What Changed in Pond, and What Didn’t – Part 01

The boy, clad in a cloak that looked flimsy but was actually incredibly durable with high insulation, sighed deeply.

“Phew.”

Though he was dressed in fine traveling clothes, his well-worn boots made it clear that he wasn’t just pretending to be a traveler. Anyone with a trained eye would notice how calm and steady his movements were, showing no vulnerability. Though even an expert wouldn’t be able to see him. For one reason.

“All right, Stealth deactivated.”

Up until now, Hikaru had been using his Stealth skill, rendering him completely undetectable to anyone, no matter how skilled. Only direct interaction could reveal his presence.

“No need to be so tense. I’ve been here countless times at this point.”

He looked up and saw the sign that read Adventurers Guild. Upon entering the stone building, he found more adventurers than he expected—still only about ten in total—loitering around despite it being a good afternoon for work.

“Over here, please. This window is available.” A woman behind the counter raised her hand to gesture, but froze in place when she saw him.

“Uh… hello?”

“Hikaru?” The receptionist gasped. “Hikaruuu?!”

Freya hadn’t expected to see him after his sudden disappearance, and now, out of nowhere, he had reappeared.

---

“Receptionists should never lose their composure,” Unken admonished.

“S-Sorry,” Freya said.

They were in the guildmaster’s office, a modest room furnished with a simple but functional table and chairs. Freya was sitting next to the Man Gnome.

Earlier, upon hearing Freya’s scream, Unken had rushed over. But when he saw Hikaru, he simply nodded to himself and led him into his office.

“So, Hikaru,” Unken began, “let’s hear what you have to say.”

“Um, what do you mean?”

“You know what I mean. You completed a commission to raise your adventurer rank to D, but then disappeared without going through the proper procedures. I’m sure you’ve got quite the tale to share, one we’ve never heard before.”

Hikaru chuckled awkwardly, recalling the events.

When the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas reactivated, dungeons across the continent stirred to life. Freya, representing the Adventurers Guild, was sent to survey one of them, and Hikaru, concerned for her safety, had volunteered to be her escort.

However, Hikaru’s rank was low, so to prove his skills, he was tasked with slaying a Hell Tarantula, which he did.

Next, he joined the Rank A adventurer party Scorching Goblet in the maritime nation of Vireocean, where they met the receptionist Angela. Later on, Hikaru faced a half-human and half-Wraith named Skaer, who killed the Rank A adventurer Zappa. After a series of events, he managed to kill Skaer.

Hikaru had to leave shortly after and headed to Japan, parting ways with Freya, though not before leaving a large parting gift.

“I went through a lot after that, you know!” Freya grouched. “I think I deserve to hear what happened.”

The dungeon by Lake Tseng-Ti, now known as the Mermaid Dungeon, had been reactivated, and managing it became the responsibility of the Pond Adventurers Guild. In fact, Hikaru had arranged it to be that way and then pushed the responsibility onto Freya.

“Um… Is the dungeon running smoothly?”

“Don’t try to change the subject. The dungeon’s running fine, but my overtime hours have gone insane.”

“Uh… B-But I thought you would handle the dungeon just fine, along with the negotiations with the local lord and the surrounding towns. And I’m sure you got a lot of credit for it.”

“That’s true,” Unken said. “Her contributions are so remarkable that guild staff from all across the continent would want to be her. Without a doubt, Freya will be the guild’s top performer this year.”

“See?”

“Don’t give me that! I just wanted to live a quiet life.”

“Hikaru,” Unken interjected. “It seems you’re not eager to talk about your disappearance.”

Hikaru was taken aback by the directness of the question. It struck too close to home.

“Hahaha… I thought I did a pretty good job dodging that topic.”

“I don’t mind, but Freya might not let it slide.”

“Come on, now. I’m just an honest adventurer.”

“Yeah, right,” Freya scoffed. “You were so adorable back then, too.”

By back then, she was referring to the time when Hikaru first arrived in this world, after assassinating Count Morgstadt under the threat of Roland, the boy whose body he had originally taken over.

I don’t think I was ever adorable to begin with, Hikaru thought.

Unken handed him several documents. “All right, let’s have this honest adventurer sign here.”

“Hmm? What’s this? Looks like a commission form.”

“You’ll be taking a guild commission, and we’ll mark it as completed. Of course, payment will be given.”

“What for?”

“What else? We’re raising your adventurer rank to D. If we just did it for the Mermaid Dungeon and the Hell Tarantula hunt, some people would start crying favoritism. So, we’ll say you completed a few commissions.”

“Huh.”

“Don’t huh me. The guild’s already getting attention from the Mermaid Dungeon, and we don’t need any unnecessary scrutiny. Besides, you’re the one who struggled with your low rank.”

That was true.

Because of his low rank, Hikaru had to kill the Hell Tarantula to escort Freya when he didn’t need to—though it did end up saving a village. Still, back then, Hikaru was pretty frustrated.

Hikaru silently signed the papers.

“That was quick,” Unken said.

“Well, your reasoning makes sense. But just so you know, I won’t let my rank go any higher.”

“Going from D to C isn’t easy, but you seem pretty confident you could rise whenever you want.”

“No comment.”

Unken chuckled.

Freya looked confused. “Hikaru, only the really strong can become rank C, you know?”

Unken laughed even harder.

Hikaru had traveled with the Rank B party Four Eastern Stars, and during the Ruler’s Rumble tournament in the Confederacy of Einbiest, he fought against the rank A adventurer Ryver. He had a good sense of where the ranks stood.

“Anyway, don’t you have any plans on forming a party?” Unken asked.

“I find it more comfortable going solo.”

“Hmm. You often hang out with that girl Paula, right? I was thinking of raising her rank too.”

“I don’t think she would appreciate that.”

“Adventurers would normally be happy about a promotion.”

Hikaru let out a sigh. If he were to form a party, it would be with Lavia and Paula. But Lavia, despite being Count Morgstadt’s daughter, had once been a wanted fugitive for allegedly killing her father. Although the bounty had been lifted, Hikaru preferred to keep that quiet from the guild.

For that reason, Lavia wasn’t here. She was in the royal capital of G. Ponsonia. Paula had come to Pond, but ever the devout, was currently at the church. There was a time when she went around using healing magic while wearing a mask, earning her the reverence of the people as the Wandering Saint. Hikaru warned her to keep a low profile.

“All right, I’ll handle the paperwork,” Unken said. “Let me borrow your guild card.”

“Sure.”

Hikaru handed over his guild card, which bore the Blessing of Metropolitan Residents, Townspeople, and Villagers Relief God: Civilian. Unken raised an eyebrow when he saw it, but Hikaru had no intention of revealing anything further. Besides, others couldn’t view the Blessing list without permission, so he had no reason to worry.

“I’ll raise your rank, then. For now, you keep Freya company.”

“What? Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around? Freya should be the one keeping me company.”

“Hikaru, do you remember what you said about owing me?”

Freya flashed a grin. For the first time, she made Hikaru shudder.