「 Missie. Follow me. 」

The big man motions me towards an alley discreet, far from eyes. His intentions are written all over his face, practically screaming murder. Is this going to be dangerous? I wonder while still following him.

In the dark alley shielded from the public he turns to me and sighs.

「 Missie, if I wasn’t a halfway decent guy you could be in a lot of trouble. Not all Keepers follow the city lord’s rules. 」

Becca 「 You’re not angry at me? Going to beat me up, sell me to a slave dealer? 」

「 Wha – ! Do I look like that kind of person? 」

Becca 「 Trick question? Yes. 」

「 Gah! 」

The man looks like he took a bullet to the back. Then his head droops down and he mutters something that I catch a bit of.

「 ... but momma always said … it’s this scary face’s fault, why I gotta resemble papa … children and puppies cry when I get near … 」

Sounds like I stepped on an emotional landmine. Feels like I can draw tears on that face. Or rather, I don’t even know anything about the rules of this city.

Becca 「 Sorry for that, uh … 」

「 ... Holand. 」

Becca 「 Apologies Holand. And thanks for the tip. Cheer up? 」

Ah, now tears really are coming out. Tears of joy maybe? A few questions later, it seems that Holand ended up with this appearance by physically resembling his father, but the inside he got from his mother. Being clumsy led to scars and bad eyesight contributed to a mean glare. It appears that drinking coffee since young also left his voice rough like gravel.

In short, being scary is all just a coincidence in Holand’s case. Feeling down after explaining himself, I console Holand some more.

Holand 「 Becca, right? You’re nice. I know, how about I show you around the guild? I can also help walk you through the registration. 」

Becca 「 I’m not actually here to register, though. Wait, does the Keepers Guild hand out IDs? 」

On my way into the city I noticed travelers handing out a card to be inspected at the gate. I managed to get in because I brought some criminals and the lord asked to see me immediately after, so no one ever asked for my ID. If I can get an ID then it should be easier to leave and visit cities. Holand confirms my theory.

Holand 「 The guild handles identification as well as requests. It doesn’t cost anything to get a basic guild card, but higher rank cards will have harsher requirements to meet higher rewards. I assumed you wanted to sign up since I haven’t seen you before in the guild. 」

Becca 「 I’ll sign up then. The requests come with rewards right? The guild will let anyone take them so I hear. 」

Holand 「 As long as you haven’t a bounty you can take whatever requests you want. They’re separated into suitable ranks but no one enforces it. 」

Becca 「 All right, I’ll sign up with the Keepers Guild then. Lead the way. 」