The next evening, while selling items at the Coolatar Adventurer's Guild, I was called by the receptionist.
"Excuse me, are you an adventurer?"
I wondered what this was about.
I thought about denying it to avoid trouble.
But then I reconsidered.
I often use the wall of this adventurer's guild.
The receptionist must have seen me using it.
Since the skill to use the wall for teleportation is called Field Walk, I am technically an adventurer.
"I'm not a member of the guild."
"That's not a problem. Actually, there has been heavy rain in the northern Harts Duchy, causing a major flood. We would like to ask for the help of adventurers to transport relief supplies. We received an urgent request today, but we can't gather enough people on such short notice. Could you please help us?"
Disaster relief, huh.
I'm not an adventurer, so I'd prefer to decline, but what should I do?
I use this adventurer's guild almost every day.
It might not be good to be seen as selfish.
Maybe I should participate in the disaster relief.
The only issue is that they might check my Intelligence Card.
If they see my Intelligence Card, they'll know I'm not an adventurer.
If the guild and the duke are involved, it wouldn't be surprising if they check the identities of the participants.
Should I avoid the risk?
"We're fine with that."
"…Uh…"
I glanced back and saw Roxanne pushing me from behind.
I was looking for an excuse to decline.
It seems I failed to convey the message.
Cery was smiling wryly.
Cery knows that I'm not an adventurer and that it could be dangerous.
"We also have a daily wage of a thousand nals for non-guild members."
"That doesn't matter. What kind of work will we be doing specifically?"
"We will transport supplies to villages that have been cut off from land routes due to flooding. It's not a difficult task for adventurers. The safety aspect is guaranteed by the Harts Duke's knights under a contract with the Adventurer's Guild. It's not dangerous."
I think villages in this world are mostly self-sufficient, but not entirely.
In the first village I woke up in after coming to this world, merchants were trading goods with the town of Vale using carts.
The transportation network is probably much less developed than in modern Japan.
In the event of a disaster, it would be in a terrible state.
That's where adventurers come in.
With Field Walk, we can transport supplies even if the roads are cut off.
It seems to work well.
"Hmm."
"Some elves look down on humans, but for disaster relief, the race and identity of the participants are not questioned."
Oh, so identity is not checked.
That's a relief.
Well, they are in trouble due to the disaster.
They should accept anyone who can help.
I don't understand why, if elves look down on humans, the identity of the participants is not checked.
I think there are many elves in the Harts Duchy.
So, it's probably fine for a human like me.
Maybe they thought I was hesitating because there are many elves.
If they don't check identities, there should be no problem participating.
Warp is probably a higher-level version of Field Walk, so as long as they don't see my Intelligence Card, there shouldn't be any trouble.
Declining an urgent request for disaster relief might actually draw more attention.
"Alright. What do I need to do?"
"Please gather here tomorrow morning after breakfast. The Harts Duke will provide the necessary personnel for transporting supplies. One adventurer is enough. Please leave some space in your item box. Being able to carry a thousand items is sufficient. The work should be finished by late afternoon."
A thousand items.
For me, just being an explorer might not be enough, but if I add a weapon merchant, armor merchant, or cook, it should be fine.
With multiple jobs, it should be easy.
Well, there's no choice.
Doing something is better than doing nothing.
If it's helping people, it will probably be better for my peace of mind.
When I got home, I made plans during dinner.
"Tomorrow, I'll be going on a request from the Adventurer's Guild. After entering the Coolatar labyrinth early in the morning, you two can take the day off. Do whatever you like. Roxanne, what do you want to do?"
"Can we take the day off?"
"Yes, we can."
"Thank you. …Hmm…"
Roxanne seemed to be thinking.
"Cery, do you want to go to the library?"
"Eh? But the money…"
"I can cover the entrance fee and deposit."
"Is that okay?"
She asked uncertainly.
The deposit was one gold coin, I think.
If the deposit is returned, it should be fine.
If the entrance fee is one gold coin, that would be a bit much.
"It's fine as long as the deposit is returned."
"Thank you."
Cery bowed her head.
Her voice was cheerful.
She had said she wanted to go, so she must be happy.
"Roxanne, what do you want to do? Anything is fine. You can decide tomorrow if you want."
"I want to be of service to you as soon as possible, so I thought I would go into the labyrinth and train."
"No, no. You're already very helpful."
"Thank you."
"It would be great if you could rest well and avoid dangerous things."
Training in the labyrinth is too serious.
However, going into the labyrinth alone won't be much of a training session.
If I go with her, we can gain twenty times the experience points, and she can't go to higher floors alone.
I don't want her to get into trouble without me.
"Alright. Then, I'll do some cleaning that I don't usually do and spend a quiet day at home."
"That's great. By the way, I'll give you some pocket money, so you can go shopping."
Roxanne likes shopping.
She'll probably enjoy it.
"Pocket money?"
"Cery, will five silver coins be enough for the library entrance fee?"
"When I checked, it was a hundred nals."
"I'll give you both five hundred nals. Use it as you like."
My daily wage for tomorrow is ten silver coins.
It seems a bit much.
Since it's disaster relief, it might be cheaper than usual, but we are hiring specialists, after all.
Maybe giving each of you half of my daily wage is about right.
"Is that okay?"
"Don't worry. Roxanne has been working hard. Take a break tomorrow."
"Thank you, Master."
If I give too much, it might go to their heads, but if I give too little, they might be in trouble.
Five silver coins should be enough to buy small things, but not big items.
It seems reasonable.
That night, the two of them talked for quite a while.
They must have been excited.
I'm glad they enjoyed it.
In the morning, Roxanne kissed me as usual.
"Good morning, Roxanne. You're always early."
"Yes, it's the most important duty of the morning."
She seems to understand that it's an important task.
I feel a bit guilty, but I don't mind.
Then I kiss Cery as well.
"Thank you. You two seemed to be up late last night. Are you okay?"
"Um, did we disturb you?"
"No, it was just like a lullaby. It's fine."
"We didn't talk that late, so it's not a problem."
We went to the Coolatar labyrinth as usual, and after breakfast, we parted ways.
Needlewood only cast a spell once today.
Roxanne dodged it gracefully.
I wonder why she could dodge it.
Cery makes a bracelet twice a day, but this morning, it was the fourth time in a row without an open skill slot.
"Five silver coins, then."
"Yes. Since Cery needs an entrance fee, I'll give her three coins."
I gave Roxanne silver coins, and she tried to share them with Cery.
"No, no. I'll give Cery five coins as well."
"Eh? So many. Is that okay?"
It seems they thought it was five silver coins for both of them.
"It's fine."
"Thank you."
"The library entrance fee isn't that much, though."
"Cery, you'll get thirsty if you stay all day. Use it as you like."
I told Cery.
Five silver coins might be too much.
I'm not sure what the standard is.
The cheapest room at an inn in Vale costs about three hundred nals with meals.
A luxurious room at a good hotel would cost more than five hundred nals.
If you want to stay at a decent place and enjoy decent meals, five silver coins might not be enough.
It's not a bad amount, though.
"Shouldn't you wear a coat?"
As I was thinking, Cery advised me.
Why?
I wondered, but then I realized.
It's not raining in Coolatar, but there's a flood, so it must be raining there.
I hadn't noticed.
Of course, it would be raining.
If I go for disaster relief without rain gear, I might be asked what I'm doing there.
I almost made a fool of myself.
"You're right. Thank you."
"Then, Master."
Roxanne brought out a coat from the back of the wardrobe.
It was a coat that had been put away.
I gave her the house key instead.
I hardly use it since I mostly use Warp.
"Then, I'm off."
"Have a good day."
I put on the coat and went to the capital with Cery, leaving Roxanne behind.
We went to the Adventurer's Guild to ask for directions and then to the library.
The capital's library was a white building made of marble or something.
It was a large and elegant structure.
It was impressive.
It could be called a grand hall.
"Wow."
"Indeed, it's impressive."
I agreed with Cery, who was looking up in amazement.
It reminded me a bit of the grand public facilities built by local governments during the bubble period in Japan.
But since it's the capital, it's probably not just for show.
Inside, there was a spacious lobby.
Adventurers were coming and going from the side wall.
It seems they can use Field Walk from there.
There was a reception desk right behind it.
It seems the entrance fee and other charges are collected there.
Beyond that, there were desks, which seemed to be a reading room or something.
I gave Cery five silver coins and one gold coin.
"Thank you."
"I'll come to pick you up after late afternoon. You can spend the time as you like. When it gets dark, just be around that area."
I pointed to the reading room area.
The capital is to the east of Coolatar.
If it's late afternoon in Coolatar, it should be around sunset here.
"Right. I understand."
I watched Cery enter the library.
She paid at the reception and went in safely.
After confirming she was inside, I teleported to the Coolatar Adventurer's Guild from the library wall.
The disaster relief itself went without any problems.
First, we gathered in the central town of the duchy, Bode.
From Bode, we flew to the villages with the guidance of adventurers provided by the Harts Duke.
Then, we flew back and forth to the villages with members of the Harts Duke's knights, transporting supplies.
The Harts Duke's side had everything well-prepared, so there wasn't much for the adventurers to do.
It was a simple job of using Field Walk to fly.
In my case, I used Warp.
Since it was between the palace and the village buildings, I didn't even need a coat.
Except for items like rabbit meat that could be stored in the item box, Field Walk could only carry a limited amount of supplies.
It seems they didn't use the tactic of moving only half of the body to exchange supplies.
I flew back and forth several times.
The number of items stored in the item box was carefully checked.
I didn't intend to steal anything.
There were knights with me.
Even without an identity check, I couldn't do anything suspicious.
After flying back and forth about ten times between the palace and the village, we finally got a break.
I sat down on a chair and rested.
Using Warp twenty times in a row did drain my MP.
I leaned back in the chair, exhausted.
There seemed to be many elves among the Harts Duke's knights.
They were all handsome and beautiful.
Every single one of them.
Damn. Handsome guys, die.
There was a female elf in her sixties in my party, and she was a stunning beauty.
If I had put a succubus on her, it might have been dangerous.
Identity checks should be done properly.
She had a beautiful and youthful face, a slim figure, and a well-proportioned body with curves in all the right places.
At fifty-eight years old, she looked like this.
The fact that her age is hard to guess is quite powerful.
I'm looking forward to Roxanne at fifty-eight.
While leaning back in the chair and staring blankly at the elderly elf, someone entered from the back entrance.
Perhaps it was a patrol.
Harts Duke Brocken Nortbraun Anhalt, male, 35 years old
Holy Knight Level 14
Equipment: Orichalcum Sword, Substitute Bracelet
Wow.
It's the duke.
A holy knight.
With an orichalcum sword.
He was wearing a coat with a hood, so his face was not visible.
He was walking around aimlessly.
He didn't have any attendants with him.
Perhaps it was because he was inside the castle.
Was he here to inspect?
Was it okay to be so relaxed in front of the duke?
I'm not sure about the etiquette in this world, but this doesn't seem right.
I hurriedly stood up and bowed.
Being struck down for rudeness.
It's too scary.
"Do you recognize me? Good. It's a secret."
The duke quickly walked over to me and whispered in my ear.
No one seemed to notice.
It seems it wasn't necessary.
I failed because of the appraise skill.
It seems he was here incognito.
Since he said it was fine, I sat back down.
"Have we met before?"
The duke also sat down next to me.
He seemed interested.
Wearing a coat and hood, he came incognito, but being bowed to by someone he didn't know must have caught his attention.
If I had pretended not to notice, it would have been fine.
"Ah, yes. I think…"
"Is that so?"
When I tried to bluff, he easily backed off.
At his level, it's not unusual to be recognized by someone, somewhere.
I'm glad he's not a recluse who has never shown his face to his subjects.
"Your Excellency."
Someone ran over.
"That won't do. We can't talk here. Follow me."
The duke looked around and left.
I had drawn some attention by bowing to him.
I don't want to follow, but the duke is already moving forward.
"I am Gossler Nortbraun Anhalt, the commander of the Harts Duchy Knights. Please come with me."
The person who ran over told me.
He was an elf.
With pointed ears.
Of course, he was handsome.
He's handsome.
Not just handsome, but his gestures are also handsome.
He would probably look good saying handsome lines.
He should just die.
Gossler Nortbraun Anhalt, male, 46 years old
Sorcerer Level 61
Equipment: Himorogi Staff, Substitute Bracelet
As expected of the commander of the knights.
His level is high.
And he's not even a mage.
Perhaps it's an advanced class.
"Understood."
I was asked by the handsome commander.
I can't refuse.
I can't say no in this world.
"I will borrow you, adventurer."
"Understood."
The commander informed the party members who were transporting supplies with me.
I chased after the duke.
The duke walked down the corridor after leaving the room.
There were torches here and there, but the corridor was dark.
Darker than the dungeon in the labyrinth.
Is it really safe to show his back to an adventurer whose identity is unknown?
Especially since I'm not even an adventurer.
After a while, the duke opened a door and went inside.
It was a luxurious room, not very large, with a carpet.
There was a desk and chair at the back, and a table and sofa at the front.
It felt like a CEO's office.
"This is my room. Please make yourself comfortable."
"Thank you, I appreciate it."
What was it again?
I was honored to see your noble and beautiful face, and I am extremely grateful.
I sat on the sofa at the front.
The duke took off his coat and sat in the chair at the desk.
He was an elf.
Handsome.
Unnecessarily handsome.
I don't know what kind of face I should make in a situation like this.
I think he should just die.
"This is my private room. You don't need to worry about etiquette. You can speak in your usual tone."
"U-Understood."
"I don't like formal language. There's no need to be