Forsaken Priest of the Hero's Party-Chapter 34: Adventurers License

In Larpentia you don’t necessarily need an ID to live, but if you wish to travel to other places then a form of identification is mandatory.

Just like the saying goes - It’s hard to leave your home.

Because there’s more than a few things to prepare when you want to go on a trip.

However, it’s not like I could simply waste too much time.

Even if I keep praying to the Lord, he won’t simply bestow us with His grace and save us from the threat of the ‘cycle’.

And, even if he could save me, he wouldn’t save Roka.

If I don’t do something, the Lord won’t do it either.

First of all, I have various IDs.

The ID card that the church made for me when I went on an adventure with Yurinel.

The citizenship that I made at the government office on the side.

And the adventurer’s license, which was the first ID I received when I left my hometown where the concept of an ID didn’t even exist. I have these 3 IDs in my wallet.

Roka has one too.

My eyes narrowed as I looked at the ID issued by the government office, which I hadn’t given to Roka.

Burning the slave document only meant that the Lord certified Roka’s freedom, it didn’t mean that Roka was recognized as a free person by the Empire’s administration.

Legally, Roka was still my slave. To remove that, I had to go to the government office, fill out various administrative documents, and pay fees, and only then could the shackles of status be removed.

However, even if the shackles are removed, the scars remain. The Empire treated freeborn and freed slaves differently.

Roka’s citizenship has a stamp that signifies she was once a slave, like a scar that will never be erased.

That’s why I’m thinking of making another ID for her. I didn’t want to show this stamp to that child.

“So Kyle... Where are we going?”

The princess now calls me Kyle. At least where others can see.

It’s entirely at my request. I don’t mind if she thinks of me as a saint, but if she calls me that outside, I couldn’t help but become flustered.

“You’ll probably need to go somewhere too, sister.”

Of course, it wasn’t free. The princess also demanded one thing from me.

She made me call her ‘sister’ when we were outside.

“You need an ID to use for a bit, right? Let’s stop by the Adventurer’s Guild and each gets an adventurer’s license. Our Roka too. You also need an identity to present somewhere.”

It’s easy to get a license at the Adventurer’s Guild.

Really easy. You just have to pay the fee.

An F-rank adventurer’s license is something you can really get just by paying money. They do a simple background check, but as long as you’re not on the wanted list and have no criminal record, even a child can get one.

Of course, it’s another story to be promoted to E-rank or higher, but there’s no need for that.

The princess will return to the Empire, and Roka won’t work as an adventurer either.

While I also don’t know much about how the guild works. I just heard that priests like me often work as adventurers, so I got a license.

The Trinity Church will drag in other denominations’ priests with fire in their eyes for accepting money for healing, but they don’t say anything about joining an adventurer party and healing party members. So joining a party with a good income is one of the best ways for priests to make money.

Usually, priests of the Trinity Church don’t try to become adventurers and travel directly.

“And please speak comfortably, Princess. If I call you sister, it’d be weird if you speak to me formally too.”

“Ah, but no matter what, to the saint directly chosen by God...”

“I don’t mind. Just call me comfortably.”

“You’re also my savior...”

“That was the Lord’s doing, not mine.”

It seems the miracle the Lord showed is still leaving a strong impression.

But that’s because the Lord is special, not because I’m special. It would have been perfectly possible if someone else had been chosen by the Lord instead of me.

“Still, I can’t do that. How can I, a mere human, do that to the messenger chosen by God?”

“Sister.”

“To the point of speaking informally to the benefactor who brought the miracle I so desired and yearned for, this Ardein is not an indiscreet person.”

Anyway, Sister Ardein is someone who had many occasions to look down on others rather than respect them.

I thought she would quickly speak informally to me, but she’s more stubborn than I expected. As we were talking like that, I suddenly felt fingers grasping the edge of my sleeve.

Roka was staring at me intently. Did she feel left out?

When I reached out to comfort her, she finally lowered her gaze with a smile. She’s truly a cute child.

“Adventurer’s license? I don’t need one. That little one over there might need it though.”

“Sister, don’t you also lack anything to prove your identity?”

“Lack it? I have the most definite and unforgeable proof. Originally, I thought it would be unrecoverable, but it’s the proof that you, Saint, brought to me.”

A golden and magnificent mana aura overlapped on Sister’s hand, shining brilliantly.

According to Sister, this is the symbol of the imperial family that inherited the bloodline of the Gold Dragons.

She says it’s the aura with the most unique golden color. To me, it seemed like there couldn’t be a more definite proof than this.

“I’m now over thirty years old, and I no longer have the same vigor as when I was young. Easily learning and quickly mastering anything is the privilege of a child who hasn’t fully grown. If you, Saint, hadn’t bestowed a miracle upon me, it would have taken me a lifetime just to regain my original level.”

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That’s true. There is a prime time for people.

Even if you grasp it quickly, once you pass your 20s, you gradually age. Your body is no longer the same as before.

...That’s what I heard. It’s what the elders in the village always said whenever they opened their mouths.

Not to mention Roka, I’m only twenty-five, so I can’t really relate.

If the princess trained for just ten more years, she’d be in her forties.

If she had tried to regain what she lost without the Sapling, it wouldn’t have been easy at all.

“And I’ve been thinking, we don’t necessarily need to borrow a carriage and go all the way up to the capital. If we go up just a little further from this Larpentia, we’ll reach the Vlad Duchy.”

“Ah, I’ve heard the name.”

“I’m acquainted with Duchess Shumira Vlad, so she’ll probably recognize me. It would be more convenient to receive her help and go to the capital.”

Duchess Shumira Vlad... Shumira Duchy...? Ah, no. Vlad Duchy. Vampires write their names and surnames in reverse order. I remember now.

The Vlad Duchy. A rare case where a non-human received a title.

I remember now. Yurinel once mentioned in passing that although she’s a duke, it’s nothing special.

Yurinel also said that even if the title was that of a Duke, they had no real power to speak of.

No wonder I, who lived in this small city of Larpentia not far from the Vlad Duchy, never heard of them. It means their influence doesn’t reach here.

“The Vlad Duchy isn’t known for its financial power or authority, but it’s still a place with a long history. Surely they wouldn’t refuse to provide a carriage when I, an imperial family member, ask. They’ll have to do so even if they fear the repercussions.”

Hm. After using the Sapling of Lineage, the Princess was certainly overflowing with confidence.

This was likely her true personality, and she had been suppressed by illness until now.

Anyway, she would definitely know more about nobles than me, so we set our destination to the Vlad Duchy for now.

As we walked and talked, the Adventurer’s Guild soon came into view. Larpentia was a place where monsters rarely appeared, so there were few people around the Adventurer’s Guild. The guild office itself looked small and diminutive.

Ding-a-ling.

As we opened the door with a bell attached and entered, an extremely deserted space greeted us.

A single sheet of paper was stuck to the right wall, naturally drawing our gaze. Without realizing it, I began reading the paper with my eyes.

- To the adventurers and residents of Larpentia City, thank you for always using the Larpentia Branch of the Adventurer's Guild. Our office plans to relocate to the neighboring city of Henes before this summer arrives, due to worsening profitability and a decrease in clients. We promise to serve you with better service and sincerity and ask for your continued interest and patronage.

By the time I finished reading the paper, someone spoke to us.

“Oy. Are you aspiring adventurers by any chance? Hmm... why is it only the lass over there who brought a weapon? Or perhaps, are you customers? If you’re customers, well, hate to tell ya, but yer wasted your time.”

An elderly man who looked too old to even hold a club, let alone a sword, was sitting in a chair with a kind expression, leaning his body against the table.

“There aren’t enough clients in this city. Sigh...Who would have thought that Peace was going to be this troublesome...Tsk...So everyone left to make a living elsewhere.”

“I’d like to get an adventurer’s license issued, is that not possible either?”

“Oh? Aye, that I can do...As long as you have the money for the fee that is.”

The fee wasn’t expensive, but it wasn’t cheap either.

In any case, it was not an amount we couldn’t afford to pay.

As I took out my wallet and paid the money, he counted the amount and asked us.

“Looks like only one person needs to be registered. So, which one is it? Is it you, sir?”

“It’s for this child here. She doesn’t have an official identity yet.”

“Name and age?”

“Roka. Sixteen.”

Before I could even speak, Roka replied while tidying her hair.

I say replied because while her tone wasn’t rude, it wasn’t polite either. Should I say it was chilly? I was slightly surprised to see Roka speak in this manner for the first time.

“Wait just a moment.”

However, Princess Ardein didn’t seem surprised or flustered and just stood there.

The old office manager who had dealt with all sorts of people also didn’t appear surprised. After hearing Roka, he went inside for a bit and came out holding an F-rank adventurer’s license.

Originally, they should at least do an identity verification and basic skill check before issuing it, but since this place was going out of business anyway, he gave it without asking any questions. They say an F-rank adventurer’s license is something you get just by paying money, but this was a bit much.

“What now? Can I eat this?”

‘......’

Easily obtained things have no value.

Roka stared at her license with a sullen expression.

In fact, she could very well eat it, since for guards in various regions, slipping them a few coins is easier, faster, and more convenient than showing an ID. It just costs money.

But someday, when someone meets this child,

I hope they remember her not as Roka who was once someone’s property, but as Roka, The Adventurer.

The fees paid and the small amount of time spent are nothing compared to that.