"Huh?"

A hushed voice came out.

"...... sorry, could you repeat that?"

I thought I might have misheard, so I asked again.

The guild master instructed us to have Fujino-sama take the A-rank promotion examination.　

Um, why now?　

I came back from the summer resort the day before yesterday, returned to my daily routine after a day off, and just as I came to the guild like this, I was approached by the receptionist, Airi-san.

She invited me into another room to have a little chat, and then she started to talk about .......

" Can I ask you the reason why?"

"Yes. The reason is......"

"The reason is?"

"Actually, I haven't been given any details either."

"She smiled beautifully that said "I am only a receptionist after all."

"I was told by the guild master that it would not be good for the people around if Fujino-sama remained a B-ranked member forever."

"good for the people around?"

"It has been a long time since Fujino-sama became a B rank. Although there was a blank period of a little less than two years during that time, you left behind great results, such as the defeat of the Thunderbird and your achievements in the last war. Although there are other small requests, you have accumulated more than enough points compared to other adventurers in terms of achievements."

"But that's because I myself refuse to be promoted, and the guild side......"

"Of course, The guild is aware of this but other adventurers don't know that. Furthermore......"

"Furthermore?"

"This is my speculation, but it appears that the guild leader was also ordered by someone else!"

Huh? is it okay to say that?.

"This is only my speculation. However, I am aware that the guild originally prioritizes the wishes of registered adventurers, and that Fujino-sama has declined to be promoted to rank A. In addition, rank advancement is based on applications from adventurers and if there are no problems with the application, the guild will promote the adventurer or issue a request for promotion. A request from the guild side like this is unusual. At least, as far as I know, there has never been such a case in the past. In addition to that, the guild master's words and attitude led me to believe that this might be the case."

Eh, um... is it okay to say that?

I'm not sure if she notice my thought on my face, but Airi-san continue with a smile as beautiful as ever.

"Of course, we don't tell other adventurers about this kind of thing. But this time, I had to convince Fujino-sama, the vict... the person of the subject, so I made the decision to tell you."

You almost said "victim," didn't you? That's what you think, isn't it?

"Unlike B-rank, the rewards you get from A-rank goes up, but so does the risk of the request. However, there are few requests for A- and S-ranks. However as Fujino-sama hates, there are some nomination requests that cannot be refused by A ranks. Naturally, there are requests that could be life-threatening. If Fujino-sama has a will not to be promoted from B rank because you dislikes such requests, I believe it is my role as the one who has been entrusted with explaining the situation to you to make sure you accepts the promotion."

Okay, I understand the background anyway.

"Um, can I refuse the promotion......?"

I thought it was probably impossible, but I asked anyway.

"That's impossible"

Wow, she said it with a smile more beautiful than ever.

"Strictly speaking, it is possible to refuse. However, in this case, the penalty will be the revocation of your guild rank, the freezing of your guild's assets, and a ban on using the guild in the future, so I don't recommend it."

"Isn't that called coercion? I have no other option but to accept the promotion from the beginning......."

"I'm going to move on to the explanation of the request for promotion since you seem to be convinced to give-accept......"

You just said "give up," didn't you!?

"I'm not sure how much of a challenge it is to get promoted to A rank, and there aren't many quests out there that are conveniently suited for it. Besides, since Fujino-sama has been judged to be in suitable in terms of your abilities, we will ask you to accept this quest just for the sake of formality this time."

As one would expect from the receptionist of adventurer's guild where roughnecks gather. What a wonderful ability to go through with it, damn it!

Feeling somewhat defeated, I turned my attention to the request on the table.

"...... Um, if I'm not mistaken, it looks like it says "brothel security"?"

The red light district, that's the red light district isn't it?

"Yes, that's what it looks like to me as well."

So, I'm sure I'm not looking at the wrong thing......

Whoever chose this request, come out for a minute!

"Please...... explain!"

I would like to complain about the request, but I don't think it's a good idea to tell Airi-san. I don't...... think I'm going to be forced to convince you to complain to Airi-san, do you?

"Yes, as you can see the request is to guard a brothel. The location is La Mole, the best brothel in Royal Capital, and the period is four days from tomorrow, from 9:00 to 3:00 of the brothel's business hours. As you probably know brothels, due to their nature attract a wide variety of men in search of women. Of course, most men abide by the rules but there are some who are intoxicated and are disrespectful to the staff and women. Some of these people cannot talk to us, and we ask them to leave...... with competence and exclusion. There are other security guards, but Fujino-sama will be working with them."

In other words, a bouncer in a brothel?

"At any rate, I understand the request. But why is this request a promotion quest?　If it's to guard a brothel, it seems to me that a lower rank would be fine."

"As you said, a C-rank request would have been fine for an ordinary brothel. But this time, the client is a high-class brothel, the best in royal capital. In other words, the clientele would have to match the clientele. I hear that well-known merchants, their customers, and aristocrats also use the brothel. In such a case, it is very difficult to protect the customers, but it is also difficult to protect the customers themselves, because they hire their own guards. If they have money, it means that they can hire good guards. If you are dealing with such people, an intermediate level adventurer may not be able to deter them, but may not be able to deal with them. Besides, the people you are protecting are women. A crude adventurer would damage the guild's reputation, and there is no guarantee that some of them would try to get their hands on the women in the brothel as a reward. In that respect, Fujino-sama is competent enough, and as a woman, I'm sure she will be accepted by the women in the brothel as well."

Hmmm...... I understand the reason for the high rank for security, but I still don't think it's suitable for the quest for promotion to A rank.......

"I'm sure there are many reasons, but to put it bluntly, I'm just saying that there wasn't a convenient request out there, so I'm just going to address it."

Hey......, you're being too frank. I'm not sure if it's okay to say such a thing

"To begin with, the request this time was for one of the security guards to leave for a few days due to an urgent matter, and I was asked to prepare one person to fill the vacancy. However, as I mentioned earlier, this request can only be made to a person of a certain level of ability and character, so we were having a hard time selecting the right person. Then, the guild master was so happy to hear of Fujino-sama's promotion, that he decided to take advantage of the situation. Indeed, we had a hard time...... because we were lured by the rewards and accepted any and all requests."

H-hey? Something is leaking, isn't it? It's hard being a receptionist, isn't it?

"Ahem. Anyway, that's why we are asking Fujino-sama to accept this request."

Eeh -if it's mandatory, I don't have a choice but to go to.......

"Please note that if you fail this request, you will receive the same penalty as if you did not accept the request!"

...... Is that too much? The most important thing to remember is that the best way to get the most out of your business is to be a good businessman.

Oh, is it a warning not to cut corners on purpose?

"I don't seem to be given veto power anyway, and I'm not likely to be released unless I accept the request. I understand. I'll accept the promotion quest."

"I am glad to hear that. I am also relieved that Fujino-sama willingly accepted my request."

What part of "willingly" do you not understand? What kind of a person would say that after forcing them to accept in a blackmail-like manner. ......

"I will contact the client from the guild, so please go to "La Mole" tomorrow at around 8:00 and a half."

And with that, Airi-san kicked me out of the room as if this was the end of the conversation.