Chapter 58

"Finally, it's all come together."

One evening,

Lava said this as she placed a heavy stack of papers on the desk.

Eugene and I, who had been taking a break in the office after finishing our work, turned to see what it was.

"To put it simply, it's a skill acquisition manual. We've come to understand to some extent what kind of experiences are necessary to acquire certain skills, especially those that many people have acquired, right?"

Until now, we could only convey a general direction to our clients based on the information gathered from my interviews, which Eugene and the others had to understand.

How to make it more accessible and help more people acquire skills.

Lava is trying to compile the data she has gathered into a book, summarizing the known branches of professions and benchmarks for skill acquisition.

"Regarding the combination of skills and attribute magic, we still lack sufficient materials. But I hope this will make things a bit easier for everyone."

"That's amazing! It's a real skill guidebook!"

Eugene's eyes were sparkling.

While there have been research books on skill acquisition and guidebooks that compiled methods passed down orally between masters and apprentices, none of them were very accurate.

Not everyone who underwent the same training could acquire a skill.

There were personal aptitudes for both skills and attribute magic, and there was no way to determine what was lacking or what needed to be improved.

"There are many skills that can be acquired if certain conditions are met. I've also categorized them by difficulty."

From now on, it will be much easier to acquire skills for monster hunting and daily life.

I'm grateful for Lava's and the Magic Guild's cooperation.

"Then, let's get the permission from the former king and the guild to distribute it to all the guilds."

"Luke!"

Luke, who had appeared in the office at some point, said.

This guy is unpredictable.

"The number of new registrants in the capital has finally started to decrease, but Noah is still very busy. To train more consultants, this manual is quite important."

Indeed.

Recently, I've been spending more time and seeing more people with appointments than new registrants.

It seems there are not many new registrants in the capital anymore.

However, people will start to gather from all over the country and abroad.

Unfortunately, I only have one body, and the consultants are working full-time in shifts.

Distributing the manual to guilds across the country and training more consultants is probably the most practical thing we can do now.

"I can't do it now, but I'll create a guidebook that anyone can easily use someday!"

Lava said with enthusiasm.

"Even if it's a guidebook, the ideal would be to make it some kind of magic item. Something that can be placed in various locations and can be updated with skill information immediately."

Lava, who was getting heated up, seemed to have the word 'research demon' written on her back.

I'm sure she can do it.

I'll do my best to help, yes. I nodded in agreement with Eugene.

"By the way, what brings you here today?"

I asked Luke. My intuition told me it wasn't just to pick up Lava's materials.

"Oh, right. I came to inform you that the preparations for visiting the Beastman District in the Third Ward are complete!"

"Ah, I see. So, the guild branch in the Third Ward won't be gathering, huh?"

Beastmen living in the capital rarely come up to the Second Ward.

Adventurers and mercenaries in the Third Ward earn money by participating in quest parties on a daily basis.

These quests range from dangerous monster hunts to dungeon explorations and cargo transport.

Since they are not official party members, their rewards are not divided equally.

Even with a guild card, their contributions are not recorded.

They are useful helpers for beginners and parties short of members.

"I actually wanted them to work at the branch, but it's been difficult."

Luke groaned, looking troubled.

From their perspective, it's a decision made by the guild.

They don't need guild cards, so dragging them out of the city would be a nuisance.

Therefore, it's only right for us to come to them.

"We're asking for their cooperation for our research. The Beastman District has provided the venue, which is very much appreciated."

"…If Noah says so. I'll come to pick you up after the break."

Luke said, glancing at Quincy, who was standing quietly behind him.

"Ah, okay."

"Boss, do you really understand?"

"I said I understand!"

Luke pressed Quincy, who was acting casual.

Luke sighed and left, waving off the troublemaker.

---

On my first day off in a long time, I took Eugene and Renge to look around the street vendors.

I was surprised by their work enthusiasm even on their days off, but it was fun, so I let it slide.

The next day, we headed to the Beastman District in the guild's carriage.

Luke, Eugene, Theo, and Quincy were riding with me.

The carriage slowly came to a stop in the square.

About fifteen beastmen were waiting for us in the quiet area.

"Thank you for providing this venue today. I am Noah Essex from the guild."

After getting off the carriage, I bowed to a beastman who seemed to be the leader, standing slightly apart from the circle.

"…Why are you bowing to me?"

"Are you not the leader?"

Huh? Did I get it wrong?

He was a hawk beastman.

Among beastmen, bird beastmen are considered wise and of high status.

Hawk beastmen, in particular, are known for their strength and wisdom.

"Indeed. I am Talon, the guardian of this city. …Lord Noah, thank you for coming today."

For some reason, I was addressed with 'sama,' and I tilted my head in confusion.

"Everyone, come out."

When Talon said this, beastmen who had been hiding somewhere started to gather in the square.

"It's Lord Noah."

"Really?"

"Lord Noah!"

The sudden appearance of the beastmen made Luke and Quincy wary.

I, on the other hand, took a step back from the many curious eyes of the beastmen.

Talon stood in front of me.

The beastmen, who had formed a circle, lined up behind Talon.

By then, the square was filled with beastmen of all ages and types.

The once quiet square was now filled with murmurs.

"The beastmen living in this city see you as a symbol of hope. Son of the Lion King."

Talon said this and knelt. The beastmen in the square also knelt and bowed their heads.

I was standing right in front of them.

I couldn't understand what was happening and could only widen my eyes.

"I am in the service of the Earl of Essex, but I am not related by blood."

While I was used to bowing, I had never been bowed to before.

Talon stood up and smiled, clicking his beak.

"You are the one who carries on his will. This is our decision. We wanted to thank you for protecting the Lion King from evil hands."

"Ah…."

"Actually, we could have come to the city, but I'm sure you wouldn't have wanted that."

I shuddered at the thought of the same thing happening at the guild branch.

It would be too much of a spectacle.

And it would likely be misunderstood that the beastmen were rebelling against humans.

And the image of them all bowing to me would be a terrible nightmare.

"We have no intention of attacking humans. As long as we respect our territories, we will not take any action against you in the future."

Talon spread his wings.

"However, we hope the kingdom understands. We are in a give-and-take relationship. We wish to continue this relationship in the future."

This was probably directed at Luke, the human representative of the kingdom present here.

"Well, I've said what I wanted to say. We will cooperate with you. Please give us your instructions."

I could only nod at the clicking of his beak.

After that, things went smoothly.

We distributed guild cards to those who wanted to participate and had them line up.

The data accumulated steadily.

Even those who didn't participate watched us with interest.

During a break, Quincy approached me with a grin.

"You're quite popular, aren't you? If you wanted, you could gather the beastmen and start a war."

"…Quincy, don't say such impossible things."

No way.

Who would be fighting whom?

I quietly denied it, and Quincy waved his hand and disappeared somewhere.

"Excuse me,"

"…Yes, what is it?"

I turned around to see a female beastman with a child.

"This is Zoe. If it's not too much trouble…"

She held the child and offered its head.

Zoe, a dog beastman, had her triangular ears pressed flat, probably due to nervousness.

"Ah, yes… May good things happen to Zoe."

I smiled and patted Zoe's head.

Zoe's ears perked up, and her tail wagged.

I often did this to Nigel. It seemed to be a common greeting among beastmen.

I wondered if it was okay for me to do it, but since the mother and Zoe seemed satisfied, I decided not to worry about it.

"Thank you! May good things happen to Lord Noah as well."

"And to you."

I waved back to Zoe, who was waving goodbye.

After that, a few more people asked me to do the same.

"Oh, Amor? Could you do it for me as well?"

"Ah!"

Talon, who had been watching, suddenly said this, making me exclaim in surprise.

Amor referred to that greeting.

"No, just a joke. May good things happen to you."

"…May good things happen to you, Lord Talon."

For children, I patted their heads, but for adults, I only used words.

It was a scene I sometimes saw in Albus. If I hadn't known, I might have patted Talon's head. I'm glad I didn't.

After the break, we finished seeing everyone who wanted to participate and started preparing to leave.

"Thank you today. We will use the data carefully. We also plan to create a place where people in this city can consult about skills."

"Don't overdo it. If we become too prominent and strong, some people may not be at ease."

Talon gazed in the direction of the castle.

"But we will not hesitate to support you. If you need anything, please ask. We will surely be of help."

Talon concluded and saw us off as we headed back to the guild in the carriage.

This is the story I wanted to write, but it ended up being quite long.

2015/01/12 Revised