NOVEL NEXT Chapter 30.1
30.1. Long Vacation 3
“A specific request?”
“Yes, there is a specific request for you, Nord.”
The location was inside the adventurers’ guild building. As usual, Nord was considering taking on a quest while training with Newt.
He had entered the guild early in the morning, weaving through the crowded throng of adventurers, heading toward the request bulletin board.
“Nord! Please, come over here for a moment!”
Hearing his name, Nord turned toward the voice. One of the guild staff behind the reception counter was waving at him.
Wondering if something had happened, Nord changed course toward the reception counter.
Mornings at the guild were chaotic with adventurers waiting for new postings, but until those were up, the area near the counter was surprisingly clear.
Approaching without delay, Nord asked the guild staff about the reason for the call.
That was when he heard the aforementioned line.
A specific request.
This type of request involves the client specifically naming a capable adventurer to undertake their task.
Typically, well-known adventurers or those with specialized skills for certain tasks, known as “specialists,” receive such requests.
There are several advantages, but the biggest is forming connections.
Connections with nobles, merchants, or other guilds often provide tangible and intangible assistance. For example, having ties with the merchant guild could allow one to acquire rare materials and tools or even sell goods at a high price. Meanwhile, a connection with the alchemy guild could grant priority access to rare potions, and ties with the magic guild could enable the purchase of enchanted scrolls and magic tools.
Higher-quality potions or magic tools rarely enter the general market due to a skewed balance of supply and demand. Thus, connections were essential for more than just money.
Connections with nobility were the most straightforward.
Adventurers cannot remain active forever; age weakens the body, and the day inevitably comes when they must retire from the front lines.
Deciding how to live post-retirement is a vital question for any adventurer.
Buying a house requires permission; opening a shop demands joining a guild.
Most adventurers are commoners, often having left home due to personal circumstances, making it difficult to return to their roots.
However, connections with nobles can easily resolve such problems.
Occasionally, adventurers are even offered positions as private guards, albeit usually as subordinates serving under those who serve the direct retainers of the king, like Nord’s Felis family. For a commoner adventurer, such positions represented incredible status and social advancement.
The only real downside was that such requests often came with challenging tasks. But of course, the assumption behind being specifically requested is that “this adventurer can accomplish it,” making this a minor issue (though occasionally there were absurd requests).
Despite the appealing nature of a specific request, Nord had no idea why he had been chosen.
The client and the guild both know which adventurer takes on the quest. Thus, if the same client keeps giving Nord requests, a rapport could develop, leading to further specific requests. But Nord usually selected tasks based solely on monetary gain, so he did not expect any special trust.
If anything, last year he had taken on several herb-collection quests from the alchemy guild, but it seemed odd for him to be specifically requested now.
“Who is the client?”
Nord asked the guild staff.
Depending on the situation, someone might have been trying to set him up.
Cautiously, Nord inquired about the client’s name. When he heard it, he recognized it immediately.
To be sure, he also checked the request document’s spelling. No doubt remained.
The client’s name was Johann de Aubriere von Alba—
A request from Nord’s elder brother, who had married into the Aubriere family.
The request document was accompanied by a letter.
Inside the envelope handed to him by the guild staff were two sheets of stationery—one addressed to Nord and the other to the Felis family.
The one addressed to Nord contained a message in the handwriting of his second brother, Johann. The letter, in summary, read, “Monsters have appeared on our territory. Since we haven’t seen each other for a while, come and take care of it as a visit. For a reduced fee.”
After finishing the letter, Nord, with an indescribable expression, placed it back into the envelope. As for the other letter, he refrained from opening it since it was addressed to the Felis family, and neither the head of the household nor an heir.
“Will you accept it? The payment isn’t great…”
“…Let me hold off for now.”
The offered amount was extremely low.
For a request addressed to a crystal-ranked adventurer, it barely met the minimum. Ordinarily, Nord would ignore such a paltry sum.
In fact, he would earn more by taking other city-based requests intended for crystal-ranked adventurers.
Unfortunately, this request came from his brother, Johann.
Johann had married into the Aubriere family, relatives of the Felis family.
Due to the lack of male heirs, they had taken in a son-in-law from the Felis family.
Thus, Johann was both Nord’s brother and the head of the Aubriere family.
Despite their sibling relationship, offending a separate noble house was unacceptable. Moreover, since the Aubriere family had provided financial support to the Felis family for years (with debts still outstanding), Nord had no choice but to accept, regardless of the low payment.
Sure enough, upon returning home and presenting the letter to the family head, his father, Albert, the contents were as expected—a request to send Nord.
Even if politely worded, given the debt and associated power dynamics, this “request” was an order that could not be refused.
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