Gluttony Demon King with the Swampman ~A Man with No Magic Power Who Dreamed of Magic, Wielding Knowledge from His Past Life Through Steady Research and Hard Work to Become the Most Vicious Final Boss~ - Chapter 19: Grade Skipping

Chapter 19: Grade Skipping

The receptionist took my registration form and disappeared into the back. I hadn’t said a single word the whole time—was that really okay?

While I waited at the counter, the stares from the adventurers behind me kept stabbing into my back.

I could hear some of them trying to work up the courage to talk to me, but Zaria and Noiche on either side were quietly keeping them at bay.

“…I’m starting to feel sick.”

“Eh? Haro, are you okay!?”

“It’s been a while since I was in a crowd this big…”

I never thought my tolerance for people had dropped this low. Even I was surprised.

“…Should we come back tomorrow for the reply and just head home today?”

“No, it’s fine. Let’s get it done today.”

As Noiche and I were talking, the receptionist came back from the back.

I thought she was going to explain something, but instead she looked a little apologetic and said,

“U-um, I’m sorry, Haro-san. Could you spare a bit more time?”

“…Depends on what it is.”

“Actually, the guild branch master would like to speak with you… If it’s all right, on the second floor.”

…The guild branch master?

I glanced at the sisters. Both of them had faces that said they’d figured something out.

“…What? Who?”
“The top person in this town’s guild. Come to think of it, we had an interview too… I guess he personally checks anyone whose circumstances seem complicated.”

“The second floor is staff-only, so there aren’t many people up there.”

I see. A private interview room would actually be perfect. I agreed.

Led by the receptionist who kept bowing over and over, the three of us climbed the stairs that continued past the back of the counter.

The room we were brought to had only one old man inside.

White beard, pointed ears, short and stout—I couldn’t tell if he was an elf or a dwarf.

The old man gestured with his palm for us to sit, so the sisters and I did as we were told.

“Sorry for dragging you all the way up here. I’m Dordwin, branch master of the Dura guild. Think of this less as an interview and more as a casual chat—make yourselves at home.”

The old man—now introduced as Branch Master Dordwin—spoke in a surprisingly laid-back way.

The tension in my shoulders eased a little. When I nodded, Dordwin continued.

“You’re Haro, right? Word is you took down the ice dragon Zivra.”

“…I didn’t know its name was Zivra, but yeah, pretty much.”

“Hohoho. Of course you wouldn’t—the guild just named it that on our own. Anyway, nicely done. That thing kept flying all over the place and we could never pin down its nest. You saved us a lot of trouble.”

Dordwin glanced at the Levi sisters and praised them with “You really dug up a gem, good job!” The two of them answered with proud V-signs.

Then Dordwin narrowed his eyes.

“Now then, Haro. I hear you’re a mage… but the magic power inside you is awfully unusual.”

“…You can see it?”

“Well, comes with age, I suppose.”

That surprised me.

Sure, plenty of mages can see magic power. The Levi sisters can too.

But that only means they can barely make out the massive ripples put out by stars or huge monsters. Being able to sense the faint magic from something like a random slime is already extremely rare.

And being able to see in detail all the way inside a living creature? At least in all the documents I’ve read, I’ve never come across a mage who could do that.

“Strange magic power you’ve got. Normal mages aim for perfect control, keeping the flow steady. But yours is the opposite.”

“…The opposite?”

“What, you’re not aware of it yourself? A completely chaotic, warped flow of magic… and the color is so sinister it doesn’t feel human at all. I’d believe it more if someone told me a monster was wearing human skin. It’s honestly pretty creepy!”

…Hey, old man, just how accurately can you see? You basically got everything right.

“Dordwin, you’re prying too much.”

“And the last part was straight-up an insult! That’s the worst thing you can say to a kid!”

Noiche and Zaria grumbled and stood up for me.

We had decided beforehand as a group of three to keep the fact that I have a slime living inside my body as hidden as possible.

…Also, is it really okay to call him just “Dordwin”?

Dordwin didn’t seem to mind at all and scratched his head with a “My bad, my bad.”

“It wasn’t right to carelessly try to reveal a mage’s hand… Well, whatever. Welcome aboard. The guild doesn’t turn away the strong.”

“…Huh? That’s it for the interview?”

“I told you, it’s not an interview, it’s just a chat. We never planned to let a dragon-slayer talent slip away anyway. Besides, lately we’ve been loosening the adventurer screening.”

He really didn’t act like someone in charge of an organization… but that last part bothered me.

“You’re loosening the screening for adventurers…?”

“Yeah. Ever since the prophecy about the Demon King appearing, the number of monsters has clearly been rising these past few years. We need to increase the number of adventurers somehow or we won’t have enough hands. We’re reluctantly accepting the kind of small-time thugs we used to turn away.”

“I see.”

When you try to gather people good at rough work, bad elements naturally come with them. Given the times, compromise might be unavoidable.

“Anyway, Haro. Starting today you’re joining the guild as an adventurer… so let’s have you begin at C-rank, how’s that?”

“For real!? Straight to C-rank!?”

The first to react to Dordwin’s words wasn’t me—it was Zaria.

“We started at D-rank!”

…They’re probably talking about adventurer ranks.

Adventurers are divided into ranks, and the jobs you can take differ by rank.

The highest are S and A, the lowest around F, I think? My memory’s fuzzy, but anyway, jumping to C-rank would be skipping almost three whole grades.

“A prodigy who took down a sub-dragon with just three people—if it were purely combat ability I’d shoot you straight to B-rank… but being an adventurer isn’t only about fighting strength.”

“…For example?”

“Knowledge of environments and monsters, how to gather materials, dealing with clients and nobles, confidentiality, all sorts of things.”

I see, I really don’t know any of that.

“Well, I do understand you only came here because you wanted an ID.”

“…You saw right through me.”

“That said, there is a yearly quota of requests you have to complete, so take it easy and work hard, alright?”

From start to finish the atmosphere stayed completely relaxed as Dordwin wrapped things up.

He gave a small wave, and the receptionist opened the door for us to leave.

As we were heading out, Dordwin added one last thing.

“Oh, right—the dragon magic stone we were holding onto, I had an appraiser named Egiy check it. He’s waiting at the first-floor counter, so pick it up on your way out.”

“Got it.”

After that short exchange, we went down the stairs.

“…That was a weird old guy.”

“He’s not a bad person, but that way he sees right through you is kind of annoying, right!?”

Zaria answered. Is that so?

Personally, I thought he seemed reliable. He was obviously a high-level mage, and if I get the chance I’d like to talk more.

“By the way, what rank are you two?”

“Both Zaria and I are B.”

“Fastest record in the Dura branch! Two months after joining!”

Seriously? These girls are amazing.

That said, their magic is already masterful, and if I remember right Dordwin listed “dealing with clients and nobles” as one of the necessary adventurer skills. Since both of them are nobles themselves, that part must be a piece of cake for them.