Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: You Can't Judge a Person by Their Appearance (2)
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“That’s incredible... How did you figure it out?”
“We get confused sometimes too...”
“As expected of Big Brother Kane. To know so much about elves too...”
It didn’t feel like I was getting scolded or anything.
But was it really that impressive...?
Anyone who’s read a book or two about elves could spot it right away.
Well, I knew about the distortion in the polymorph magic because I’d read specialized magic texts, but the Elvab fruit is common knowledge anyone could come across.
Of course, even without that knowledge, I could have discerned her essence to some extent just using Aptitude Appraisal.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 📝 Name: Arna Rondo Merias 📊 Aptitude Stats ✨ Spirit Magic: B 🏹 Archery: C 📚 Spirit Studies: A Not a hero, but a prodigy with aptitudes across multiple fields.
Spirit Magic, Spirit Studies, and Archery to boot.
And a ring embedded with an Elvab fruit?
Even a kid could tell she’s an elf.
But was figuring it out really that shocking?
Sure, elves are rare, so unless you see one up close and personal, it might be hard to spot...
“Our kind has been cut off from the outside for over a hundred years... There are even people who don’t know what an elf is. You’re the first person I’ve met who knows so much in such detail.”
“...I-is that so.”
She must have only met people who had no interest in such things up until now.
“Kuhahat, Brother Kane’s amazing!”
“Right? My brother’s the best!”
Fortunately, the mood lightened up quickly, and we all laughed and drank late into the night.
“So, what brings you here?”
Once the atmosphere had warmed up, I asked Scarlett.
What was with the sudden trip to the capital?
I’d heard they were active on the outskirts of the empire.
“Ah, we’re stopping by our home.”
“Home...?”
In Marquis Harkur’s territory?
“Yeah. Sain bro has a commission for our party.”
“...Young Master Sain—no, Marquis Sain, you mean.”
Come to think of it, he’s inherited the title now, so I can’t call him young master anymore.
Anyway, a commission important enough for Marquis Sain to summon them specifically.
And these guys are an S-rank party led by the S-rank adventurer ‘Blood Empress Scarlett.’
Arna the elf is an A-rank mage and archer.
Jerome, with his massive frame over 2 meters tall, is an A-rank heavy warrior.
Ron, who looks a bit flashy for a priest, is a B-rank cleric.
Firepower, tanking, healing.
Perfectly balanced, no weak points.
Known as the Scarlett Party, they’re an incredibly elite group whose fame spans not just the Karr Empire but the entire continent.
For them to be called in for a commission like this...
I was a little curious.
...But that didn’t mean I was going to tag along to the marquisate.
I had to watch the fort.
“By the way, I heard you quit the academy too. What are you planning to do now, Brother Kane?”
“Huh?”
Jerome asked me familiarly.
We’d grown pretty close over shared drinks.
Hmm... What to do going forward.
I really needed to think about it.
I couldn’t keep living like a bum forever.
And I didn’t have that much money saved up.
“Dunno. Gotta find some other work. Since I was a teacher... maybe open a small school in some rural village or something.”
I didn’t have anything set in stone.
Just vague ideas like, what if I did this?
I enjoyed teaching people and watching them grow and move forward.
I just wanted to keep guiding others, something like that?
“Oh? How about being an adventurer instructor?”
“...Huh?”
That’s when Scarlett, who’d been listening, made a suggestion.
“Adventurer instructor. I heard the guild in the city where we were active before is hiring a new one.”
“Hmm...”
An adventurer instructor, huh...
Just as it sounds—a job teaching adventurers what to watch out for and how to act.
I’d heard it’s a position with a lot of responsibility since it directly affects whether newbies die on their first outing.
It seemed better than doing nothing.
Plus, adventurers, heroes, and champions aren’t that different in what they do—just perception.
Teaching them shouldn’t be much different, right?
But...
“I don’t know anything about adventurers, though...?”
I only thought they weren’t much different from heroes based on what I read in books.
I didn’t know how adventurers should act or what to watch out for.
I’d never specifically researched adventurers.
The most I could do was teach ways to minimize danger in the wild, distinguish safe food from poisonous stuff...?
And monster traits...? Huh? Is that enough?
“Psh, kidding. What doesn’t Big Brother Kane know?”
“......”
...I don’t know a lot of things.
Like Jenny, the Harkurs seem to have ridiculously high expectations of me.
I’m not that amazing.
I’m just an ordinary guy who tries to help the soldiers and students I teach to the best of my ability.
...Oh, right, minus Marquis Sain.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Adventurer instructor, huh.”
After the drinking session ended and I returned to my inn room, I mulled over the earlier conversation.
Adventurer instructor.
A teacher guiding adventurers.
Could I do it?
I decided to keep it in mind and, to learn more about adventurers, made plans to visit the Carmen branch of the Adventurer’s Guild with the Scarlett Party tomorrow.
As the world’s largest city, it had the world’s largest guild branch, with tons of records and materials.
Should be good to check there.
“...Hasler, was it.”
The city with the guild hiring an adventurer instructor was called Hasler.
Not too far from the capital Carmen.
But there was the troll-infested Ode Swamp in between, so going around it would take nearly ten days.
“Ten days... I’ll need to hire some escorts.”
Of course, bypassing Ode Swamp meant avoiding trolls.
But I hadn’t trained my body much, and with no combat aptitudes...
My fighting ability was below that of a regular soldier.
So even a goblin pack on the way could kill me.
Hiring escorts was a must.
Didn’t need high-rank ones, so it wouldn’t cost too much.
Why not ask the Scarlett Party?
Well, they could probably cut straight through the swamp and make it in five days.
But their destination was Marquis Harkur’s territory, on the exact opposite side from the capital.
I had a conscience; I couldn’t ask them to detour five days each way—ten round trip.
“Anyway... I’ll learn more about adventurers first. Decide for sure, then go.”
No point wasting money, time, and energy.
...Oh, but.
What if I go and don’t get the job?
“......”
Whatever.
I’ll think about it tomorrow.
For now, sleep.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The next day, I was dragged straight to the Adventurer’s Guild by Scarlett the moment I woke up.
“M-Miss... you’re heading out first thing in the morning...?”
When I asked, flustered,
“It’s fine. We’ll just talk to the guild and head out right after.”
She figured I couldn’t access the materials alone, so they’d set it up for me.
Makes sense... It wasn’t a national library; no way they’d let an outsider browse guild records freely.
“Oh, you’re here.”
“I talked to the branch chief ahead of time. Just show your face, Scarlett, and it’ll be fine.”
A massive, majestic building.
Nothing like the guild back in the marquisate.
It was practically a palace in size.
With sleek, cutting-edge architecture to boot.
Hard to believe this was an adventurer’s guild.
Arna, Jerome, and Ron were waiting for me and Scarlett in front of the grand main gate that served as the entrance.
“Too bad. I wanted to talk more with you, Instructor Kane.”
“Yeah. We were just getting close!”
“Farewells come so soon.”
The three expressed their regrets and bid me farewell.
“We’ll meet again someday, I’m sure.”
“Yeah, if you become an instructor in Hasler, we can definitely visit!”
“Right!”
“I’ll make sure to stop by!”
...These people.
I hadn’t even gotten the job yet, and they were already pressuring me.
“Yeah, see you next time.”
I bowed politely to the three.
Then Scarlett and I passed through the guild’s grand gates.
“Welcome, Lady Scarlett. Good to see you again.”
Inside, a man who looked mid-thirties greeted Scarlett with shining eyes.
He seemed to be the guild master of this branch.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 📝 Name: Tachi Swail 📊 Aptitude Stats ✨ Physical Skills Integration (6 types): A 🔥 Fire Magic: B 🌟 Hero's Quality: A Oh... a hero?
A hero running an adventurer’s guild branch.
Pretty rare case.
And Swail was a count’s family in the empire.
A central noble of influence, yet here he was.
Like Scarlett, an odd one out?
“And this is... Mr. Kane?”
He glanced at me with a deep, courteous voice and refined gestures.
“Ah, hello.”
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Tachi Swail, branch chief of the Adventurer’s Guild Carmen Branch.”
I bowed, and he returned the gesture with precise poise.
I’d worried he might look down on me as a commoner since he was nobility, but he didn’t seem to.
If anything, it felt respectful...? Yeah, that’s the vibe.
Not for show to an S-rank like Scarlett, but genuine manners flowing from his character.
Seems like a good guy.
“Take good care of him, Branch Chief. He’s my precious big brother.”
“Yes, I’ve heard. Leave it to me.”
“Okay, then I’m off!”
“Y-yes...”
Scarlett vanished like a storm blowing in and out.
For some reason, being around the three Harkur siblings always drained my energy regardless...
Still, her attitude boosted my trust in Branch Chief Tachi even more.
Scarlett was sharp and had a great eye for people despite her demeanor.
Her party members being strong and good people was thanks to that.
Her entrusting me so casually to him meant Tachi Swail was trustworthy enough.
“Haha, whenever she visits, it feels like a typhoon has passed.”
“Hahaha... I feel the same.”
“This way, then. I’ll show you to the archive.”
“Ah, yes.”
As expected.
Even without Scarlett, his courteous voice and demeanor remained.
The word ‘gentleman’ naturally came to mind.
Anyway, I followed Branch Chief Tachi to the archive of the Adventurer’s Guild Carmen Branch.