Episode 3

The two who had obtained the unicorn horn visited the Adventurers’ Guild in the Rent Domain.

“No way—you actually brought back a unicorn horn.”

“We don’t accept requests we can’t fulfill. It’s the real thing, without a doubt, but please conduct a proper appraisal.”

“Understood. Still, even finding a unicorn is difficult… I suppose this makes you the leading youngsters of the field?”

This was the Rent Branch of the Adventurers’ Guild, a different place from the guild Zeke and Brink had visited when they delivered the basilisk. The two mainly operated out of this branch.

“I didn’t do much. It was thanks to his guidance.”

“I’d say you’re plenty out of the ordinary yourself… The ‘Lagias Brat’ is famous—both for good and ill.”

Zeke’s name had spread around the Adventurers’ Guild about three years earlier, starting with a dispute with a guild clerk when he delivered a basilisk.

“…He has a foul mouth, so people often misunderstand him, but at his core he’s straighter than anyone.”

“Indeed—he’s ‘equal’ toward everyone, in a sense. …The basilisk incident is still a legend.”

Not only basilisks—after that, deliveries of high-difficulty subjugations continued. Whether or not there were formal requests, reports came in across a wide range: from vicious monsters to rare ones. The guild was in an uproar almost every time.

“Quit yapping over every little thing. Do you only gather weeds here?”

His attitude remained as bad as ever, and he often clashed with clerks and adventurers—but his overwhelming skill shut the onlookers up.

“It’s true that some nobles come here with ridiculous demands, but in his case, status doesn’t seem to matter.”

From time to time, nobles visited the guild with troublesome requests and demands. When one happened to run into Zeke, his usual insolent manner sparked a ruckus.

“You dare insult me?! The House of Gufi will not stand for this!”

“Interesting. If you plan to cross the House of Lagias, I trust your house is up to the task.”

Given the infamy of the House of Lagias, ordinary nobles dared not lay a hand on them; Zeke’s constant culling of big game only amplified that effect. He had become a kind of gatekeeper who kept malicious nobles away.

His rudeness was hard to overlook, but he had never once caused losses to the guild or other adventurers. Some had even had their lives saved by him.

Opinions of him varied wildly, and he was difficult for the guild to handle. Still, his ability was the real thing—if not for issues of personality and teamwork, reaching A-rank at the youngest age would not have been impossible.

“There are branch chiefs in our organization who’d recommend you for A-rank…”

“It can’t be helped. He has no interest.”

Hiroto had not registered as an adventurer for status or honor.

He continued slaying dangerous monsters to improve his combat ability and raise funds; he prioritized selling materials to the guild to accrue favors.

If events followed the game, the House of Lagias would be slated for dissolution—possibly even wiped out, family and all, before the original story began.

If he could not rely on house, connections, or money, then he would earn funds as an adventurer and, in an emergency, invoke those favors to compel cooperation—not for anyone else, but for himself. It was a calculated move, nothing more.

He did not aim for A-rank because he did not want to spend time on what he did not need.

No one around him understood what he was truly working toward, and only the rumors moved on their own.

“Even so, the two of you hold the record for youngest promotion to B-rank. You’ve got a pile of personal requests.”

“It would’ve taken me much longer alone. …And I do have a clear goal.”

He had not planned to adventure as a pair, but Luke kept finding reasons to tag along. At first Zeke rejected him, but when Luke showed no sign of yielding, he gave up.

—Lately Zeke had stopped refusing and simply watched. A certain suspicion had arisen.

“Luke-san, you’re aiming for the knight order, right?”

“Yes. So I can’t remain an adventurer forever.”

“…Of course. It’s a shame, but being a knight is a fine calling.”

Luke’s dream, unchanged from past to present, was to become a knight. He still chased the back of his admired father.

“…Hey, what are you dawdling for?”

“Speak of the devil—we were just talking about someone.”

Zeke joined the conversation with his usual unapproachable air.

“Hmph. Forget the knights. Why not be a minstrel instead?”

“That’s not bad! I could sing of your deeds across the kingdom. Naturally, you’d travel with me!”

“…”

This unicorn-horn job was a personal commission. A noble who had heard the pair’s rumors had requested it.

They generally refused troublesome jobs, but Zeke knew unicorn habitats from his knowledge of the original. If he could raise funds easily, there was no reason to say no.

“Or how about writing your book? A biography to pass down to future generations—it has a certain romance, don’t you think?”

“…Then shall I prepare your epitaph instead?”

Just like with the unicorn, he leveraged original-story knowledge to clear many requests. Even without intent, the rumors spread, and in the end he became known—centered on the guild. —And naturally Luke right along with him.

“I’ll pass. That can wait a good, long while.”

“…You two really do seem close.”

“You, on the other hand, seem short on wits.”

(They’re alike… after all.)

There had been a party character in the original—a certain “Fonsell,” who entered the knight order at the youngest age. Luke was the spitting image of that person.