Songstress of Schwarzwald: The Secret of Zoe, the Exiled Music Mage Chapter 57 : Senior Adventurer

Since I’m officially registered as an adventurer now, I should probably go to the guild today!

Ti to act like a real one.

“When I think about it… do I even need to raise my guild rank? I can sell herbs to the old apothecary and pelts directly to shops.”

Though negotiating sounds exhausting.

I don’t have the confidence to haggle like Maggie does.

The nice thing about the guild is I can just hand things over to the receptionist and get paid—no questions, no haggling.

But the frustrating part is that as an Iron-rank with no stars, I can only sell things like herbs.

Ugh. So limiting!

“I’ll just hurry up and get to Copper-rank already!”

Then I’ll have access to monster subjugation quests. That should an I can exchange pelts and magic stones for money, right?

I’ll check the request board just to be sure.

On my first day, I got into that stupid argunt with the guild staff, and the guild master noticed , so I’ve been avoiding the place ever since.

But Selina keeps giving those looks that say, “So you couldn’t hack it as an adventurer after all,” which makes want to prove her wrong.

My stubborn streak? Totally inherited from my adoptive parent. No question.

“Ah… forgot to set up a Waymark again. Oh well. I’ll need to scout a spot where adventurers won’t see it.”

There’s just so much to do! Still, since I’m making the trip anyway, I might as well stop by the forest’s edge and gather a few mid-grade herbs as a bonus.

I’ve still got so left from last ti, but if I’m teleporting, a short detour won’t hurt.

Besides, standing requests can be turned in anyti… I wonder how many stars that mid-grade herb request is worth?

The one I picked up just said “ten herbs.”

Was that a no-star request? No, wait—no-stars were all cleaning jobs and town errands.

So maybe it was one-star? I should really look into this properly.

“I guess I was nervous on the first day. I made way too many careless mistakes.”

Plus that idiot Baz made a scene, and I got flustered.

“It wasn’t my fault,” I tell myself firmly, then teleport to the Great Forest near Carlton.

I show my guild card to the gate guards and head into town.

I’m tempted to find the general store where Maggie’s apprenticing, but first things first—the guild!

Today’s agenda: check the request board, turn in ten mid-grade herbs.

Then sell ten high-grade herbs to the old apothecary in the back alley. And if there’s ti left, I’ll stop by the grocery store where Maggie works and buy sothing tasty.

It was a perfect plan—until the mont I stepped into the guild.

“Oh! If it isn’t Zoe!”

Matthew greets with a big, bright smile.

Can I ignore him? Probably not, huh?

“Morning, Matthew. I’m in a bit of a hurry, so—”

There. Polite, but dismissive. That’s enough social obligation for one day.

The Adventurers’ Guild isn’t a friendship club, after all.

Maggie can like him all she wants. I find him annoying.

Ugh, he never listens when I talk. At the rain ceremony too—Maggie was the one who pushed for it, but it felt like Matthew pressured into participating.

“Zoe, you just registered, right? You’re probably not in a party yet. We’ve got a group from Lang Village. Want to join?”

Did I not just say I was in a hurry?

And absolutely not. I do not want to join a party with people from Lang Village.

I still have to show my face there now and then, but I’d prefer to keep my distance.

“No, thank you.”

That’s a clear answer, right?

But it doesn’t get through.

“No need to be shy! They’re all good people.”

I’m not being shy—I’m saying no!

How do I phrase it so he’ll actually get the ssage?

While I’m stewing over this, a deep voice cuts in.

“Forceful recruitnt isn’t allowed. It’s in the guild rules.”

Matthew looks startled.

“I’m childhood friends with Zoe. She just beca an adventurer, so I thought I’d help her out—”

Is this the guy who punched Baz the other day? Hard to tell. There are so many big adventurers around here.

“She said no. Let it go.”

Yes! Exactly!

I nod enthusiastically along with the big guy’s words.

“If you change your mind, Zoe, let know anyti!”

Sigh. I doubt I ever will, so I definitely don’t nod back.

I let out a big breath as Matthew walks away. He’s not a bad person, but he’s a pain.

If he’s going to be Lang Village’s next chief, I want nothing to do with him.

He’s all noble intentions with zero awareness of how others feel.

“I’m Walter. Copper-rank, three stars.”

I don’t know if that’s high-ranking or not, but it sounds impressive for Carlton’s guild. I think.

“Thank you?” I say, a little unsure why he helped .

He chuckles. “No need to be so jumpy. I’m not the kind of guy who’d try to recruit a witch girl for his party.”

In that case: “Thank you!” No question mark this ti.

The reception desk has a long line, so I decide to check the request board first.

Let’s see… Starting with Iron-rank requests. The big guys are crowded around the Copper-rank board, so I’ll save that for later after the rush.

Aah, I should’ve co later if I’m only turning in herbs and browsing. I’ll rember that for next ti!

Iron-rank no-star requests are, as expected, all cleaning and odd jobs.

One-star herb gathering… is that just for low-grade herbs?

I’ll ask the receptionist later.

“Huh? Two-star branch trimming?” That’s ranked above herb gathering, even though it’s just labor.

I tilt my head, puzzled, and Walter—who sohow snuck up beside —laughs.

“That’s forest logging work. More dangerous than herb gathering at the edge. Copper-ranks do the monster stuff, but even basic logging cos with risks.”

“Oh, I see.” I nod, grateful for the explanation.

“You’re Zoe, right? Planning to move to Raymond City once you hit copper rank?”

Do I need to answer that?

I glance up at him, and Walter just gives a hearty laugh.

“Raymond probably needs adventurers, sure, but so does Carlton. Just keep us in mind, yeah?”

Ah. He’s the local pride type.

I try to brush it off, but actually, it is a pretty serious issue.

The towns and villages around the Great Forest are all starting to hoard adventurers.

Because the expansion of the Great Forest is turning into a real problem.

For everyone.