Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

"I'm using this money to have dinner with Mr. Bell Craney, so please don't worry about it!"

"““Eek ee ...

Eina's explosive remarks sent shockwaves through the office.

Not only the waitresses, but also other people screamed or fell off their chairs.

The majority of them are men.

Missia also yelled "Oh wow!?" and fell backward.

"No, no, Eina! This is an abuse of power! You cannot do something so disgraceful to our elven bloodline...!"

"Exactly!? How can someone become famous and then try to sleep with a young gigolo?! Correcting the adventurer...!"

"I engaged in gambling, something an elf shouldn't do, so I must treat Mr. Crannie to a meal as an apology! As an elf, I believe this act of atonement is the proper thing to do! He should accept the money!"

Eina's words made sense, and the senior waitresses didn't dare to utter a sound.

She took the bottle and turned to leave, while the other waitresses screamed to stop her, but she ignored them.

—Eina recalled what had happened and felt a little angry.

So this little thing is nothing, it's nothing to worry about.

Inviting him to dinner was just an excuse; anything was fine as long as he could apologize to the boy.

Even if you use this money to ask him to prepare equipment or purchase props, that's fine.

He definitely wouldn't accept it willingly; he'd probably do everything in his power to politely decline. So she was just using dinner as a pretext to persuade him.

Great, no problem at all. Well, this isn't about personal feelings, so go ahead and ask him out.

It's too much trouble to explain, so I'll just go have that dinner I've been wanting to have with him for ages later. That's decided!

As long as the adventurers are willing to return safely.

Eina is willing to do everything she can to help and stay by their side.

This sentiment has not faded in the slightest since then.

As she left the office, Eina turned back and addressed the astonished staff:

"Because I'm his advisor!"

Volume 15, Chapter 4: One-Man Guild

A black suit and trousers, with a bow tied around the neck.

The tailor-made uniform, even before touching it, clearly uses high-quality material. Upon trying it on, I was surprised by how easy it was to move in. I've heard that this uniform boasts superior functionality, comparable to an adventurer's battle cloth.

Even so, the free uniform still gave her an inescapable sense of being out of reach.

The image of herself in her uniform was vaguely reflected in the window, which almost made Eina feel terrified.

"Now I'll take you to meet the other staff. As I mentioned before, your department is the administrative department. Besides your regular duties, you'll probably also have to work as waitresses. Get your mindset right... Are you listening, Zul?"

"Ah...yes, I'm sorry!"

Called by the young dog-man leading the way, Eina quickly looked away from the window.

Several demi-humans dressed similarly to her walked down the long corridor. Each of them had a serious profile and looked imposing. The friend walking beside her, whom she had met in school, had cherry blossom-colored hair and was even more nervous and stiff than her.

Perhaps because they thought Aina and her companions looked so young and inexperienced, some people smiled at them. Aina felt her cheeks burning as she absentmindedly put her glasses back on and listened attentively to the explanation given by the man whose rank was equivalent to their superior. Aina followed behind him like a fawn, the spring sunlight streaming through the window watching over her.

Then, just as she was about to enter the room of her destination.

At the other end of the corridor, a vast white marble hall—where numerous adventurers thronged shoulder to shoulder—came into her view.

From this day forward, Eina's job is to support those daredevils who seek wealth and fame and venture into monster lairs.

Eina Zur, springtime at fourteen.

It was at this time that she joined the management organization governing the labyrinth city of Orario, becoming a member of the "Guild".

*

Eina chose the "guild" as her workplace, frankly, for the money.

The labyrinthine city, hailed as the "center of the world," truly lives up to its reputation as a hub where "guilds" offer high salaries. Not to mention ordinary laborers, guild staff sometimes earn more than even the wages of a novice adventurer.

However, Eina is not a money lover.

She wanted the money because she needed to send it to her family.

Eina, a half-elf, was born to a mother from the forest of the elven royal family. She had once run away from home with a princess, but perhaps due to her constitution not adapting well to the outside air, she remained bedridden. Her human father, deeply in love with her mother, worked tirelessly as a single man, earning a daily wage to support her, Eina, and Eina's sister. The image of her kind mother, coughing violently in bed yet still smiling, and her gentle father, exhausted every day yet still willing to embrace her, were deeply etched in Eina's memory.

Eina is very grateful to her parents for sending her to the school district even under such circumstances. She is determined to acquire sufficient knowledge and experience to repay her beloved family's kindness.

Eina had no martial arts talent... let's just say she had no athletic talent, so she chose academic lectures—which was not a chore for the already diligent and studious Eina—and then chose "Guild" as her top choice for graduation.

Her hard work paid off. Eina, who achieved excellent grades in the "school district," won a recommendation and successfully entered the prestigious guild headquarters.

"As I mentioned before, I have officially become a member of the 'Guild' and started working..."

In the single room of the staff housing assigned to her when she joined the guild, Eina wrote down the common language (Koine) word by word on parchment.

The letter to his family included a report on his current situation, followed by a half-joking mention of his anxieties about the future.

It's impossible to say that she wasn't confused and worried about the new environment. Sometimes she would also really want to hear the voices of her parents or her younger sister, who was much older than her and whose appearance she couldn't quite remember.

But at the same time, Eina was also full of anticipation.

She joined the guild not just for her family. She also looked forward to working as a guild employee in Orario, the "center of the world," to broaden her horizons.

Many people, many adventurers, many great achievements.

This city will surely allow Eina to experience things she's only read about in books, or bring her discoveries and emotions that aren't even mentioned in books. It will undoubtedly satisfy her soul with fun and excitement.

It will definitely be very meaningful to work on it.

She played the sound of a quill pen writing on her desk while tossing her long, brown hair that reached her back. Even with her still somewhat childlike face, a handsome and pretty half-elf smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.

"--Yes, I'll do my best."

She wrote intimate words at the end of the letter and sealed it.

Eina squinted at the sunlight streaming through the window, which refreshed her mood.

*

"My name is Eina Zur. I will be your advisor starting today. Please take good care of me."

Eina's first job was as an exploration advisor for adventurers.

In addition to her departmental duties, after receiving relevant training, she also took on the role of a waitress, a "famous flower" of the "guild".

As service personnel who have frequent contact with adventurers, it's impossible to do a good job without prior knowledge of the men and women who enter the dungeons every day. Supporting adventurers and helping them successfully explore the labyrinth is our duty, but it also serves as a learning opportunity for newcomers.

After receiving meticulous consultant training from her superior, Eina greeted the adventurer she was meeting for the first time in the interview room.

"...A half-elf."

This adventurer is named Maris Heckerd.

She was a human girl with short blue hair who seemed somewhat competitive.

She is fifteen years old, with a slender build of 160C (cells), and is a little taller than Eina.

Like the newcomer Eina, she was a novice adventurer who had just logged into the guild.

Maris stared intently at Eina, who was trying to force a smile despite her nervousness, and then deliberately sighed at her.

"I specifically asked for a cool, middle-aged dwarf... and they gave me this callow, half-human (hybrid) kid."

"Varied……"

"Ugh, what bad luck~ They actually assigned me a complete newbie... I'm so unlucky, I drew the worst possible lot."

As expected of someone who volunteered to become an adventurer.

The other person complained in a tone that clearly indicated a lack of manners.

His face clearly showed contempt for the half-elf who wasn't used to wearing uniforms, and he continued to chatter on and on.

Eina was first stunned, then her shoulders trembled with humiliation—and her temper exploded.

"You...you're still just a rookie adventurer! The [Family] you belong to is a newly formed faction; you're clearly a newbie!"

"What...you! I'm going to become a top-tier adventurer and make a name for myself someday! What kind of attitude is that!?"

"You're clearly just an ignorant newbie who doesn't know the rules, yet you dare call yourself a Level 1 adventurer! You're a hundred years too early!!"

"How dare you say such a thing to me!?"

This resulted in a heated argument.

Even though Eina is academically excellent, intelligent, and of good character—possessing all three qualities—she is still young.

Shouts and rebuttals rose and fell in the well-soundproofed interview room. The two girls, who had stood up, forgot their positions and began hurling insults at each other, especially Eina, who had completely forgotten that the other was an adventurer. Her initial good first step as an advisor had long since vanished.

In short, Maris, whose first impression was extremely poor, was the first adventurer that Eina was in charge of.

"It's just that he's a little more developed, what's with the arrogance, you half-human!"

"Who are you talking to?! You're the one who's hopeless, I'm the normal one!!"

"Ughh ...

The two women blushed, their foreheads touching. The short swords and light armor that should have been provided to adventurers as rations in the wooden box at their feet gleamed as if they were bored.

"Seriously, that girl is unbelievable!"

That night.

At a tavern near a high-class residential area recommended by the "guild," Eina vented her anger at Maris.

"He actually said I drew the worst possible lot the moment he saw me! It's because of people like that that adventurers are misunderstood!"

"Wow... I haven't seen Eina this angry in a long time!"

Seeing her swearing even though she hadn't been drinking, the human girl sitting opposite her—Misia Flott, a friend she had met in school—widened her eyes in surprise.

She sat at a two-person table in a corner of the tavern, sipping her juice and tilting her head slightly, her cherry blossom-colored hair swaying.

"It seems the adventurers Eina is in charge of are really terrible?"

"Should I call her awful, or just rude...? She calls others half-human, and speaks to them with prejudice..."

Eina pouted angrily.

It's as if the fact that half of her blood is elven made her react this way.

As for Missia, seeing the youthful innocence in her usually mature friends made her beam with joy.

"Misia, what about you? You must have met with the adventurer in charge today, just like me, right?"

"Well, the other person is an orc older than me, very tall... hehe, kind of handsome, huh?"

When asked by Eina, Missia blushed as she answered.

She then praised the man for his straight nose, cute fluffy ears, and gentlemanly manners.

"Missia... let me make this clear first, it's not a good idea to blur the lines between public and private matters..."

"I-I know!?"

Eina warned of the sweet atmosphere that was beginning to take shape, and Missia hurriedly waved her hands.

I officially started working in the "guild" a few days ago.

The two close friends chatted about what had happened up to that day, sharing their hardships and joys.

As expected of a shop recommended by the "guild," there were no lewd adventurers in the shop, but it wasn't too reserved either. The laborers who worked in the guild's magic stone manufacturing industry held ale in one hand and cheered happily. Moreover, even the newcomers, Eina and her friends, could afford the prices. The shop was both affordable and stylish, and business was booming.

"Did you see Uranus? He's so imposing, isn't he? I nervously introduced myself, and he just said, 'Is that so?' He was so dignified. Ah, but the people in the administration department seem really polite, that's great!"

After Eina had mostly vented, it was Missia's turn to keep bringing up topics.

Eina became a listener, watching her friend who was more talkative than usual, and gave a wry smile. She understood that this meant the environment had really changed a lot.

"However, besides being a consultant, I also have to work as a waitress... I don't know if I can handle it."

"Missia, you can do it!"

"But, but, I'm not as good at doing things as you, Eina... I must have gotten into the 'Guild' by picking me up along the way when Eina came in."

"That's not true at all."