CH 62

Beginner’s Course

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As we chatted about our mischievous schemes and potential justifiable retaliation, dinner time arrived. Although I had just had sandwiches, it was good to have enough space for dinner. Bell and the others stayed behind to keep watch as I made my way to the dining hall.

“Are you heading to dinner?” a voice called out.

It wasn’t just Karluk tonight, but Martha was also in the dining hall.

“Yes. What’s on the menu tonight?” he asked.

“Haha, the dish you taught us. It’s selling like hotcakes because it goes well with beer,” Martha replied.

He had only taught her how to cook over charcoal, but Martha’s laughter caused all the adventurers in the room to fall silent. Come to think of it, since it was an adventurer’s inn, the patrons were all adventurers. Wait, why did it suddenly feel awkward?

“What’s going on? Everyone went quiet all of a sudden. It’s an odd atmosphere. What happened?” she asked.

“Oh, it’s probably because I am staying here. I imagine you’re surprised. You see, there are some rumors going around because of a dispute I had with the guild master. I think everyone is uncomfortable because of that. If we’re causing you any trouble, just let us know, and we’ll leave the inn,” Yuta explained.

“Didn’t you say you were a new adventurer? How can a new adventurer get into a dispute with the guild master?” She asked, looking incredibly surprised.

It was like a new employee at a large company getting into a dispute with the CEO on their first day. Yeah, it was quite surprising.

“Well, it’s kind of like this. Apparently, they don’t like that I’m a spirit magician,” I explained.

“Oh, I see. I’ve heard some rumors about the reputation of spirit magicians. Are you okay here? Will you be bullied?” Martha asked, sounding concerned.

No need to worry. I was already being bullied.

“Haha. I’ll be fine. The guild has made it clear to not to mess with me, so I don’t think anyone will bother me,” I replied.

“What did you do to get into a dispute? It’s not like a minor disagreement would lead to all of this, right?” Martha’s curiosity was piqued, and Yuta knew he wouldn’t be able to get away without explaining the situation.

Uh oh. He had sparked Martha’s curiosity, and she was clearly excited. He wouldn’t be able to leave until they explained everything.

“Well, I was harassed, so I retorted with a sarcastic comment. This led to an argument with the guild master. Eventually, I was asked to demonstrate the power of a spirit magician, and, well, I mixed in a bit of name-calling because they were being disrespectful. That’s how it happened,” I explained.

“Wow, you definitely picked a fight there. I see. So, this atmosphere is because of that incident,” Martha replied, shaking her head in disbelief. She could understand the guild’s point of view, to some extent.

“Yes. Well, I’ve also been accused of being a fraud and not reading the atmosphere, among other things,” I added.

“What did you do to be accused of fraud? We don’t want to house criminals here,” Martha’s face became stern, and I felt like I might be kicked out.

“I haven’t done anything wrong. I got into a duel with an adventurer who picked a fight with me because I’m a spirit magician. During the duel, I intimidated the adventurer with physical force, and they lost all their money in a bet. Other adventurers didn’t like this and gave me a bad reputation,” I explained.

“That can’t be all. You also extorted all of Carl’s money and manipulated the bet to make sure no one would bet for you,” Martha pointed out.

“Oh, adventurers who were upset because they lost their bet made up that part of the story. The truth is, Carl and his friends challenged me to a duel, and the loser had to retire from adventuring. When Carl lost, he refused to retire and instead chose to gamble all his money against me. I made him sign a contract stating that he would retire if he lost. That’s all. As for the bet, no one was willing to bet against me, so I bet on myself. I didn’t manipulate anything. I just didn’t want to bet against myself,” I clarified.

“Oh, I see. You dueled and had a contract. What about the bet?” Martha asked.

“I just bet on myself because no one else was willing to bet on me. They were complaining that the bet wasn’t fair, but they were the ones who refused to bet on me in the first place,” I replied.

It seemed that adventurers who were upset over losing the bet had spread rumors about me.

“Hmm, you’re strong despite your weak appearance. I think you might overdo it, but oh well, stay here for the night.”

Weak, huh? I was just called weak to my face. Well, I should be grateful for being allowed to stay here.

“Thank you very much. But if this place suffers any disadvantages, please let me know. I have some ways to help.”

“Is that so? Well, we’re also running a business here. We’ll kick you out if things get dangerous. Until then, just relax.”

“Thank you very much.”

Hmm, Martha seems like the type who wouldn’t kick me out even if it was disadvantageous for her. I need to be careful not to cause any big trouble. I’ll ask Sylphy later to make sure.

“Alright then. Let’s eat first. I’ll bring you the ale as promised.”

“Thank you for the treat.”

As I sat down at the dining table, the adventurers who had been looking at me turned their gaze away. The adventurer who had talked about me before didn’t even try to look my way. It seemed like all the adventurers had decided to completely ignore me, and the lively atmosphere returned.

“Here you go. Eat up and do your best.”

Martha brought me the food and ale. Today’s menu seems to be grilled orc belly meat, and fried garlic which is sliced up, is piled up next to it.

This inn’s cuisine has garlic in all three meals. The power of garlic seems to be effective even in this otherworldly place.

I ate the first piece of meat normally. The taste of the fat and the slight lingering aftertaste were the same as always, but the charcoal flavor increased the meat’s juiciness, and the taste was clearly improved. Charcoal is amazing.

Next, I ate it with sliced fried garlic on top. Each time I bit into the crispy garlic, the intense aroma and spiciness mixed with the orc belly meat, making it rough but delicious. The combination with the ale is excellent. It would be perfect if it was colder, but I guess it can’t be helped.

I made a cut in the bread and stuffed it with the meat and garlic. This is also good. Alternating between meat and ale, I finished my meal and returned to my room. Tomorrow is the beginner’s course. I need to rest well and prepare myself.

———

When I entered the Adventurer’s Guild, as usual, all eyes were on me. I asked the emotionless Eltina-san for directions to the beginner’s course location. She gave me a cold response and pointed me in the right direction.

When I entered the room, the other beginner adventurers briefly stopped their conversation but then returned to ignoring me as if nothing had happened. If I tried to talk to them, they would probably find it bothersome. I felt like playing a prank on them, but I decided against any meaningless mischief.

After waiting for a while with nothing to do, an older adventurer entered the room. He glanced at me, but didn’t react, and began to greet everyone.

I had some idea of what to expect, but it was worse than I thought. Well, I did gain some basic knowledge, so it wasn’t entirely pointless, but I wondered if it was necessary for the instructors to completely ignore me. Was it the Guild Master’s orders?

The lesson covered the importance of forming a party, starting with the dangers of solo adventuring and evolving into the importance of human relationships and respect for seniors. It was all completely true, so I understood and agreed. However, the instructors seemed to be sneering and enjoying themselves as they talked about me.

He ignored my questions, and during practical training, I was left to swing the wooden sword on my own with no advice.

Even though we were in the same space, I was practicing with the wooden sword alone, while others were having a fulfilling class, laughing and saying things like “Like this?” or “No, you do it like this.” They were like a group of popular kids, but I didn’t envy them. I had Sylphy and the others with me.

Watching Bell, who was repeating my actions of swinging the wooden sword, made me smile. Will she become a Spirit Swordswoman in the future? She’ll probably have lots of fans, even though she can’t be seen.

I tried mimicking the Engetsu Ken (Circle Moon Slash) move to make Turu happy, and dodged Rain and Tamamo’s playful attacks like a cool swordsman. It was starting to become fun. Is this what fathers feel like on holidays?

However, the instructor, a B-rank adventurer named Sail, seemed to have been given orders by the Guild Master to ignore me. I won’t forget his name. Someday, I’ll make him regret it.

After the beginner’s course ended, everyone except for me went to the Guild’s bar for a party. Since I wasn’t invited, I returned to the inn. Heh, they’re making it so obvious that it only makes me more motivated to get revenge.

“Hehe. It was quite tough, wasn’t it? What are you going to do now?”

“Well, first I’m going to enter the labyrinth. I have enough food and I’m aiming to clear the 50th floor. Depending on the result, I’ll think about my future plans. I wanted to explore the labyrinth leisurely, but I can’t relax until I have some prospects that can make the adventurer’s guild feel frustrated.”

“Are you going now?”

“Yes… No, I’ll inform Martha first. If I don’t inform her and didn’t return then she would worry. Can you tell me what’s going on in the guild until we get back to the inn?”

“Okay.”

…Hehe. Even though I knew it wasn’t going to be good news, it’s still irritating. The guild has been moving since I applied for the beginner’s course.

They informed the instructor, Sail, and also informed the other beginners who were planning to attend, unifying their attitude towards me and thoroughly ignoring me.

The guild master seemed busy, but he had put so much effort into this. He must have been really upset.

Even the celebration party for the beginner’s course was paid for by the guild, according to Sylphy, who was enjoying herself while making fun of me.

It’s tough on new adventurers. I’m not going to hold back anymore. I’m definitely going to make them regret it. I knew I would be harassed, but I never intended to accept it as natural. My determination is overflowing.

I really want to check out the nightlife and stuff, but if I go to places like that in this situation, it could create a scandal. …Yeah. I can’t just regret it half-heartedly. I have to add the postponed enjoyment to my list of grievances. I returned to the inn, my motivation overflowing.

“Martha-san, I’m going to enter the labyrinth, so I probably won’t be back for a few days, but don’t worry.”

“Well, you seem to have some ability, so maybe I’m being too meddlesome, but don’t push yourself too hard. Come back right away if you think you can’t do it.”

“Yes. I don’t plan on pushing myself too hard, so I’ll do my best little by little.”

“Are you really going to be okay?”

I feel a little exasperated, but I’ve informed her and there shouldn’t be any problems now. All that’s left is the exciting labyrinth exploration. I don’t know how far we’ll be able to go, but since Bell and the others can defeat A-ranked monsters alone, we should be able to go quite far with Sylphy’s help…right?