Volume 5 Chapter 1 Invitation
A few days after seeing off Mudi and Philia as they set off on another journey into the dungeon, I was sitting in the guild.
The adventurers around me were staring at me with a mix of fear and confusion in their eyes.
"Hey... why is Wade here? It's creepy..."
"I don't know... just don't look, it's about those gold-rank monsters."
"Wade's party, is it true they saw off Platinum Torch's party before?"
"If you're curious, go ask, don't ask me...!"
Feeling irritated by the murmurs, I glared in the direction of the voices. A guy older than me, with a well-built physique, looked scared and hurriedly walked away.
"...Monsters, huh."
I let out a sigh and looked at my left hand wrapped in a gauntlet, muttering to myself, "Can't blame them."
Today, there was a reason I was alone in the guild. I had been summoned.
However, I seemed to have arrived a bit early, so I found myself with time on my hands.
"It's fine to have free time, but being in the guild isn't ideal..."
It was like being on pins and needles. Among the iron, copper, and silver adventurers milling about, having just one gold adventurer there was probably like having the boss on the scene. It was annoying.
"I made a ridiculously accurate analogy... or maybe not?"
Scratching my head, I slouched on the table without much enthusiasm. As the weather was getting chilly, the warmth of the guild was comforting.
While idly passing the time with pointless thoughts, I was approached, "Um, excuse me!"
Raising my head, I saw a party of people around my age standing there in a row. I felt like I had seen them somewhere before.
Curious, I listened.
"...A fellow trainee?"
"Yes, um, hi! Oh, it's been a while, Wade!"
"...Sorry, I just guessed, I don't really remember."
"Oh, I see..."
They seemed dejected, but I was slightly pleased by their response, which was not disdainful, and I responded with a slightly higher tone.
"But it's rare for fellow trainees to talk like this, so it feels fresh. So, what do you need from me?"
"Um, well... that..."
The boy with short hair, who seemed like the leader, hesitated.
"Um, we've heard rumors! We've always admired you and heard about you."
"Haha, thank you."
"Well, we're about to reach the copper rank soon! Even the receptionist said we're excellent."
Listening to the hesitant boy, I quickly estimated. Generally, it takes about 5 years after debuting as an adventurer at the age of 15 to reach the copper rank and acquire new magic.
In other words, the boy was talking about achieving a promotion that usually takes an average of 5 years in just one year. That was quite impressive.
"Wow, that's amazing. Congratulations."
"Oh, thank you! Your words give me confidence, Wade... So, um, we were wondering if you could give us some advice."
"Sure, no problem."
As I nodded, the boy said,
"If you're willing, would you consider joining our party as an advisor? We're just a little short. We thought you could quickly identify our weaknesses!"
"Um...?"
It seemed heavier than I thought, and I furrowed my brows. Joining them...?
"You've heard the rumors about me, right?"
"Y-yes! That's why..."
"Well, um, I'm the leader of my party, so even if I were invited elsewhere, I can't accept."
"But it's just as an advisor! You don't have to be with us all the time! Just occasionally join us...!"
"Hmm... We're not even close enough for me to remember your name."
"Please try to remember!"
Thinking it over, I tried to dodge the situation with a forced smile. It felt somewhat like when Mudi hesitated to take me as his disciples.
Mudi really handled it well. No, that's not it. He only accepted because he was offered a huge sum of money. And Alex's threats, too.
"At this point, giving advice is fine, but if it's going to have a big impact in the future, that's a bit much. For example,"
I look at the boy.
"Maybe you're working hard with your bow based on how your muscles are developing, but the way you're wearing that armor makes quite a bit of noise. It's not good if you get noticed, you know. Making noise scares away prey and attracts unnecessary attention, so it's not a good thing."
"Oh...! Thank you! I'll replace the armor right away! ...And then"
He still won't let me go.
"I want to ask for your amazing observation skills again! As our advisor, to join our party--"
"--Hey, Wade. What's this weakling?"
"Oh, Frain."
The one who called me over, Frain, stood there looking displeased.
"Oh, um, Frain..."
"What? Why are you calling me by my name like that?"
"Hey, don't get too involved. We're fellow trainee after all. I was just giving advice."
"Hah, that's kind of you. Let's get straight to the point then."
"Oh, um, about my invitation..."
Just as Frain was about to start talking, the fellow classmate chimed in. And I came up with a good idea and smiled warmly.
Frain's response was swift.
He delivered a punch right to the face of the boy. I could have dodged it, but it was impossible for the boy. He let out a cry and fell to the ground.
Frain said,
"If someone who can't even dodge that asks, they'll be considered an accomplice, abducted, tortured, and it would be better to die. If you value your life, disappear quickly."
The boy, now crying and disoriented, was carried away by his party members. After seeing them off, I said to Frain,
"You're kind, aren't you?"
"You're too cruel for thinking of involving him, Wade. He's just a rookie. The lowest rank, you know? Think of it as a person's life."
"I think humans can endure quite a bit."
"That may be true for you and your group. You're a true broken hero who reached the gold rank in less than half a year after graduation. Well, I don't know your values, Wade."
A broken hero. I wonder why we're called 'broken' now. Well, I kind of understand why we're called that.
"So? I have an idea, but let's get to the point, Frain."
"...Alright, let's do that."
Frain glanced somewhere, and suddenly the surrounding sounds faded away. Instead, the sound of the wind filled the air.
"I've silenced the sound with our magician companion. Our conversation won't leak outside, and we won't hear what's happening outside."
"Wow, that's a handy magic."
"I don't mind, but Kadras can be noisy."
After saying that, Frain made eye contact with me.
Then he says this.
"I called you here today for none other than the big stage to crush the Nightfather. I'll let you have a part in the final act, Wade."
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