The heavy door of Silvark——the largest adventurer guild branch in the Volm region——opened with a dull thud. Sato Kenji took a breath and stepped inside. The interior, a mixture of stone and wood construction, was far more chaotic than he'd anticipated. Beyond the counter sat what appeared to be a receptionist, but in front of her, adventurers sat scattered about drinking. It was a strange space where a tavern and reception desk had merged into one. From the ceiling hung several rough cords, from which hung stones imbued with magical power——magic stones, perhaps——casting a pale white light. "Um, excuse me..." Kenji walked carefully forward, approaching the counter. He'd brushed most of the dust from his suit, but his hair remained disheveled. He adjusted his glasses and met the receptionist's eyes. "I'm sorry. Is this... an employment office?" The young receptionist——Mina Ras, the staff member handling reception desk duties——furrowed her brow. Her red hair made her suspicion all the more apparent. "Huh...? This is a guild, though?" Her voice clearly carried the confusion of 'what is this guy talking about?' The adventurers around them——people who took on requests to hunt monsters and provide escort services across various regions——glanced briefly at Kenji. "Ah, I see. A guild... I understand. So I would register my occupation here..." Kenji continued matter-of-factly, sensing the woman's confusion but falling back on his sales pitch habits from his company days. "I am currently unemployed. I was previously employed by a company in Tokyo... or rather, in another region, but I received a transfer order. No, that's not right. Rather than a transfer, it would be more accurate to say a reassignment, or perhaps..." Kenji paused and tilted his head slightly. "My apologies. The situation is complicated. In any case, I wish to work here. Given my experience as a company employee, I believe I could handle administrative tasks..." "Hey, listen..." A woman's voice suddenly cut in from behind the counter. It was a sharp, clear voice. "What are you even talking about?" Kenji looked up. From beside the counter, a young woman with reddish-brown hair tied in a ponytail leaned forward. A small lightning mark glowed on her forehead——indicating she was an adventurer with lightning-attribute magical power. An intense heat radiated from her entire body——or more precisely, an invisible aura of some kind. She appeared to be around twenty years old. Her golden eyes fixed on Kenji with a stern gaze. "'Company employee'? 'Administrative tasks'? This is an adventurer's guild. It's where you take on monster-slaying and escort requests. What are you saying? Did you hit your head or something?" The woman——Yurina Leya, a passionate twenty-year-old adventurer——made a gesture of pressing her hands to her temples. "An adventurer's guild... I see." Kenji repeated the words. It was his habit when organizing his thoughts. "In other words, this is not a company, but an organization related to the adventurer profession. If that is the case, then my previous statement was... inappropriate." He bowed politely. "I apologize. My understanding was lacking. Could you please explain the procedures necessary to register as an adventurer?" Yurina's mouth fell open. "Wait, hold on. You really don't understand anything..." She leaned further over the counter, studying Kenji's clothing intently. "That outfit. What is that? Where are you from?" "From Tokyo... or rather..." Kenji fell silent for a moment. That silence carried complex emotions. "It appears I came from another world." The answer was honest. Though not intentionally so——rather, it came from a straightforwardness that could only be called natural. Yurina's eyes widened. "Huh...? Another world?" "Yes. I awoke in a forest yesterday. At that point, I already understood that this place was... the world of Lyusia." The adventurers around them began to chuckle. "Haha, what's with this guy. Is he crazy or something?" "Another world, he says. Maybe he drank too much during the day and is seeing things." The wave of ridicule washed over Kenji. But his expression didn't change. Perhaps he'd already given up. Yurina crossed her arms and groaned. "Mina, this guy really doesn't understand anything." A voice came from deeper within the guild. Perhaps the branch master. Then, suddenly. From the darkness at the back of the guild, a woman appeared with quiet footsteps. She wore white as her primary color, and her hair was a long silver that reached her waist, loosely bound at the back. Her eyes were a deep blue. There was something contemplative in her gaze, a profound depth. Her skin was pale and translucent, like a lotus flower wet with morning dew. As she walked, the hem of her garment swayed silently. Around her approached an aura of something sacred——the kind that naturally emanated from a priest's nature. "You are... an interesting person, aren't you?" Her voice was soft, warm, and seemed to come from some distant place. She gazed intently at Kenji. Her look was not mere observation, but rather as if she were trying to read something deep within him. "Ah... yes." Kenji bowed reflexively. "Thank you for your kindness. My name is Sato Kenji." And habitually, he reached toward his pants pocket. He was about to take out his business card holder. But in the next moment, he stopped. "Ah... I'm sorry. I seem to be out of business cards." His natural manner drew a wry smile from Yurina. "'Business cards'...?" The silver-haired woman tilted her head with interest. This priestess, who called herself Eliza Alis, held a special interest in Kenji. "What an interesting word. I've never heard it before." A genuine curiosity lit her eyes. It was not the curiosity of 'looking at a strange person,' but rather 'wanting to know this person.' Just as Alis was about to speak, "Well, what's going on? Quite a crowd's gathered here." A man with a limp appeared from the back. He appeared to be in his fifties, with a wooden prosthetic leg. This was Goran Heiz, the branch master. "This person, you see..." Mina began to explain. Goran looked Kenji up and down. His eyes held the insight of someone who had seen many adventurers over the years. "A suit..." Goran murmured. "A dimensional transfer victim, perhaps. Rare..." Kenji nodded quietly. "Yes. I was suddenly transferred yesterday." Goran rubbed his chin. "If you're a transfer victim, you should go to the Jade Mirror Institute..." He turned to face Kenji directly. "There is a place called the Jade Mirror Institute in the royal capital of Brenhail——a royal research institution that handles knowledge about transfers and magic. They might have information about your transfer. However, it's about three hundred twenty kilometers to the southwest from here. It will take six days by carriage." Kenji processed this information. "Six days... What should I do in the meantime?" Goran shrugged. "Become an adventurer or do odd jobs for the guild. Either way is fine. But you... can you actually fight?" Kenji honestly shook his head. "No. I have no combat experience whatsoever. At my company... my work was primarily desk-based." Yurina sighed. "Desk... based...?" Alis laughed quietly. Her smile was like a lotus flower glistening with morning dew. "But I sense something special about this person." Her words brought a momentary silence to Goran, Yurina, and Kenji himself. In that silence, Kenji felt something. ——This was the beginning of his story. Not that he was certain of it. But something had definitely begun to move. Enveloped in the gazes of these two women, Kenji began to imagine his future in this other world for the first time. And that premonition would eventually change his life in profound ways——though no one knew it at that moment.