The Talent The Kingdom Wants... Is Me!?

I was bewildered by the sudden recruitment offer.

“A crisis threatening the kingdom sounds pretty serious… Besides, I’m only an F-Rank Adventurer.”

“Your rank doesn’t matter. I approached you because I could tell that your abilities… No, both of your abilities were first-rate.”

Millet puffed out her chest proudly.

“I’d like to think I have a good eye for talent. I’m not a recruiter for nothing, you know♪”

“Recruitment, huh…”

It had all happened so suddenly that I still couldn’t quite wrap my head around it.

“Why don’t we go, Onii-sama?”

Flare seemed enthusiastic about the idea.

“Flare…”

“There’s someone who recognizes how amazing you are, Onii-sama. That alone makes me happy.”

Well, I certainly didn’t mind being held in such high regard.

Still, what exactly did they want from me?

What was this crisis threatening the kingdom?

And what could I possibly do about it?

What would they… make me do?

“You’re perfectly free to turn down the offer if you hear us out and decide the terms aren’t to your liking. I’d really appreciate it if you’d at least listen to what we have to say, though.”

“All right. I’ll come with you, then.”

“May I come along too?”

Flare asked.

“Of course. Actually, you’re one of the people I’m here to recruit too.”

Millet smiled.

“Well then, let’s go somewhere else so we can talk properly. There’s a lovely little restaurant near the guild. We can discuss everything there.”

Come to think of it, quite some time had passed since we’d finished gathering medicinal herbs, and it was already noon.

Might as well grab some lunch—

“I see. So your skill is [Skill Appraisal: Ultimate], huh?”

When I finished explaining my skill, Millet looked impressed.

Munch, munch. Chew, chew.

Meanwhile, she hadn’t stopped eating her parfait for a moment.

Apparently, she absolutely adored sweets. Spread out before her were all kinds of desserts and fruits, including parfaits, ice cream, mixed fruit, and pancakes.

And she was steadily devouring them one after another.

“Um… Don’t you gain weight from eating all that? Drool…”

Flare watched her in a daze, looking utterly astonished.

Though she was practically drooling herself…

“Hehe, I’m naturally the type who doesn’t gain weight, and I exercise a whole lot too~”

Millet replied.

“Oh, would you like some too, Flare?”

“I-I’d love… Ah, no, if I gain weight, Onii-sama might stop liking me…”

“That’s not going to happen.”

I answered immediately.

“Whether you’re thin, chubby, or somewhere in between, you’ll always be my precious little sister, Flare.”

“Yay! Then I’ll have just one, please~!”

“Here you go.”

Millet offered her a serving of mixed fruit.

“Mmm, delicious~!”

Flare looked absolutely blissful as she ate it.

“—Oops, we’ve gotten sidetracked. Anyway, I think your skill is even more useful than I’d imagined. I really do want you to work with us.”

Millet leaned forward eagerly.

“I’m a complete amateur when it comes to fighting, you know. I mean, I did manage to beat that Goblin Lord, but still.”

“What I’m really interested in isn’t so much your combat ability as your ability to develop other people’s talents. I originally came to recruit you as a warrior, but after hearing what your skill can do, I think your role as a ‘trainer’ might actually be far more important.”

“Huh?”

My ability to develop other people’s talents…?

“Your [Skill Appraisal: Ultimate] can improve other people’s skills, right? I want you to use that ability to evolve the skills of the elite warriors gathered at the royal palace.”

Millet gazed directly at me.

Her eyes burned with enthusiasm.

“If everything goes well, even a small, weak kingdom like Tilt could possess the strongest army in existence. An army of the mightiest warriors, capable of facing the crisis that’s approaching—”