Chapter 20

On the way from the guild to the inn, Tō’s <Perception> detected the presence of someone following him.

The number of followers was two. The two had been following Tō ever since they left the guild.

Thinking it might be a misunderstanding, Tō tried entering a side street. However, the presence of the followers did not disappear. This ruled out the possibility of a misunderstanding.

Tō turned a corner and waited, turning around to face the followers.

"Whoa!?"

When the followers turned the corner, the two men were surprised to see Tō standing there.

It’s rude to be surprised by someone’s face.

Tō, slightly indignant, opened his mouth.

"You’ve been following me. Do you have something to say?"

Tō observed the followers.

They were a pair of men. He had seen them somewhere before.

(Where did I see them… Ah, the first day I went to the guild.)

On the first day he visited the guild, these two had approached him.

He didn’t know their names and had no interest in them. He didn’t understand their purpose, but he was sure it wasn’t anything good. That much was clear.

The men grinned and slightly raised their chins, looking down at Tō.

"Well, we thought we’d teach you a thing or two, since you’re a rookie who doesn’t know anything about adventurers."

"I don’t need to learn anything from you."

"No, no. There’s something important. Right?"

"Yeah, that’s right. For example, we’re adventurer rank E. We’re almost at D. Being an adventurer is a tough job. Even with our high abilities, it’s hard to move up, and even skilled adventurers can easily lose their lives."

"…What are you trying to say?"

Tō wanted to get to the inn and didn’t want to waste time here.

Frustrated by the lack of a clear conclusion, Tō asked, and one of the men grinned and put his arm around Tō’s shoulder.

"We’re telling you to get out of the way, you inferior being."

Saying that, the man punched at Tō’s abdomen.

Since his shoulder was firmly held by the man’s arm, it was an unavoidable blow.

Tō caught the punch with one hand.

"…What’s your point?"

"Who do you think you are, catching my punch, you inferior being!"

"What do you think you’re doing, you bastard!"

(To get angry when your attack is blocked…)

Tō’s head spun.

He had listened to the end just in case, but it was clear this wasn’t going to end well.

Tō lightly pushed the man’s shoulder.

The man lost his balance and fell on his butt.

(These are the ones close to D rank, but still E rank…)

The receptionist’s comment about the “quality of adventurers declining” didn’t seem to be a joke.

"You, what are you doing!!"

"Don’t get cocky just because you’re E rank, you tomato!"

"You embarrassed us at the guild. Don’t think you’re better just because you have a girl serving you!"

The men drew their swords from their waists and pointed them at Tō.

The situation was getting serious. But Tō calmly observed the tips of their swords.

"Either you become a body that can never adventure again, or you leave the reward you just received and kowtow. Choose whichever you like."

Tō finally understood their goal.

Their demand was this:

"Apologize for your misconduct at the guild and hand over the reward you received as compensation."

Ridiculous. Tō sighed.

"I should have ignored them and shaken them off…"

"What did you say?"

"No, just my thoughts. I’m going home… Don’t bother me again."

Tō used <Intimidation> to the fullest.

Instantly, the men’s faces turned pale and contorted.

Their breathing stopped, and their mouths opened as if gasping for air.

Taking advantage of this, Tō immediately activated <Strength Enhancement> throughout his body.

The magic that instantly spread strengthened his entire body evenly.

Before the men could regain their composure,

"Push!"

"Ugh!?"

"Ugh!?"

Tō struck the abdomens of the two men with the palm of his hand.

The moment his palms made contact, the men were sent flying.

The men flew ten meters and landed, rolling another five meters.

They were vomiting uncontsciously, but they were already unconscious, just reacting to the stomach cramps.

Tō confirmed this, deactivated <Strength Enhancement>, and headed to the inn.

"To be E rank with this level of skill. The quality really has declined… No, the receptionist said that as long as you can do the basics, you can easily become E rank, so maybe skill doesn’t matter much."

Even in a company, there are capable and incapable employees. The same applies to E rank adventurers.

"In a meritocratic hierarchical society, people rise to the limit of their abilities."

What is called Peter’s Principle on Earth applies perfectly to the adventurer society of Ealguard.

Those with ability rise higher, and those without remain at lower ranks.

They are undoubtedly the latter.

"…Yeah. Don’t get cocky. If you get cocky, you’ll die easily."

Tō, who had eliminated the two armed men in an instant, cautioned himself.

He didn’t think he had won because he was strong. He had won because the opponents were weak.

"Step by step, cautiously and steadily. I need to become strong enough to survive in Ealguard…"

In a world where life is cheap, being overly cautious is just right.

○

When Tō came down to the dining hall for dinner, he ate the not-so-delicious inn food while secretly looking around.

The person who used to approach him without a word, saying, "Hey Tō, is this seat free?" was nowhere to be seen.

"Hasn’t she come back yet?"

At first, he found it a bit… just a little annoying that she paid attention to him. But without Estelle, he felt strangely lonely.

"What’s the matter, thinking about Estelle?"

The innkeeper, who had overheard Tō’s muttering, approached him with a grin.

"Um, yes. I guess. Did Estelle take a job today?"

"If she hasn’t come back, she must have."

The innkeeper said this nonchalantly. Tō felt a slight irritation at her tone. Don’t you care? But it was a mistake to be angry with her. Tō quickly reprimanded himself.

"Are you worried?"

"…"

"Well, she’ll come back eventually. Adventurers are always like that. They say they want a cold beer when they finish a job, but some never come back."

"…"

"Just kidding. Don’t look at me with such scary eyes. If I worried about every little thing, my heart would wear out. Here, eat up."

Saying that, the innkeeper laughed heartily and piled “salad” onto Tō’s plate.

She was a truly bold woman.

Even as they chatted lightly, the innkeeper had noticed what Tō usually liked to eat.

She was bold yet considerate. A capable woman.

Tō’s heart felt a little lighter from the innkeeper’s attitude.

Estelle would surely come back tomorrow. Convincing himself of this, Tō went to sleep in the glowing bed, which was infused with plenty of <Lighting>.

However, Estelle did not return to Finris the next day.

All the foreshadowing that can predict what will happen next is in place.

The dots will connect from here. Please enjoy while guessing what will happen.