“Ah, so you’re a traveler. You must be quite exhausted from your journey. Welcome to Trasion, the Sanctuary of Eternal Night!”
My newly prepared temporary identity.
A self-introduction as a beastkin traveling throughout the Demon Empire, along with a claim that I was looking for mercenary requests to quickly earn cash after running out of funds.
She listened patiently to my long story, then greeted me with a bright smile.
Of course, I’d never been on any sort of trip, let alone left Trasion before.
Seeing her genuine reaction pricked at my conscience, but fortunately, she didn’t seem suspicious.
Honestly, I was worried that my current appearance might raise doubts.
But apparently, that concern was unnecessary.
Thinking about the sheer number of travelers who visit the guild every day, I suppose my appearance didn’t seem particularly unusual.
I began to relax, relieved, but that peace didn’t last long.
The reason was simple.
What the receptionist said next was enough to snap me back to full attention.
Obviously, my knowledge of the guild was minimal at best—limited to something like, “If you complete requests arranged by the guild, you can make money.”
This meant I was entirely unprepared for any unexpected twists.
And unfortunately, my vague apprehension quickly became a reality without warning.
“Then, could you first show me your Imperial Citizenship ID?”
“…? Pardon?”
‘An Imperial Citizenship ID? That was completely unexpected.’
I had assumed we’d move straight to discussing the request.
My eyes widened in surprise.
I knew about the concept of a citizenship ID in general, but I hadn’t anticipated being asked for one in this situation.
Moreover, as an automaton—merely the property of my creator—the idea of having a citizenship ID was absurd.
It wasn’t even possible for me to obtain one in the first place.
My voice, filled with confusion, was all I could muster in response.
Ironically, the receptionist seemed to quickly come up with her own explanation after seeing my reaction, nodding as if she understood.
“Ah… Right, you’re a beastkin and a traveler. I suppose it’s not surprising you don’t have an Imperial Citizenship ID.”
‘Would not having a citizenship ID mean I couldn’t take on any requests?’
I shuddered at the thought and was internally panicking when the receptionist’s nonchalant voice rescued me.
Her reaction suggested that not having a citizenship ID wouldn’t necessarily prevent me from accepting requests.
Considering it was outright impossible for an automaton to acquire a citizenship ID, this was an enormous relief for me.
However, just as I was about to ask if there would be any disadvantages to not having one, her next question cut me off.
And unlike before, this one hit me like a direct blow.
“Then, could you tell me your name? I’ll need to check the guild branches in other regions to confirm your credit rating or combat rank—”
“Um… This is actually my first time visiting any guild branch, including this one in the capital…”
“…Excuse me? You’re a traveler, but you’ve never visited a guild in any other region?”
I muttered nervously, interrupting her explanation.
The previously warm atmosphere vanished, replaced by an awkward silence.
The air grew tense as the receptionist’s eyes shifted from puzzled to increasingly suspicious.
“Oh no… This is bad! Seriously bad!!!”
I instinctively knew that if I couldn’t defuse this situation, I’d end up in a much bigger mess—and forget about taking on any requests.
Her suspicion was warranted.
As she mentioned, it was unusual—if not outright bizarre—for a traveler to have never visited a guild, considering how ubiquitous guild branches were, even in small towns.
I was in a bind.
I couldn’t take back what I’d said, and her growing suspicion made the situation even more delicate.
As our gazes met and the tension reached its peak, an idea suddenly struck me—a brilliant solution that might just save the day.
“Actually… I wasn’t planning to share this, but I had an accident in the past that left my face severely scarred. Because of that, I unconsciously avoid crowded places. Even visiting the guild at this late hour is because I wanted to avoid people. I usually stay far away from guilds, but my financial situation has gotten so bad that I had no choice.”
‘If Mark had seen me, he would’ve been impressed by my acting skills.’
On top of that, I took full advantage of my current look—wearing a mask and covering myself entirely.
It was a last-ditch effort, complete with a new backstory.
I wasn’t entirely confident it would work.
‘If the receptionist turned out to be someone who didn’t trust others easily, my excuse might have failed.’
Fortunately, the receptionist didn’t seem like that type of person.
“Oh… I see. You’ve been through so much. I can’t even imagine how hard it must have been for you to travel without ever visiting a guild. I’m glad you’ve found the courage to come here and overcome your trauma, even if it’s just a little.”
Her suspicious expression melted away, replaced by a look of sympathy and compassion.
Feeling the atmosphere return to normal, I quietly let out a sigh of relief.
I’d narrowly dodged a disaster.
If I had been a burly, intimidating man instead, things probably wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.
But my current appearance—a small, slender frame paired with a soft, cute voice—perfectly suited the image of a vulnerable beastkin girl hiding her face for personal reasons.
Naturally, these traits worked in my favor, dispelling the receptionist’s doubts.
However, there were still downsides to this appearance.
“Thank you for sharing, Karune. That’s such a lovely name. Since this is your first visit, would you like to browse the available mercenary requests?”
“In order to accept a mercenary request, we’ll need to measure your combat rank first. But, perhaps you’d consider looking into other types of requests? You seem quite young, and I feel that mercenary work might be too challenging for someone like you. There are plenty of less dangerous requests as well, and I can help you find something suitable. What do you think?”
When I gave her the name “Karin,” the alias I’d prepared in advance with just a slight tweak to the last character, she nodded without hesitation.
While reviewing some documents, she hesitated briefly, then made the suggestion with a concerned expression.
Well, I’d expected something like this might happen.
Even if people shouldn’t judge based on appearances, it wasn’t exactly normal for someone who looked as young as I did to take on mercenary work.
Unable to outright reject her earnest proposal, I looked over the other requests she showed me.
However, the rewards weren’t appealing, and most of them didn’t fit my current situation.
Resolving to stick with my original plan, I raised my arms confidently and struck a determined pose.
“I might not look it, but I’m really strong! Just trust me this once—I’ll surprise you, I promise!”
I tried to be as convincing as possible, my eyes sparkling with determination, but the receptionist only gave me a strained smile as her eyes drifted to my thin, bandage-wrapped arms.
Her efforts to persuade me continued for a while, but in the end, they were futile.
Eventually, she sighed softly, seemingly resigned.
Still, I could sense she doubted whether I’d be able to take on a mercenary request at all, given how low she probably expected my combat rank to be.
But this was the one area where I was confident, and her doubts only fueled my resolve.
As a result, she reluctantly gave in, and we headed toward the combat rank assessment room on the upper floor of the guild.
On the way there, we unexpectedly ran into someone else.
“Oh? Guild Master? You haven’t left for the day yet?”
“Haha, I had some work left to finish, so I ended up staying late. By the way, Karin, who might this be?”
The person was an elderly demon gentleman with white hair, exuding a gentle and dignified aura.
He wore a guild uniform identical to the receptionist’s.
His presence alone was overwhelming.
It was clear that this man was none other than the guild master of the capital’s branch.
Guild masters were the highest-ranking officials in charge of overseeing all operations at their respective branches, akin to the manager of a store.
I hadn’t expected to meet someone like him here and struggled to hide my surprise and unease.
‘Thank goodness I’m wearing this mask,’ I thought, silently observing their conversation.
After a brief explanation from the receptionist, the elderly gentleman smiled warmly and gave a slight nod.
“I see. Karin, is it? Welcome once again to our branch.”
“I’m Rohain, the guild master of this capital branch. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
I must say, I’m quite intrigued.
“It’s not every day we get someone as young as you wanting to take on mercenary work. Since we’ve crossed paths, would you mind if I observed your combat rank assessment?”
“Huh? But, Master, it’s already late. Shouldn’t you be heading home?”
“Whether I leave now or a little later, it doesn’t make much of a difference. Please, indulge this old man’s curiosity, will you?”
The guild master formally introduced himself while expressing his interest in observing my assessment.
His gaze rested on me.
Naturally, I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of drawing attention.
However, I found it difficult to refuse his polite request.
He radiated a peculiar aura, one that wasn’t overbearing but made declining feel awkward.
After a moment of hesitation, I decided to accept his offer.
It wouldn’t hurt to build goodwill with the guild master, and given how empty the guild was at this hour, there weren’t many people around to witness anything embarrassing.
With the master joining us, our group of three continued chatting casually as we walked, soon arriving at our destination.
The room was filled with various facilities designed to measure physical and combat abilities.
I’d never seen anything like it before.
My eyes darted around as I curiously observed the equipment.
Eventually, we stopped in front of a peculiar device whose purpose was difficult to determine.