Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Most Problems Are Solved with Firm Resolve (9)
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Oh no, this is bad.
I got carried away while talking, and memories of all those students dying back at the academy suddenly flooded my mind. Before I knew it, I was all fired up.
Badmouthing the Adventurer's Guild right in the middle of a job interview at their guild hall!
Telling the branch chief—who lives and breathes performance metrics—that he should forget about boosting his numbers!?
I'm screwed. I'm definitely getting rejected...
"...To be honest, that hit me right in the gut."
But unexpectedly, Branch Chief Terry didn't snap or anything. He just calmly continued speaking.
"Adventurers' survival... You're right. We might have overlooked something so obvious. That life comes first."
Wait, hold on.
The mood's way better than I expected?
Does this mean...
"And you're not even affiliated with the Adventurer's Guild. Yet you're already thinking more about adventurers than me or any of the guild's top brass."
"Who else but someone like you could train adventurers?"
Even Iris, the adjutant who'd been silently observing this whole time, smiled and nodded.
So that means...
"You're hired. Can you start tomorrow?"
"...!!"
Hired!
I've got a job again!
Start tomorrow?
I could probably start working right now.
Man, Branch Chief Terry's a pretty open-minded guy.
I ripped into him pretty harshly, but he took it all in stride and even hired me.
Tachi's the same way. Are all Adventurer's Guild branch chiefs just naturally likable?
It's on a whole other level compared to the Hero Academy instructors—excluding a tiny few—who were all total jerks.
"Yes, I can start immediately."
"Great. Get some good rest today, then. See you tomorrow."
I left the reception room with Branch Chief Terry and Adjutant Iris.
Waiting outside were Sonya and Reina, who came rushing over to me.
"S-So, how'd it go? Did you pass?!"
"It had to be a pass, right? Right?"
They're asking that right in front of the branch chief?
If I got rejected, everyone here would feel awkward as hell.
And Sonya, stop glaring at the chief and adjutant like you're ready to kill them if I don't pass.
Since getting rejected as an instructor would've caused a scene, I just told them the truth.
"Yeah, I passed. Starting tomorrow."
"Woo! I knew it!"
"Of course that's what would happen with Instructor Kane."
Sonya and Reina beamed, nodding happily.
Seeing them even happier for me than I was put me in a great mood.
"Alright, see you tomorrow. You two get some good rest too, Sonya, Reina."
"Yes, see you tomorrow."
"Take care on your way back."
After a quick catch-up, we exchanged goodbyes, and I left the Adventurer's Guild.
...Starting tomorrow, I'm an 'Adventurer Instructor'.
This time, it's a job I purely chose for myself.
I don't know how long it'll last... but at least it feels like I'll put more effort into this than I did as an academy teacher.
This anticipation for tomorrow.
It's been a while since I last felt this.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Heh, who would've thought we'd hear something like that from someone not even in the Adventurer's Guild."
Terry let out a hollow chuckle as he recalled the interview.
The truth that the Adventurer's Guild had known but turned a blind eye to.
They knew it was wrong but rationalized it: Heroes and the Hero did it that way, so it's fine. As long as we produce a few elites and rack up the stats, who cares.
Turning it from a 'guild for adventurers' into one that makes 'adventurers for the guild'.
It was a bad habit that had to change someday.
But he never imagined hearing it from a complete outsider.
No wonder he couldn't help but laugh wryly.
"Yeah, it's definitely time for a change."
Heroes and the Hero? That's not our concern.
They have their own ways of getting strong.
"Adventurers need their own methods. That's what the guild is for."
If the Hasler branch was going to kick this off...
Terry thought it might just get interesting.
"Kukuku, things are gonna get fun from here. Now I get why Senior Tachi called him a 'remarkable educator'."
An 'education' that might upend the entire world's adventurers.
Someone capable of that was definitely a remarkable educator.
Knock knock—
Just then, another knock echoed through his office.
"Yeah, come i—"
BAM!
Before he could finish, the door flew open roughly, and a woman strode in.
"Hey! Investigation's done."
She wore skin-tight black leather that clung to her sleek figure without hiding a thing—a stunning beauty with jet-black hair.
S-Rank adventurer, the 'Black Death' Veronica.
"The Ode Swamp investigation? Already?"
She'd been dispatched here at Terry's request to the guild's higher-ups.
The commission he'd asked her for: Investigate the anomalies in Ode Swamp.
And if the cause was identified, eliminate it.
In essence, help stop the Troll Lord if it appeared.
He'd worried whether a single S-Rank could handle a disaster-class monster.
But all the other S-Ranks were tied up with other commissions, so Veronica was the only one available.
A-Rank and below couldn't even be requested in the first place.
Only Hasler's locals and Veronica could be mobilized.
Fortunately, Hasler's lord had sensed the ominous vibe and called in the heroes.
With them, maybe they could hold it off.
That's what Terry hoped.
Of course, the Troll Lord not showing up at all would be ideal... but you never know with these things.
Which is why Veronica had headed to Ode Swamp this afternoon.
And now she was back after just a few hours.
"...Not even half a day has passed, let alone a full one."
Terry was about to chide her for returning too soon, but her next words shut him up.
"Fuck the investigation. Those troll bastards were whittling trees into weapons."
"......"
Trolls don't use weapons.
They rely on brute strength and overwhelming regeneration, bulldozing with bare fists and crude attacks.
But there is one time they make and arm themselves with weapons.
"...A commander appeared. The Troll Lord."
Only when they've received orders from a highly intelligent commander.
In other words, the Troll Lord had emerged.
A crisis for an entire city.
Potentially, the downfall of a nation—the terrifying Troll Lord.
It endlessly regenerates its troll minions, sweeping the surroundings with an undying legion of regeneration.
The only way to stop it is to hunt down and kill the Troll Lord itself, but it knows that.
So it hides in some unfindable nook.
The silver lining: Trolls don't venture beyond their conquered habitats.
But as they claim more territory and expand their habitats, their numbers grow, and so do their hiding spots. Early response is crucial.
That's why the Empire's haughty Hero Administration Bureau dispatched heroes before the crisis even hit.
Normally, they'd ignore 'pathetic trolls' and tell adventurers to handle it.
'Still, that's harsh. A Troll Lord's threat level warrants heroes—or even the Hero.'
It's on par with a mid-tier demon in danger.
Weaker in raw power, sure, but an infinite troll army changes everything...
But he couldn't blame the Hero Administration Bureau.
They had reasons not to deploy heroes for this.
'The Empire's seeing more demon precursors lately anyway.'
This world is overrun with disaster-level threats from the start.
Demon precursors, the Demon King, all sorts of monsters...
Whether it's because there are so many with Hero or hero qualities, or the threats breed them—who knows.
But one thing's clear: Threats are ramping up even more lately.
Most hero parties and Hero parties are out there stopping them.
So sending a few hero parties makes sense.
"Sigh, it'd be nice to have just one Hero party."
Hero parties typically consist of 1 Hero and 3-4 heroes.
Hero parties are 1-2 heroes plus regular knights.
One Hero party rivals 7-8 Hero parties combined, so having one would make things feel worlds safer.
But right now in Hasler? One S-Rank adventurer and two or three Hero parties.
He couldn't help feeling uneasy.
"Hmph, a Hero party."
Veronica scoffed at Terry's mutter, as if she didn't trust heroes one bit.
Catching her vibe, Terry told her,
"From here on, the priority is finding the damn thing. We need to scour every inch somehow."
"All D-Rank and up?"
Terry hesitated at Veronica's question.
D-Rank parties could at least hold off trolls without losing.
Should they include them in the search?
What would he have chosen before?
Probably deploy every D-Rank party into the swamp to maximize discovery chances.
But...
'Forget the commission—teach them to prioritize their own lives first.'
Recalling his interview with Kane, he shook his head.
"No, C-Rank and up minimum. They need to be able to escape even if trolls surround them."
"...That cuts our numbers."
Veronica blinked in surprise.
"It's fine. Once I brief the lord, the Hero parties and Hasler knights will join the search."
Of course, Terry had thought it through.
If manpower ran short, they'd supplement from elsewhere.
Hasler's lord knew the Terror of the Troll Lord all too well.
Hasler bordered Ode Swamp directly, and they'd fought its resurrections for ages.
In Hasler's history, the Troll Lord of Ode Swamp had never once stepped outside.
He didn't know about Troll Lords elsewhere, but Hasler had never slacked on vigilance toward Ode Swamp.
Always responding swiftly.
That said, they never let their guard down.
The moment they did, centuries of history would crumble to dust.
The Parein family, who ruled Hasler for generations.
Its members learned the dangers and terror of trolls from childhood.
As their top priority threat.
So Terry had no doubt the lord would dispatch the Hero parties and knights.
"...Got it. I'll gear up and head out first."
Veronica glanced at him, smirked, and left the office.
Whether she hated searching with heroes or just wanted to go solo ahead, who knew.