Iseboshi 47

Chapter 47 The Guild Headquarters and Elberhardt’s Situation

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Edited by: Kanaa-senpai

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 ”Wow… it’s huge…”

 I muttered as I looked up at the building.

 The guild headquarters in the royal capital. It takes up a large area in the middle of the city. The building is probably 4 stories tall.

 ”Alright, let’s go in.”

 Elberhardt pushed us from behind.

 ”I’m really looking forward to seeing how your ranks will be determined.”

 Rank determination? Are we going to have to take some kind of test or do an assignment?

 As we passed through the big door, we entered a large hall filled with adventurers.

 ”Whoa… are all these people adventurers?”

 Kazumi was overwhelmed. Well, I was too.

 ”Yeah. The second floor is a cafeteria, and there are people overflowing because they can’t get in there. Most of them are here to take on requests or looking for party members.”

 Liz answered while looking around.

 There was a corkboard covering a whole wall, filled with what looked like request papers.

 ”There should be member recruitment notices too, right?”

 Liz stretched a bit and picked one up.

 ”Let’s see… ‘Killer Bear Subjugation Request. Three silver coins for each front paw. For details, please go to the counter.’ Even though it’s a subjugation, it’s more like a material request. That’s a pretty good job.”

 ”That’s a larger than normal bear. Probably a rank C monster?”

 Martina explained.

 ”It’s not fast, but it’s strong. If you get hit by a blow to the head, you’ll be in big trouble.”

 Liz laughed. …No, that’s not funny.

 ”Liz! Come over here with everyone!”

 Elberhardt was waving from the reception counter in the back.

 We moved over to the counter.

* * *

 ”At the guild headquarters, we’ve revamped the method for determining adventurer ranks.”

 Elberhardt said, giving a nod to the receptionist.

 The receptionist nodded back and pulled out a large crystal orb from under the counter.

 ”We finally managed to mass-produce what we asked ‘Sage’ Milia for.”

 ”What is this?”

 ”It’s a magic tool that reads the basic physical abilities, skills, and combat experience from the memories of the person who places their hand on it, and then it determines their level based on that. Right now, we’re reviewing the ranks of adventurers with this magic tool. It’s a key part of the guild reform.”

 ”…That’s amazing…”

 It’s honestly impressive.

 ”Now, first up is Liz. Since you’re a registered adventurer, you can try it out first.”

 Called by name, Liz nervously placed her hand on the crystal orb. It emitted a soft glow, and after a while, the glow faded.

 ”How did it go?”

 Elberhardt asked the receptionist.

 ”…Congratulations. Your adventurer rank has been upgraded from D to C. Your basic physical abilities, archery skills, and combat experience have increased and meet the required level.”

 ”Seriously? Awesome!”

 Liz did a victory pose.

 ”I’ll rewrite your registration card now.”

 Liz took out her card from her chest and handed it to the receptionist.

 ”Isn’t that amazing?”

 Elberhardt puffed out his chest with a smug look.

 ”Are we measuring here to register as adventurers?”

 Kazumi asked anxiously.

 ”That’s right. Now, it’s your turn to put your hand on it.”

 ”What if it’s low…? I might drag Hiroya down…”

 ”Don’t worry about that, Kazumi. I always count on you.”

 With my encouragement, Kazumi hesitantly reached out to the crystal orb.

 It glowed softly like before, then eventually faded.

 ”…Huh…”

 The receptionist’s expression changed to one of surprise.

 ”…Was it bad…?”

 ”What about her?”

 Kazumi and Elberhardt pressed the receptionist for answers.

 ”No… She’s a child, so her physical ability is low and doesn’t even reach G rank. However… her beginner magic, fire type, is at the maximum level… What is this? She’s still a child, right?”

 ”Yay!”

 Kazumi did a small fist pump. So cute.

 ”That’s fine. What about her rank?”

 Elberhardt urged her to continue.

 ”Due to her lack of combat experience and low physical ability, her adventurer rank is… still D!?”

 ”Alright! That’s only one rank lower than Liz! I’ll do my best!”

 ”Then let’s get you registered.”

 ”Understood. Please go to the room in the back, Lady Kazumi.”

 Kazumi skipped toward the indicated room.

 ”Next is me!”

 ”You registered in the royal capital, right? There was an explanation in the letter from Shinji. Let’s get a reissue after the rank measurement.”

 Martina placed her hand on the crystal orb. The result was──

 ”Rank C. Your physical ability and Thief skills both meet the C standard. No issues with combat experience.”

 ”When I graduated from the training facility and registered, I was D! I’ve gone up!”

 ”…To be D at graduation… Minister, are you bringing in some amazing people?”

 ”No, don’t worry about it. Martina, could you also go to the room in the back?”

 ”Okay, Big Brother Hiroya! I’ll go ahead!”

 ”Martina is impressive. Even though I have way more experience as an adventurer, our ranks are the same.”

 Liz looked exasperated.

 ”Next is Rena!”

 …She’s the scariest one… I wonder what her result will be.

 Rena placed her hand on the orb, and it reacted.

 ”…Is this broken?”

 The receptionist’s face was already expressionless.

 ”Your physical ability is low, and you haven’t reached G rank. Still, your beginner magic is at maximum in all areas… Overall, you clear B rank.”

 ”Since I can’t use advanced magic, this is about right.”

 ”What do you mean?”

 ”Nothing! Should Rena go to the back room too?”

 For a moment, Rena had a goddess-like expression.

 ”…Rena really is amazing…”

 Liz muttered quietly.

 ”Now, finally, it’s Hiroya’s turn. Please go ahead.”

 Elberhardt smiled and gestured for me.

 I placed my hand on the crystal orb, feeling a bit nervous. The result was──

 ”…Minister. It seems this is broken too.”

 ”What did it say?”

 ”…If we only look at physical ability, it’s low like the other kids. But for a child, being F-rank is amazing, right? ── No, more than that, the sword skills and Physical Boost magic… are at max level. …An overall A rank is… strange, right? This is broken.”

 ”A rank! Hahaha! That makes sense!”

 Liz laughs out loud.

 ”No, it’s not broken. It’s just that, for Fighter types, an important factor called ‘physique’ isn’t taken into account. We have to make a judgment call on that… for example…”

 Elberhardt turns to me and asks.

 ”Hiroya, you can’t use ‘Physical Boost’ at full power, can you?”

 He hits a sore spot. Yes, that’s my biggest weakness.

 ”Yes… with my current body… or rather, my physique, the strain is too much.”

 ”I thought so…”

 Elberhardt nods.

 ”Can you wait a moment?”

 He tells the receptionist that, and takes Liz and me into a back room.

 ”Kazumi, Rena, come here for a second…”

 He calls the two of them into the back room and leads us further inside.

 ”Liz and Martina, please keep watch here. We need to have an important discussion.”

 They look surprised for a moment but quickly nod seriously.

* * *

 ”Now then… where should I start…”

 Elberhardt says as he sits down on the sofa.

 ”First, let me ask clearly. You two were reincarnated in this world from Japan, right?”

 ””!””

 ”…Why?”

 Rena asks with a serious expression.

 ”Well, let’s put that aside for now… Rena. I recognize you. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time… and I remembered. You still have a resemblance.”

 ”…What do you mean?”

 ”I saw a woman who looked like you in Japan. I followed her, and then I ended up in this world… when I was 8 years old.”

 ”Eh…”

 Rena’s expression changes to one of surprise.

 ”I’m German. When I was 6, my mother, who was a pr**titute, took me to Japan. She was a mistress of the Yakuza…”

 Elberhardt continues his story.

 ”The Yakuza lost their lives in a conflict, and my mother died in the crossfire. I became an orphan in a foreign country and was taken to an orphanage. …When I turned 8, I escaped from the orphanage and went out into the city. That’s when I saw a woman with silver hair… I thought she might be from the same country, so I followed her.”

 Elberhardt strokes his own silver hair as he continues.

 ”Then, I was suddenly enveloped in a bright light… and the woman was gone, leaving me alone in this world. So, in my case, it feels like I was a ‘transported person,’ right?”

 He says this while looking at Rena with nostalgia.

* * *

 According to his story, shortly after that, he was picked up by an adventurer party and raised by the leader, who was a swordsman.

 ”I’m 8 years old… and I don’t understand the language of this world… Plus, I started sword training with my original body’s physique, not the ‘fast-growing body of childhood’ from this world. An uncle who is a swordsman trained me. Maybe it suited me, because I quickly got stronger. With the support of the guild master at that time, I became an S-rank adventurer at 10 years old, met Shinji, Megumi, and Milia, and defeated the Demon King when I was 12.”

 After saying that, he looked at me.

 ”So, I really understand the struggles you had at 8 years old. The frustration of your physique holding you back.”

 Elberhardt smiled as he said this.

 ”And Rena is that… silver-haired woman from that time, right?”

 ”…Yes, that’s right. No doubt about it. …I can’t believe I was going back and forth between Japan and here…”

 Rena’s eyes glistened with tears.

 ”You followed me here… I’m sorry… it must have been really tough for you…”

 Rena’s tone changed to something we didn’t know. It was probably how the goddess spoke.

 ”No, please don’t apologize. I was already all alone in that other world. I even escaped from the facility… well, I was planning to die.”

 We all looked up in shock.

 ”But, when I chased after a beautiful lady, I ended up in this world. Here, I made many important friends and companions. I’m really grateful.”

 Elberhardt laughed.

* * *

 ”Hiroya and Kazumi are definitely children who carry the blood of Shinji, Megumi, and Knight Müller. So, I thought they were reincarnated in this world with only their ‘souls’ while having memories of their past lives…”

 Elberhardt asked Rena.

 ”Yes. This was also my mistake; they lost their lives in the original world. So, they were reborn as people in this world. That’s why Hiroya is the son of O’Brian Baron, and Kazumi is definitely the daughter of Knight Müller.”

 ”…I see. I understand. Shinji had consulted me about this… he probably realizes something about the two of them.”

 I nodded at Elberhardt’s words. Dad always seemed to notice something.

 ”So, you said you ‘made them be reincarnated,’ but are you really Rena… no, are you some kind of god?”

 ”I can’t tell you clearly, but… it’s something close to that.”

 ”…I understand. Of course, I will never tell anyone about Hiroya, Kazumi, and you. Please keep my secrets too. The only one who knows I’m a transported person is Shinji… Hiroya’s father.”

 ”I understand… and thank you.”

 Rena bowed her head. Kazumi and I bowed our heads too.

 ”Oh! You don’t need to thank me… I feel like I should be the one thanking you!”

 Elberhardt hurriedly flustered.

 ”So, it seems you were reincarnated with memories of your past life, but how old are your hearts?”

 ”I died at 23 years old.”

 ”I’m 29 years old…”

 ”Haha! That’s great! I just turned 25, so we’re almost the same age!”

 Saying that, Elberhardt smiled happily.

* * *

 ”Anyway, considering the physical limits due to your build and the fact that ‘Physical Boost’ can’t be fully utilized at your level… I’d say you’re close to a B rank, but still a C.”

 This was an important topic. I had forgotten about the shocking fact that Elberhardt was a teleportation user.

 ”About that… I have a question.”

 ”Sure, Hiroya. Ask me anything.”

 ”Mr. Elberhardt, um… how did you overcome your build to reach S rank… and even defeat the Demon King?”

 My biggest concern was his build and stamina. Achieving such feats as a transported person, while still being a child from his original world, would definitely be helpful for me.

 I stared at ‘transported person’ Elberhardt with serious eyes.

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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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