Clearly Distinguishing Public and Private Affairs
The situation had escalated into a life-or-death crisis when the guild leader hurled a dagger at me with clear murderous intent. However.
"Too slow-!"
His strength must have been pathetically weak, because the guild leader's dagger flew toward me at a comically sluggish pace. I dodged it with effortless grace and even snatched the incoming blade right out of the air.
Everything was already completely fucked, so I decided to stop holding back.
"Urgh! You think you'll get away with this?!"
"Hehehe. How amusing."
While I casually juggled the guild leader's own dagger like a street performer, he ground his teeth and snarled at me.
"You'll never join another guild as long as you live!"
"And why is that?"
"Because I'll make damn sure of it!"
Hey. That line is supposed to be Hye-ji's exclusive property.
Then a question suddenly hit me. This pointy-eared bastard definitely hadn't been in the Great Forest. If he had, the destroyed gate would have prevented him from coming over. So how exactly had he learned about the World Tree's death?
"By the way, where did you get this photo?"
"We maintain very close relations with the Academy! When you arrived there, the Chairman personally handed it to me!"
It must have been before you made the deposit.
That old bastard really handed it over way too fucking fast.
The guild leader sneered at me with maximum contempt.
"Which is why I added you to the blacklist!"
"No wonder I wasn't getting any offers, fuck."
I slowly walked toward the guild leader. He trembled slightly as I approached but still spoke aggressively, as if he hadn't been cowed yet.
"Hmph! What do you think you're going to do?"
"Even though you launched this pathetic sneak attack, I shall forgive you."
"How ridiculous! You think I'll remove you from the blacklist just because you forgive me?"
I kept my expression perfectly calm as I drove the dagger deep into the guild leader's desk. Then I activated my Mana Tattoo and materialized a gauntlet.
"But will this forgive you?"
"S-stop!"
I grabbed a fistful of the guild leader's beautiful green hair.
"Here we go!!"
......I knew it would come to this.
- RIIIIIP!!!!
"Kyaaaaaaaaaack!!!!!"
I tore it clean off with all my strength. The guild leader let out an absurdly cute scream from the overwhelming shock and fainted on the spot. Of course, with a chunk of his head now missing, the scream didn't exactly match the visuals.
Watching the unconscious guild leader slowly topple over, I delivered my final line.
"Ah, how slow. Even your collapse is sluggish."
Just what the hell were you thinking, causing a scene like this!!
It's self-defense anyway.
The moment the guild leader threw a dagger at me, it became attempted murder. Besides, the World Tree's death wasn't exactly casual gossip among elves, so the chances of ordinary people knowing about it were extremely low. All they knew was that I'd been blacklisted.
Above all else...
The future me will clean up this mess!
What a fucking reliable plan!!!!
It was a move made with absolute confidence. Before the guild leader could regain consciousness, I bolted down to the first floor. The receptionist stared at me with wide eyes, clearly shocked to see me return unharmed.
"U-um, what happened?"
"Ah. Don't worry. Everything was resolved perfectly smoothly."
"Really?"
Well, if you count the guild leader's hair as part of the resolution.
I ignored the receptionist's babbling, quickly activated the gate, and returned to the Academy. As soon as I arrived, Piece spoke to me.
What will you do now?
I'll shop around for a bit. Someone might still take me.
I operated the gate again and began touring other guilds. The sight probably resembled a devout pilgrim heading toward a holy land. At the same time, it also looked exactly like a hyena from the Serengeti wandering in search of fresh prey.
Touring multiple guilds wasn't entirely fruitless. Every time I visited one, I stayed on high alert at the sight of the numerous elves present. After being attacked at the very first guild, I couldn't shake my wariness so easily.
I had circulated my mana in advance, ready for a fight in case they turned hostile. But their reactions were slightly different from what I'd expected.
Aside from the High Elf guild leader, the rest were elves who had formed deep connections with other races. In other words, they were outcasts. Having been rejected by the Great Forest and forcibly exiled to other dimensions, they naturally harbored strong resentment toward their homeland.
In one guild, a burly, muscle-bound elf listened to my heroic story, then laughed heartily and threw an arm around my shoulder.
"Kr! Hearing it straight from you makes it even better! Starting today, we're brothers!"
"Big bro! Then could I get some sponsorship from this guild?"
"Sorry, but that requires the guild leader's approval."
Damn, these guys are strict about keeping business and personal matters separate.
It can't be helped.
The elf immediately removed his arm and flipped his attitude with impressive speed. After that, every guild I visited gave the same answer: impossible. Being on the blacklist from the start meant they had no reason to risk becoming my sponsor.
If you join later, won't Hye-ji and Elsia follow you?
I don't want to rely on that kind of bait.
Those two would most likely join the same guild as me anyway. But using them as leverage wasn't worth it. Their value wasn't something to waste on something this trivial.
A few guilds also brought up my family situation, specifically the existence of Brother Choco. Of course, every time that happened, I pushed back like a madman.
"What, are you saying my brother Choco looks like a dick to you?"
"It's not a dick, it's a dog!!!!!!"
"How is that any different from a beastman with one hundred percent animal genes! This is racial discrimination!"
"S-stop spouting nonsense!!!! Who the hell communicates with a fucking dog!!!!"
"I've drunk with my brother Choco! Grilled and eaten meat with him! Worked out at the gym together! We've done everything! You son of a bitch!"
I could tolerate being disrespected. But I would not tolerate anyone disrespecting Brother Choco. Any guild that looked down on him was immediately crossed off my list, and I left without a backward glance.
In the end, it wasn't that zero guilds were interested in me. The problem was that I lacked sufficient public achievements to make them overlook the blacklist.
In the end, it seems we have no choice but to raise your value.
This has gotten annoying.
I returned to the Academy without any meaningful results. Having spent so long touring around, darkness was already beginning to settle over the campus. Near the gate, I spotted someone drooling in their sleep.
"Elsia?"
"Mmm... Oh! Husband! You're back!"
Elsia clung to me without even bothering to wipe the drool from the corner of her mouth.
"Wipe your drool first. It's getting on me."
"Slurp. So how did it go, husband?"
"It went to shit."
"See? If only you'd listened to me..."
Still, the fact that she'd waited for me until this late hour was touching, so I gently stroked her head. Elsia quietly enjoyed my touch. When I finally pulled my hand away, she spoke in an unusually gloomy voice.
"I'm sorry. It feels like you had to go through all that trouble because of me."
For a second, I nearly teared up. The Elsia I knew wasn't supposed to have a conscience like this.
Urk! So this is what it feels like to watch your child grow up!
How moving! At last, even that elf is learning to think!
"I feel like you're having some impure thoughts right now, aren't you?"
"......No."
"It's definitely not nothing. Tell me right now."
Elsia, whose intuition had sharpened for no good reason, narrowed her eyes like axe blades and demanded an answer. To escape her interrogation, I quickly changed the subject.
"By the way, Elsia, what were you planning to ask for if your team won?"
"Hmm... It's a secret!"
She subtly stroked her lower belly while giving me a strangely seductive look. Those eyes felt both ominous and terrifying, so I instinctively averted my gaze.
"We're going to take something really good!"
"Yeah... Good luck."
"Yes!"
Elsia squeezed me with all her strength, took a deep breath, and muttered under her breath.
"Not yet. Not here. Endure it. I must endure."
"......Elsia?"
"I'm going now!"
She pulled away and headed straight back to the dormitory.
Why is she acting like that? It's kind of scary.
I'm going to die of frustration!!! Just fucking man up already and go at her like this!!! Like that!!! Do it, damn it!!!!
I had nothing else to do, so I ignored Piece's desperate screams and quietly returned to the dormitory. After a quick wash, I lay down on the bed and organized my thoughts.
Public achievements. The most visible and immediate one I could accomplish was producing the best possible result in the tournament. There were smaller things I could do, but nothing else would generate as much buzz.
Since you're doing it anyway, aim for the championship.
I was planning to anyway.
The looks in Hye-ji's and Elsia's eyes had been pretty terrifying too. And going to that furry-infested Beastman Kingdom was absolutely out of the question.
I forcefully pushed the rising thoughts out of my head and tried to sleep.
The next day, the entire Academy was wrapped in tension. Because they were about to face the wrath of a god.
"Why the hell was our team eliminated, you fucking bastards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Right before the tournament preliminaries began, an unbelievable fury erupted from a tiny body, putting everyone on edge. Yes. It was Hye-ji.