7-6 Another Nostalgic Reunion

“Ars? Why are you here?”

“Ah, you didn’t know yet. I told you there are only three active S-ranks in the world right now. He’s the remaining one.”

That was a shock.

Come to think of it, I normally don’t appraise people I only know casually.

And back then… he had been standing in line in front of the Royal Capital the whole time.

Despite being an S-rank adventurer who had absolutely no need to line up.

“Haha, nice to meet you properly again. I’m not a noble, so I don’t have a family name. I like living freely, so I wander around here and there. I just came back to the Royal Capital of Alba after a long while.”

“That kind of life sounds nice. I’ve already built my base here.”

“So you’re a headmaster now, taking care of children with no relatives. That really suits you. Still, teleportation magic… I’m jealous. Apparently only about five people in the world can use teleportation magic.”

What did you say!?

“Wait. Guildmaster, is that true? Only five teleportation magic users in the world?

But just the other day, one was being treated as disposable by the Empire.”

“That’s how important that incident was. No matter how valuable someone is, if they’re about to talk, they’ll be eliminated. That wasn’t suicide—his mouth was simply sealed by the Empire.”

What the hell.

No one told me that.

“Guildmaster. Is Ars someone we can trust?”

“Yeah. At the very least, more than you. I’ve known him for a long time.”

“T-that’s harsh. No, seriously—can I trust him more than Ed? This is the most dangerous situation I’ve ever dealt with.”

“I’m very curious about the details, but yeah, he’ll be fine.”

“I see. Then this works out perfectly.”

I turned to him properly and began recruiting.

“Hey, Ars. Want to do a little job for us?”

“Oh? What kind of job?”

“Kindergarten security.”

“Kindergarten?”

“Yeah, a place where small children study. I’m the headmaster. It also doubles as an orphanage.”

“Sorry~. I’m not good with really young kids. One or two might be fine, but dozens is a bit much. I’ll pass.”

But then I pulled out a teleportation bracelet from my item box and showed it right in front of him.

“I’ll give you this. Want to be one of the five in the world? This is a magic tool that lets you use teleportation magic.”

Hearing that, the Guildmaster grabbed his head again.

“Is that really true? I’ve never heard of such a thing existing.”

“In the deepest part of the royal treasury here in Alba, there’s a relic of the founding king. I analyzed the teleportation bracelet that was there and recreated it in my own way.”

“……”

“Oh, you’re doubting me? Then wait a moment.”

I teleported away briefly for a test, then came back.

“Sorry to keep you waiting~”

“Huh? Hey, wait, what was that?”

Mari, whom I had brought along for the test, blinked in surprise.

Ah—damn it.

The little cat kid came along too.

I casually picked the little one up.

She looked completely bewildered and incredibly cute.

Her small ears were twitching.

“Hii~!”

Alright, the little one managed a lively greeting.

She’d been running around energetically with the boys every day lately.

By the way, the girls here were energetic too.

“Don’t just bring me along without warning. You scared me. Takeshi used to do that to me all the time too…”

Mari looked a little nostalgic.

Was it just my imagination, or did she look happy?

“Ars, try analyzing her.”

“Hey, don’t call me ‘her’ like that.”

Mari puffed out her cheeks slightly at the rough treatment.

“Let’s see… Huh? What is this?”

Ars was stunned after appraising Mari.

“She’s a magical homunculus created purely from mana through magical alchemy by the founding king. According to this living witness, the founding king was a rare visitor and someone who didn’t hold back. He apparently made things like teleportation bracelets without a second thought.”

“That’s rich coming from you, Headmaster.”

Mari fired back mercilessly.

She’d stopped holding back lately.

It seemed I and the founding king had quite a lot in common.

The little one started yawning, looking sleepy.

Mari gently took her from my arms.

“Alright, that’s enough, right?

I’m heading back now.”

Mari quickly returned using the bracelet’s teleportation.

“So, that’s the performance of the teleportation bracelet.

Ah, mine is innate teleportation magic.”

“I don’t even know where to start, but a teleportation magic tool is certainly tempting.”

Ars looked thoughtful.

Alright, one last push.

“I’ll pay five platinum coins upfront, and another five after. How about that!”

“I’m in!”

Yes!

We secured a world-class, ultra-rare S-rank adventurer for kindergarten security!

He was a superhuman adventurer with only one remaining slot in the world.

If I could scout him no matter the cost, it was worth it.

The Guildmaster personally guaranteed his reliability, so there was nothing to complain about.

This was a crisis big enough to justify that level of spending.

I casually dropped five platinum coins—each worth about one hundred million yen—into Ars’s palm as if they were spare change.

Even for an ultra-rare S-rank adventurer, a billion-yen-equivalent reward for guard duty was outrageous.

But my wallet could handle it easily.

That made our side one SS-rank, one S-rank, and one S-rank-in-training.

The other side likely had two fake S-ranks—probably forcibly promoted by the Empire for show—plus a bunch of small fry.

That Empire wouldn’t hesitate to pull that kind of scam.

It was far too suspicious that only that country had two S-ranks while no other nation had even one.

Alright, Ars.

I’m entrusting the peace of the Beast-Ear Garden to you.

I adjusted the teleportation bracelet with item box functionality onto Ars’s arm.

Then I pulled out a Besmagil magic sword and deliberately unsheathed it.

“And I’ll also lend you this.”

“Wait! What is that? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

The Guildmaster shot a sharp look.

So he noticed.

Well, I showed it on purpose.

“This is Besmagil. The ultimate form of magical metal created using orichalcum as its base. The founding king of this country supposedly said it doesn’t occur naturally and can’t be artificially created. I was having tea with Mari when it came up, so I tried making it—and it worked.”

“You never hold back. No, absolutely not—put that away. Ars, you keep quiet about this too.”

“Yeah, getting involved with something that dangerous would cost me my life several times over.”

Ars said bluntly.

“Relax. You’ll get used to this kind of thing fast. Antonio already has.”

“Antonio? Who’s that?”

Ars tilted his head.

“The famous third son of House Orston, the Kingdom’s Sword. He’s currently in the Bernstein Empire taking the A-rank exam, but the Empire wants him dead. After that, they plan to invade this country, and they want to pin me down at the kindergarten.

They’re planning an attack on our kindergarten.”

“So that’s where I come in as a guard.”

“Exactly. Ideally, I’d want to give an S-rank like you the best weapon possible, but it can’t be helped. Make do with this orichalcum sword. This one’s a gift, not a loan. In return, give the job your all.”

“Heh, really? You’re giving me something this incredible? Well, if you insist on giving me such a ridiculously rare orichalcum sword—something you hardly ever even see—I’ll gratefully accept it. Wow… holding it like this really shows how amazing orichalcum is.”

Ars smoothly drew the orichalcum sword and lightly swung it, gazing in fascination as the golden afterimage flexed through the air.

As expected of an S-rank adventurer.

Even with just a few casual swings, his handling looked flawless.

I had considered the need for swapping or adjusting balance, but that seemed unnecessary.

Even a bamboo sword makes a sharp sound when wielded by someone skilled in kendo.

When I swing one, it doesn’t make any nice sound at all.

Actually, it barely makes a sound.

The Guildmaster wore a sour expression, but he seemed willing to let it slide.

Experience beats youth—this was my calculation, far older than even Armon!

That was why I had shown the absolutely forbidden Besmagil sword first.

And thus, the Beast-Ear Garden successfully recruited a highly motivated S-rank warrior, armed with a powerful orichalcum sword and capable of using teleportation magic.