Chapter 91: Joe

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Translator: Soafp

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After acquiring the Wyvern Leather Armor, I returned to the guild and saw Naga-san and Joe having a conversation.

“Oh, the rumored Shura has returned.”

“Joe, long time no see.”

“Yeah, since the Wyvern hunt, right?”

“Yeah, check this out. This is the Wyvern Leather Armor.”

“It’s nice, but Wyvern skin is a bit plain, no?”

What is he saying? This subtlety is what makes it great.

“Isn’t this color great? Isn’t it cool?”

“…Are you really 13? You’re into subtlety at your age?”

Whoa, 13… That’s like middle school… Should I start wearing an eye patch and pretend I have a magic eye? No, that’s too similar to Ashera, so that’s a no-go!

“I’m a energetic 13-year-old.”

“Energetic… Somehow, you look like an old man to me.”

Uh-oh… 13 years old… That’s 7th grade… Should I start pretending I’m a 34+13=47-year-old?

“I was just talking to Naga-chan about being the instructor for the next Dark Tuesday.”

“I’m okay with that. I’ll ask El and Lewis tomorrow. I’ll give Naga-san an answer by tomorrow evening.”

“Got it. But do you need an instructor?”

“I think having knowledge and experience is never a bad thing.”

“That’s the right answer…”

“I was raised pretty well.”

“Oh, right. You’re from a noble family… But is there anyone stronger than you among your escorts?”

“There’s no one like that at the mansion.”

“Is there a need for escorts stronger than the escort? … You don’t fight all the time. Sometimes you’re sleeping, eating, or going to the bathroom… You might need escorts even for day trips.”

Joe shrugged.

“If you’re free, can you give me a little guidance?”

“Are you mocking me? You should be the one training me.”

“I want to try something and learn how to use a greatsword.”

“A greatsword? I thought you used a dagger?”

“I usually carry a dagger, but I can extend the weapon’s length using magic as needed.”

“Y-you… you didn’t use that against me in our mock battle, did you?”

“Is that so?”

“How strong are you really?”

“I don’t know? But there’s definitely one person stronger than me.”

“I know! It’s your fiancée!”

“I went back home recently, and she’s even stronger now.”

“…”

“She surrounds herself with ten dormant spells and came at me swinging. Each spell moves independently, so it felt like fighting 11-on-1.”

“I think I understand a bit more about your strength now.”

With a stretch, Joe walks towards the back of the guild.

“You’re up for it, right? Let’s go.”

“Yeah.”

Joe, he’s quite handsome too.

When we arrive at the training ground, Joe asks to see the transformation from short sword to greatsword. It seems he wants to examine aspects like weight, shape, and blade size.

“Let’s do it.”

“Yeah.”

I transform the short sword into a greatsword using magical blades.

“Can I touch it for a moment?”

“Sure.”

Joe touches the magical blade, but it seems to tickle for some reason, maybe because it’s magic.

“Can I try cutting with my greatsword?”

“Go ahead… I guess.”

“Oi, how should we start?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never done something like this before.”

“Okay, let’s start off lightly and gradually increase the strength.”

“Got it.”

As Joe instructed, he initially cut my magical blades gently, gradually increasing the force.

My blade was tougher than I expected. Joe’s greatsword blade began to chip before mine did. However, it was just a practice blade available in the guild for now.

Joe then pulled out his favorite greatsword.

“Oi, I’m not responsible if it breaks.”

“I know… I’m just being stubborn.”

He claimed to be just stubborn. He seemed more composed than his appearance suggested.

Joe displayed an unprecedented seriousness as he slowly raised his greatsword. When the greatsword reached the top, Joe’s determination flared up.

With a flash… the greatsword swung straight down, easily cutting through my magical blades.

At that moment, I felt a significant decrease in my magical energy. It felt like about a fifth of my total magical energy was gone…

It seemed that when the magical blades were cut or broken, a considerable amount of magical energy was depleted.

Just knowing this result was already enough reason to be grateful to Joe.

“Thanks, Joe.”

Upon hearing my words, Joe looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“When my magical blades were cut, a significant amount of my mana was depleted. Knowing this result in a controlled environment like this is crucial. So, thank you.”

“So, my full-powered strike only depleted a bit of your magical energy?”

“To me, it was significant.”

Joe raised a hand with an indescribable expression.

“Now, let’s talk about using the greatsword, shall we?”

“Yeah, please teach me.”

“Alright, I’ll train you with wooden swords.”

“Thank you.”

I held two wooden swords representing a greatsword in front of Joe.

“Did you… learn the same way with the short sword?”

“No, I started with one until I felt comfortable, then moved to two.”

“Then start with one greatsword… You didn’t use two greatswords in actual combat, right?”

“Aah, I understand.”

I wielded one greatsword and held a short sword in the other hand.

“That should work… Let’s get started.”

“Thank you.”

From there, it was plain training. I started with basic swings. I realized it wasn’t just about physical strength, but also about how to control the power without getting carried away. It was already dusk when I noticed this.

“That was unexpected.”

Joe suddenly said something incomprehensible.

“People like you are extremely rare, but they show up. They rise to the top in no time. For someone like me, it’s maybe a C rank, or if I’m lucky, a B rank.”

“…”

“You achieved it through hard work. You never slack off, always reflecting on yourself and aiming higher.”

“I’m not that great.”

“Haa, and humble too. With your level of strength, you could easily get lost in it.”

“…”

“I’m usually at the guild or the ‘Eagle’s Territory Inn’ nearby. If you want more training, come find me. It might not be enough for you, but until then, I’ll be your sparring partner.”

“That’d be helpful. Thank you.”

With a gaze that contradicted his tone, Joe glanced at me with gentle eyes before returning to the guild.

“Well then, time to head back.”

Speaking to himself, I left the training ground.

Remembering El and the others, I headed to Naga’s location.

“Naga-san, have El and the others returned?”

“No, they haven’t come back yet.”

“What mission did El and the others take on?”

“I can’t tell you that according to guild regulations.”

“Can you do something about it… Please!”

“…”

“Naga-san!”

“…”

Despite emitting a menacing aura, Naga-san, with a pale face, refused to disclose El and the others’ mission details. Frustrated, I shouted loudly within the guild.

“Someone! Does anyone know where my brother, Elphus, went for his mission?”

The adventurers around me recoiled in fear.

Ah, if only I had bothered to communicate more instead of being a nuisance, I wouldn’t have received such a reaction.

The consequences of my usual attitude were surfacing now.

“Please. My brother hasn’t returned yet. If you know anything, please tell me.”

I continued to shout, but the adventurers wouldn’t speak, fearing they might provide false information. I wasn’t trusted at all.

As I began to resign myself to the fact that I might have to search blindly, one of the receptionists spoke up in a trembling voice.

“N-Naga-san… It seems like the location where the Wyvern was dismantled has become a bit of a tourist spot.”

Naga-san sighed upon hearing this.

“Haa, it seems so. Apparently, newcomers are thrilled to visit it…”

I nodded with gratitude and dashed off.

Passing through the city gate and running into the Scarlet Forest, I spotted El carrying Gaius and Mark on each shoulder, with Tifa trailing behind, looking pale.

“El! Are you alright?”

“Nii-sama? What’s wrong?”

“I heard from the guild that you hadn’t returned, so I came to pick you up.”

“Oh, that’s right. I’m sorry. Gaius and Mark collapsed due to magic depletion… Tifa is barely holding on.”

“Magic depletion? Why? Did they use too much magic?”

“No… They wanted to learn Space Kick, so I just explained the method. Then, they started practicing with full magic while we were on the move.”

“Is that so…”

“I canceled the mission halfway and suggested focusing on practicing Space Kick, but they still wanted to complete the mission.”

“…”

“Well, let’s head back to the guild for now… I’ll carry one.”

“Thank you.”

I was handed Mark, the lighter one.

The mission El and the others took was herb gathering. Feeling a sudden kinship with their initial choice, which turned out to be a failure, I hurried back to the guild.

Upon arrival, I saw Joe, whom I had just parted with, heading somewhere with several adventurers.

Joe looked at us, sighed heavily, then spoke.

“Haa, it seems your brother is safe.”

“Thankfully he managed to survive.”

“Joe, were you going somewhere?”

“I was planning to, but I changed my mind.”

As I was emitting question marks above my head, the adventurer next to Joe started speaking.

“He was about to go looking for your brother.”

“For El? Joe?”

Joe grimaced awkwardly and looked away.

“This guy found an adventurer who had a drink while watching you frantically searching for your brother. He pressured him into spilling all the details.”

“…”

“That guy was bullying him about not being able to beat a kid with physical strength, so he picked on him with everyone. He made a scene throughout the guild. It was satisfying to watch.”

“…”

“So, when he volunteered to go looking for your brother, you came back.”

“Is that so…”

I laid Mark down in a corner and expressed my gratitude with a noble gesture.

“Thank you very much. I truly appreciate your sentiments regarding this matter.”

“Aldo, you don’t need to do those noble gestures at times like this. Just saying ‘thank you’ is enough.”

Joe advised while still looking in the wrong direction.

“Yes, thank you very much.”

This time, instead of the noble gesture with a hand over my chest, I bowed Japanese-style—a simple bow of gratitude. While some in the guild looked slightly displeased, they generally laughed off the entire sequence and forgave me.

“Naga-san, I apologize for earlier, and thank you.”

“Aldo-kun and Elphus-kun, would you like to register each other as Guardian?”

“Guardian?”

“Yes, it’s a system for minors under 15. When you register as guardians, they can disclose the same information to the guardians as to the individual.”

“Such a system exists…”

“It can be helpful in situations like this. It will be automatically canceled when you turn 15.”

I turned to El to ask his opinion.

“What do you think, El? I definitely want to do it.”

“I’d like to as well.”

Upon hearing El’s answer, Naga-san smiled and said,

“Understood.”

El and Tifa proceeded to handle the paperwork for the failed request.

Mark and Gaius showed no signs of waking up. It would take too long to deliver them one by one, so I decided to rely on the estate this time.

“El, please return to the mansion and arrange for two carriages. Wait with Tifa.”

“Understood. I’m sorry, Nii-sama.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

With that, I rushed back to the mansion. I wanted to travel as quickly as possible, so I soared through the sky. The city gate was inconsequential for those who could fly.

I arrived at the mansion in no time, arranged for the carriages with the butler, and then headed to Grandpa’s study.

Grandpa was alone in the study. I quickly explained the situation and obtained permission to use the carriages. As I was about to leave for the guild, Grandpa called out to me.

“Aldo, is that the Wyvern Leather Armor?”

“Eh? Oh, yes, it is.”

“It’s very stylish color…”

“Yes!”

He understands! The greatness of this color. I felt a little happy as I made my way back to the guild.

In the end, everything wrapped up just before the day changed. I was determined to at least take a bath before going to sleep.