Let's go back in time a bit.

One day at the Adventurers' Guild...

Ryu was handed a letter by Layla, the receptionist.

A love letter from Layla?

...No, it was three summons from unknown nobles.

Two of them were polite invitations, asking him to visit their mansions or territories when he had the time. But the last one was a short, arrogant message demanding his immediate presence, claiming that they would hire him.

Layla explained that it was common for promising adventurers to receive invitations from nobles wanting to make them their exclusive employees.

(Apparently, it was unusual for an F-rank adventurer to receive a scout, though.)

These letters had originally been sent to the Commercial Guild and then forwarded to the Adventurers' Guild.

It seems that the Commercial Guild sold a large amount of dragon materials that were the talk of the town. They investigated where they came from, discovered that a single adventurer had delivered them, and thought that perhaps they could entice him with a good offer to switch guilds, since an adventurer capable of defeating a dragon was still stuck at a low rank.

However, Ryu was also registered with the Commercial Guild, so they should have contacted him directly. It seemed they had simply forwarded the message to the Adventurers' Guild to avoid the hassle.

The Commercial Guild was in the business of dealing with nobles and did everything they could to meet their unreasonable demands and tyrannical requests. They weren't particularly good at protecting their affiliated adventurers from the nobility.

In contrast, the Adventurers' Guild had a long history of being an independent organization that transcended national borders. They could stand up to nobles and royals to some degree (although their support was limited because they received funds from them).

But even the Adventurers' Guild couldn't stop an adventurer from leaving the guild and making a personal contract with a noble.

However, if they did, it was at their own risk. The guild wouldn't be responsible for any trouble or deception that occurred with the other party.

Many adventurers weren't very bright.

No, they wouldn't survive if they were stupid, but many hadn't received a proper education and weren't highly educated.

As a result, many adventurers were tricked by cunning con artists. (Adventurers were strong against monsters, but not very good against humans.)

While not exactly con artists, there were many nobles who took advantage of adventurers' ignorance and made unfair contracts. (To nobles, commoner adventurers were basically treated like slaves.)

Those who had been scammed or realized they were not very smart tended to choose to stay with the Adventurers' Guild for protection.

Ryu had no intention of being a servant to a noble or royal, even if it meant dealing with them as a business partner. So, he decided to ignore the invitations.

Layla agreed that he could ignore the first two letters, which were just invitations. Most adventurers were essentially travelers. They moved their base of operations to another city after a certain period. It was an appeal to them, hoping that when they eventually moved, they would remember the noble's territory and come visit.

However, Layla said he should be careful about the third letter, with its forceful wording. Many nobles believed that invitations from them were essentially "orders." Ignoring them could lead to trouble.

Ryu: "Even if they say something, it's fine. I'll handle it myself. I won't cause any trouble for the Adventurers' Guild."

Layla: "Actually, we'd like you to cause trouble. You said it yourself; it's the Adventurers' Guild's duty to protect adventurers, right?"

Later, Sophie, the princess, arrived and caused a commotion. They completely forgot about the letters.

(Scene Change)

(Ryu and the others had gone to the slums to inquire about the missing young women from Zone, the leader of the Silver Wolves. They came back empty-handed, unable to find Zone.)

They decided to head back, but at that moment, a carriage stopped in front of the Adventurers' Guild.

A well-dressed man got out, and a knight, presumably his guard, riding a separate horse entered the guild.

Man: "Hmph, this Adventurers' Guild is always so filthy."

The man approached the reception desk and asked the receptionist.

Man: "I heard an adventurer named Ryujiin is here. Is that right?"

Layla: "Welcome to the Adventurers' Guild. My name is Layla, the receptionist. May I ask..."

Man: "I am Baron Toppo. I serve as the steward (butler) of the Gitt Viscount's family. Call the adventurer Ryujiin."

Layla: "What business do you have with Ryujiin? If it's a request, the Adventurers' Guild can handle it."

Baron Toppo looked unhappy.

Toppo: "There's no need to tell you. I'll speak with Ryujiin directly."

Layla was a little annoyed by Baron Toppo's attitude, but she worked with rough adventurers, so she didn't show it.

Layla: "I apologize, but Ryujiin is not here right now. I don't know where he is, so it would be difficult to call him. Would you like me to arrange to give him a message when he comes to the Adventurers' Guild?"

Toppo: "It's a noble's order! Go get him immediately and bring him to me."

Layla: "Currently, Ryujiin is out on a request from another noble. I don't know where he is."

Toppo: "Another noble's request? Which noble? Tell me!"

Layla: "I can't disclose the contents of a request."

Technically, the current job Ryu was working on was from the lord, who was an Earl. In terms of social status, that's much higher than a Viscount. She could probably use that to make the noble in front of her back down. But Layla was bound by confidentiality and couldn't reveal the details of the request.

Toppo: "You're quite insolent. Cancel that request and have him recalled. It's probably not a very important job anyway. Ryujiin has become the exclusive servant of the Gitt Viscount. Tell that noble to send any requests to the Viscount.

Layla: "Huh? Excuse me, but... did Ryujiin agree to that?"

Toppo: "Of course. The Gitt Viscount has offered to hire him, so there's no reason for him to refuse."

Layla thought, "This is a disaster," although she didn't show it on her face.

(Scene Change)

(Next Episode Preview)

(Text: Do you think you can get away with treating a guild receptionist with such disrespect? Don't miss it!)