Chapter 1

This is a new series.

Please support me!

"Craft, you're fired."

"Whaaaaat!"

And so, once again, I was kicked out of the party.

It was a sunny day, exactly four years since I started my adventure on my sixteenth birthday.

"You were really useless."

"I know I'm bad, but am I really a mage?"

"Unlikely, but could the mage emblem on your left hand be a fake?"

"Grr..."

The party leader, warrior Marboro, spoke, and the lone ranger Marietta followed suit.

The other members reacted similarly.

Marboro is frustratingly competent. I understand why he has complaints considering my abilities, but I think he's being a bit harsh.

"Why can't you use anything but beginner magic? And its power is incredibly weak!"

"Seriously, a mage who can't even take down a single goblin?"

"Grrrr..."

They are right.

I hate myself for not being able to argue back because they are right!

"Well, just give up on it."

"...I understand. Thanks for everything."

"To be honest, Craft, you don't have the talent to be an adventurer."

"Despite having overwhelming mana, you can barely use any magic..."

While enduring the continued insults from behind, I trudged to the adventurer guild's reception desk.

"Again, Craft?"

"Yeah, again."

The receptionist, sensing the gloomy atmosphere, looked exasperated.

"To be honest, I don't think you're suited to be an adventurer."

"I've tried hard."

"I know that. But your magic is just too weak."

"...Yeah."

"What are you going to do now? Look for a new party?"

I've joined countless parties, but none of them lasted long.

I gently stroked the emblem on the back of my left hand.

The mage emblem.

On the day of the Coming of Age ceremony, where one receives an emblem, I was given the mage emblem without hesitation due to my high mana. The person who conducted the ceremony even gave me a thumbs up, saying I would become a great mage.

But...

But...

For some reason, all my attack magic was overwhelmingly weak compared to other mages.

I was confident in my mana, so the ability to cast spells in rapid succession wasn't a problem when I was a beginner adventurer.

Moreover, I could only learn the most basic spells.

Those with emblems are supposed to learn new spells and techniques as they grow...

And so, I repeatedly joined parties and was kicked out for being useless.

"Craft, actually, the production guild has a request for me."

"Production guild? What kind of request?"

"It's not exactly a request."

"?"

"Recently, a new frontier village is being established in the territory of the Vailroad Margrave. The production guild is looking for someone who can stay there long-term."

"Frontier village?"

"Yes. Ideally, someone affiliated with the production guild."

"Does that mean..."

"Yes. They want someone who can fight, even if it's just a little, to be sent from the production guild."

"So, you're telling me to quit the adventurer guild and join the production guild?"

"That's right."

In other words, the adventurer guild sees me as someone who can be sent to the production guild without much loss.

If I can't be an adventurer, I need to find a new job quickly.

"...I understand. I'll take the offer."

"Whaaat!?"

"Tell me the details."

"Ah! Got it! There's also an introduction fee!"

She must not have expected me to accept so quickly, as she hurriedly flipped through the documents.

And so, after various procedures, I quit being an adventurer.

◆

If I had continued to be fixated on being an adventurer, I would have lived a life of mediocrity. This is a turning point. I might as well live a peaceful life in the countryside.

"Alright! Fresh start! From now on, I'll live as Craft of the production guild!"

It's a late career change, but I'll do my best!

As I was thinking this, I arrived at the production guild.

It was my first visit, and the building was larger than I expected, bustling with activity.

"Hey! What are you doing there!?"

"Ah, sorry. Is there someone at the reception?"

"What kind of reception? Craft registration? Merchant's purchase?"

"No, I came here through a referral from the adventurer guild."

"Oh? Oh! Could it be for the frontier village!?"

"That's what I heard."

"Great! That's a big help! Over here! Hey, you guys! I'm stepping out for a bit, but don't slack off!"

A burly man, who seemed to be in charge, sat at the counter and offered me a seat.

"Thanks for coming! I'm the guild master of the production guild."

"I'm Craft Wauken."

"Craft? That's a good name for the production guild! Hahaha!"

"Hahaha..."

I can only laugh at this.

"I've heard the basics from the adventurer guild, but can I get more details?"

"Of course. It's simple. We're sending two people to the new frontier village, and one is already decided, but we can't decide on the second."

"I see. But why did you choose a former adventurer?"

"It's simple. It's a frontier. We don't know what dangers might arise. We wanted someone who can fight, even a little."

"Why not just hire an adventurer?"

"We'll hire adventurers for the journey to the frontier village, but we can't keep them there indefinitely."

"True."

If an adventurer was assigned to guard duty for years, they would likely refuse.

"Technically, the leader of the frontier village will join us on site and provide guards, but we don't really trust them."

"That makes sense."

From the lord's perspective, if the frontier village succeeds, great. If it fails, it will likely be abandoned.

Promises of troops are often empty.

"So, we wanted to send someone who can fight from the production guild. Shall we proceed with the formalities?"

"Sure, thanks."

Thanks to the referral from the guild, the procedures went smoothly.

"Hey, you're a mage?"

"Hehe... After four years, I could only learn some basic beginner magic. I'm pretty useless."

"What!?"

The guild master, who seemed to be a representative of the production guild, twitched his well-built muscles.

"Did you get your emblem suitability checked?"

"Huh? No, I was born with overwhelmingly high mana, so I didn't bother checking."

Come to think of it, you can check your suitability.

However, it's not very common.

The reason is simple: it's normal to follow in your parents' footsteps, so most people get the same emblem as their parents, regardless of talent.

And in most cases, that's the most suitable emblem.

Would the heir of a knight's family try to get a blacksmith's emblem if they had a talent for it?

No way.

Even if they lack a bit of talent, they can get the knight's emblem and train hard. Effort can make up for it.

Besides, it seems that you can't get an unsuitable emblem, and if you can't, you choose another one.

"Hmm. We have an emblem officer here right now. Why don't you get checked?"

"Isn't that quite expensive?"

"This time, I'll cover it."

"Why go that far?"

"There's a low chance, but you might have a talent for production."

"Ah, I see."

Indeed, I never considered the possibility of having a talent for something other than a mage, given my high mana and failed dream of being an adventurer.

If I had a talent for carpentry or blacksmithing, it would be very useful for my new life in the production guild.

I have no attachment to the mage emblem anymore.

"Alright. I'll take you up on that."

"Great. ...Emblem Officer! Please!"

The guild master called, and an elderly emblem officer with a mage emblem, who was doing some work in the back, came over.

Incidentally, he's also an emblem officer for nobles. Whatever.

"Let me check your suitability. 'Emblem Suitability Judgment'"

My left hand's emblem glowed and trembled slightly.

"W-What!?"

"Um, did you find something?"

I cautiously asked the emblem officer, who was staring in shock.

What?

"Wh-What! This can't be possible!"

The emblem officer stared intently at my emblem.

I'm getting really anxious!

"Is there a problem?"

"N-No, it's just... The mage emblem is the least suitable for you."

"Huh?"

I finally understood why the emblem officer was staring at my emblem.

"Can you use any magic?"

"Ah, yeah. Just the basics of the four elements."

"Unbelievable! You've been using an emblem that is not only unsuitable but potentially life-threatening!"

"Wh-What! Life-threatening!?"

"Yes. It's not well-known, but it can happen with extremely unsuitable emblems. Though it's highly unlikely..."

"Wait, so this Craft has been living with such a handicap for four years?"

"Yes. It's hard to believe, but that seems to be the case. As an emblem officer, I recommend changing your emblem immediately."

"But I thought you couldn't have an unsuitable emblem."

"Generally, that's true. But in extremely rare cases, it can happen."

What a mess...

I've been living with such an unsuitable emblem all this time.

"Normally, changing an emblem requires procedures, but this is a life-threatening emergency. If you want, I can change it immediately using my authority."

"That's very kind of you, but what would be my suitable emblem...?"

"I apologize for not mentioning this earlier. It's an unbelievable story, but..."

The emblem officer gripped his staff and stared intently at me.

"An incredible... an extraordinary powerful emblem is the most suitable for you."

"Which one?"

I swallowed hard.

The emblem officer took his time before slowly speaking.

"Alchemist... more specifically, a Twilight Alchemist with god-like power."

What, that sounds amazing.

Thank you for your support m(__)m

I plan to update another chapter today.