The Kicked Out S-Rank Appraiser Creates The Strongest Guild - Chapter 05: The Heavy Knight's Instructor

Immediately upon entering the workshop, there was the place where Laurent was working.

In the room, there was only a small, low table and a battered chair.

Next to that was a wooden box with alchemical tools piled on it, some falling over to the ground.

This was supposed to be the workshop’s reception area, but it had been transformed into a workstation.

This was because the building was small and there was not enough space, so each room had more than one designated role.

On the low table before him, the ten [Earth Stones] Arri had refined were laid out.

They constituted of:

– [A-grade Earth Stone] x2

– [B-grade Earth Stone] x6

– [C-grade Earth Stone] x1

– [D-grade Earth Stone] x1

Extraordinary. If it continues like this, we’ll be able to fulfil Lilianne-san’s request easily.

Lilianne had requested 100 pieces of [Earth Stones] to be delivered within a month.

Of that, inferior products that were below D-grade should not be more than 20% of the delivery order.

If they kept at this pace, they would be able to fulfil the request successfully.

Laurent placed the gleaming azure [Earth Stones] into a delivery box.

After that, he would have to send off the box to Guardians of the Magical Tree.

To allow Arri to focus on her refining work as much as possible, Laurent was the one carrying out menial work like this instead.

“How are you doing, Laurent-san?”

“Lilianne-san.”

While Laurent had been packing away the goods, Lilianne entered the workshop.

“Please give me a moment; I’ll bring out the tea now.”

Laurent made to stop packaging and show her in, but Lilianne waved him off. “Oh, it’s fine. You’re working, aren’t you? Please, finish up first.”

“Pardon me then. I’ll be done soon.”

Laurent hurriedly packed the goods into the box. 

Not wanting to disturb him, Lilianne stood somewhere out of the way, watching him work.

——

When Laurent finished his task, he tucked the now-empty tray that Arri used to put her [Earth Stones] on under his arm and took it back into the boiler room. 

“Ah, Guild Leader. You’re just in time; I just finished refining another batch of [Earth Stones]. Could you look at—huh? Lilianne-san?”

“Arri, good timing. Our investor, Lilianne-san, just came by. You should show her the [Earth Stones] you refined.”

“O-of course. Hello.” Arri looked at Lilianne shyly.

Lilianne gave her a warm smile.

Arri really looked like a professional craftswoman now.

She had done her brown hair into a single braid draped over her right shoulder. 

Her hands were covered in work gloves for the boiler, and she wore goggles that protected her from the fire’s blazing light. 

Laurent had bought these things for her.

Unlike when she came for her interview, she didn’t pretty herself up. This was her natural look.

“Ara, good afternoon. It’s you, isn’t it? The alchemist Laurent-san was talking about.”

“She’s the one who refines the [Earth Stones]. Well, Arri, show Lilianne the successfully refined [Earth Stones].”

“Yes.”

“They are wonderful [Earth Stones].” Lilianne picked up a refined [Earth Stone] and peered intently at it.

There were even more A-grade [Earth Stones] in this batch than the one before.

“They were all refined by her.”

“Oh my, just you?” Lilianne gave Arri an approving look.

Unaccustomed to such praise, Arri became shy. “No, I just, um, followed the Guild Leader’s instructions. It’s not a big deal.”

Arri fidgeted, though whether it was because she was facing a celebrity or whether it was because she was happy or embarrassed was unclear. 

“Earth Stones are items specially made for polishing all equipment, weapons or armor. A high-quality Earth Stone allows us a swift maintenance of our weapons. With your supply to Guardians of the Magical Tree, our parties’ ability to continue fighting will increase drastically. We’ll be relying on you as well from now on,” Lilianne told Arri with an expectant look in her eye.

Arri did not reply, too overwhelmed by the praise. Face burning red, she could only nod a few times.

Laurent activated his [Appraisal] skill and looked at the skill description floating around her.

Arri’s [Ore Refining], which had once been only E-rank, was now at A-rank.

——

Laurent saw Lilianne off at the workshop’s entrance. “Lilianne-san, thank you for taking the time to come by today.”

“It’s nothing. As for Arri-san, was that good enough?”

“Yes. If she receives the recognition of someone like you, she’ll be able to build plenty of self-confidence.”

“Easily done. I just told her the truth.” As Lilianne spoke, she leaned in closer to Laurent. “It was through your strength that that girl has come this far. Isn’t that right?”

Her beautiful face was close enough for him to touch. Laurent’s heart skipped a beat.

Her eyes were warm when they gazed at Laurent.

Laurent could only smile.

Lilianne laughed with him. “Alright, I won’t say anything more.”

“Thank you. Please continue to treat us kindly.”

“Same here.”

——

When Jill returned, the new and lower-ranked guild members all formed a line to welcome her.

“It’s Jill-san!”

“Quick, make a path.”

The guild members who caught sight of Jill hurriedly gave way, leaving room on either side.

In Golden Hawk, the hierarchy was absolute.

Despite being a newcomer, Jill had shone in last month’s competition of Monsters Subjugation, topping the rankings and becoming a senior member of Golden Hawk as well as one of Lucius’s closest aides.

There wasn’t a single adventurer who did not know her now.

She walked through the building’s entrance and down the wide, palatial corridor.

The new and lower-ranked members lined up along either side of her, their hands over their chests and their heads slightly bent in a pose that signified loyalty to the guild.

When facing high-ranking members, newcomers and those with poor results had to do this.

She passed by them calmly.

Suddenly, Jill looked toward a group of lined-up members.

Most of them were people who had joined the guild at the same time as her.

Jill’s promotion to a senior member had been an unusual occurrence.

When she thought of that, her feelings only grew complicated.

Jill walked on a higher path. And those members at the bottom had to be content with being forced into supporting roles.

The difference between them was merely a bit of luck.

Thinking about it, she couldn’t help but question if she was really worthy of the spotlight.

The fact is that I can only stand here today because of Laurent-san.

Jill thought of the days she’d spent with Laurent.

At that time, she had been a newcomer who had come up against a wall.

Labelled as another adventurer with no future, she’d been assigned to work in Laurent’s supervision.

But because of Laurent, her life changed.

Laurent had switched her out of the archer’s lightweight armor and put her in the knight’s heavy armor instead.

“Jill, you have the disposition to be a heavy knight,” Laurent had told her, soon after they’d become acquainted.

“I can’t. I don’t have the stamina to explore dungeons in heavy armour.” Her stamina at the time had really been at E-rank.

“It’s fine. You’ll be able to reach A-rank stamina in the future.”

Even as she doubted, she’d followed Laurent’s guidance.

The training Laurent imposed on her was brutal, but it raised her stamina dramatically.

That wasn’t all.

He requested the guild on her behalf to buy the highest-quality armor.

Her defensive power shot through the roof because of that.

“Thank you, Laurent-san. With this, I can at least contribute to the guild as a shield or in a defensive role.”

“That’s not it, Jill. Your role won’t be in defense. It’ll be in the vanguard.”

She’d doubted her ears, but Laurent had handed her a two-handed sword.

Instead, he’d twisted her arm and pushed her into the golem subjugation unit.

In the midst of the battle, her growth had shot up, and she’d destroyed three brick golems.

Destroying three brick golems in one dungeon raid was a rare achievement not just among newcomers, but among seasoned adventurers as well.

Most adventurers ran out of stamina, took too much damage, or ran out of potions halfway through.

With her armour and bottomless stamina, she completely explored the dungeon in a single day. Her defensive power would be unbothered even if a hammer struck it, and her offensive power could take down even the toughest and largest enemies.

All of it. It was all thanks to Laurent-san. If he hadn’t put me on a different course, I would probably have been finished as a regular archer, she thought.

If she’d managed even a little bit of growth, he would sing praises about her; but his teaching methods made sure that any inflated egos were popped.

He really has a great sense for when to praise someone and when to reprimand them.

Even when she came into her own as a heavy knight, Laurent had not been content.

He set her a goal of defeating five golems in a day.

It was a goal she had yet to accomplish.

Before she could, Lucius had her reassigned to the guild’s main force.

Her admirers increased, and she worked without rest for the guild.

Once she’d become part of the main force, she hadn’t held back from using her strength in her work.

She was skilled in both the role of a shield or attack, so no matter the type of quest, she could take it on.

Her gorgeous physical appearance even made for a good advertisement.

Not only did she continue her work on the frontline, she even drew people in from a PR perspective.

Each day was busy, but it also brought her fulfilment. Even so, she was glad to finally take a day off today.

Today, she would be able to meet Laurent, from whom she had drifted apart recently.

I wonder what he thinks about how far I’ve come. I’ve become a B-rank adventurer, but will it be enough for him to acknowledge me, even just a little? Or will he say I’m still not there yet?

Whichever it was, today would be just like the past; he was probably going to give her more gruelling training.

Oops.

Before going to meet Laurent, she paid a little extra attention to her appearance.

She had to be a bit more careful about how she looked nowadays; as the face of the guild, the number of public appearances she had to make was increasing. Still, she fixed up her hair with even more care than usual since she was meeting Laurent.

“This should be good.”

I wonder if he’s doing well.

Laurent was surely still guiding the newcomers in a corner of the guild.

She felt sorry for the newcomers, but today she would use her authority as a senior member of the guild to get first priority for herself.

Maybe he’ll invite me out for dinner as a reward for my improvement. No, no, I’m probably getting my hopes up. He’ll definitely just yell into my ears and train me until I’m spitting up blood. Maybe he’ll even make me run until the middle of the night. Well, whichever way it turns out, it’ll be a reward for me. Fufu.

For a moment, she was distracted, and an unseemly smile spread over her face. Hurriedly, she put it away and opened the door to the Newbie Guidance Division.

——

“Laurent-san? He doesn’t work here anymore.”

“What?”

For a moment, Jill did not understand the newly appointed instructor’s words. She looked dumbstruck.*

(T/N: the literal translation here is ‘she made a face like a pigeon that had just been shot by a peashooter’.)

“He was expelled by Lucius-sama not too long ago.”

“N-no, it can’t be. Why?”

“He’d been making a lot of mistakes lately. There was no helping i—huh? Jill-san?”

Without even waiting for the instructor to finish, she rushed out of the room as though carried by the wind until she was standing before the Guild Leader’s office.

She barged into the room, not even bothering to knock.

“Guild Leader! I need to talk to you!”