The Kicked Out S-Rank Appraiser Creates The Strongest Guild - Chapter 147

Chapter 147   Reunion with Jill

At the port, people who had disembarked from the ship were lined up at the luggage claim area.

The crew members were moving around busily, handing out luggage to the passengers.

“Next, please.”

“Jill Irwin.”

“Ms. Jill Irwin, right. Yes, your luggage should be… oh!”

The young man in charge of the luggage took one look at the female knight and gasped.

Her hair was red, like the setting sun.

Her delicate eyebrows radiated nobility.

Her figure was perfectly balanced.

She was so breathtakingly beautiful that even looking at her with ulterior motives felt inappropriate.

He had never seen such a beautiful woman before.

He felt an overwhelming urge to kneel and offer up all his belongings, to become her servant.

“Hey, you.”

Jill asked in a light, cheerful voice.

“Y-yes!”

“Do you know ‘The Arsenal of the Spirit’? I need to go there.”

“Th-the Arsenal of the Spirit, yes. I’ll guide you there right away.”

“Huh? It’s okay. Don’t you have work to do here?”

“Oh, please don’t worry! This job is of no importance compared to the privilege of escorting you to the Arsenal of the Spirit!”

“I-is that so? This is a bit awkward… I just need a general idea of the direction…”

Jill was feeling flustered by the crew member’s over-the-top dedication when a voice came to her rescue.

“Jill!”

“Oh, Laurent!”

At the sight of Laurent, Jill instantly shed the mask of a noble knight, and her face lit up with joy.

The crew member gaped at her sudden transformation.

The aura of nobility and grace that had surrounded her disappeared in an instant, and she looked like an ordinary village girl.

Moreover, every time Laurent spoke to her, she blushed and fidgeted nervously.

“I never expected you’d come all the way to the port to meet me. I was planning to visit you myself.”

“There’s a tradition on this island to have new senior adventurers give a speech. I also needed to help with that.”

“I see. I can’t believe you’d go to so much trouble just for me…”

The crew member was pulled rapidly back to reality from his daydream, feeling resentful toward Laurent for shattering the sacred moment.

Later, Jill, following Laurent’s instructions, gave a speech at the square.

She announced her decision to join the “Spirit Alliance.”

Rumors quickly spread throughout the town that the “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir” might soon be defeated.

After her speech, Jill headed to the “Spirit Workshop” and was introduced to the alchemists there.

“I am Jill Irwin, an S-Class heavy knight of the ‘Golden Hawk.’ Nice to meet you all.”

Once again, Laurent had brought in a stunning beauty, and Aina felt dizzy.

(She’s so beautiful… Ugh, I can’t compete…)

“Now, Jill, we would love to proceed with the hunt for the ‘Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir,’ but… the weapons are not ready yet.”

Laurent said apologetically.

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes. So, first, we have to choose the right weapons for the hunt.”

“Then, let’s start with selecting and adjusting the equipment. With Laurent’s appraisal…”

The two of them moved to another room to begin the appraisal process.

[Jill Irwin’s Status]

Strength Power: 105–110

Endurance Toughness: 115–120

Agility: 100–105

Stamina: 195–200

“Hmm, you’ve maintained your stats well. It seems you’ve been following the training menu I gave you,” Laurent said.

“Yes, I wanted to make sure my status was something I wouldn’t be ashamed of when I saw you again,” Jill replied.

“Alright, then let’s check the compatibility rates of your equipment,” Laurent continued.

“Yes,” Jill agreed.

She began equipping various items like the “Blue Armor” and “Fire Spear” one by one, with Laurent assessing the compatibility of each.

(Oh no, what should I do?)

Jill could feel her heart racing at being appraised by Laurent again after so long.

Just being gazed at by Laurent brought back all the pain, suffering, and joy he had given her, causing her body to heat up.

(I can’t believe myself… I haven’t even been assigned new training yet. But still…)

For the past few months, Jill had lived on the training menu sent by Laurent through letters.

She had comforted herself by thinking she was being put through her paces by Laurent. But…

(It’s so different having him here in person.)

Just being stared at by Laurent made her feel like she was being teased.

Recalling the sensation of being scolded by him sent chills running down her spine.

(Laurent… what kind of harsh training will it be this time? Oh, please, just punish me already, Laurent.)

“Jill… Jill?”

“Huh? Yes!? What is it?”

Jill snapped back to reality when Laurent called her name.

“The appraisal is done. I’m going to discuss the results with the alchemists now. You can rest for today,” Laurent explained.

“Ah, yes. And what kind of training should I be doing?” Jill asked eagerly.

“No, really, you can rest today. You must be tired from the journey. I’ve arranged a room for you, so go ahead and relax.”

“…Yes.”

(Ah, Laurent… You’re teasing me again… But I like it.)

Laurent attended the “Spirit Alliance” meeting afterward.

In addition to the usual members, the meeting also included Simon, the “Knight of the Black Wall”; Ray from the “Crimson Sand Players”; and Roberto from the “Fortress Archers.”

The main topics of discussion were the reconciliation of local and external interests and the subjugation of the “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir.”

The three external guilds had already stated their desired quantities of ore procurement to Laurent.

The representatives of the three guilds held their breath, waiting for Laurent to begin speaking, anxious about how much of their requests would be accommodated.

Laurent began with a smile, addressing them calmly.

“Now, regarding the allocation of ore within the ‘Spirit Alliance,’ I want all of you from the external guilds to rest assured. As long as you fulfill the tasks we require, we intend to fully accommodate your requests. Please participate in the exploration with peace of mind.”

The representatives of the external guilds each let out a sigh of relief.

They had been anxious, worried that they would waste time and resources due to the chaos between the “Spirit Workshop” and “Dragon’s Ember.”

In response to the requests from the three external guilds, Laurent began to distribute the tasks accordingly.

“So, with the ore allocation settled, we must now discuss the subjugation of the ‘Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir.’ Given that the target is an S-class monster, I think it would be best to base our strategy around Jill, the S-class adventurer.”

The atmosphere in the meeting was filled with a tension that was hard to describe.

Not many had experience exploring dungeons with an S-class adventurer, and everyone was worried if they could keep up.

“Well, that makes sense,” Leon spoke up, breaking the silence.

“So, how should we coordinate with Jill Irwin? Obviously, working with an S-class adventurer won’t be simple.”

“Yes. First of all, Jill has extraordinary stamina—almost to the point of being abnormal. She can run around all day with hardly any fatigue. To keep pace with her stamina, we need to march at a minimum speed equivalent to Agility 40,” Laurent explained.

“Agility 40… That’s brutal,” Leon replied.

Normally, the marching speed within a dungeon is said to be around Agility 20.

This is the speed that allows one to avoid carrying over fatigue to the next day.

However, when exploring a dungeon with Jill, they would need to march at more than twice the usual speed.

“And another important factor is that Jill gets more motivated if she takes damage,” Laurent continued.

“I see… she gets more motivated if she takes damage, huh… That would mean… huh?” Leon paused, feeling a sense of discomfort with the words coming out of his mouth and stopped to think for a moment.

“…Sorry, Laurent. Could you say that again? How do we motivate Jill Irwin exactly?”

“Oh, sorry. That might have been unclear. Jill is the type who gets more motivated when she takes damage. With that in mind, we need to structure the combat so that she takes on as much of the burden as possible,” Laurent explained.

“I-I see… So, we need to ensure Jill takes on the burden…” Leon repeated, still trying to process what he had just heard.

“As for the specific method…” Laurent continued.

Although Leon listened to Laurent’s explanation, he still struggled to comprehend it.

(This isn’t good. No matter how many times I go over it in my head, it just doesn’t make sense. Did everyone else understand? The meeting is continuing as usual… Am I the only one not getting it?)

But Leon needn’t have worried, as no one else fully understood what Laurent was saying either.

However, everyone thought, “Am I the only one who doesn’t get it?” and, not wanting to be the odd one out, continued to nod along, pretending to understand as the meeting progressed.