First Request
The guild worker either had no awareness… or simply didn’t care about such things, because he spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear.
“Though it’s rare, the [Dorothy and Oz] party will start at Rank 3, the highest rank in our branch. But even with a high rank, they are still beginners. So I hope [Red Sword] will guide them well.”
The faces of the Red Sword party grew redder.
Laughter broke out from all around. Jokes began flying among the adventurers.
“Wow, the low rank teaching the high rank?”
“Can women who only gather herbs even handle it?”
“How about our party teaches them?”
“If they pay a fee, we could do it too.”
Then someone chuckled and said,
“So do you all sleep together at night? Red Sword is famous for that, right?”
One of the Red Sword women—the one with the injured fist—turned instantly.
She rushed toward the man who spoke.
Her fist shot up—
But before she could hit him, the man moved first.
He leaned back slightly and grabbed her head with one hand.
Then he slammed her down.
Bang.
Her face hit the table.
“Where does a Rank 5 think she can challenge a Rank 4?!”
The man shouted loudly, and the surrounding adventurers laughed.
No one tried to help her.
Only the Red Sword members ran forward.
Juhwan quietly observed the scene.
The reactions. The movements. The man who said he was Rank 4. The way other adventurers moved their shoulders and arms.
What Gus had taught him was useful.
Some men moved differently.
They looked relaxed, but their hands and feet were always in positions ready to fight.
They were probably experienced adventurers.
Dorothy, who had been smiling just moments ago, now stood frozen with wide eyes.
Lizzy, beside Juhwan, also stiffened.
But she quickly ran to Dorothy.
She must have thought she shouldn’t disturb Juhwan, who was watching quietly.
Before Dorothy could cry, Lizzy hugged her and hurried back to his side.
Adventurers gathered around, thinking it was something interesting to watch.
The Red Sword woman and the man were clearly not equal in strength.
The woman tried to grab his wrist, but it didn’t move at all.
Blood flowed from her nose, quickly staining the table.
The other Red Sword members were blocked by other adventurers.
They couldn’t even get close.
Juhwan took Dorothy from Lizzy and looked at the guild worker.
“Are you just going to leave it like that?”
The guild worker shrugged.
“If they fight inside the office, that’s a problem. But if we kick them out now, there will definitely be bloodshed.”
That wasn’t what Juhwan meant.
He looked back at the adventurers.
So this was what adventurers were like.
No sense of comradeship.
Discrimination against women.
“Being a female adventurer is more dangerous than I thought.”
He felt that Lizzy and Dorothy needed to be careful.
For a moment, he wondered if he had made the wrong choice.
The guild worker looked at him seriously.
“Always watch your surroundings. Trust no one.”
“Of course, you can trust the guild. We exist for you. But people… be careful. People lie.”
The guild worker clapped his hands loudly.
“Take your fight somewhere else. If you break anything, you’ll pay for it. Red Sword, come this way.”
The man holding the Red Sword woman smirked and let go.
Even though there were other staff members, no one interfered.
Everyone just did their own work.
Lizzy looked completely shaken.
It must have felt like stepping into the world… only to suddenly find herself on a dangerous road full of speeding carts.
Juhwan gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
Her tense body relaxed just a little.
He asked about the guild master, and the worker laughed.
“No need to worry about his treatment. His hair might not grow back, but it’s fine.”
Then he added,
“Red Sword will teach you this too, but never work for free. Even among companions, you must always consider profit and loss. Especially healing magic—it’s very expensive.”
As the Red Sword members approached, he continued,
“You’re not getting this guidance for free, so ask whatever you want. Red Sword is exempt from fees for this month.”
“Fees?” Juhwan asked.
The worker smiled.
“Unlike other guilds, we don’t charge membership fees. Adventurers move around too much. Instead, we take a 30% fee from jobs arranged by the guild. But if you guide beginners, that fee is waived for a month.”
Juhwan remembered that no fee was taken when he sold the furs.
“But—”
The worker nodded.
“We don’t charge fees when buying. That’s why many adventurers hunt magical beasts. But…”
“They die often.”
“Magical beasts are called that because they’re stronger than humans. Adventurers die easily.”
He sighed.
“That’s why we focus on training beginners. So you don’t die. For adventurers, danger is everywhere.”
Juhwan decided that no matter what this man’s name was, he would call him “the chatterbox.”
The Red Sword members approached.
The woman who had just fought spoke bluntly.
“Let’s pick a request first. We need to earn money.”
She looked rougher than the others.
“I’m Karin. Leader of Red Sword.”
Karin glanced at Juhwan, then Lizzy, then frowned slightly at Dorothy.
She muttered quietly,
“Is being an adventurer some kind of joke?”
Oz, sitting on Dorothy’s head, made a small sound.
“Pii.”
He tapped her head lightly with his foot.
Maybe he was a little angry.
Lizzy and Dorothy shrank slightly.
Juhwan smiled lightly and held them closer.
“Our party is fine. Everyone has a role, and we do it well. We won’t cause trouble. And if we do… you can leave us. We’ll handle our own problems.”
It seemed they wouldn’t get along well with this party.
But he couldn’t ask to change.
If they ended up with male adventurers who treated Lizzy and Dorothy badly—
“I might end up killing them.”
The other Red Sword members stepped in quickly, making excuses.
They said their mood was bad because of earlier events.
Juhwan knew. He had seen the fight in the plaza.
Soon, awkward introductions followed.
The other two were Marie and Jessie.
It seemed Karin usually started fights, and the others followed.
Juhwan lightly tapped Lizzy’s shoulder.
She swallowed nervously and straightened her back.
“I’m Lizzy. I handle cooking, accounting, and leather processing. This is Dorothy, and the magical beast on her head is Oz.”
Her voice was small.
She still wasn’t used to introducing herself as part of a party.
But she had promised.
Juhwan squeezed her shoulder slightly.
She took a small breath, reassured.
Dorothy looked at them with wide eyes.
She clearly wanted to be introduced as a beast tamer.
Juhwan turned his head slightly, avoiding her gaze.
Sorry, but no.
That was just a lie to enter the party.
Lizzy also looked away slightly.
Dorothy suddenly grabbed Juhwan’s neck and raised her head proudly.
“I’m a beast tamer! Oz is my magical beast!”
“…Pii.”
Oz made a small sound, as if accepting it.
Jessie let out a small laugh.
“Yeah… a beast tamer.”
“Yep!”
“That’s cool.”
“Right? Dorothy is cool! Oz is still a baby, so I have to teach him a lot!”
“….”
Jessie looked at Dorothy, Oz, Juhwan, and Lizzy in turn.
“Really… cool.”
She smiled slightly.
Jessie lowered her gaze after watching the child’s bright smile.
“I thought all women lived unhappy lives…”
A kind man.
A wife who seemed loved.
A child growing up in warmth.
Even a family party.
She had never heard of such a thing.
And the man was a mage—with two attributes.
“It’s unfair.”
She felt like crying.
The name Red Sword held anger.
Their anger.
They were always weak.
Now, they wanted to fight back.
To stain their swords red with blood.
But…
They failed.
They had no talent.
No matter how hard they tried, Rank 5 was their limit.
Even among Rank 5, they were the weakest.
They always had to act rough.
If they acted gentle, people mocked them.
So they fought.
Spoke harshly.
Picked fights.
Still—
People laughed at them.
Jessie looked at Lizzy standing beside Juhwan.
“I’m jealous.”
So jealous… it made her hate her a little.
Why did that woman get to be happy?
Dorothy, smiling with a rare magical beast on her head, annoyed her too.
“The world isn’t fair.”
Marie began explaining.
“Pick a request from the papers on the wall. Then bring it to the counter.”
She pointed.
“There’s someone who can read for you.”
Jessie was about to call the reader—
But Juhwan shook his head.
“I can read. I’ll choose myself.”
Jessie was shocked.
Even nobles sometimes couldn’t read.
But this man…
Dorothy looked up at him with wide eyes.
“Dad! Why can you read?”
Juhwan smiled gently.
“If you can read, you can do many things. You can live better.”
“I’ll teach you later.”
“I don’t want to. Playing is more fun.”
“You might enjoy things more if you learn.”
“I’ll teach you and your mom later.”
Lizzy looked troubled.
Jessie was surprised.
Not just that he could read—
But that he wanted to teach his wife and daughter.
Juhwan read the requests aloud.
Herb gathering.
Hunting magical beasts.
Escort jobs.
“He really can read…”
And he explained everything.
Even to the child.
Why?
Jessie felt something bitter rise in her chest.
Jealousy.
Dark and heavy.
She glanced beside her.
Karin and Marie had similar expressions.
Everyone stood in the storm—
But that family stood safely inside a shelter.
“The world really isn’t fair.”
Jessie turned her head.
At that moment, a guild worker rushed in.
He whispered something to the receptionist.
Then the chatterbox looked toward them.
“Everyone! Come here. A request just came in!”
A request?
For them?
Jessie glanced at Juhwan.
Of course.
It must be for the mage.
They were just extras.
Both parties gathered.
The receptionist smiled brightly.
“A large merchant group is traveling. One of them requested escort. Prepare to leave early tomorrow morning.”
He looked at Karin.
“Since [Dorothy and Oz] are beginners, teach them what to prepare.”
Karin nodded.
Juhwan asked,
“Can we participate? We have a child.”
“No problem,” the receptionist said.
“There are many adventurers. It’s not especially dangerous. The merchant already agreed about the child.”
“What about bringing a carriage?”
“That’s fine. As long as you do your job.”
Then he added,
“[Dorothy and Oz] are hired as a mage. Escort duty is for [Red Sword].”
Jessie smiled bitterly.
“Of course.”
No merchant would hire a weak Rank 5 party like them.
The payment for the escort was high.
And the payment for [Dorothy and Oz]—
Was even higher.
“The world really isn’t fair.”
She hated this world even more