Chapter 3 The Maid Meets the Mage

 Maid-San Meets Mage Sama

 The commercial city of Furmun was indeed large, and Nina thought that its scale was comparable to that of the royal capital, the Crescent City.

 It's a big place with a lot of people.

 It differs from the Royal Capital in that there are many places where the roads are not well maintained and there are few high-rise buildings.

 And not only the human race, but also other races such as elves, dwarves, hobbits and beastmen were often seen.

"Ughhh...my back hurts."

 It took three days for the coach to reach Furmun, not just a "short sightseeing trip" as the coachman had said.

 Thanks to this, Nina became friends with the other passengers, and the man from the merchants' association, who saw Nina's home-cooked meals using preserved food, the tea she made, and her witty movements, invited her to come work for him,

"I'm a maid...and I'd like to do some sightseeing now."

 I said no.

 He was quite a handsome young man, and I felt a little bad that he was so disappointed when he was rejected.

 Still, Nina wanted to distance herself from "work" for now.

 It was a trip that I took on a whim, but as I left King's Landing and followed the roads, I was stirred up more than I thought I would be, and I began to want to visit more places.

 Everything I saw was new at Flummung.

 So are non-human species.

 The same goes for the exotic items in the stalls.

 So is the smell of food wafting from the cafeteria.

(What are these tools... are they for cleaning?)

(Delicious looking dried fruit! If it tastes good, I might be able to serve it to my customers.)

(Dusty, but the laundry is clean. Doesn't it get dusty?)

 Nina smiled as she realized that all she could think about was her job as a maid.

"...I've been kicked out of the mansion..."

 I felt lonely when I came back to reality.

 Nina spent five days wandering the streets of Flumen.

 Even so, we probably haven't visited even a tenth of the tourist attractions in Furmun.

 In the meantime, Nina heard a piece of information.

 In the suburbs of Furmun, there is a mysterious and beautiful spring.

 There is a flower that only blooms this early in the spring.

"If it's the only time I can see it, I might want to see it!"

 However, demons do appear in the suburbs, so it is advisable to be accompanied by an adventurer.

 Nina decided to go to the adventurer's guild.

     △

"Hey, perpetual rookie (・・・・・・). Are you ready to give up on being an adventurer? I'll even pay you some silver if you open your legs."

"......"

 In response to the man's mocking words, the girl glared back at him with fiery red eyes.

 The robe, embroidered with geometric crests-sama, belonged to a mage, and she also held a long staff in both hands.

 Sixteen-year-old Emily is a registered adventurer as a mage.

"Out of my way. I'm here to look for a job, not deal with idle adventurers."

 Her high, pointy nose seemed to be a direct reflection of her strong personality.

 The wrinkles between her eyebrows give her a somewhat unapproachable air, even though she was probably a pretty girl in the past.

"Ooh, scary scary."

 The man grinned and moved to the side.

 There is no one in the wider Adventurer's Guild who would blame him for his actions.

 Adventurers are entirely responsible for their own actions.

 Emily looks at the request form on the wall.

"Carrying luggage (must be strong)"

"Escort (minimum party of three)"

"Delivering herbs (herb collector's license required)"

"Clean the ditch (anyone)."

"Sword instruction (at least five years of actual combat experience)."

 :

 :

 A job that can be done by anyone is naturally cheaper and does not require you to be a mage.

 On the other hand, any request that requires a mage..,

Magician's Handbook (3rd level and above)

"Additional guards (3rd rank wizards and above)."

 And so on, with the proviso of "third rank and above".

The "third level" is the so-called "practical, real-world level", which means that if you have this level, you will not have a problem to eat for the rest of your life.

 However, Emily can only use the first level of magic, which means she's an apprentice or beginner.

 Anyone can tell if they have magical qualities. You can go to the town hall or the church and they will tell you.

"-kun has the makings of being able to use up to the 'third rank', doesn't he?"

 Or..,

"-kun's a shame, but I guess we can only use the 'first rank floor'."

 That's what they say.

 What did Emily say?

"This is... the fifth rank!"

 When Emily came to the city and took measurements at the adventurer's guild, the guild's staff was also shocked.

 By the way, "fifth rank" is a quality that only a few people in a country have.

 Everyone wanted to party with Emily.

 But everyone soon realized that there was a problem.

"Oh, all these requests are impossible for Emiri mages who can only use the first rank, huh?"

 Emily gritted her teeth as the male adventurer teased her.

 That's right, Emili had a "natural talent" but was unable to use magic.

 Emily can only use the first level of magic.

 I can light a flame in the palm of my hand and light a fire in the hearth.

 If you throw those flames at a demon, it will either avoid them or get slightly burned if it hits you.

 At first, her fellow adventurers encouraged her, saying "You'll be able to use it soon! But her fellow adventurers got fed up with her inability to use the first rank and above, and expelled her from the party.

 No one is going to party with you.

 Emily is isolated in the adventurer's guild.

 I trained in magic every day.

 She spent what little money she had to take expensive medicines and consulted a famous mage, but she was still unable to use magic.

 Still, there is a reason why Emily can't quit being an adventurer...

"You'll always be a perpetual rookie (・・・・・・) who can only use the 'first rank floor'. Come on, join our party. You've got a good face, and we'll use you for chores and as a night companion."

"...Shut up."

"あ?"

"I said shut up!"

 Emily turns her back on the man and tries to walk away.

 But then a man grabbed her by the arm.

Don't get carried away. You can't take orders, you can't use magic."

"Let go of me."

"You're not an adventurer, you're just a woman."

"No! I'm an adventurer!"

"Then take the offer right here, right now. Here. Wouldn't you rather be a ditch raider?"

 The man said and there was some laughter around him.

 This male adventurer is also a "failure" in the guild, and satisfies his ego by making fun of Emily as a "perpetual rookie".

 Some people seemed to be uncomfortable with the exchange, but I didn't bother to interfere.

 Adventurers are responsible for their own actions.

 If you're not good enough, you can't say anything, because you can quit being an adventurer if you don't want to.

"Oh, I'm a mage... a mage with qualities."

"A person who can only use magic on the first rank isn't a mage. As proof, there's no request you can accept."

 Then, a small maid-san stepped out, not unlike a small maid-san in this rough-and-tumble adventurer's guild.

"Then, I will send a request to this mage, Sama."

 Smiling, Nina smiled.


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