Volume 1 Chapter 17 The Villainous Guildmaster, Turning Misfit into First-Class Talent
One rainy day.
When I showed up for work, there was a small figure loitering in front of the Guild.
Rain poured relentlessly from the gray sky, soaking everything in sight.
Yet the figure stood there, unmoving, without even an umbrella.
"Hey," I said, my voice sharp as the downpour. "Who the hell are you?"
"Ah! I—I'm so sorry!"
The person flinched, as if struck.
Drenched from head to toe, the kid looked more like a lost animal than a person.
Rain ran down his face like tears.
"You're in the way."
"S-sorry... I'll go home..."
I clicked my tongue. "Where do you think you're going?"
"Huh...?"
"That's the entrance. Customers are coming. If you've got something to say, do it inside. So get moving."
I turned on my heel and opened the door without waiting for an answer.
"Frederica. Take them to the shower room. And later, get them a change of clothes."
"As expected of the Master. So very kind," Frederica said with her usual grin.
"Don't get the wrong idea,"
I replied, brushing rain from my coat.
"If I left a soaked kid out there, it'd hurt the Guild's reputation."
Frederica chuckled but didn't argue.
She led the soaked figure away without another word.
* * *
A little while later.
In my office.
"Sir Act," Frederica said as she returned, "that person... is actually a boy."
"Is that so?"
He had a slender frame, large eyes, and a delicate face that made me mistake him for a girl.
A pretty boy. Rare, but not unheard of.
"I don't care."
I looked him over.
"You. What's your name?"
He sat stiffly on the couch, hands in his lap, eyes wide with uncertainty.
"I-I'm... Eli."
"I see. Eli," I nodded.
"You've been kicked out of your party, haven't you?"
His head snapped up.
"Y-yes...! Um, how did you know?"
"You can tell when someone's been thrown away just by looking into their eyes."
Eyes empty of hope. Eyes I'd once seen in my own reflection.
"I heard a rumor. That in the Gem of Heavenly Gift... there's a Guildmaster kinder than anyone. Who cares for the members like family. The greatest Guildmaster in history..."
He took a shaky breath.
"And I thought maybe... maybe he'd take someone like me in."
I narrowed my eyes.
"That's a load of nonsense. Who's spreading such ridiculous rumors?"
"I—I really don't know!"
His panic was obvious.
But I could guess.
Frederica.
"It's true," I admitted, "that I gather people who've been abandoned. But that doesn't mean I take everyone in."
He gave a hollow laugh.
"Ahaha... right. There must be conditions. Someone like me—useless, a jinx—wouldn't qualify."
I stared at him in silence.
Then I said, "The only condition is whether you have the drive or not. That's it."
His breath caught.
"Got... any drive...?"
"Every human has talent they're not aware of. I find it. I nurture it. But..."
I leaned forward, locking eyes with him.
"It's a waste of time to develop someone who doesn't have the will."
In those eyes, buried under fear and doubt, I saw it.
The glimmer of something immense.
An unpolished gem shining through the mud.
"You may not realize it, but you've got an incredible talent. In the past few years, I'd say it's on par with Ulgar... the spearman who joined the Hero Party."
His body trembled.
"...I can't believe that."
Tears welled up and spilled down his cheeks.
"I've always been clumsy... everything I do ends in failure. I've always caused trouble for everyone around me... They called me a jinx."
He bit his lip hard, shoulders shaking.
"...I'm worthless."
"Look up, Eli."
I put a hand on his shoulder, firm.
His tear-filled eyes met mine.
"I've spotted countless talents. And I'm telling you—you've got a stronger magic talent than anyone I've seen."
His lips parted, breath shuddering.
"...Do I... really have talent?"
"Yeah," I said.
"An exceptional one. Trust me, Eli."
I held out my hand.
For a moment, he just stared at it.
Then, wiping his tears on his sleeve, he reached out and took it.
In his eyes now burned something far brighter.
Will.
"I'm counting on you, Guildmaster!"
* * *
Later.
At the Guild's training facility.
"Heh... ha... heh..."
Eli ran lap after lap around the grounds, his breath ragged but determined.
Frederica approached, raising a brow.
"Master, doesn't he have a talent for magic? Why are you making him run?"
I didn't take my eyes off him.
"Because he's a magician, his body must be strong."
Magic consumes mana, which creates intense physical feedback.
The rebound from wielding that power can crush a frail body.
If a mage fears that rebound, they unconsciously suppress their true strength.
So we train the body.
Until it can withstand anything.
Frederica nodded, arms crossed.
"I see. As expected of you, Master. I thought you were just bullying the newbie."
"I don't waste my time on such pointless things."
BAM!
Eli collapsed, face-first into the dirt.
I walked over.
"Is that all it takes for you to give up? You weakling. Get up."
"Wait... please...!"
His fingers dug into the earth.
"I can still go on!"
He staggered to his feet, legs trembling but eyes sharp.
"The Guildmaster... made this regimen for me. So I can get stronger...! I want to live up to that expectation!"
With a roar, he took off running again.
"I don't want to be a loser anymore! GAAAAH!"
He pushed beyond his limits.
And eventually, as expected, he collapsed again.
This time, he didn't get up.
I picked him up and carried him on my back.
He was lighter than he looked.
"...Thank you for carrying me."
"What are you thanking me for? If you catch a cold and slow down our progress, it'll just be a waste."
"...You're really kind," he murmured.
"I like you... just the way you are."
He hugged me tightly from behind.
Frederica, watching us with a smile that was almost teasing, said,
"As expected of the Master. Not just women—but even men are captivated by you. You truly are a charming and wonderful human."
* * *
Two months had passed.
At the Guild's training grounds.
"[NOVA STRIKE]!"
A massive fireball erupted from the tip of Eli's staff, scorching the air with blinding heat.
It howled across the grounds like a comet and exploded dead center.
BOOM!
The blast swallowed the training golems in a furious inferno, shattering the reinforced barriers as if they were glass.
When the smoke cleared, there was nothing left but scorched earth and molten stone.
Frederica let out a breath, her usual calm replaced by genuine awe.
"Impressive," she murmured. "To unleash such power without an incantation, and in such a short time... Even the defensive barriers couldn't hold. You're a genius."
Eli lowered his staff, chest rising and falling with exhilaration. Then his eyes found me, and a grin broke across his face.
"Guildmaster! I did it!"
He sprinted toward me without hesitation.
And then he threw his arms around me, clinging tightly from the front.
"I never thought... I never thought I had this kind of magic talent... sniff... it's all thanks to you, Guildmaster."
I exhaled slowly, resting a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't be ridiculous. The talent was yours from the beginning. I only helped bring it out."
Talent isn't something you can give to someone.
It's something granted from above.
I merely polished the raw diamond that had always been Eli.
"Hold your head high, Eli. That strength—and the effort that brought it forth—belongs to you."
His breath hitched.
And then, like a child who'd finally found a home, he broke down.
"Ugh... Waaaaaah! Guildmaster!"
He sobbed against me, clinging as if he'd never let go.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
I let him cry for a moment, then spoke firmly.
"It's too early to be grateful. You've only finished basic training. The real battle begins now—and practice will be many times harsher. Can you keep up?"
Eli sniffed hard, wiping his tears with his sleeve. His eyes, red from crying, now shone with something fiercer.
"Yes! I... I'll give it everything I've got! For you!"
I smiled.
"Good. I expect nothing less."
* * *
A few days later.
In my room as Guildmaster.
"Master," Frederica reported calmly, "it seems Eli has succeeded in the Flame Dragon Extermination alongside his comrades."
I set my pen down, intrigued.
"Even though S-rank Olga was in the party, they worked together well, and it was Eli's massive magic that delivered the finishing blow."
Since then, Eli had grown at an extraordinary speed—an unshakable force among S-Rank adventurers.
From basic training until now, his achievements were undeniable. Countless guilds had already started sniffing around, sending inquiries and offers.
"Goodness," I murmured with a smile, "those folks sure are eager."
Frederica smirked faintly.
"No, it's them who lack insight. As expected of you, Master. You saw his talent and nurtured it from the start."
And then—
BANG!
The door slammed open.
"HEY! ARE YOU THE GUILDMASTER HERE?!"
A group of rough-looking men swaggered in, the stench of trouble hanging on them like smoke.
They weren't adventurers. Not respectable ones, anyway.
"Guildmaster! My achievements—oh..."
Eli had entered just behind them but froze when he saw the crowd. His face paled. His hands trembled at his sides.
The man at the front—the apparent leader—grinned when he spotted him.
"Hey there, Eli. You've become quite capable, huh?"
Eli dropped his gaze, his body stiff.
"W-what do you want?"
The man's grin widened, teeth yellow and sharp.
"What do you think? I came to take you back. Now let's go."
He seized Eli's arm roughly, yanking him forward.
"N-no... help..."
Eli's voice cracked as he struggled uselessly.
The man sneered.
"I'll make good use of you, Eli! It's an honor, right? Hahaha—"
THUD!
The laughter cut off as the man's body crashed into the wall, slumping to the floor in a heap.
"Guildmaster!" Eli gasped.
I stepped forward, placing a hand protectively on Eli's shoulder.
I stared down at the man like he was something stuck to my boot.
"I'm still raising him with care. It's too early to send him out. Especially not to a lowlife like you."
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