"This is the Adventurers' Guild."
After walking together for a while, we finally reached our destination—the Adventurers' Guild.
"Let's get inside quickly. Sorry, but I'm reaching my limit…" "Yeah."
Lisa walked ahead from beside me, and I followed right after as we entered the Adventurers' Guild.
The moment we stepped inside, the place was overflowing with energy. Loud voices that were almost shouts flew back and forth everywhere, and people of all races were gathered, talking among themselves. On the other hand, there were also beastmen quietly staring at what looked like quest boards by themselves.
The space filled with so many different people seemed chaotic at first glance, but they were all bound together by the single label of "adventurer." Almost everyone present was carrying bladed weapons—the kind that ordinary people in my old world could never have owned. Not only blades, but some also carried staff-like objects. Those were probably the mages of this world.
"Takuma. Follow me." "Ah, sorry…"
I had stopped without realizing it, mesmerized by the adventurers I was seeing for the first time, and had fallen behind Lisa. I hurried to catch up with her, and we stopped in front of a woman.
"Welcome to the Adventurers' Guild. My name is Lorraine, and I'll be helping you at the reception desk."
The brown-haired woman slowly bowed her head as she greeted us. At that moment, her beautiful long brown hair tucked behind her ear and her very large, soft-looking breasts swayed gently.
Unlike Lisa or the woman I was carrying on my back, her chest wasn't exposed. A black ribbon was neatly tied at her collar. The white shirt she wore didn't show direct eroticism like the others, but the frills around her chest still gave off a mature sex appeal that easily drew men's eyes straight to her ample bosom.
"Lorraine, I've brought this." "Oh my, that was fast." "Well, those kinds of guys are always hiding in dark alleys." "That's true."
Lorraine took the piece of paper Lisa pulled from her pocket and placed it on top of a stack of documents.
"Also, we rescued one woman at the time, so could you take care of her here?" "Understood. Ah, excuse me."
Lorraine whispered something to a male staff member who was passing behind her. Soon after, a man approached me, and I handed over the unconscious woman I had been carrying. The man, unlike me, carried her in a princess hold and disappeared deeper into the building.
"Also, I killed three pigs in an alley about three hundred meters straight ahead from here, so could you contact the military police to handle the cleanup?" "Got it. …Now then, could you tell me about this gentleman here?"
Lorraine's gaze, which had been directed at Lisa until now, turned toward me.
She was sitting in a chair while I was standing, so her eyes looked up at me from below, framed by her long eyelashes. The upward glance was incredibly seductive. No—elegant and alluring.
"His name is… um, what was it again, Takuma?" "Takuma Takahashi. Twenty-two years old. Please feel free to call me Takuma. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lorraine." "Yes, likewise."
Following Lorraine's polite greeting earlier, I gave the most courteous response I could manage and bowed deeply. She answered me again with perfect politeness.
No doubt about it. This woman was competent.
As I thought that and looked at Lorraine again, I noticed something. I had been so focused on her beautiful face and chest that I hadn't seen it before, but on the ring finger of her left hand was a shining silver ring.
Yes, the kind of ring that lovers wear to swear their love to each other. It was on Lorraine's left ring finger.
"Lorraine, if I may ask something personal… are you married?" "Eh? Yes, I am." "I see…"
Only a few dozen minutes after arriving in another world, my first love had quietly come to an end.
If there was a speedrun category for getting rejected in another world, I would definitely be number one. Holding onto that small pride, I endured the pain in my chest.
No matter how much this world allowed touching married women without it being a crime, I wasn't that much of a scumbag.
As a man, it was also important to wish for the happiness of the woman you liked and gracefully withdraw.
"Hey. You didn't come all the way here just to confess to Lorraine, right?" "…Yeah, sorry."
Lisa's words brought me back to my senses.
I reminded myself of my current situation and what I needed to do next, then faced Lorraine once more.
"Lorraine, I'd like to become an adventurer…" "Adventurer registration, correct? Then could you please fill out this form?"
As she spoke, Lorraine took out a sheet of paper and a pen.
"Ah… about that. Can I… read and write…?"
The characters on the document in front of me were completely familiar—the same writing system I knew. Come to think of it, the language Lisa and Lorraine were speaking was also my own language.
It seemed the "adjustment" for that had been taken care of by Tong… no, by whatever god had brought me here. I silently offered my thanks.
"Understood."
I took the form and pen and began filling in my information one by one. Name, age, and there were also fields for special skills and magic, but I left those blank for now.
"I'm done." "Thank you. I'll check for any missing information, so please wait a moment."
Lorraine slowly scanned the registration form from top to bottom. Her eyes stopped at the section for special skills and magic near the bottom.
"Takuma, do you have any special skills or magic?" "It's embarrassing to admit, but I don't have any. If I don't have any skills or magic, can I still become an adventurer?" "Yes, as long as you are ten years or older, you can register. However, I would recommend that you avoid taking subjugation requests like Lisa does, at least for now." "Understood. I'll keep that in mind."
Lorraine checked the entire form once more from top to bottom, then looked at me.
"Yes, everything looks fine. Just one final confirmation—your name is Takuma, correct?"
In the name field on the adventurer registration document, I had simply written "Takuma" in katakana.
I did have the family name Takahashi, but there was no need to use it in this world. Besides, I had probably died once already. In the sense of reincarnation, I decided that from now on I would live simply as Takuma, not Takahashi Takuma.