Chapter 15: A Warm Welcome

So this was considered a passing grade?

Could he take the adventurer registration exam now?

Viktor also nodded.

"Yes, that’s true."

However, his expression still did not look completely satisfied.

Had Qiu Nuoya done something to upset him?

"Um, Viktor...?"

When Qiu Nuoya looked up at him, Viktor seemed to notice how anxious he looked.

He quickly crouched down to meet Qiu Nuoya’s eye level.

"You will be perfectly fine for the exam."

He smiled reassuringly.

After that, Qiu Nuoya went to the reception counter and registered to take the adventurer exam.

The receptionist behind the counter was a very beautiful and kind woman.

"The exam will be tomorrow. The written test will be in the morning, and the practical test will be in the afternoon. For the practical test, you will choose magic as your specialty, correct?"

She smiled warmly.

"Yes!"

Qiu Nuoya answered enthusiastically like a well behaved child.

"My, you’re so young, but you’re very responsible."

She even gave him a snack as a reward.

Haha.

No matter where he went, people treated him like a child.

Well, that was only natural.

His appearance and identification card both said he was ten years old.

Even though his mind belonged to a forty year old man.

"Well, the sun is already starting to set," Igor said. "Nuoya, you don’t have any money or a place to stay, right?"

"Yes, that’s true. But the Adventurer’s Guild is open all day, so I’ll just sleep somewhere around here for the night!"

Qiu Nuoya answered cheerfully.

The moment he said that, Igor grabbed him by the back of his clothes.

"Are you stupid?!"

"True, this place is open all night, but once it gets late, rougher adventurers come in. A child shouldn’t be spending the night here."

"Eh... but I don’t have money to stay at an inn..."

"I know that. But do you really think we can just leave you alone?"

Igor turned toward Viktor.

"Right, Viktor...?"

Then he suddenly stopped.

"Hm?"

"Hey! Viktor!"

Viktor seemed to have been lost in thought and had not been listening to their conversation at all.

Suddenly, he looked over at them as if he had just realized something.

"Um? What is it?"

"I was just saying that Nuoya wants to spend the night here, and I can’t exactly leave him alone. I’m taking him back to our room. That’s fine, right?"

"Ah, that is perfectly fine. However, I have something I need to look into."

"Something to look into?"

"Yes. So please go ahead without me."

After saying that, Viktor turned around and walked away.

Igor tilted his head in confusion.

"What was that about?"

But after thinking for a moment, he simply shrugged.

"Well, whatever."

Then, once again, he picked Qiu Nuoya up in his arms.

"Wah! Igor, I can walk by myself!"

"Even though this town is peaceful, the streets can still be dangerous at night. This is just to make sure you doesn’t get lost again."

Igor said that casually as he started walking.

He seemed to be in a good mood and showed no intention of putting him down.

With no way to escape, Qiu Nuoya simply stayed quiet in Igor’s arms and watched the scenery of the city pass by.

The streets looked completely different from anything he had ever seen before.

The buildings had a somewhat Western appearance and people of many different races walked through the streets.

Looking at the unfamiliar scenery, Qiu Nuoya once again realized that this was truly a different world from the one he knew.

A few minutes after leaving the Adventurer’s Guild, they arrived at a certain building.

It was an inn specifically for adventurers.

In modern terms, it was similar to a shared house for adventurers.

Generally speaking, adventurers did not settle permanently in one city.

Their profession involved traveling around the world and going on adventures.

Of course, many adventurers eventually started families, settled down, and used a single city as their base of operations.

However, since being an adventurer meant seeking adventure, many young adventurers did not have a permanent home.

If their stay in a city was short, they would usually rent an ordinary inn.

But if they planned to stay for more than a month, renting a room in a shared house like this was much cheaper.

That was why Igor and Viktor were currently living here.

"Huh? Igor, who is that kid? Is he your child?"

The large hall immediately beyond the entrance seemed to serve as a multipurpose common area.

Several adventurers were gathered there, relaxing and spending time however they pleased.

A group of young female adventurers quickly noticed Qiu Nuoya being carried in Igor’s arms and excitedly approached them.

"Wow, he’s adorable. What’s your name?"

"Qiu... Qiu Nuoya."

"What kind of child are you? Igor’s secret child? Although... you don’t seem to have any animal ears."

Before Qiu Nuoya could react, they pulled him away from Igor’s arms, messed up his hair, and hugged him tightly.

Miss, your chest is pressing against him!

And she smells really nice too!

Wait!

Could this finally be his moment of popularity?!

Had his [Charm] skill activated?!

While being overwhelmed by questions from the three young female adventurers, Qiu Nuoya was completely surrounded.

Igor simply said, "Watch him for a little while," and then walked away somewhere.

"My name is Aria. This is Sunna, and that one over there is Elina. Nice to meet you, Qiu Nuoya."

The woman named Aria, who was holding Qiu Nuoya on her lap and gently petting him, was a beastman like Igor.

Long rabbit ears stood proudly on top of her head, making her look incredibly cute.

The woman sitting on his right, Sunna, wore a long robe similar to Viktor’s.

She was most likely a mage.

She was a very attractive woman with a mature and alluring appearance.

The woman sitting on his left, Elina, appeared to be human.

Among the three, her appearance was a little more modest, but she had a calm and gentle beauty.