Chapter 143 The Adventurers Guild: A Visit

As I stepped out of the warp station in the Kingdom of Kaldor, I was greeted by one of my slaves, Howkins.

He was holding a sign that said "Prince" and seemed to be waiting for me.

"Where is Silvia? I thought she was going to pick me up," I said as I approached him.

"Boss! You're finally here," Howkins exclaimed, moving to hug me, but I moved in time, and he clutched just the air.

"Tell me what I asked you before I kick your ass," I stated with a blank expression.

"A-Ahem, her maid informed me that she is visiting her grandparents and will not be able to pick you up.

However, the maid ordered me to take her place and bring you to the adventurer's guild, assist you in obtaining your new adventurer's license, and accept the quest," Howkins elaborated.

"She went to see her grandparents?" I murmured to myself.

"She could've gone to a vampire continent to visit some ancient vampires," Irethiel speculated telepathically.

"...I see, I wonder why she didn't text me about this," I muttered.

"There was an emergency, and she had to flee, leaving behind everything, including her phone. That explains why she did not text you about it," The driver, who was a woman, stated as she lowered her window glass.

!?

"She's also a vampire," Irethiel revealed.

I turned my attention to the woman seated behind the wheel of the car as I heard Irethiel.

"Can you tell me who you are again?" I inquired, noting that she shared Silvia's hair color and appeared to be in her 30s.

"I am Miss Silvia's maid that guy was talking about, sir Ares," she replied, showing no emotions on her face.

"...."

"She is putting her new ability to good use, huh," Irethiel remarked as the woman seemed to be completely hypnotized, like a doll with no emotions.

"...Alright, let's head to the adventurer's guild now," I said while shaking my head, entering the car as Howkins opened the door for me.

"Here is your new identity, Sir Ares," the woman stated as she handed me a new ID.

When I looked at the picture on the ID, I was taken aback. It was of the same frail figure with white hair and blue eyes that Silvia had given me, set on a camouflage pendant.

"...."

"She can't be serious, right?" I asked the woman next to me with an irritated smile.

"Even if you stare at me all day, I have no answer to that. I was just instructed to hand over that ID to you by Miss Livia," the woman replied.

"Tsh," I clicked my tongue and shifted my gaze away from the maid driving the car.

"Boss, I heard you wish to go on a quest to the abandoned kingdom. I'm not sure why you'd want to go to that hellhole." Said Howkins, who was sitting in the backseat.

"...Do you have any information on the abandoned kingdom?" I inquired.

"I don't know much, but I knew a gladiator who once entered that abandoned kingdom and barely lived. He was horrified as he told his narrative, so I'm simply curious why you want to go there," Howkins explained.

Best

"That is none of your concern. And it would be fantastic for you if I died or didn't return from there, right? You can be free again," I remarked as I gazed out the window at the landscape.

"What are you talking about, boss? You gave me a new life by reuniting me with my wife and daughter and even providing a new home, money, and work. I sincerely appreciate everything you've done for me.

Of course, I don't want anything bad to happen to you," Howkins replied.

"...It's a good thing your wife remained single all these years while waiting for you. I suppose you're a lucky guy, huh?" With a chuckle, I said.

"She wasn't single. He killed her new husband and then remarried her," the maid clarified.

"...."

Upon hearing this, I turned to face Howkins to ask for the authenticity of that information.

Cough!—

"Ha-haha, I was grateful that he looked after my wife and daughter while I was gone. However, now that I'm back, I can take care of them myself," Howkins remarked.

Hearing his explanation, I just stared at him blankly.

"He can't be serious, right?" Irethiel whispered in shock.

"Oh, but I gave him the most painless death possible. I added some painless poison that would kill individuals while they were sleeping," he continued.

"You crazy bastard!" I murmured and shook my head.

"You could have married someone else. There is a lot of fish in the sea," I said.

"No! I'm not going to let that happen. I can't envision her with anyone else, and I'd rather die than be parted from her," he answered resolutely.

"...Irethiel, your junior slave is a crazy bastard," I laughed, not knowing what to say to him.

I wonder what his wife's reaction to that was. Did she get back together with him so easily after he killed her husband?...or did this bastard force her to stay with him?

As he seems to be like a male yandere type of a guy.

"...."

"That comes as no surprise. Like a master, like a slave," Irethiel remarked.

"Ahhh, This fucked up world," I muttered leaning back on my seat and closing my eyes, while smiling.

...

...

We soon arrived at the Adventurer's Guild. And before getting out of the car, I disguised myself by wearing a camouflage pendant.

And as I got out of the car, I observed a massive structure in front of me with the words 'Kaldor's Adventurer's Guild' written on it.

"I will be leaving now, sir Ares. Because I have other tasks to complete. When you finish your quest, I'll come to pick you up.

my phone number is in the new phone that I gave you, so you can call me when you're finished or if you need anything from me," The maid stated, to which I simply nodded. She returned her nod before driving away.

"Let's move inside, shall we?" I said stretching my arms before moving inside, followed by Howkins.

***

The guild was bustling with activity as adventurers of all races and backgrounds came and went, some discussing their recent quests, others planning their next ones.

There were separate chambers selling weapons, armor, potions, and other supplies, as well as trainers offering instruction in various skills and techniques.

A huge hologram displayed hundreds of quests, ranging from simple fetch quests to dangerous monster hunts and ancient ruins exploration.

There were glass keyboards placed around the hologram, allowing adventurers to browse through the quests and pick the ones that best suited their skills and interests.

There was also a separate space set aside for those searching for a party.

After a brief examination of the adventurer hall, I approached the receptionist and presented my ID. She checked it briefly by inserting my ID into a machine.

"Welcome, sir Marz. How may I assist you today?" With a smile, the receptionist greeted me.

That was my new ID's name.

"...I am here to get an Adventurer's License," I replied.

The receptionist's smile dimmed as she heard my request and I knew what was coming next.

"Haha, Y-You're aware that being an adventurer is a dangerous occupation, right?" She forced a smile and looked at Howkins, who was standing next to me.

"...."

"He is—" Howkins was ready to say something, but I cut him off.

"Bitch, shut the fuck up and do your work! I don't need you to tell me about the risks of becoming an adventurer," I exclaimed, my face expressionless.

As soon as I said that, the entire adventurer hall fell silent, and everyone turned to look at me with surprised emotions on their faces.

Some people's mouths were open in amazement, while others furrowed their eyebrows in perplexity. The air was filled with whispers and murmurs as people tried to figure out who I was and why I was speaking so fiercely.

The receptionist's expression was a mix of panic and uncertainty. She had no idea who I was or what to make of my actions.

"...Haha, he's going to be our new adventurer party member. And I don't think you recognized him. "He's 'The Prince' from the gladiator arena, he's just not wearing a mask now," Howkins said hastily, attempting to ease the situation.

"I-I see. Though I'm not sure who the prince from the gladiator arena is, given that he'll be joining your adventurer party, 'Aria', he should be someone exceptional.

I apologize if my words offended you, sir Marz," the receptionist bowed slightly and said.

I just stared at her without uttering a word.

Actually, I had nothing against this poor receptionist and I know she was doing her job by warning me, seeing my appearance.

However, I've adopted a new personality as a defense mechanism to prevent myself from being an easy target and to keep people from underestimating me.

As I don't want to be bothered by low-level villain characters approaching me, seeing my frail appearance, and me wasting time beating the shit out of them.

They should just infer from my personality that, 'He's a crazy bastard, let's just avoid him.' kind of thing.

This strategy was taught to me by a famous book I read in my previous world, and I've found it to be extremely helpful in avoiding the bothersome mob characters.

"It has the famous quote that goes: 'Sometimes, It's not the size of the warrior, but the strength of the battle cry that scares the opponent,'

***