Ossan Saikyō Chapter 12 Part 08
“Ah, I see, I see. So you are the members of〈Saul's Guidance〉. I had heard about you, but now that I see you in person, you certainly have an interesting group of members.”
The one who greeted us in the guildmaster’s office was a young-looking man with a slender build overall. He was a refined-looking member of the demonfolk, with unruly gray hair, slightly pointed ears, and bluish skin.
Lord Dwight, the Guildmaster of the Adventurer Guild’s Royal Capital Headquarters and a former A-Rank adventurer, was a man who gave off the air of someone rather shrewd, with his narrow eyes and faint smile around his mouth.
“But to think you defeated a Twilight Kin with your bare hands. That is an astonishing story. I am very curious to know just how much power you possess, Soushi-san. Please, have a seat.”
At Lord Dwight’s invitation, all of us, including Mariane, sat down on the sofas in the sitting area, and a woman who appeared to be his secretary brought us tea.
“I have also heard various interesting stories from Mariane.〘Dragon Slayer〙,〘Twilight Slayer〙, then the Wandering Labyrinth, and most recently the『Divine Beast』. Come to think of it, I hear you also defeated one of those bizarre monsters that have recently begun appearing, the Devil.
…
Those are quite the achievements for someone who has only been an adventurer for about half a year.”
“Yes, I also believe that I must have encountered an unusually fortunate series of circumstances. However, since I have nothing to compare it with myself, I cannot really grasp just how extraordinary it is.”
“Yes, yes, of course. If those sorts of experiences were what you encountered from the very beginning, then they would simply become normal to you, wouldn’t they? That is precisely why both the Grandmaster and I approved Mariane’s request.”
“I appreciate your consideration. It has been a great help.”
“Hahaha. Of course, I am doing it because I believe there is something in it for us as well. There is no need to thank me.”
Lord Dwight laughed as he said this, and there was something approachable about him. Though perhaps even that impression was calculated.
“By the way, Soushi-san, where are you originally from? At first glance, you look as though you might be from Ozu, but you do not appear to be an Ogrekin.”
“Ah... As for my place of origin, let us just say that it is not on this continent. I was originally a merchant.”
“My apologies. So you came here by crossing the sea. I see...”
Lord Dwight appeared to give it some thought.
Come to think of it, I have strangely never considered this before, but were there other people in this world who had transferred here from another world like me? Or perhaps reincarnated?
That said, I could not exactly ask anyone such a strange question. If I asked carelessly, I might just open a can of worms.
Since it would be troublesome if he pressed me too much about my origins, I decided to change the subject.
“By the way, we were summoned by the Royal Family this time, but what sort of treatment are we receiving?”
“Hmm...? Ah, that. Basically, you are being treated as the party that defeated the Twilight Kin. That is hardly something that happens often in this country, so I cannot say exactly how they will respond to you, but you can be certain that you will not be treated badly.”
“I see. Is there a possibility that we might be asked to undertake some special request?”
I phrased it that way because, obviously, I could not simply tell him the contents of the summons.
“Hmm... I cannot say there will not be, but there is nothing quite that significant among the requests currently coming from the Royal Family...”
Lord Dwight tilted his head.
So that meant it was not something like being ordered to defeat some extremely powerful monster.
Just as I was beginning to feel relieved, Lord Dwight's expression became slightly more serious.
“By the way, what are you and the rest of〈Saul's Guidance〉planning to do from here on? According to Mariane, you intend to aim as high as you can.”
“That is right. Now that we have become adventurers, we need to become stronger if we want to live long lives. For the time being, I think we will continue traveling through various dungeons, clearing them, and acquiring skills and weapons.”
“Then it sounds as though you intend to travel around the continent. The Guild certainly welcomes the emergence of powerful adventurers. But tell me... do you intend to eventually serve the Royal Family or one of the nobles?”
Seeing Lord Dwight’s narrow eyes open slightly, I could tell that this was an important point for the Guild. I looked around at my party members before answering.
“At least while we are traveling from dungeon to dungeon, I have no intention of doing so. Besides, there are members among us who simply cannot serve someone else, so I doubt we will place ourselves under any particular person even afterward.”
After all, my party consisted of a former Duke’s daughter, the daughter of a Clan Chief, and a High Elf, all living alongside me.
When I thought about it carefully, the moment this party came under the influence of some faction, it would immediately take on strong political implications.
No wonder the Royal Family could not simply ignore us...
The thought made my stomach begin to ache a little. I had always been prone to stomach trouble whenever I felt stressed.
While I fought against the pain slowly beginning its invasion, Lord Dwight nodded with a smile.
“I see. If you understand that much, then I am relieved as well.〈Saul's Guidance〉is still only a matter of rumors at this point, but once you are summoned by the Royal Family and receive a reward from them, you will suddenly attract a great deal of attention.
…
The number of people trying to approach you will increase as well.”
“You mean from various nobles?”
“Yes. Nobles, merchants, the Church... there will probably be several. However, if the Royal Family backs you, the nobles will keep quiet. As for the merchants, I hear you already have ties with the Toronto Trading Company?”
“I would not call it a connection... I merely spoke with the head of the company.”
“Hahaha. If you used to be a merchant, you should know that something like that is quite significant. The Church is the problem. Once they learn about the unusual nature of〈Saul's Guidance〉, they may come asking you to have your skills examined.”
That would be quite troublesome. It would be bad enough if they learned about my skills, but it would be even worse if Freynil’s【Divine Magic】became known.
“Would we absolutely have to comply?”
“Of course not. If it would be inconvenient for you, refuse them.”
“Would that cause trouble for the Guild...?”
When I asked that, Lord Dwight broke into a hearty laugh.
“Hahahahaha! You are the first adventurer I have ever seen worry about something like that. Do not worry. That is what the Guild is for. Giving in to outside pressure would damage the Adventurer Guild’s honor.
…
More importantly, the moment we give in even a little, they will exploit it. Adventurers are very useful to those in positions of power.”
“I see. Understood.”
“If you understand that aspect, then I would appreciate it if you could cooperate with the Adventurer Guild in that regard. Ah, it is not anything particularly difficult.
…
I simply want you to become a strong adventurer who will not bend to pressure from anyone, regardless of where it comes from.”
Lord Dwight continued smiling as he said this, but there was a sincere light in his eyes.
Understandable. For the Guild to remain a guild, it needed to have capable adventurers under its banner.
The fact that there were so many high-ranking adventurers among its personnel was probably part of that as well.
Which meant that eventually I might end up becoming a Guildmaster too...
That was something I would really rather avoid.
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E/N:
With a Church around, I'm surprised a Demonkin was instated as a GM. Though again, Guild doesn't bend to any party. That's a relief 😮💨!
Stay tuned!
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