Chapter 6 - Those with Epithets
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/
“We hunted a Vampire Goat that appeared in Marhas. Has a request been filed for it?”
A day after borrowing horses in the village, we arrived at the adventurer’s guild in the dairy city of Hirte.
This city serves as a trade hub, gathering crops like wheat and livestock products such as milk and meat from nearby villages. It’s even referred to as the Eastern Pantry of the Kingdom. Goods from the unexplored region shipped out of Marhas also end up here.
Given that background, Hirte has a branch of the adventurer’s guild. Adventurers gather here to accept requests like guarding caravans and peddlers, or fulfilling various requests from surrounding villages.
“Let me see… Yes, it’s currently a target for extermination. Lately, there have been numerous reports of damage.”
“Here’s the dorsal fin for proof.”
“This size… A mature specimen, is it. Where in Marhas did you encounter it?”
The receptionist stared intently at the Vampire Goat’s dorsal fin in her hand, then shot us a sharp look. She seemed like the type who knew her stuff.
“Right near the village, on the edge of the unexplored region that runs alongside the highway. Livestock had been going missing for a few days now.”
“…Was a request submitted?”
“No. Probably not. They’re pretty carefree out there.”
At my words, the receptionist let out a small sigh. Even a guild responsible for maintaining security can’t act without proper information. She must have a rough job.
“May I see your adventurer cards? Are you two a party?”
Rolo and I exchanged glances at her question.
Since we hadn’t done any official paperwork after leaving Silhasta, we were technically both solo adventurers. But if we planned to work around Marhas for a while, it might be best to register as a temporary party. That would make things simpler for the guild too.
“What do you think, Rolo?”
“Hmm, should we just say we’re a party? Managing our individual credibility would be a hassle.”
“Let’s go with that.”
We nodded in agreement and turned back to the receptionist. She had been waiting silently the whole time, which spoke well of her manners.
“We were solo when we killed it, but we took it down together. If we file as a party now, will that apply retroactively?”
“Registering a new party, yes? Of course, we can do that immediately. I’ll take your adventurer cards.”
Rolo and I removed our adventurer IDs from our necks and placed them on the counter. In return, we were handed a registration form, and I found myself hesitating.
“Hey, Rolo. You’re the leader.”
“What? No way, Yulg. You do it. I’m not cut out for that.”
“I’m not either. I’m dumb, remember?”
“Um…”
While we bickered and pushed the quill back and forth, the receptionist suddenly spoke up, looking oddly pale.
“Excuse me… Are you Skysunder Yulg, by any chance?”
“Yeah, that’s me.”
She froze mid-breath.
Something felt off.
“Yulg’s kind of famous, you know,”.
“I find it more surprising that you don’t have an epithet.”
“Really?”
“Even Fimia said so. She said your talent for magic is completely abnormal.”
Holy Magic and Spellcasting Magic may differ in system, but any magic user worth their salt could see how exceptional Rolo was.
Even though I don’t use magic myself, I can tell his way of using it is completely off the charts.
“He can rapid-fire low-tier spells without incantation, shorten or skip chants for mid-tier spells, and I’ve almost never seen him run out of mana. I’ve never seen another mage like Rolo.”
“Coming from you, that’s kind of ticklish.”
Rolo said, smiling bashfully. Seeing that, the receptionist froze again.
“Wait… Are you sir Rolo Mercia? The Versatile Mystic Rolo Mercia?”
“…Huh? What’s that?”
“It’s your own epithet! You didn’t know?”
Looking flustered, Rolo turned to me, but I just shook my head. I hadn’t heard that one either.
Honestly, both of us tend to ignore stuff like that.
“The unsung pillar of Silhasta. The ever-versatile midliner who bolsters the front line and shields the rear. The brilliant, unconventional spellblade master! I’d heard you were a looker, but… you’re even cuter than I imagined…!”
The receptionist’s rapid-fire praise caused Rolo to instinctively take a step back.
Now that I think about it, even back in Advante, people—men and women alike—were always fawning over him.
Still, it made me happy to see Rolo’s abilities getting proper recognition.
“…So, that means Silhasta is here too?”
“No, we left. We’re freelance adventurers now.”
“You left!?”
The receptionist shouted so loudly that everyone nearby turned to look. I’d initially thought she was competent, but I may have been mistaken.
“We had our reasons. Just a difference in direction, really. For now, we’re planning to work as a pair. Is this enough for the party registration?”
I figured it would be bad to let this blow up any more, so I quickly wrote my name in the leader section and handed the form back. For the party name, I scribbled Mercia.
“Ah… Sorry. I was just a bit too surprised. I’ll process your party registration and monster bounty now. Please wait a moment.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
As we watched her rush off from the counter, I let out a quiet sigh.
Can’t believe I’m getting this kind of treatment even in some backwater town.
“My epithet… I don’t remember registering it officially. Who came up with that?”
“No idea. But maybe if you’d had it sooner, you wouldn’t have been kicked out?”
“Doubt it… Albert always had it out for me.”
“True. That guy’s pretty short-sighted.”
Thinking of Silhasta’s leader, I grimaced.
He used to be more genuine when we first met, but ever since the national selection thing started, he changed.
Started getting obsessed with efficiency, acting all elitist… we just started clashing more and more.
“Sorry to keep you waiting! Here’s your party registration certificate and your reward.”
“Thanks. Say, can I ask you something real quick?”
“Of course! Ask me anything!”
“Do you have the monster appearance trends for the past year?”
At my question, the receptionist’s face stiffened slightly.
That alone was enough for me to realize—something bad really was going on.
“…So, the numbers are rising?”
“Yes. Drastically. But we haven’t received any investigation subsidies from the capital.”
As she lowered her eyebrows in frustration, I gave her a reassuring smile.
“We’ll be based in Marhas for a while. We’ll be going into the unexplored region, too. If anything comes up, we’ll report it. Right, Rolo?”
“Of course. And if the guild learns anything, please share it with us.”
“Sir Yulg, Sir Rolo…!”
Her face brightened, and I gave a nod while clapping Rolo on the back.
“Alright, now that we’ve got our plans set—let’s go buy that cheese. Your mom’s waiting.”
“Yeah. See you again.”
We waved lightly at the deeply bowing receptionist and left the adventurer’s guild.