Hard Carried by My Sword-Chapter 20

Chapter 20
The inside of the building was quieter than Leon expected. There were only a few people milling about, and even the reception staff looked idle, flipping through newspapers out of boredom.
It was an unexpected sight. A major city like Blaine should have a bustling guild, especially at this hour with the sun already high overhead. Could he have walked into the wrong building?
Still unsure, Leon hesitated a moment before heading over to the counter with a sign that read “3.” The receptionist, who’d been reading a newspaper like the others, turned to face him. Realizing he was a new face, she slowly rose from her seat.
“Welcome to our branch. I’m Lize, one of the receptionists. Is this your first visit?” she asked.
“Yes, and... it’s quieter than I thought it’d be.”
She smiled and answered with a light chuckle, “Quests are refreshed every morning at dawn. The ones that pay well or are easy tend to get snatched up within the hour, so by the time it’s midday, there aren’t many adventurers left hanging around.”
“Ah, I see.”
That made sense. Leon was reminded himself of his lack of experience and got straight to the point.
“I’d like to register as an adventurer.”
“Of course. Please fill out your personal information on this form and provide something to verify your identity.”
At her prompt, Leon rummaged through his bag and pulled out his Academy ID along with the letter of recommendation from Helmut.
As he handed over the documents, the receptionist briefly examined them, then nodded, seemingly satisfied. The Academy was state-run, and Helmut’s royal knight insignia was not something easily forged—more than enough for proof. Thanks to that, when Leon handed her the completed form, Lize skipped over most of the usual steps.
“Thank you, Leon. I’ve confirmed your enrollment at the Academy and verified Sir Helmut’s seal. With your adventurer registration, you are eligible to start at D-rank.”
“D-rank...” Leon muttered.
Seeing Leon’s slightly confused look, Lize asked, “Are you familiar with how the guild ranks work?”
Leon knew the basics, but just in case, he asked her to explain from the beginning. The receptionist laid it out in a clear and simple way.
The rank system was the same whether you were an adventurer or a mercenary. F-rank was essentially grunt work, E-rank meant you’d built up enough experience to be entrusted with minor jobs, and D-rank—that’s where actual work began.
“In your case, Leon, your strong standing at the Academy and Sir Helmut’s recommendation put you at D-rank. With a few completed jobs, you should be able to rank up to C fairly quickly.”
“I see. Is that mainly about trust?”
“Yes. Skill matters, of course, but when someone’s putting their important tasks in another person’s hands, there’s nothing more important than credibility. However...” she took a brief pause before continuing, “Starting from B-rank, proof of actual strength is required. It’s often referred to as a ‘wall’ because quest difficulty spikes dramatically. Without the ability to manifest Aura Weapon, it doesn’t matter how much experience you have—you can’t rank up.”
“Aura Weapon is the
minimum
requirement...?”
Leon instinctively held his breath. Aura Weapon wasn’t just about circulating Aura within your body—it meant manifesting it outside the body
and
controlling it. It was
the
ability that allowed one to slice stone and tear steel—the beginning of true superhuman strength.
And that was just to reach B-rank. How powerful must A- or S-rank adventurers be if that was the standard?
—
Hmm
. This organization’s more interesting than I thought, El-Cid remarked. —You noticed? Some of them aren’t even human.
What...?
Only then did Leon blink and activate Rodrick’s Vision to scan the room—and finally picked up on the sense of unease he hadn’t been able to place. Most of the people present were human, but not all.
At first glance, some had human-like appearances, but their skeletal structure and muscle distribution were somewhat far from human. Judging by how the skin near their ears looked quite foreign, they must have been using some method to disguise themselves.
—Werewolves, elves, half-elves... Back in my day, those folks wouldn’t even look each other in the eye. Whoever founded this guild was no slouch. I’d wager there are a few Master-level fighters in the upper brass.
A few Masters?!
—Demi-humans weren’t cut off from the Goddess’s blessings like humans were. There are still plenty of strong ones out there.
“
Ah
!” Leon exclaimed as his eyes flew wide, realizing he had overlooked a certain part in El-Cid’s story.
Back when El-Cid told him about the dark times of five hundred years ago, he’d never said “humanity”—he’d said “humans.” After that Judgment Day, the Goddess withdrew her power only from humans. Not elves. Not dwarves. Not any of the other demi-human races.
“Is something wrong?” Lize asked, startled by Leon’s sudden exclamation.
“N-no, nothing. Sorry.”
Leon gave Lize a sheepish smile and suppressed the thoughts swirling in his mind. Up until now, he had assumed the guild was a human-led organization, but maybe that wasn’t the case at all. Maybe the demi-humans were the ones behind it. Their increased activity in recent years, especially since the guild became prominent—perhaps that wasn’t a coincidence.
Leon briefly considered asking to confirm his speculation but decided to swallow his words.
That’s not something I should be talking about right now.
Even if his theory was right, a D-rank newbie like him would only get himself in trouble by poking at it. He had enough to worry about already. There would be time to revisit the question—after he truly became a Hero.
After all, demi-humans weren’t inherently evil. If they were just working to protect their own interests, that was no crime.
“Leon?” Lize called out.
“Oh, yes?”
At her call, Leon turned to the receptionist just as she spread out several quest forms on the desk with a bright smile and said, “That’ll be all for registration. However, to begin work as a formal adventurer, you’ll need to complete one quest free of charge.”
“Free of charge?”
“Yes. Being an adventurer means being recognized by the Guild. The name of the Guild comes with weight—and it must be earned.”
“Fair enough.”
It made sense. If they accepted every applicant coming into the building, the Guild wouldn’t last long.
Leon looked down and began browsing through the quests.
Sewer cleaning... Goblin extermination near the city... Chimney sweeping... Two months as an academy security guard...
They offered basic accommodations and meals, but none were worth doing for free. They were clearly handpicked. If you couldn’t put up with this much, or if all you wanted was the title of adventurer, then turn around and get lost. That blunt message couldn’t have been more obvious.
Leon scanned the options one last time and eventually selected a form.
“I’ll take this one.”
“This is...”
The receptionist made a strange face but didn’t comment. She simply accepted the form. The Guild’s job was finished.
Leon said a brief goodbye to Lize and left. He’d have to wander around a bit to find a decent inn. First, he’d get dinner and then get some rest.
Watching his back disappear through the door, Lize chuckled and muttered, “What an interesting newbie.”
She hadn’t expected him to pick that one. They were all jobs people avoided, but that particular quest was the most annoying of the bunch.
The paper sitting at the top of her stack read: “Sewer Monster Extermination.”
***
“
Ugh
...”
Leon’s eyelids twitched open, revealing a pair of brown eyes. He’d fallen asleep in the afternoon and was only now waking up—well into the night.
The dim light seeping through the window was the only illumination. He ran a hand through his messy hair and rolled his shoulders to shake off the drowsiness.
El-Cid said, —You passed out the moment you hit the bed. Didn’t even notice the sun go down. That tired, huh?
“All thanks to someone.”
—
Heh
, when do I
not
help you?
El-Cid’s unyielding reply made Leon grit his teeth. Just thinking about the last two weeks of footwork training made his calves ache. He was satisfied with the results, but he’d rather not go through it again. Then again, he knew he probably would.
“Let’s go.”
After tightening the straps on his armor, Leon stepped outside. The leather armor he’d bought from a weapons shop and the sewer-ready boots gave him a proper adventurer’s look, though the fact that they were spotless made it obvious he was new.
He skipped dinner. It was best to keep your stomach empty when moving around in a place like a sewer. If he got hungry, some jerky would do.
—You packed the sack, right?
“Yeah, it’s on my belt.”
The pests commonly found in sewers were called “Ratmen.” Despite the name, they didn’t look anything like people. They just ran on two legs. No intelligence—just oversized, aggressive rats.
Their bodies were bigger than small dogs, and they were known to attack sanitation workers and leave disgusting waste everywhere. They also didn’t drop any goods, usable or edible, when killed, so adventurers avoided them.
They were also extremely nocturnal. If you went in during the day, they’d just hide somewhere deep in the tunnels.
“Evening,” Leon greeted the guard.
“Ah, welcome. Let me see your quest form.”
The guard at the sewer entrance, red-faced and bleary-eyed, held out his hand. Judging by his skin tone and sluggish movements, he’d just taken over the night shift with a hangover.
After checking the form, he unlocked the iron gate. A foul stench hit Leon like a punch to the face. He grimaced but didn’t hesitate as he stepped inside.
—My goodness, that’s disgusting.
“Now I see why no one wanted this job.”
Torches flickered at regular intervals in a tunnel that was wide enough for several people to walk side by side. Leon was impressed by the scale—and then nearly gagged when he saw the filthy runoff flowing like a river.
He looked around once. This far in, there was no one to see. It was safe to unleash the light of the Holy Sword.
As soon as it burst from his hand with a
fwoosh!
El-Cid’s glow bathed the sewer in holy light and the overwhelming stench immediately dulled.
“Are you purifying the air?”
—Yeah. But if I cleaned it up too thoroughly, the locals might suspect something, so just consider this the minimum courtesy.
“This is already a huge improvement. I’ll take it.”
Leon looked visibly relieved. Using a Holy Sword to freshen up sewer air—what a concept. The Church would probably be weeping blood over it. This wasn’t exactly what the Goddess had in mind when she bestowed the weapon.
Then, a screech clawed at Leon’s ear. Sensing an intruder, the little vermin began to emerge from the darkness.
“Never fought rats with a sword before.”
—Your swordsmanship is all based on fighting humans. If you want to break that mold, you’ll need to keep cutting—land beasts, flying beasts, all kinds of enemies. That’s the best training there is.
“Doesn’t exactly sound like advice from a Holy Sword.”
El-Cid cackled and continued, —What, don’t like it, rookie hero? Ruthlessness is also a form of mercy. A Hero’s job is to destroy all that defies the Goddess and threatens the world.
“Guess so.”
With Leon’s resolve, the Holy Sword flared to life. In the depths of the sewer, its glow illuminated the filthy tunnel and the monsters scurrying toward him.
Crude as it was, this too was the Hero’s duty. Slay the monsters.
Holy Sword in hand, Leon’s eyes began to gleam gold.