Chapter 42 – New Quest

The town of Tarbes was an ordinary sort of town: a crossroads town. Two ancient trading paths had once crossed here, and naturally, a town had sprung forth to cater to the needs of travelers. There were no great works of culture or famous sights here—travelers didn’t have much time for such.

Instead, the local attractions were of a more down-to-earth sort. That one street food stall that sold meat skewers that were just a bit above average, which locals swore were the best in the region. A large, well-equipped inn that could always boast of having a new troupe of performers visiting, and always had a pot of stew ready for the weary traveler. Some swore that the same pot of stew had been ready to serve for over 200 years continuously, giving it that distinct taste. A market where extra baggage could be offloaded and traded, ready to keep things ever moving.

Of course, the golden age of such places had passed—blimp shipping had changed things radically. It was a subtle change: An inn where visitors always had a room ready for them, a food stall that had no competitors, and a market run only by old men.

Still, it wasn’t the end of the world or anything. There was still plenty of overland traffic—blimps were new, expensive things, locked into tight schedules, guarded closely by the government. Not all travelers could make use of them.

Like a certain trio that was standing in front of the local hunter’s guild. The trio were rather weary of their journey on foot and were looking for better travel options. Buying passage on a caravan was expensive, and why do so when you could be getting paid for it instead? That was the reason they were at the guild.

The guild was a typical one for crossroads like this—efficiency above all. It was a small building, nestled betwixt an inn and the market, with only enough space for a single reception desk and notice board.

“So, have you memorized the lines?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it all down. Saints know we’ve spent enough time going over it all...”

“Even the skill?”

“...”

“You will use the skill, right?”

“Do I really have to? I just... don’t like smiling at people like that. It feels fake.”

“It is fake—it’s a skill! What use is a [Disarming Smile] if you don’t use it?”

“I have used it! Once, at least. That’s how I got the [Lor—”

“Shush! How many times do we have to go over this?”

“Hey, you two done? A circus like this will attract a crowd.”

The third voice broke the moment, and the building argument was staved off.

Fayette huffed at Olivia, then rolled her eyes at Mireille.

“Relax you two, I’ve got this. Just follow me and stand there, I don’t know, all proper-like.”

The [Maid] ignored all further objections, turned to the door, and walked inside the guild. Mireille sighed and followed, while Olivia first took a sip for good luck.

A bell by the door announced Fayette’s entry, and she took a moment to inspect the guild’s insides. Truthfully, she wasn’t the biggest fan of efficient design. It tended to lack the proper flair and decorum she liked to see.

However, it was undeniably more efficient for cleaning—less nooks and crannies for dirt to get into. Fayette frowned at that thought. If places are made easier to clean, does that mean they need to hire fewer [Maids]? Troubling.

She made a mental note to look into the matter more later, shook her head and continued inside, walking to the sharp-eyed [Receptionist]. The woman was dressed in a simple brown dress and emanated the aura of proper bureaucracy.

Fayette wondered whether that was a skill. Is there an [Aura of Bureaucracy]? I better be careful.

She drew herself to her best posture, used [Disarming Smile], and handed over her junior hunter’s permit and class license. “Hello, I would like to register as a proper hunter.”

The [Receptionist] accepted the permit, looked it over, then quirked a brow at the quite adult-looking woman. “A junior hunter’s license, being upgraded at—” she took a look at the skill license and her frown deepened “—your age?”

Fayette used another [Disarming Smile]. It was really straining, keeping up a pleasant air and fighting her natural urge to scowl. “I didn’t have a fighter class when I received that, so the personnel at the guild made... special arrangements. That has now been rectified.”

“You’ve gotten a fighter class since?”

Fayette kept the smile on her face and nodded. “Correct—I am now a [Combat Maid].”

She felt the [Receptionist’s] use an [Inspect] skill and shuddered as the invasive wave went through her. The [Receptionist] was quiet for a moment, and Fayette leaned in. “A [Combat Maid] is a fighter class, right? It says it so on the name! No denying that.”

“I... suppose so. There is some precedent. [Maid Rogues], [Maid Bodyguards] and such, but I haven’t heard of one this way around before.” The [Receptionist] dug out some files, and began flipping through them. “I’ll just fill in this form for you, take it to the guild head, and then you should be able to get your new license.”

Fayette’s eyes widened. Is this actually happening? I expected a lot more resistance. Things seemed to be moving along well, so she wanted to be careful and ensure she didn’t mess anything up.

“Uhh, sure. Go ahead and do that then.”

She took a step back and waited, and after penning a few more lines on paper, the [Receptionist] rose up from her seat and walked into the backroom. Fayette shuffled next to Mireille and Olivia who had been waiting behind her.

“Did you see that? Is [Disarming Smile] really that powerful?”

“I think it was more that you said the right things,” Mireille replied. “She didn’t need to ask many questions or consult many rules, so things went fast.”

“So, I didn’t need to use [Disarming Smile] after all?”

Olivia elbowed her. “Always use all tools that can increase your probability of success. You only get one first impression—best go all out, just in case at least.”

Fayette thought that made sense, she didn’t tend to spare any effort with her [Maid] duties after all. It was always good to bring out the [All Purpose Cleaner] right from the start.

The backroom door opened, and the receptionist returned to her seat. Fayette tried to focus herself again. Alright, now for step two.

She walked back to the desk, accepted a bronze token from the [Receptionist] and saw that her information was imprinted on it. “Thank you—Is everything set with that?”

“Yes, your hunter registration has now been completed.”

Fayette nodded, then gestured behind her, at her waiting companions. “Right. Then, I want to have these two officially join my party as support members. They are a [Doctor] and a [Seamstress]. I will vouch for them”

At her gesture, Olivia and Mireille walked beside her, and negotiations went on. Once more, Fayette was surprised at how easily matters were handled. Once Mireille took up the speaking, it felt like they were flying past all the bureaucratic steps at record pace.

Fayette was in awe. Is it because of how this place is built? Does an efficient building lead to efficient work? The Palogne guild did have a mess hall in the same space as the reception... 

Only at the finishing line did an obstacle finally appear. There was one last spot to be filled on their sheet. The receptionist tapped it with her quill, then nodded at Fayette.

“So, what should I mark as the name of your party?”

It took Fayette a moment to realize that the [Receptionist] was talking to her, and not Mireille. Oh, right. I suppose I am the party leader...

“Uhh—” She ran her mind, thinking through what her party really was about at its core. What are we setting out to do? What was our activity in Palogne all about? “How about: The Cleaners.”

The [Receptionist] noted the words down, and after that, all that was needed was another visit to the backroom. With how quickly the receptionist handled matters there, Fayette suspected the room only contained the rubber stamp needed for the papers and some contraption to make the bronze badges.

Soon Mireille and Olivia were admiring their own hunter passes, and Fayette turned back to the reception desk. Right, now it’s time to see whether this was all for nothing. She threw out another [Disarming Smile].

“We are actually looking for work. Are there any caravan escort tasks, or something else of that nature, that would take us a fair distance to the east? North and south work too, everything except west really.”

As long as we get as far away from Palogne as possible. Hitching a ride on a caravan would be so much nicer...

The receptionist hummed for a moment, then took another look at Fayette’s crew. Her eyes narrowed. “You know, there is actually a task that fits your profile really well... We were getting worried that no-one would be able to take it, but your group should do fine—”

She walked to the mission board and ripped one task right off it. Fayette quirked a brow. What, I get scolded for doing that, but employees have free reign?

The [Receptionist] handed the task to Fayette, and she looked it over.

                                            Escort Task. High priority

[Governess] Adrienne requires an escort for her travel to Arreau. The caravan is leaving on the fifth, and the accepting party should have at least two women in it.

Hmm, so some woman needs an escort, and doesn’t want to only be around gruff hunter-type men for the whole journey. Fayette thought of spending a whole caravan trip with the type of people she had seen at the Palogne guild, all rough and dirty. She shuddered. Understandable.

She handed the missive to Mireille. “I think this looks promising, what about you?”

Mireille hummed as she read it. “Hmm, Arreau is a good distance to the east, and the pay is pretty good too. I say we take it. Olivia?”

The [Doctor] waved her off. “Sounds fine, don’t need any more pondering. Can we go?”

Fayette took the missive back and looked at the contact details listed at the bottom of the page. Unsurprisingly, it listed a room at the only inn in town. “Olivia’s right, no sense waiting around. Let’s go.”

Mireille was silent for a moment, before poking Fayette on the cheek. “By the way... did you really have to pick such a name for our party? It makes it sound like I’m some sort of [Maid] too.”

“Well, you should be.”

Fayette escaped from the room before the [Seamstress] could get any more words in.

She needs to focus, we have a task ahead of us, and no time to debate names and such. Escort a [Governess]. Sounds simple enough. What could possibly go wrong?

A quick walk later, the newly branded Cleaners were knocking at a door in the inn. They had been a bit surprised to find that their employer had booked the inn’s luxurious grand suite. Mireille had grown excited. Expensive tastes, huh. Explains the pay.

After their first knock, there was no answer from beyond the door. The trio waited a minute, then Fayette knocked again. This time she could hear a flurry of activity from beyond the door, and after a good period of stumbling and rushing from inside, the door finally opened, revealing a woman.

All three members of the cleaners felt their eyes narrowing at what they saw.

Mireille saw the clothes the woman was wearing—a fine long-sleaved dress embroidered with lilies at the helm, a garment much too fine for any [Governess] to wear.

Olivia saw pale skin that shone with health, and hands that showed no marks of work—hands that firmly belonged to one who had others do all menial work for them.

And Fayette, well, she didn’t even need her eyes to see. As she felt the woman’s clear blue eyes focus on her, and saw her long blond curls twirl as she turned her head, Fayette shuddered. She could have felt it with her eyes closed, deep inside her class. The same sort of feeling she had felt there before—that bit of her that was missing something.

The trio turned to each other, an understanding passing between them.

This was no [Governess].

This was a [Lady].

A/N New mission!