Note to Readers: In the original Thai text, Grace, a boy with a feminine appearance, uses "krap," a polite male particle, in his speech. The guild girls insist he uses "kha," a female particle, to sound cute like a girl, or at least "ha," a neutral, childlike particle. In this translation, we use plain speech for "krap," phrases like "okay~" or "yep~" for "kha," and "yup" for "ha" to capture the playful dynamic and humor.
----------------------------------
Seracity, a medium-to-large city, is the closest hub for reaching mid-level dungeons, mid-level forests, low-level forests, and tons of low-level dungeons. The area around the city is fairly safe from monsters.
Inside, it's buzzing with trade—farm goods, monster parts, and all sorts of prosperity, backed by top-notch communication and transportation systems. The guild here's pretty big too.
At the adventurer's guild, 4:40 AM, 20 minutes before the morning opening.
"Wooow, last night was totally worth it! I gave Grace a bath and painted her nails!"
"Tie this here, Grace, and here… Perfect!"
"With a light peach lip gloss and some kid-friendly makeup, she's good to go!"
"Hey, what about this outfit!?"
"Nah, this one's better. This one!"
"No way!! It's gotta be this one!"
"Hey, come on! Even if it's for fighting monsters, a short skirt's way cuter!"
"Sweet, it's settled!"
"All the big sisters are so kind to me! I'm super happy!"
"Stop talking like that and say 'okay~' or 'yep~'! Or at least 'yup,' come on!"
"Thanks, sisters… yup…"
"Hmph!"
"Thanks, sisters… okay~!"
"Awww, that's it! Traps are the justice of the world, Grace!"
"Exactly, Grace! That's the way! Traps are justice!"
"My heart's melting! Say 'okay~' again, Grace!"
"Who cares if you're a boy down there!"
"Cute's all that matters, right, everyone!?"
"…"
The lively chatter of the five morning-shift guild girls—reception, prep, and admin—filled the room as they swarmed around, doing makeup, styling hair, and picking out the cutest adventurer outfit they could find for a delicate, petite boy who looked like a girl, with shoulder-length hair they wouldn't let him cut.
Yup, that's me…
Sigh, no need to be shocked. After being saved and becoming Master Ian's foster kid at this guild, plus my efforts to be the best kid ever for everyone, the guild staff and adventurers who pass through have grown to love me. I've somehow turned into the guild's mascot.
Heh heh, part of it's my plan to make everyone adore me for my own sake, sure. But my heart really wants to be this way for these kind people. Bonus: it tricks those goddesses into thinking I'm harmless and convinces Melt that I meant it when I said I wanted an ordinary life in this other world…
"Stand up and show off, little adventurer Grace!!"
"Awwww!"
"So cute again today!!!"
Clap, clap, clap!
The guild sisters pushed me up from the chair after finishing my makeover…
Twin pigtails like a proper girl, sweet makeup with a light touch of cosmetics, powdered skin, a casual adventurer outfit with a pink short skirt and light pink armor, legs in magic-resistant stockings, pink shoes, and fingerless gloves to show off my pink-painted nails. My weapon? A long dagger with a perfectly sized sheath. All custom-made with funds from the staff and Master Ian himself.
Geng (True Body): HP-6 … HP+3
Sigh, you're probably watching and laughing your heads off, huh, Melt and those chaos goddesses… Never get bored of staring, even after a whole year.
Yup, this boy with a girly face, dressed like a noble's daughter playing monster-hunter for fun rather than a serious adventurer, is me—Grace.
It didn't start great, but after a while, I've been living like those guys who play female characters to beg items from dudes. Except I flipped it: an adult playing a kid character to get items from kind grown-ups…
Plus, I'm the guild's golden child, getting quests before anyone else… Except…
"Alright, today's missions! First, buy 2 kilos of carrots at a reasonable price at the morning market. Record and report the carrot prices. Take 100z. Reward: 20z."
"Next, feed those carrots to the guild's Rab for their breakfast. You're ready to tackle that, right? They're at the farm next to the church. Reward: 20z."
"Then, deliver a letter to the church! Reward: 10z."
"Also, pick up 5 shirts from the church and bring them back to the guild. Reward: 20z."
"Finally, take 300z, stop by to buy 6 sets of snacks on the way back. Reward: 10z and one of the 6 snack sets!"
Yup… That's the golden child getting first dibs on quests… Except these are clearly errands the guild sisters dumped on me for pocket change! And they've got nothing to do with my adventurer outfit!
But who's gonna say no? It's building good relationships, and they register these quests for me to earn tiny guild points every day.
"Got it, sisters!"
"A-a-ah!"
"Got it, sisters, okay~! Grace is ready, yep~!"
"So cuuute~"
"Come back safe, Grace~"
"Sure~!"
Grace met the expectations of the guild girls, took the letter and money, and walked out of the guild at exactly 5:00 AM as it opened.
Oh, while these are the daily routines Grace (me) has to do almost all the time as the guild's mascot, barely fighting, Master Ian does take me out for serious leveling now and then…
As for competing with those otherworlders? Gotta say, it's totally hopeless…
[Status]
Name: Grace | Gender: Male | LV.12 | SLV.9
Stat:
Str 10 | Vit 10 | Wis 10 | Mag 10 | Agi 10 | Dex 10
HP: 265/265 | MP: 95/95
Class: Junior Trainee Adventurer
Skill:
[Item Box] 1
[Doppelganger] 2
[Perfect Shapeshift] 2
[Possession] 4
[Overlimit] 1
[Status]
That's my full year… Sigh, the path to greatness is over, Melt (for this body, at least). But don't worry! Behind the scenes, I'm working on a ton of fun operations!
You readers are dying to know, right? Heh heh.
"Well, well, good morning, Grace!"
"Morning!"
"Hey, Grace~ Off to adventure at the church again?"
"Morning! Yup!"
"Here, Grace, want some candy, you adorable kid?"
"Morning! Thanks a ton!"
I headed to the market, greeted warmly by the morning townsfolk. Sigh… Living this laid-back life in another world isn't half bad, huh?
End of Chapter 17
Plus, I'm the Golden Child Getting Quests Before Anyone Else