Chapter 58

In response to his words, I ended up saying something a bit too rough. I'm in a pinch.

"Huh. You're telling me to be polite? Isn't the rookie adventurer getting a bit too cocky?"

The Guild Master is also getting heated up. This situation doesn't seem to be going well, does it? I'm already being treated like a fraud, and now I've started a fight with the Guild Master? My life as an adventurer seems to be over before I've even set out on an adventure. Maybe I should kowtow.

"Too cocky? I taught you the proper way to ask for something from a fool who doesn't even know how to do it. It's good that you've learned something."

That's not it. It's not like that. I don't want to start a fight. I just can't stop my mouth. Sylph, you don't need to warm up. Let's try to resolve this peacefully. Bell, don't play around on the Guild Master's head just because he won't notice.

"You seem to be serious about not wanting to live."

I do want to live. Life is very important. Is my life in this different world about to shift from a smooth ride to a violent one?

When I look at the Guild Master, the veins on his forehead seem about to burst. Can this be resolved peacefully? I just want to escape from this place. I wish something would happen, like monsters overflowing from the labyrinth. That would be okay right now.

"Your threats are weak. Just say you'll kill me. What? Are you worried about appearances? Are you trying to cover up your words because you plan to secretly finish me off later? You're so petty and cowardly... pfft. You're beyond saving."

I want to resolve this peacefully, but looking at the Guild Master's face, I can't control my anger. Is it because our first meeting was so bad? If this continues, it might turn into a real fight. I should escape quickly.

"Is there nothing else you can say besides threats? This is a waste of time. Can I go now?"

I say this to the Guild Master, who is speechless with anger. Please nod here. I won't come to see the Guild Master again. Let's try not to get involved with each other.

"Are you kidding me?"

Oh. It's a voice squeezed out from his gut. If Sylph wasn't here, I might have wet myself. Why won't he nod? We need a cooling-off period. Let's keep our distance and calm down. Even though I'm the one provoking him.

"Guild Master, continuing this conversation seems to be causing problems. I think we need some time to cool down."

Oh, thank you, Eltina. I really appreciate it. Guild Master, go along with it. No, I'll go first. Let's part ways without saying anything nasty.

"That's right. It doesn't seem like we can have a calm discussion, so I'll go."

I stand up and head for the door. The Guild Master doesn't say a word. When I step out, Eltina follows me. As I follow her, I hear something breaking in the Guild Master's room. He's really losing it.

"Um, Eltina, I'd like to exchange the magic stones, please."

Eltina looks at me with a very troubled expression. She wants me to leave quickly, right? I understand. But in this situation, I don't know when I'll be able to stay in the labyrinth city, so I need money for shopping.

"I recommend you leave this place as soon as possible."

I've been told outright. I can read the air that much. But there's no choice.

"Ahaha, I know, but I need the money, so please help me."

"Hmm. I understand. Please put them here..."

I'm making Eltina do a lot of work. I'm sorry. When I follow her, I'm led to a secluded room. It's a room for handling things discreetly. Apparently, if I were to handle it at the counter, it might cause problems.

"Please give me the magic stones."

Eltina encourages me to put the magic stones on a tray. I take them out of my magic bag, and they clatter out. Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud. I didn't know I had this many.

"Eltina, it doesn't look like they'll all fit. There's still about half left..."

Eltina's mouth is twitching. I'm really sorry.

"Please put them here. But where did you get so many magic stones?"

"From the Land of Death. I didn't include many zombie magic stones because they were creepy. I also made sure to clean them properly, so they're clean."

Eltina prepares a new tray and I put the magic stones on it. They barely fit. How many are there? If I had taken out the zombie magic stones, there would have been twice as many. I might have missed out.

"Land of Death! Why were you in such a place!"

She's very surprised.

"Well, it was for training."

There's no other way to explain it.

"Is that so? Then I'll check them."

She checks each magic stone and arranges them on another tray. This is E-rank, this is D-rank, this is... she mutters to herself.

Skeletons are E-rank. Soldiers are D-rank. Knights and Mages are C-rank. Generals are B-rank. Liches are A-rank, as Sylph told me before. I'm looking forward to seeing how much they're worth.

Apparently, A-rank magic stones have some value, but materials are more expensive, so I can't expect a huge amount of money.

Incidentally, there are no materials from skeletons and zombies. The world is harsh. The Land of Death is dead even as a source of materials. In a way, it's consistent and impressive.

But I was scared to find out I had fought A-rank monsters without knowing it. Normally, there would be some reaction to A-rank monsters. When I asked Sylph, she said I could win, so there was no problem. I wasn't entirely convinced.

"This... Yuta, this magic stone is B-rank, right?"

"Hmm. I can't tell the difference between magic stones, but if it's B-rank, I should have three."

"Is this your first registration with the Adventurer's Guild? You didn't seem to know much about Spirit Mages. What kind of life have you been leading? Your clothes are also different."

Am I being suspected? I'm aware that I look suspicious.

"I'm just a newcomer from the countryside. My clothes are different because I came from far away."

How far is Earth? I think it's very far.

"Are you hiding something?"

"I have a lot of secrets, but I haven't done anything bad, so don't worry."

She's not reassured at all. Her eyes are completely those of a suspicious person.

"Yuta, do you think I can be reassured by that? To begin with, it's suspicious that a newcomer from the countryside has three B-rank magic stones."

I've been called suspicious outright.

"What can I do to prove I'm not suspicious? By the way, there are A-rank magic stones in that pile. Lich magic stones. Does that make me more suspicious?"

Since excuses are useless, I might as well be straightforward.

"......How did you get them?"

"Ahaha, obviously by defeating them."

The suspicious look is intense. The good feeling with the guild receptionist was just an illusion. Is it possible to recover from this?

"I'll report this to the Guild Master."

"Will I get a rank-up?"

"Only if you take a quest and prove your strength. For anything other than a regular rank-up, the Guild Master's approval is required."

Eltina looks at me with eyes that say, "Do you understand?" I nod in response. It's impossible to jump to a high rank. The Guild Master will probably only recognize it if I'm not expelled. It's a sad situation.

"Eltina, I plan to take quests from the guild from now on. Is there a chance the Guild Master will refuse to accept my quests because I made him angry?"

"You plan to stay in the labyrinth city, don't you? As long as the Guild Master doesn't take action against you, they won't refuse to accept your quests. However, I don't think anyone will want to form a party with you, so it will be difficult."

Her face is saying, "I'm telling you for your own good, so go somewhere else."

"Is it because I'm a Spirit Mage?"

"That's one of the main reasons, but the conflict with the Guild Master will also be shared within the guild, so it's best to avoid it."

Ah, yeah. My reputation is in ruins. No one will want to be friends with someone who picks a fight with the Guild Master. I'm definitely going solo. ...It's fine. I have Sylph and the others, so I won't be lonely.

"Well, I'm fine with going solo, so as long as I can take quests, it's not a problem. I want to buy things with the money from the magic stones, so can you recommend some stores?"

"...What do you need?"

She's basically telling me to do as I please. But if I follow Eltina's advice and leave the labyrinth city, the one who will be happy is the Guild Master. That's not fun.

"Clothes, armor, furniture, cooking utensils, ingredients, seasonings, books... that's about it. Please help me."

"I understand. I'll give you a map when we exchange the magic stones."

It seems she's given up on me. After that, there was no more conversation, and I just stared at the expressionless Eltina. She only twitched a little when the A-rank magic stone appeared.

"Please wait a moment."

Eltina left the room.

"Yuta. If you had left it to me, you wouldn't have been treated like this. Do you want to do it now?"

"Do it now?" "Kyuu kyuu" "Don with a thud" "Kuuuu"

Sylph, you look like you're having fun. Do Bell and the others know what they're doing? Tulu's "don" is a bit scary. But if I leave it to them, the surroundings might turn into a hell, so I'll hold back.

"It's fine as it is. It will be fun to see the Guild Master's reaction when I do a great job. With everyone, I'm sure I'll do great. I was planning to take my time and enjoy the labyrinth, but I'll put in more effort, so please help me, Sylph."

"...Yuta, you have a bad personality."

Yeah. I called the Guild Master petty, but I'm the one thinking of petty things.

"Maybe I do have a bad personality. Hey, Sylph, if my personality is too bad, will the spirits abandon me?"

I'll be in a pinch if they abandon me.

"It depends on the content. As long as you don't disrupt the balance of nature or act in a way that goes against it, there shouldn't be a problem. It's also about communication with the spirits. Spirits have feelings too, so it's not a problem to get back at someone like this. That guy is not only insulting Spirit Mages but also spirits. Fufu, Yuta, you are my contractor, right?"

What do you mean? I want to ask, but I can see what she means just by looking at her. Sylph was a bit irritated too. Maybe her boiling point is lower than mine.

I thought spirits were supposed to be pure and love nature, but maybe they're more worldly than I thought. Dine is also quite selfish, so it's not surprising. Well, that Guild Master will be in for a shock, I guess.

Thank you for reading.