Early TBAGM Vol. 1 Chapter 4 Part 4

Full title: The Banished Advisor’s Guild Management

Note: If you found any typos/mistakes, pls write them in the comment. Thanks.

Translator: Canon

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While Lloyd was attending the Guildmaster Conference, those assigned to training were steadily becoming aware of their own growth.

Elna, who had tried various methods on the clay, found that none had any effect. She had completely hit a wall. Yet, she felt no anxiety.

(Lord Lloyd mentioned 【Magic Manipulation】. Does that mean it won’t change shape unless I use magic?)

She desperately tried to recall Lloyd’s exact words, one by one. If Lord Lloyd said it could be done, then it could. He had bought her because he saw potential, because he believed in her. She had to live up to that expectation.

She repeated that thought over and over in her mind. Despite only recently meeting him, Elna was already deeply devoted to Lloyd. No—perhaps “devoted” wasn’t the right word. It was more akin to the trust and security a child felt toward a parent.

(Magic... what is magic?)

Having lived as a slave, Elna lacked even basic education. She didn’t understand the concept of magic at all. Normally, transforming this clay would require not only a solid grasp of magical theory but also mastery of the skill 【Magic Manipulation】.

But Lloyd had deliberately refrained from explaining it. He believed in her potential.

And as he hoped, Elna awakened.

(W-What is this? This yellow haze...?)

The moment she tried to become aware of magic, she perceived a faint yellow glow surrounding her.

Without being told, her mind instinctively understood what it was.

“This is... magic!”

Elna’s face lit up with joy as she laid eyes on magic for the first time.

(As expected of Lord Lloyd! To share something this fascinating with me!)

In this world, those who could actually see magic were few enough to count on one hand.

And among them, Elna stood out. Her ability didn’t stem from a skill, but from her innate trait—a unique gift.

Unwilling to stop at mere recognition, she reached toward the haze with her hand.

“This... is fun!”

For a while, Elna completely forgot her assignment to reshape the clay. Instead, she began playing with the haze of magic: shrinking it, expanding it, stretching it like a toy.

.

【Magic Manipulation】 E → C

.

—

“Crap. Maybe I overdid it.”

Nick finally realized what he had done after exhausting all the prepared metal.

Before him lay only remnants—twisted shapes, fusions of various alloys—nothing but a pile of scrap.

“But the assignment Lloyd gave me was to mess with metal, right?”

Nick stared at the heap and scratched his head.

(【Magic Breaker】, 【Water Ball】, and 【Magic Manipulation】...)

Unlike the others, Nick didn’t possess an inherent trait.

He was just an ordinary person, someone whose passion didn’t quite align with his natural talents.

Which was why he felt a creeping anxiety; a fear of being left behind.

(I’ve got to do something, too!)

Unbeknownst to him, Nick had already accomplished exactly what Lloyd had anticipated.

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【Metal Shaping】 E → C

.

Still, he remained anxious. Now that he had finally earned the title of blacksmith, the idea of being cast aside as useless terrified him.

“All right! Let’s do this!”

Nick gathered up the scattered iron scraps and began melting them in a furnace.

Yes—he had decided to recycle the remnants.

“I can do this. I was chosen by Lloyd for a reason!”

Nick didn’t yet have faith in himself. After all, all he’d done was fiddle with metal; something anyone could do.

But Lloyd was different. Lloyd saw something in him.

Nick was finally beginning to understand that.

At the same time, he sensed that Lloyd wasn’t one of the born geniuses either; he was one of the strivers. Like him.

“Can effort really make up for what you lack? Well, I guess you can’t beat geniuses with hard work alone...”

Murmuring self-deprecating jokes, Nick threw himself into constant trial and error.

He had yet to realize that those words would one day become reality.

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NEW! [Unique Skill] 【Scrap Reforging】 D / S

.

 †

While I, Lloyd, was returning from the Guildmaster Conference, I headed back to the guild with high expectations for their growth.

“Hm? The four of them haven’t returned yet?”

I bowed slightly to Serina, who always greeted me at the entrance, and asked. Still, I couldn’t help but think: she was far too competent. Just by having her around, the entire guild seemed to run significantly more smoothly.

“I believe they’re still training.”

“Got it. I’ll go ahead and call them back.”

Handing off my belongings to Serina, I decided to retrieve Elna and Nick first.

—

“Hey, El—na!?”

I stepped into the alchemist guild building and immediately froze, heightening my vigilance.

The density of magic in the air surpassed even the lower levels of a dungeon. It was so concentrated that my instincts were screaming at me to flee.

Oblivious to my tension, Elna turned from her desk and noticed me.

“Ah, Lord Lloyd! I can use 【Magic Manipulation】 now!”

“N-No way...”

I quickly cast 【Appraisal】 on her.

What appeared shocked me—it far exceeded even my most optimistic projections.

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【Magic Manipulation】 E → C

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“What happened to the clay I gave you?”

“This.”

I had left the guild earlier hoping—at best—that she might reach D-rank in a day.

That was why I had prepared clay that wouldn't respond to manipulation unless she reached D-rank. And yet, the clay was now gone. In its place—

“...Huh?”

What was this doll?

There, in front of me, stood a clay figure that looked like it had been crafted by a seasoned artisan. It had a few rough edges, but the details were clear. It was unmistakably modeled after me.

Could she really have made this?

“Lord Lloyd! Magic is so fun!”

Elna beamed at me, overjoyed.

I wasn’t in any state to offer her praise. I still hadn’t grasped what had just happened.

“Uuuuhhhh—!?”

A strangled cry escaped my throat.

Elna, shrinking back slightly, tilted her head and asked,

“Oh, did I overdo it?”

“No, I was just... blown away. As expected of you, Elna. You’ve exceeded all my expectations!”

“Really!? Yay!”

I finally managed to pat her head and offer some well-deserved praise.

I hadn’t given her a single hint. In fact, I’d deliberately withheld any explanation of magic.

Because I believed it would be better for her to explore and bond with mana on her own, guided purely by instinct.

That was an unreasonable challenge; something most would give up on instantly.

But Elna had overcome it as if it were a game. A terrifying prodigy.

“Hmm? Lloyd, you’re back.”

“Nick. I was just about to come get you.”

Apparently alarmed by my earlier shout, Nick poked his head in.

His expression was strained, as though worry and unease were quietly eating away at him.

“Elna’s already showing results, isn’t she?”

“Yeah. Far beyond what I anticipated. We might not even need the full two weeks.”

As I spoke, I patted Elna’s head while she stood proudly, puffing out her flat chest.

I had planned for both of them to improve in preparation for the guild showdown, within two weeks.

But Elna had already elevated her 【Magic Manipulation】 to C-rank. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she’d reached the final phase.

Hearing that, Nick’s expression twisted even further.

“...Two weeks?”

“Well, I’ll explain everything later. More importantly, what’s wrong? Are you feeling ill?”

“N-no, not exactly...”

Concerned, I checked his condition.

.

Willpower: 20 / 60

Stamina: 40 / 60

.

His willpower had clearly been depleted, but not to the extent that would explain how exhausted he looked.

I continued by checking his attribute values, only to find one had dropped significantly.

“So that’s what it is...”

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Ambition: B → D

.

It made sense. This was his first job, and he’d landed in a guild full of lunatics. Anyone would feel demoralized.

To top it off, he had just witnessed Elna’s astounding progress. That alone must have dealt a critical blow.

Avoiding my gaze, Nick dropped his eyes to the floor and confessed, clearly struggling with himself.

“Lloyd… I think I’m going to quit the guild.”

“N-Nick! You’re leaving!?”

Elna turned to Nick, her expression clouded with anxiety. To her, Nick was the only peer she had joined with. She must have depended on him more than she realized.

I already knew the reason, but I asked him anyway.

“Why are you saying this all of a sudden? It’s only been a single day of training.”

Nick clenched his fists and spoke with visible difficulty.

“One day was enough to show me everything. At first, I looked down on this bottom-rung guild. It really is dead last in the rankings. But it wasn’t the guild that was bottom-tier—it’s that the people who belong at the top are stuck down here.”

He chuckled bitterly, self-mockingly.

“I’m just a regular guy. I don’t belong with people like you.”

It must have taken him everything to admit it. And yet, he could no longer run from it. The anguish etched into his face said it all.

“But Lord Lloyd picked you! That means Nick has talent too!”

“You’re wrong, Elna.”

Even as Elna mustered her courage to speak up, Nick refused her words.

“I thought that too, so I tried. But looking back now, it wasn’t Lloyd who invited me. It was the Chairman of the Adventurer’s Association. Lloyd didn’t scout me himself.”

“I-is that true?”

Elna looked at me, silently begging me to deny it.

But truth was truth. I gave her a small nod.

“That’s right. Nick wasn’t someone I personally recruited.”

“See? I wasn’t picked like Elna or the others because I had potential. I just had a bit more talent than most average guys. That’s all.”

Nick laughed awkwardly, like he’d finally given up. But his fists were still clenched tightly, and his eyes trembled slightly.

“Well, if you’re really set on leaving, I won’t stop you.”

“Lord Lloyd!”

Elna tugged at my sleeve, clearly pleading for me to say something—anything—to stop Nick.

I understood. Of course, I had no intention of letting Nick go.

“But there’s nowhere else that will help you develop your potential like this place. And if you leave now, you’ll never escape the habit of running away. That’ll cling to you for the rest of your life.”

“Then what the hell am I supposed to do!?”

Nick shouted, clutching his head as though trying to tear the confusion from his mind.

He couldn’t manage the storm of emotions surging within him. And yet, reality wouldn’t wait. Even if he couldn’t decide, the world would continue pushing him to make a choice.

“I just… I just don’t have the confidence to keep up with any of you.”

“Nick, can you bring me the metal you’ve been working on?”

“If it’s compensation you’re looking for—”

“Just bring it. Now.”

I cut him off, my tone sharp and deliberate.

Hanging his head, Nick reluctantly left to fetch the metal from the workshop next door.

—

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