case, as I said, I'm not going back just yet."

"Listen, at this rate, we won't reach the location for another hour. I don't even know if you'll have enough stamina to get back to the Guild afterward."

"I've got plenty of stamina, I'll let you know. We'll be there in twenty minutes."

***

Less than half an hour later, they had arrived at their destination. Cyne was gasping for breath with sweat trickling on his face despite having taken a break midway through their sprint, while Iris was investigating the corpse of a wirant that was lying under a tree.

"Looks like the body was gnawed. Maybe some scavengers?"

"... Nah. There's too much blood. It probably got that part torn off while it was still alive and died from the bleeding."

"Ouch. Now, I'm curious to know what kind of monster did that."

"I'm not sure. Based on the injury, at least, it was caused by a beast with a large jaw. It would be wise to take the carcass with us and show it to the neighboring village. Then they can adjust their request for the Gui-"

Cyne stopped and froze, as if he had seen a ghost.

"Shit. It's coming back. Stay behind me. I'll take it on."

"... What's that? An orc? Can't we just hide behind those trees?"

"That's an ordot, and its sense of smell is incredible. Surely, it already knows full well that we're two. I can probably manage to fight one."

"An ordot, huh? Alright, if you need assistance, just ask."

"No thanks. I can't afford to protect you while fighting, so stay back."

"... Fine, I'll just go over there."

"Why the hell are you so calm, anyway? If I lose that fight, as a girl, your fate will be way worse than mine."

(Huh. An orc-like creature that defiles women, and a wannabe hero who's about to fight in order to protect a damsel in distress... Can it get more cliché?)

"Please protect me, my savior~."

With its gigantic and vaguely humanoid body, the wild ordot was finally charging toward Cyne. It probably was a form of anthropomorphism, but it was as if it was harboring a large and eerie smile on its grotesquely disproportioned face.

"You don't need to tell me that. I'll show you how an adventurer fights."

(It was sarcasm... Get a hint and wipe that grin off your face!)