Chapter 26

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Regarding the parts that have been published in book form, I have intentionally left the typos, omissions, and revisions as they are, thinking that they might serve as reference material for future readers.

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The day of the appointment with Mr. Romanov.

I stuffed the basket with the item he mentioned and the bonus bracelet, along with the omelet, ham, tomato, and cucumber sandwich made by the head chef, and slung a water bottle filled with frozen raspberries, honey, and carbonated water over my shoulder, swaying on the horse for a while.

I entrusted Regulus, who was crying and chasing after me, to Mr. Utsunomiya, and arrived at a dilapidated shopping district with inns, liquor stores, restaurants, tool shops, weapon shops, and the Adventurer's Guild.

The fact that I didn't encounter anyone from the mansion to the shopping district made me feel that Kikunoi was really in trouble.

I felt a bit of cold sweat on my back.

The red of the brick mixed with the stone buildings had faded a bit.

"This is a shopping district that is often used by adventurers, so it's quite quiet during the day. Everyone goes to the dungeon or completes quests. It gets lively at night, so it's not as dire a situation as you might think. Yet."

"Yet, huh..."

Oh, so the dire situation is coming in the near future.

I tied the large horse that Mr. Romanov and I rode together to the stable of the Adventurer's Guild.

The wooden door and the building had a Western movie-like atmosphere, and when the teacher opened the door, a bell rang to announce the arrival of a guest.

The gazes of the people inside were directed at Mr. Romanov, and then at me.

Inquiry, curiosity, hostility.

The most common was indifference, losing interest at a glance.

It was much better than being constantly hostile.

I was led by the teacher to the counter at the back. Then, a receptionist's face popped out from behind the counter, with brown rabbit ears hanging from her head.

"Ah, R-Romanov-sama!?"

"Yes, is the Guild Master here?"

"Yes, please wait a moment!"

The receptionist with the rabbit ears ran to the back as fast as a hare.

While I was looking around absentmindedly, the receptionist came back out of breath.

"The Guild Master will see you in the back."

"Understood. Thank you, miss."

"Thank you."

As I followed Mr. Romanov through the door leading to the back, the receptionist seemed to notice me for the first time and muttered, "Huh?"

The teacher is handsome, so she probably only saw his face.

Anyway, I was led to a reception room, and a decent-looking sofa was visible through the open door.

"Hey, you made it."

"Yes, it's been a while."

The man sitting on the sofa first was a muscular, black-haired man with a shaved head. He looked quite intimidating, but the wrinkles around his eyes suggested he was a cheerful person.

He seemed to be close with Mr. Romanov, greeting him with just a raised hand and offering the sofa.

The moment he noticed me, who had been clinging to his back, his gaze became very stern.

Since I had no reason to be glared at, I just stared at him, and he averted his eyes on his own. Then, he rudely pointed at me.

"What's this kid? My [Intimidation] doesn't work on him."

"Hey, don't do that. He's my important student."

"...But you didn't stop me from using [Intimidation]."

"I knew it wouldn't work from the start. I wanted you to know that there are people who are physically grown but mentally still children."

Oh, something was done to me. I didn't notice.

By the way, Mr. Romanov is spitting out poison!

I was surprised, and the muscular, intimidating man grinned, showing his teeth.

"Can't imagine how nasty he is, can you?"

"That's not true. I'm kind to Futo, right?"

"Yeah, you are generally kind."

"Generally?!"

The man's hearty laughter echoed in the room. Mr. Romanov, on the other hand, pinched my cheek, saying, "What do you mean by 'generally'?" It didn't hurt, but it felt like it was being worn away.

Anyway, who is this Guild Master?

"Sorry, sorry. I'm Dominic Laurent, the head of this guild. I'm a bit familiar with this elf."

"He's known him since he was a snot-nosed brat in the capital."

"About forty years, I guess."

"Oh..."

I nodded, but why is a snot-nosed brat from the capital here?

My confusion must have shown on my face, because the Guild Master scratched his head.

"I messed up and got sent here."

"...Is Kikunoi an exile?"

"Um? Our place..."

"I should have introduced myself. I'm Futo Kikunoi, the eldest son of the Kikunoi family. Nice to meet you."

"Oh, oh, well... Your father turned pale and trembled when I used [Intimidation] on him."

He told me this as we shook hands.

I didn't really want to hear that my father was scared, and it didn't matter to me.

Still, what's this [Intimidation] and trembling all about?

As I wondered, Mr. Romanov said, "Ah."

"[Intimidation] is a skill that instills fear in the opponent and overwhelms them. It mainly grows in high-level adventurers."

"Is that so? I thought something happened when I was glared at."

"I used [Intimidation] with my eyes, but this kid just said 'glared at.'"

"Futo probably has [Mental Resistance]."

"What's that?"

Tilting my head, Mr. Romanov and Mr. Laurent explained that the status I usually see is a very simplified version, and the actual status board is much more detailed.

To see it, you need to have the [Appraisal] skill or have it appraised by a tool at the nearest Adventurer's Guild or temple.

[Intimidation] is a skill, and [Mental Resistance] is also a skill that provides high resistance to mental abnormalities like confusion, intimidation, and charm.

I didn't know I had such high stress resistance.

In my previous life, my workplace was a bit black, so I might have developed it.

Still, it's hard to understand.

Looking disappointed, Mr. Romanov pinched my cheek again.

"Anyway, I have something I want to show you today."

"Okay, what is it?"

Mr. Romanov, who was asked, told me to take out a handkerchief with four corners embroidered with elf patterns from my waist pouch.

I laid the handkerchief on the well-polished table of the reception set, and Mr. Laurent's eyes widened.

"Hey, you..."

"It's a handkerchief with elf patterns embroidered to enhance magic power. With four patterns, it can double the enhancement."

"Hey, how did you get such a thing in such a remote place?"

"Well, I have a connection. Can you confirm if what I'm saying is true?"

"Hold on, let me check."

Nodding, Mr. Laurent went to the desk behind the sofa and brought a monocle. He put it over the handkerchief, and his brow furrowed.

"Hey, elf, don't lie to me."

"Huh?"

Huh? That's not it.

Because I, a five-year-old, embroidered the handkerchief?

Even with the 'Blue Hand,' it shouldn't have such an effect...

"It's not just double, it's quadruple. Don't be modest, it's ridiculous."

"Huh?"

"It's not 'huh.' Seriously, what kind of master craftsman made this? Just putting elf patterns on a cheap piece of cloth with ordinary thread and it quadruples the boost."

The two adults were having this conversation in front of me, dumbfounded.

I couldn't follow it.

Looking into the distance and thinking, "I wonder if Regulus is okay," I heard a cough from beside me.

"...Futo, you've done something behind my back again, haven't you?"

"N-no, I really don't know this time."

Unable to withstand Mr. Romanov's intense gaze, I shook my head, and Mr. Laurent tilted his head in confusion.

Of course, he would.

Since I didn't say anything... or rather, I couldn't say anything because I didn't know what it was, Mr. Romanov spoke to Mr. Laurent, who was watching the situation.

"The handkerchief I just mentioned, Futo made it."

"......Huh?"

"You look like you're saying, 'What are you talking about, are you senile, old man?' But it's true. I have proof. Futo, show your status."

"Okay."

As usual, when I said "Open," the simplified status board appeared in the air.

"Huh?"

Name: Futo Kikunoi

Race: Human

Age: Five

Level: 1

Occupation: Noble

Skills: Cooking A+, Sewing A+, Cultivation A+, Craftsmanship A+, Swordsmanship E, Archery E, Horsemanship D, Magic B+

Special Skills: Green Hand, Blue Hand, Supreme Skill

Notes: Favorite of Princess Hyakka, Blessed by Igor

There's something I've never seen before...!?

Turning my head with a creak, Mr. Laurent's jaw dropped, and Mr. Romanov looked somewhat displeased.

"Look! He's grown another strange thing while I wasn't looking!"

"Hey! I don't know! I really don't know!"

After that, I was pinched on the cheeks until Mr. Romanov calmed down and Mr. Laurent's jaw recovered.

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