I’m Being Pressed by S-Ranks Volume 2 Chapter 10 (Patreon)

Chapter 10 – Seeking an Apology 4

“Um, can I ask you something?”


“M-me? Sure, go ahead.”


As I finished my pasta and wiped my mouth, the lizardwoman waitress came back to the table to collect my empty plate.


She looked at me once, then licked her lips with her snake-like tongue before leaving.


Though I am not sure where her lips end and her mouth begins.


Was that her way of telling me: “You, I’m going to tear you limb from limb after this”?


Ah.


Could it be, judging by the confident movement that has been going on for some time now… that the lizardwomen are in the category of beautiful women in this world?


I mean, the guildmaster is now classified as a lady-killer, so that becomes a good possibility.


But… seriously?”


“M-Mr. Ryou, have you been here in Cassandra City since you were born?”


“Yes, I have. I used to work for the Adventurers’ Guild here with my parents. But they died in an epidemic when I was six. After that, the guildmaster became my guardian. So I’ve lived here all my life.”


Actually, I came from a parallel world, so I lived in a different Cassandra City from this one, but let’s skip that part.


And maybe the ‘Ryou’ in this world is the same as me. He must have lived here in Cassandra City for a long time.


I mean, there were no souvenirs from any other city in ‘my’ room, so there is that.


“Ah, so that’s why you sound… a bit reclused.”


“Yes. Was it that obvious?”


“Then I take it you’ve never been to the capital?”


“Yes! That’s why I want to go to the royal capital at least once! I’d like to see the Holy Church Cathedral and the Great Library, which I’ve heard so much about. I’d also like to see the headquarters of the Adventurers’ Guild over there.”


Iris’ eyes lit up at my words as if she’d seen something heartwarming.


“Fufufu. You’re so cute, Ryou. Sure, there are a lot of great things to see in the royal capital. It’s just…”


“Just…?”


“There are just as many people’s malice and desires gathered here, so please be careful when you go there. But it’s only natural when many people gather in one place.”


Malice and desire, eh?


Well, I had heard her story some time ago, so in a way, I was already aware of it.


“However, the adventurers in the capital today are particularly impressive. The A-ranks alone are oversaturated with adventurers from all over the country, so much that they have difficulty in finding quests for their rank.”


“Huh. Is that so?”


It’s no wonder I’m surprised.


After all, Cassandra City has always been plagued by a lack of high-ranking adventurers.


“It’s true. To begin with, there aren’t that many high-level quests that require A-rank or higher adventurers.”


“Huh? Why is that? I mean, it’s the royal capital, you know? So there should be plenty of requests from nobles and nominations from merchants, shouldn’t there?”


Adventurers of rank C and above can receive ‘Nomination Requests’, in which they are nominated by the client.


This is in addition to the usual quests, which can be accepted by anyone as long as they meet the guild’s criteria.


Nomination quests will also pay you a nomination fee in addition to the reward for completing the quest.


If your party is of rank A or higher, you will receive many nomination requests from nobles and merchants. After all, ranks are a way to show off your skills.


The Royal Capital is home to merchants and nobles from all over the country. So why is it overcrowded that it is difficult to find them jobs?


“Nomination requests tend to focus on certain adventurers. After all, a nomination request is also a symbol of trust between the adventurer and the client.”


“Uh-huh.”


“So from the client’s point of view, it’s better to ask a party you’ve known for years and know will do a good job than a higher-ranking party whose results you don’t know yet and who’s more expensive to hire.”


“But there will be times when that party has too much work to do and can’t take it on, right?”


“Well, about that… the adventuring parties in the capital are now divided into several factions.”


“Factions? Among adventurers?”


“Yes. So any work they can’t take on is coordinated among the adventurers in that faction so that it only goes to an affiliated party within that faction.”


Work being passed around within a faction?


This is news to me.


If that’s true, isn’t the adventuring community in the royal capital a more strictly vertical society than the aristocratic one?


“I didn’t know that. So… which faction do the Rosenkreuzers belong to?”


“We don’t belong to any faction.”


“What?”


“No, I should say I couldn’t belong. We’ve been told by all the factions that ‘no matter how high you are in rank, if we accept ugly women like you into our faction, we’ll have trust issues with our customers’, so… that’s it for us.”


“…with all that… whatever that is, the aristocratic society sounds more lax…”


“Totally…”


Iris laughed a little at my muttered words.


“Ah. But even if the merchants and nobles are all repeat customers, there are still people who make a request for the first time, right? What about those people?”


“Right. About that, let’s say, for example, that Mr. Ryou is a nobleman or merchant in the royal capital.”


“Un?”


“When you make your first request, if there is a party with all women who look like goblins or orcs or a party with only women of the elf race, which would you choose? If they were all equal in ability and paid the same amount of money.”


“……”


“Now you know why we’re going to the Dungeon of the Hungry Wolf this time. There aren’t many jobs for us in the royal capital.”


Iris smiles bitterly.


The people in the capital don’t really like them, even though they’ve been promoted to S-rank.


“How can you call yourself an S-rank when all you’ve done is trudge through dungeons?” and “Your former clients must not trust you very much if you only go to dungeons to work,” I’ve had people say to my face several times.”


“Is that what people say in the royal capital? But you climbed to S-rank just by trudging through dungeons. That’s quite an amazing feat, isn’t it?”


What is this? So unfair.


It is only because adventurers are willing to traverse dungeons and fight monsters that we are able to live off the abundant resources we have.


These people are too far removed from the reality in which they live.


“We were teased a bit when we first came here to the guild, but it’s a bit cute, to be honest.”


“That was ‘a bit’?”


“It’s even worse at the Adventurers’ Guild in the royal capital. Carla even cried once.”


“……”


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