Encounter
Translated by GXYRU
Edited by GXYRU
For some reason, there was a girl with ash-gray hair staring at me.
But I wasn’t interested, so I walked past her and headed towards the Adventurers’ Guild counter.
Since there were too many magic stones to fit on the counter, I always handed them over and spread them out in the warehouse.
Knowing that the appraisal would take time, I told them I would come back later to collect the money and returned to Gray and Serena’s table.
“Um, um… You’re Gray and Serena, the SSS-ranked adventurers, right?”
Just as I arrived, that same girl was talking to the two of them.
“I’m Jessica Lowell, a B-ranked adventurer. I… I really admire you, Gray-san and Serena-san! P-Please, shake my hand!”
“Well, I don’t mind shaking hands. We’re all adventurers here. Let’s skip the formalities.”
“That’s right. It makes me happy to hear that you admire us. Why don’t we have a chat since we’re already here?”
“Y-Yes! Please, I’d love to!”
The adventurer ranks range from F as the lowest to SSS as the highest, with nine levels in between. Although I don’t pay much attention to it since I’m always with them, Gray and Serena are SSS-ranked adventurers, a level that only ten people in the world have reached.
Well, it’s not for me to say, but if Jessica is already B-ranked at her age, she must be a highly skilled adventurer.
“Arius, you’re back. The food has arrived.”
On the table were plates of food and three glasses of alcohol.
There are no age restrictions on drinking in this world, so even at the age of 10, I can drink alcohol like anyone else.
“Jessica, feel free to order whatever you like. I’ll treat you today.”
“Thank you, Gray-san!”
Since Gray and Serena were sitting next to each other, I naturally ended up sitting next to Jessica.
“Arius, this is Jessica. We’re going to have a meal together. Jessica, this is Arius, a member of our party.”
“Gray, that’s not much of an explanation. We just met Jessica, and it was us who invited her to eat with us.”
“That’s right. I’m Arius. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Jessica. Nice to meet you.”
Even when she was greeting me, Jessica was glaring at me again for some reason.
“Hmm? What’s wrong, Jessica?”
“N-Nothing at all! Anyway, please tell me more about both of you!”
While talking with the two of them, Jessica completely ignored me. But I had no clue as to why, and I was hungry, so I focused on the food.
Gray and Serena noticed Jessica’s attitude and occasionally smiled wryly.
But it seemed they had no intention of stopping her. They wanted me to handle it myself.
When I looked around, there were young adventurers looking at me with worried expressions. Are they Jessica’s companions?
Well, since Jessica is clearly picking a fight with me, it’s natural for them to be concerned. But they should have stopped her in the first place.
After finishing three servings of the large dish, I was satisfied for now. Maybe it’s time to deal with Jessica.
“Hey, Jessica. If you have something to say to me, just say it. I think your attitude is getting a bit out of hand.”
I’m not really angry or anything. From my perspective as a 35-year-old mentally, the other person is just a child. But I have a policy of responding to a fight that’s been brought upon me.
There have been quite a few people who underestimated me just because I’m a kid. When someone adopts a condescending attitude, resorting to force is the quickest way to shut them up.
“It’s not like that. It’s all in your imagination,” Jessica played dumb while still glaring at me.
“Is that so? Your attitude makes it obvious that you don’t like me. You admire Gray and Serena, don’t you? Does it irritate you that I’m with them?” I said. It was our first meeting, and I couldn’t think of any other reason for her to glare at me. Judging from Jessica’s face, it was clear that my guess was correct.
“…Arius, you’re younger than me, right?”
“I’m 10 years old. So what?”
“Huh, no way… Really 10 years old? Then you’re not even an adventurer yet…”
Her reaction this time was unexpected.
“I-I thought we were around the same age…”
Thinking that she could compete with someone younger and less experienced than herself, Jessica’s competitive spirit ignited. But it turned out that her opponent was even younger than she had anticipated, and suddenly she felt embarrassed about what she had done.
“Just so you know, I’ve been exploring dungeons since I was 5 and became an adventurer at 7. I think I have more experience than Jessica,” I said.
“What… Are you kidding?”
“Jessica, Arius is telling the truth. Besides, Arius is a member of our party,” Serena said. The surrounding adventurers also started buzzing with excitement. While I always acted alongside Gray and Serena, they didn’t expect me to be a member of their party.
Well, it’s not something you would expect, a rookie like me forming a party with two SSS-class adventurers. I did report to the Adventurer’s Guild in this city that I had conquered high-level dungeons, but that was with other guilds in different cities. Besides, I don’t have a hobby of bragging to others about my achievements.
Also, perhaps due to my appearance, which is technically old enough to be an adventurer, I never encountered any trouble with other adventurers in the Kernel Adventurer’s Guild. So there was no need for me to prove myself with force. Only Gray and Serena knew about my true abilities.
“At 10 years old, with more experience than me… and a member of Gray and Serena’s party…” Jessica couldn’t process all the information and started panicking. I realized I had gone too far and felt a little sorry for her.
“Hey, Jessica. That’s the situation. If you understand, I…” I tried to explain.
“W-Wait a minute! I’m not convinced!” Suddenly, Jessica’s voice echoed throughout the guild. The other adventurers turned their attention once again.
“Hey, Arius… Challenge me! I’ll confirm if your abilities are real. If you defeat me, I’ll acknowledge that you’re a member of Gray and Serena’s party!” she declared.
Why did the conversation take such a turn?
※ ※ ※ ※
Arius Gilbert, 10 years old
Level: 438
HP: 4,492
MP: 6,701
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