Chapter 24: Side Story 2: The Guild Master’s Melancholy – Part 2

BANG!

The large doors of the Adventurers’ Guild burst open with great force.

Irina had returned much sooner than expected. I was sure she would be out there arguing back and forth with the shopkeepers, but here she was already.

Next to Irina stood a suspicious figure completely wrapped in a flesh-colored robe, holding a mage’s staff.

"Guild Master! I’ve brought my master with me!"

"He’s here... Come this way."

I pointed to the counter. I positioned myself behind it.

"Sit there."

When I gave the order, Irina plopped down heavily into the chair. Then she pointed at the robed figure beside her and excitedly declared:

"Here he is! This is my master, Lord Yabe!"

He actually exists?! A master?! For real? Seriously?

"So... this suspicious robed mage is your so-called master?"

"How rude! My master, Lord Yabe, is an amazing person!"

Irina stood up angrily. It didn’t look like she had just brought along some random guy...

"So, your name?"

"...Yabe."

The man called Yabe tapped his mage’s staff on the floor once and answered. At the very least, I had never received any reports about such a suspicious person being around.

"My master knows everything! It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him the Sage of the Forest!"

Irina proudly praised her master, calling him a sage.

"No, I’m not a sage."

"Master?"

"Yes. If you’re going to call me something, call me Great Archmage."

...What the hell is this guy? He’s calling himself a Great Archmage. People who brag about themselves like this are usually worthless. That’s basically a given.

"What do you mean, ’Great Archmage’..."

To see through this guy’s disguise, I activated .

"Gwaaah! My eyes! My eyes again!"

Damn it! I had hoped maybe, just maybe... but when I activated it, Irina’s backpack, which had been shining so brightly before, was now completely dark. Instead, the one emitting an overwhelmingly intense light was this suspicious robed figure—Yabe.

"Shit... So they really are separate..."

I pressed my right eye and groaned.

Wait, he was hiding inside the backpack?!

What the hell were you thinking?! This makes no sense! Why were you inside the backpack in the first place?!

How did you even fit in there?

And more importantly, your current robed form is clearly much larger than when you were inside the backpack!?

I had a terrible feeling about this, but I had no choice. I needed to confirm.

I activated and looked at Irina first.

"Hmm...? Only 5...?"

As expected, Irina herself wasn’t anything special. I had thought there might be some secret behind the magic power in her backpack, but...

Then I looked at Yabe.

BWOOSH!

Blood suddenly gushed out of my nose.

Splurt splurt splurt...

"F-f-f-fifty-three... hundred thousand...? So there really is no mistake...?"

Irina peered at me worriedly. My body started shaking uncontrollably again. Blood kept pouring from my nose, and I wet myself.

That 530,000 magic power value... it wasn’t coming from some trump-card magic tool hidden in Irina’s backpack. It was this man called Yabe. I couldn’t see his face, but from his voice I could tell he was male.

In other words, this man named Yabe was an "existence" possessing a staggering 530,000 magic power.

If this man became our ally, the Adventurers’ Guild would gain overwhelming military strength. But if he became our enemy, the town of Sorenarini could very well be wiped off the map without a trace.

Rulers would feel this threat even more strongly.

Would they desperately try to bring him in...? Or would they eliminate him before he became a danger?

"G-Guild Master, are you okay? Let’s rest in the back for a bit."

Vice Guild Master Sarina offered me her shoulder.

Ahh... I have never been so grateful that I made this kind woman my vice master as I am today.

"H-hey! What about the money exchange?!"

Irina shot up from her chair with a clatter.

"The appraisal for the monster materials is already finished... You can receive the payment at the counter."

For now, I needed to think of countermeasures as the Guild. And quickly.

I’d give them the money for the monster subjugation first to calm them down. We needed time on our side too.

After receiving the gold, Yabe left the guild without registering as an adventurer.

Whew. If he doesn’t belong to the guild, then I don’t have to supervise him either.

Or so I thought as I tried to catch my breath and asked Sarina to make me some tea...

"Big sis~! I’ve decided I want to register as an adventurer after all!"

"BFOO!"

I violently spat out the tea I had just started drinking.

He came back?! And he wants to register as an adventurer?!

Ugh... my head hurts...

Soon after, the receptionist Ram came into the room.

"Guild Master, I’m very sorry, but could you please look at this adventurer application form...?"

She placed the form in front of me.

"W-what the hell is this?!"

The headache doubled. As expected from a man with 530,000 magic power...

"Sorry, but could you call the others for me?"

Ram left the room to summon the rest of the staff.

Damn it... What am I even supposed to say to him? If this guy actually registers with the guild, what the hell am I going to do?

This isn’t on the level of "a promising young adventurer with some talent."

A guy who looks like a Demon Lord... there’s no way we can handle him...

"Hey there, Guild Master. What’s up?"

He strolled in casually as if nothing was wrong.

"What do you mean ’what’s up’?! Why did you come back to register?!"

BANG! I slammed the application form on the desk and shouted.

I knew I was being unreasonable, but after feeling relieved when he left earlier without registering, my irritation had only grown.

"Ehh~? Because it’s inconvenient to enter and leave town without an ID, right?"

God damn it... He’s registering for such a mundane reason!

"Well, yeah, that’s true, but... what exactly do you want to do here?"

"Huh? Nothing special. I’ll just hunt monsters and sell them for money. That’s about it."

Money? With that much power, you could do whatever the hell you wanted!

Why are you doing something as small-time as hunting monsters for cash?

Go become a court mage for some king or something... The Adventurers’ Guild can’t handle someone like you...

"Name: Yabe... What the hell? Age: ’Unknown.’ Are you screwing with me...? Occupation: Great Archmage... My head hurts..."

I felt dizzy. Someone bring me headache medicine.

"? ?"

"Yeah, cool, right?"

He looked proud of himself, though I couldn’t see his face under the robe.

"Servant beasts: Wolf Fang Clan, 60 members total... Summons: the Four Great Spirits... You really do have everything, don’t you?!"

I couldn’t help but snap. What the hell is this guy?! It’s not just his 530,000 magic power?!

Sixty servant beasts and the Four Great Spirits... I feel like this one guy could win a war all by himself...

"I’ve made some friends, at least."

He said it with a hint of happiness.

"Normally people don’t call servant beasts and summoned spirits ’friends’..."

I couldn’t stop sighing.

"That would make me extremely lonely, so rejected."

Well, with that monstrous amount of magic power, it’s no wonder he can’t make normal friends.

"Haaah... Fine, I’ll approve your registration. But don’t cause any problems, got it?! If anything you don’t understand comes up, come consult me immediately! Don’t act on your own! Understood?!"

"Yeah, yeah, got it, got it. Nice to work with you."

He turned around and tried to leave immediately. This guy definitely doesn’t get it, does he?!

"Wait a second. One more question. Do you have any intention of raising your adventurer rank?"

"Nope."

He answered instantly. Of course he doesn’t!

If he has no ambition to raise his rank, that means he has zero interest in fame or power.

Then what does he want...? What is he seeking...?

"...Understood. You may go."

"See ya. I’ll be back for more monster buybacks. Irina, let’s go shopping."

"Understood, Master. Let’s head out shopping right away."

(For now, there’s nothing I can do but keep an eye on them...)

As I watched the two of them leave, I steeled my resolve.