Early TBAGM Vol. 1 Chapter 4 Part 1

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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Chapter 4 - An Ordinary Person with Extraordinary Potential

Last night, Ellis and Serina said they would take care of Elna and brought her to their room.

Apparently, the three of them slept side by side. That likely helped them grow closer.

When Nero heard about it, he looked at me with envy... but no, that’s absolutely not happening.

This morning, I gave Nero the same task as yesterday.

He was to learn how to destroy Ellis’s moving 【Water Ball】 spells.

The sensation would be vastly different from striking stationary spells.

I observed the early stages of the training. He was struggling quite a bit.

Still, Nero was stubborn. I had no doubt he’d push through.

—

“Humm humm humm~”

Elna hummed a cheerful tune as she walked beside me.

We were on our way to the Adventurer’s Association.

I had asked Orgus to help me find a competent person to handle a management position.

Apparently, he had already found a promising candidate. Since this person would likely work closely with Elna, I brought her along to meet them.

“Lord Lloyd, I feel so happy right now.”

Elna held my hand tightly so she wouldn’t get separated.

It truly felt like being a parent, and that made me hesitate just a little.

“I’m glad to hear that. But... sorry. You should be playing at your age, not working.”

Elna was ten. Normally, she’d be spending her days laughing with friends.

But she thumped her chest with pride and said,

“It’s fine. If you don’t work, you don’t eat.”

“Haha... Where’d you hear that one?”

“Nero said it.”

“Right. Nero and I need to have a talk.”

What kind of nonsense was he teaching this pure-hearted ten-year-old?

“This is the Adventurer’s Association.”

“Whoa~!”

Elna looked up at the massive building towering in front of her, eyes wide in awe.

Smiling at her innocent reaction, I led her inside.

—

When we arrived at Orgus’ office, I decided to introduce Elna first.

“This is Elna. I plan to entrust her with the alchemist guild in the future.”

“So this is the ‘golden egg’ alchemist Mr. Lloyd mentioned? She’s quite the charming young lady.”

“She is. Elna has the potential to become the best in the kingdom—and in terms of cuteness, she’s unbeatable.”

Yep, Orgus definitely gets it.

“You’re totally smitten... Honestly, she just looks like a normal cute girl to me.”

As he activated 【Appraisal】 on Elna, Orgus furrowed his brows.

Then, realizing the difference between our appraisal abilities, he slumped in defeat.

Even so, I had high hopes for Orgus. He was someone I personally recognized, and he hadn’t stopped improving himself.

.

Intelligence: B → A

.

He had reached the maximum potential of A in Intelligence.

He must have poured over books and documents endlessly; there were dark circles under his eyes as proof.

“You’re doing fine. Your growth is steady.”

“Haha... What does it say about me when I’m getting comforted by someone twenty years younger?”

Scratching his head, Orgus chuckled awkwardly.

“By the way, what about the person you said could take on a management role?”

“Ah, yes... Nick, come in.”

At his call, a young man entered the room.

“Hey there. I’m Nick.”

The casual-looking youth gave a brief nod.

Startled by the stranger, Elna quickly ducked behind my back.

“Just so you know—I don’t do honorifics, and I don’t care about hierarchy or any of that. If you’re hiring me, that’s the level of compromise I expect.”

Apparently put off by Nick’s attitude, Elna hissed from behind me like a cat, glaring at him in warning.

“You’re annoying.”

“Huh? A Dark Elf, huh? Doesn’t matter what some brat says from behind a shadow. That won’t work on me.”

“...Ugh.”

Nick’s response was practically a provocation. And unfortunately, he wasn’t wrong; Elna had no comeback.

“Well done, Orgus. This is exactly the kind of person I was looking for.”

“Right? I had a pretty good feeling about him.”

I smiled at the mildly overbearing Nick.

Then I stepped forward and held out my hand to him.

“Nick. I understand your intentions. I want to bring you on not only as the guild’s operations manager but also as a blacksmith.”

“What!?”

Nick’s eyes widened in disbelief at my words.

Judging from his reaction, my guess had been spot-on.

“You act that way because you don’t want to be confined to a pure management role. And you wanted to test my abilities too, didn’t you?”

“W-What are you talking about!?”

Nick was flustered, like he was following a textbook example of how to panic.

It made sense. His whole attitude had been a calculated move to make us reject him.

.

[Name] Nick (17)

[Title] Unaffiliated – D-rank Blacksmith

[Stats] Vitality C/A, Magic D/C, Ambition B/A
      Leadership B/S, Intelligence C/B

[Skills] Guild Administration B/S, Mana Infusion E/A

[Inherent Trait] None

[Profession] Blacksmith

[Attributes] Metal Shaping E/S, Ornamentation E/A, Design D/A

.

These specs were exceptionally high. Even without an inherent trait, he was undeniably gifted.

I had already unearthed most of the promising adventurers, but among blacksmiths and alchemists, many untapped talents were still waiting to be found.

“You want to be a blacksmith, don’t you? But your talent in administration surfaced first. Am I wrong?”

“How did you...?”

“Like Orgus, I possess the 【Appraisal】 skill. And clearly, you tested me because you doubted my capabilities, right?”

“Ghh...”

Nick was at a loss for words; I had hit the mark.

He wasn’t the kind of person who should be confined to a management post.

He had the potential to surpass even Abaddon, the guildmaster of the One-Eyed Workshop.

“I want you to become the head of the new blacksmith guild I’m establishing.”

“...Huh?”

His stunned voice echoed through the room.

“And the girl hiding behind me—she’s the one I intend to appoint as head of the alchemist guild.”

I shifted my gaze toward Elna, who was still glaring and hiding behind me.

Nick raised his voice the moment he heard my words.

“Y-You’ve got to be kidding! That little girl’s going to be a guildmaster!? And you want me—someone you just met—to be a guildmaster too!? Are you out of your mind!?”

“I already know you have talent. Both as a manager and as a blacksmith.”

“What the hell do you know!? You don’t know a damn thing about me! All my life, people only ever said, ‘You’re good at administration.’ I gave up everything I wanted to do just to get this far!”

Nick shouted as if he were purging all the resentment he had kept bottled up until now.

“That’s right! I acted like this on purpose! I wanted you to say I wasn’t cut out for management! And now you want me to be a guildmaster!? I don’t get it anymore...”

Once he finished spilling everything, he looked at me while clutching his head.

Apparently, he had never signed a proper contract before. He had probably made a living doing odd blacksmithing jobs. No doubt he had been stuck managing schedules and logistics at various work sites.

Given that, it made sense that none of his other abilities had developed beyond administration.

“That’s an easy one. What do you want to do?”

I asked him directly, without beating around the bush.

He gasped sharply. Once he seemed to gather his thoughts, his expression settled. With a look of resolve, he finally said:

“I... I want to be a blacksmith.”

Good. Just the answer I had hoped for.

There were geniuses in this world; people who saw average folks as little more than insects.

But there were also those who surpassed even geniuses.

From my experience, they were the ones who could throw themselves into what they loved with everything they had.

“Then how about working with me? I can help you grow to your fullest potential.”

“I’ll vouch for him too. Mr. Lloyd has helped me out a great deal. I owe him.”

“Even the Chairman!?”

The Chairman of the Adventurer’s Association was considered the supreme authority among adventurers.

If someone like that expressed a debt of gratitude, it alone was enough to earn trust.

“F-Fine. But if you let me down, I’m quitting right away!”

“I’ll do my best to meet your expectations.”

Ah, so this was what they called the tsundere archetype.

I took Nick’s reluctantly extended hand and shook it firmly with a smile.

†

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