Chapter 90: El’s Friends

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Translator: Soafp

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Two weeks after defeating the Wyvern, on a dark day of the week…

Today, El is going to take on a request with some friends. I’m curious… incredibly curious.

Following them would probably anger even El… but I can’t help but wonder about those guys.

I see El, fully equipped, walking towards the entrance.

“El, I’ve got some business at the guild too, regarding the wyvern incident.”

“Oh, really? Shall I inform them?”

“Hmm, please. Tell them not to sell the magic stones, and I also want to check on the progress of the armor at the armory. Can’t take on any requests without proper armor, after all.”

“It’s understandable considering the state of the current armor.”

“Guess I should go to the guild myself after all.”

“I see, then let’s go together.”

“Yeah, just let me grab my weapons real quick.”

I dash to my room, equip two short swords and two spare knives, then return to El.

It’s a familiar route. As we stroll, we soon arrive at the guild.

Three people wearing brand new armor wave at us from the front.

Glancing sideways at El, he returns the wave.

“Elphus, you’re late!”

“Sorry, Gaius.”

“Who’s that with you?”

“Let me introduce him. He’s my brother, Aldo.”

“Aldo von Blue Ring, a first-year student at the same academy. Nice to meet you.”

“Wasn’t Elphus’ brother the lowest in the magic department?”

(Oof, that hit me right in the feels…)

“Well, I was just having a rough time…”

I took a critical hit right off the bat.

El smiles wryly beside me.

“These three are Gaius, Tifa, and Mark from the knight department. Gaius and Tifa are siblings.”

“I’m Gaius von Bark. I’m this girl’s older brother. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Tifa von Bark. Even though he calls himself my brother, it’s only been two months…”

“Even if it’s just two months, an older brother is still an older brother. Show some respect.”

“Don’t be stupid…”

“Ah, I’m Mark. I’m a commoner, so I don’t have a family name. Nice to meet you.”

Gaius exudes a friendly aura, doesn’t seem like a bad guy. Mark seems to be accompanying Gaius… Tifa’s got a stern look, might not be everyone’s type. Not my type, anyway.

As I observe the three, Gaius speaks with interest.

“Mind if I call you Aldo?”

“Yeah, call me whatever you like.”

“You can call me Gaius too.”

“Got it. Gaius.”

“I heard from Elphus that you always take on requests together. Aren’t you coming along, Aldo?”

Gaius looks at me curiously since I’m not wearing typical armor.

“No, I’m taking a break until my new armor is ready.”

“A break because of the Wyvern incident… Elphus mentioned it, but was it true?”

“I came here today because of that Wyvern incident.”

“I see.”

Mischievous glints appear in Gaius’s eyes.

“Want to have a mock battle sometime? Show us the skills of a Wyvern slayer.”

I look at El and silently asked.

“What do you think?”

El gives a wry smile and nods.

“I’m up for it if it’s light.”

“As expected of Elphus’ older brother. You understand.”

Gaius beams with excitement and laughs loudly.

“Hurry up and get registered!”

“Tifa, don’t be in such a hurry.”

“If we go at this pace, we’ll never finish!”

Gaius shrugs and follows Tifa towards the guild.

“Shall we go too?”

“Yes, Nii-sama.”

“Yes, Aldo-kun.”

“Mark, just call me Aldo.”

“I’m also calling Elphus “Elphus-kun”.

I don’t intend to force anyone, so I raise my hand to indicate my consent.

As soon as the guild’s bustling activity catches sight of me, it suddenly quiets down, like the tide receding. I overhear whispers.

“Here comes the Shura…”

“Don’t look… never make eye contact.”

“Don’t you dare move… you’ll be targeted if you do.”

Me… a Shura? Are they just joking around?

Gaius, Tifa, and Mark seem bewildered by the reactions around them… I ignore it. Ignoring them is less tiring than dealing with them.

Since there’s no one lined up in front of Naga-san, I guide Gaius and the others over.

“Good morning, Naga-san.”

“Good morning, Aldo-kun.”

“It’s about the wyvern magic stones, but I’ve decided I want to use them myself, so please don’t sell them.”

“Understood.”

“And these three want to register as adventurers, it seems.”

“…Aldo-kun, do you remember what I told you earlier?”

“Ah, these three are El’s friends, not mine.”

“I see. Can I have a word with you guys?”

Naga-san seems to address Gaius and the others directly.

“I’m Naga, the sub-guild master. I’m sorry, but children can’t register.”

“But Elphus is already registered!”

“Aldo-kun and Elphus-kun are capable of defeating a wyvern. Can you guys do the same?”

“Well…”

“If you really want to register, there are conditions.”

“Conditions?”

“You can only take on requests if you’re accompanied by Aldo-kun or Elphus-kun.”

“Why?”

“Because you’ll die if it’s just you guys.”

“Wha…”

“I won’t register you under any other conditions.”

“…”

“…”

“…Haa, understood.”

The three reluctantly agree to the conditions.

“Now, please fill out these forms.”

While the three are filling out the forms, Naga-san speaks to me.

“I received confirmation about the discussion with Joeguna-san.”

“I see. But the Wyvern armor isn’t ready yet.”

“Yeah. It’s a big hole we’re dealing with.”

“That’s right…”

“I’ll go to the armory now and find out when the wyvern leather armor will be ready.”

“Understood. Please let me know when it’s ready. I’ll inform Joeguna-san.”

“Yes, thank you.”

By the time Naga-san and I finish talking, Gaius and the others have finished filling out the forms. The next step should be the guild orientation. El’s friends seem like decent guys, so I think it’s about time I take my leave.

“I’m going to the armory. See you. Good luck with your quest.”

Turning on my heel to head towards the exit, Gaius called out to me.

“Aldo, I overheard a bit, but are you going to pick up the Wyvern Leather Armor?”

“If it’s ready. I didn’t ask about the delivery date, so I’m not sure if it’s done.”

“I see. But you’re going to the armory, right?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“I’m going too.”

“Eh? Aren’t you supposed to take on the quest?”

“I’ll take on the quest, but I’m also going to the armory.”

“…”

“I’ll go to the armory first and then handle the quest. That’s fine, isn’t it?”

“Is that okay for the others?”

“It’s Wyvern Leather Armor! Don’t you want to see it?”

“I do want to see it…”

“Then it’s settled. Aldo, wait a bit longer. I’ll just take the request and join you.”

“Got it.”

Gaius seemed to ignore Naga-san’s explanation. Naga-san smiled when I spoke, and as I waited outside the guild, many adventurers avoided me.

Unable to do anything about it, I decided to wait on the guild’s roof by wall running. After a while, Gaius and the others came out. It seemed like they were looking for me, as they scanned the area.

Since they didn’t notice me on the roof, I shouted Gaius’s name loudly to get their attention.

“Gaius, I’m up here!”

They finally spotted me and waved their hands. I stood up and jumped down from the roof. It seemed like Tifa didn’t know about Space Kick, as she screamed, and Gaius tried to catch me… which was impossible.

Anticipating more commotion than I thought, I used Space Kick halfway through to demonstrate mid-air strolling. Tifa, Gaius, and Mark stared wide-eyed, taking a step back from me.

“El, have you ever shown them a space kick?”

“Oh, now that you mention it, I might not have.”

“I see. I didn’t mean to scare you, but whenever I’m in front of the guild, adventurers avoid me.”

“I see.”

Facing the still frozen Gaius and the others, I turned and apologized.

“I didn’t mean to scare you all. I’m sorry.”

“N-no… It’s just… Elphus, can you do that too?”

“Most things I can do, El can too.”

“I-is that so? That’s amazing… being a Wyvern Slayer…”

I felt a bit awkward with their reaction.

“So, what now? Are we skipping the armory?”

“No, we’re going. Let me go with you.”

“Okay, then let’s go.”

With my words, the group finally began to move forward.

As a side note, the adventurers who witnessed Aldo’s Space Kick decided that they would definitely intervene if they saw anyone messing with Aldo in the future. They seemed to think that if they were caught in the crossfire, they wouldn’t be able to escape if they were sent flying.

Gaius, now unfrozen, seemed eager to ask about Space Kick. It must have left quite an impact. He desperately wanted me to explain, so I told him to ask El instead of me.

Soon enough, we arrived at the armory. I casually pushed open the door and stepped inside.

Last time, the armorer was there, but today, no one seemed to be around. Oh well, I shouted loudly towards the back.

“Excuse me! Is anyone here?”

“Oooohhhhhhhhhh, wait a minuteeeeeeeeeeeee!”

A voice came from the back of the shop. Careless… Does this mean anyone can shoplift here?

“Oh, it’s the Wyvern kid. You bolted from the guild before I could even ask for your name and family…”

“Sorry, old man. Naga-san seemed scary.”

“Naga, huh… Yeah, she can be pretty scary when she’s angry…”

“Yeah.”

“Anyway, forget about that. Your Wyvern Leather Armor is ready. Yours was the first one I made, since there were two big holes in Brigandine.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, I’ll go get it. Wait here.”

“Thanks, old man.”

I went to the back to get the Wyvern Leather Armor, which must be there. After a while, the armorer returned, holding a slightly darker shade of brown leather armor.

“This is the Wyvern Leather Armor. What do you think?”

“Wow, the color is nice. It’s cool and understated.”

“Understand now? The charm lies in this subdued color… The beauty of Wyvern is in this shade.”

“I get it. It’s cool. Looks really nice.”

Gaius and the others seemed taken aback by our conversation.

“Is the Wyvern really that amazing? Is the color that good?”

“Don’t ask me. If you don’t understand, there’s no way I could explain it to you.”

“I don’t see the appeal of the color itself…”

The three of them couldn’t seem to find the charm in the color.

“Nii-sama, please try on the armor.”

“Sure.”

I started putting on the Wyvern Leather Armor.

“It’s easy to move in… But is it really more defensive than Brigandine?”

“Do you doubt it?”

“Not really, but…”

“Then, you there, doubt it? Take a scabbarded sword and hit him with it.”

The armorer told El to hit me with a scabbarded sword… Eek, that sounds painful.

El took the scabbarded sword as instructed by the armorer.

“El… Go easy on me.”

“Yes.”

Saying so, El aimed at my left arm with the scabbarded sword at quite a speed.

“N-not painful.”

“Then a bit harder…”

I took another swift strike on my left arm, even faster than before.

“It still doesn’t hurt, huh?”

“See? Wyvern skin absorbs impact. It also provides some resistance to magic.”

“So it wasn’t a lie. Thanks, old man.”

“You were really doubting it, huh?”

The armorer sighed in exasperation, but he was smiling.

“Nii-sama, we are going now.”

“Yeah, take it easy since it’s your first time.”

“Understood.”

“Well then, Aldo. Looking forward to our mock battle.”

“Aldo, see you later.”

“See ya…”

“Take care, don’t get hurt.”

Gaius and the others headed towards the gate. Now, what should I do?

The Wyvern Leather Armor performed better than I expected… Maybe if I had better weapons, I could have fought the Wyvern more easily.

“Old man, I’m thinking of going to the weapon shop. Where is it?”

I asked the armorer for the location of a good weapons shop. It wouldn’t be bad to explore the capital alone today… I used Space Kick and Wall Run to quickly make my way to the weapon shop.