Jet-black hair. Tanned brown skin. Mysterious golden eyes.

He was probably around 170 cm tall. He was a kid who looked to be under twenty. If I had to say, he was the leader among the kids.

For a moment, he smiled brightly as if he had finally found me, and then he cautiously approached me like a wary wild animal.

Every time he walked, a characteristic clinking sound was heard. It was the sound of the spearheads hanging from his waist like a keychain hitting each other.

The guy, who had reached me very cautiously, looked up at me blankly.

After scanning me from head to toe, he seemed to be carefully examining my features... and then he looked back and forth between my two eyes.

And then he made a sign with his hand.

-Brother Ashuban. Is that you?

I nodded.

"Yes, it's me."

Schmitt looked at me with a dazed face.

-How...

"It's a long story. How have you been? Fortunately, your limbs are intact, and you don't seem to be dead."

Tears welled up in Schmitt's golden eyes as he looked at me.

Just as I was about to get a little embarrassed, a white fox came down the stairs, yawning.

"It's been a while, Schmitt."

Miho, who had trotted down the stairs, circled around Schmitt and rubbed her body against his leg.

Schmitt stroked Miho with a bright expression.

I asked Miho, who was making a purring sound.

"How did you know to come down?"

"I smelled him."

Miho answered, enjoying Schmitt's touch.

The Heavenly Demon, who was watching the scene, asked.

[Can't that guy speak?]

"He was injured when he was young."

I pushed back his hood and checked his neck.

There was a large, lightning-shaped scar that cut diagonally across his neck. It was a wound from a magical beast.

The Heavenly Demon muttered lowly.

[Oh dear... how unfortunate.]

I straightened his clothes and answered.

"It's okay. There's no problem with communication. It's a good thing he's alive."

Schmitt tilted his head at my words.

Miho explained instead.

"That guy's condition has gotten worse since he came back. He's even talking to himself now."

Schmitt looked up at me with worried eyes.

-Did you fall on your head from the cliff?

"Be quiet."

And then I tapped his head, and only then did Schmitt grin.

If it had been Siri, she would have hugged me as soon as she saw me, but although this guy was a kid, he was still a blunt guy, so we just checked each other's safety for a moment and then exchanged a smile.

I looked at the still innocent-looking guy for a moment, and then a thought crossed my mind.

"Wait. Schmitt, you're a platinum rank, right?"

-Yes.

"How long has it been since you got your platinum tag?"

-I don't know. About 3 or 4 years?

"Hmm."

Boris had said that the qualifications for an examiner required a gold rank and at least 5 years of experience. But since he's a platinum rank, can't we overlook a year or two?

I'll have to go and ask to find out.

I immediately led the guy out the door.

"Let's go."

-Where?

Schmitt moved his hands busily even as I held his wrist.

"The mercenary guild."

-Why?

"Let's talk on the way. We seem to have a lot to talk about."

Miho saw us off with a yawn.

"Be safe. I'll be guarding our home."

***

While walking the streets with the guy, many people recognized Schmitt. It was only natural, as he was quite famous and had a distinctive appearance.

—...Isn't that the golden martial artist?

—Wow... I guess Ashuban of the Half-Sword was really a member of Sherwood.

—Sven said so back then. That he was a member of Sherwood.

—When did he come back?

—Then does that mean the other Sherwood members might come back too?

Whisper, whisper.

I could hear people whispering amongst themselves.

But Schmitt was busy moving his hands to talk to me.

The guy explained in sign language how he had found me.

-I went to your grave, brother. And there was a white flower placed on the tombstone of that person named Tina.

"Hmm."

-Until now, it was either flowers for both of them, or flowers only on your tombstone. It was the first time that a flower was placed only on Ms. Tina's tombstone...

"So?"

-Honestly, I thought it was ridiculous... but I'm sorry to Ms. Tina, but I immediately took that flower and went around to all the flower shops in Schirnberg.

As expected of a platinum rank.

What a frightening course of action.

He used the reasoning he used for tracking magical beasts in a place like this, so he found a clue right away.

Who did he learn this from?

He learned it all from me.

I can still vividly remember the image of the kid Schmitt, who used to follow me around and learn the basics of tracking magical beasts.

[But why are you like that?]

"...So, Schmitt. What happened next?"

Schmitt continued his story.

-At a certain flower shop, the owner remembered the person who had bought that flower. He was a man with a very scary atmosphere and blood-red eyes, and for some reason, he looked very sad.

"Hmm."

-So with that as a clue, I searched all the inns in Schirnberg again. Because if he had come to Schirnberg, he would have stayed for at least a day.

"That's right."

-I met a person named Camus there.

"Camus?"

The hunter, Camus. He was the one who had ridden in the carriage with me all the way to Schirnberg.

-He said he had ridden in a carriage with a red-eyed man all the way to Schirnberg. He said he was with two younger sisters, and honestly, I thought it wasn't you at this point.

"Why?"

-Because there's no way you would travel with someone, brother. And younger sisters, at that.

Hearing his words, I realized anew that I had changed a lot. Just as the seasons change, it seems I had also gradually faced changes.

-He said he had split a B-rank magical beast in half with a single blow and used mysterious black magic to freeze the corpse. I was frustrated again at this point. Because you can't even feel mana, let alone use it, brother.

"...."

Why do I feel so stabbed by his seemingly insignificant words?

Because it's a word without malice, the blow hits harder.

-So just as I was about to give up and go back, admitting that it was a false hope... the man's name was Ashuban? And he also said a lot of nonsense, as if he weren't in his right mind. I decided to hold on to a sliver of hope.

"No..."

-At Camus's words that he thought he had heard him say he was going east, I immediately headed east. I went around asking about a red-eyed man in a carriage in every village I passed. And then... I heard a strange rumor.

"A rumor?"

-That a person named Ashuban of the Half-Sword had punished the fake Sherwood in Milestone.

"Aha."

-As soon as I heard it, I ran without resting... and I just arrived.

Anyway, in the end, my intention had hit the mark exactly.

Although the rumor had spread as Ashuban of the Half-Sword instead of Ashuban of Sherwood, it eventually reached the ears of Schmitt, who was nearby, and led to Schmitt returning here.

I was dazed by the faster-than-expected result.

But this was something that wouldn't have happened if it weren't for Schmitt, who had found a small clue in Schirnberg and started the chase, so it was also a matter of the situation luckily falling into place.

Come to think of it, it was Ketel's advice to go to Tina's grave. Did she foresee this situation?

Anyway, I just patted the head of Schmitt, who had finished his story, without saying anything. Just like in the old days.

What should I say? I was proud, and also a little sorry.

The guy moved his hands busily.

-What about you, brother? I definitely saw the traces of you falling from the Mist Cliff with the magical beast. What happened?

"I'll tell you when we get back to the hideout. It's a long story."

By the time the story ended, we were in front of the mercenary guild.

The timing was good.

Schmitt asked me.

-Why the guild?

"Because there's something you need to do."

Creeak...

I immediately opened the door and went in.

"Snore..."

As expected, Boris was sleeping soundly at the reception desk. Does this guy think this is his bedroom?

I slammed the reception desk where the guy's dirty feet were.

"Waaah!"

Thud!

The guy fell backwards just like last time...

"Who the hell is it!"

He shot up just like last time and got angry.

When he saw Schmitt, the guy's eyes widened.

"Huh? Isn't that the golden kid?"

Schmitt bowed his head.

Boris looked at me with a puzzled face.

"How did you find him?"

"He found me on his own."

"He found you? How did he know?"

"That's what I'm saying."

I placed my hand on Schmitt's head and boasted.

"Our youngest is this capable."

"...."

I patted Schmitt's shoulder and asked.

"Platinum rank. Over 3 years of experience. Isn't that enough to be an examiner? He's a platinum rank, so you should understand a year or two of experience."

Boris let out a hollow laugh.

"You fool. Platinum rank doesn't need experience."

"Ah, really?"

"What crazy guy would ask a platinum rank for experience? They'd just be grateful if they came and bow down."

Schmitt, who was listening to my conversation with Boris, moved his eyes busily and looked at me.

-An examiner?

"Yes. You'll have to be the examiner."

-Who's taking the test?

"Me."

-What?

"I said me."

-...A promotion test?

"Yes. It's a promotion test for gold rank."

At that moment, Boris, who was writing something on a file, chimed in. It seemed he was writing Schmitt's name in the examiner section.

"The golden kid is qualified enough to be an examiner."

"Of course. Who do you think our youngest is?"

"But I'm coming with you."

I stared at Boris, who was organizing various documents in the file.

"Why you?"

"The examiner is your acquaintance. In this case, a guild employee has to accompany for fairness."

"Hmm."

"What 'hmm'?"

"Come to think of it, you're also my acquaintance."

"Nonsense. Before I'm your acquaintance, I'm a model employee of the Milestone branch of the mercenary guild."

"A model employee?"

"I've received the employee of the month award for 6 consecutive months. I'm an employee who is clear about public and private matters. It's hard to find someone as fair as me."

That period of 6 months strangely coincides with the time Sherwood left this place. He probably monopolized the employee of the month award because he was the only one left.

So it seems that he was both first and last place. And it seems he chose first place because he liked it.

Well, what kind of award can a guy who sleeps at the reception desk all day receive?

If I could give him an award, it would only be a fatal wound.

Let's just move on.

"Well... let's just say that."

"This bastard?"

"Give me the closest one that's presumed to be a B-rank magical beast."

"Let's see... here."

I glanced at the request form Boris handed me and then nodded.

"Confirmed. Let's go."

"Are we going right now?"

"Of course. We have an examiner and a magical beast ready, so is there any reason to delay?"

"I knew it. Damn it."

"Follow me."

"Damn it... I was sleeping so well."

Boris grumbled and took the file from the reception desk.

There are many reasons why I acknowledge Boris, but this is also one of them.

The fact that he does what he has to do even while grumbling a lot.

Look at that guy who is following me obediently even while being extremely annoyed.

Isn't the grumbling just to gain momentum?

Of course, that's nonsense.

"By the way, where's the branch manager?"

"I don't know. They all ran away a long time ago."

"A one-man guild?"

"Are you teasing me?"

Looking at it this way, doesn't it mean that he was the only one who stayed and guarded the place, even while sleeping at the reception desk, when everyone else ran away?

No, it seems more likely that he was just too lazy to go anywhere because of his personality.

I also said to Schmitt, who was looking at me and Boris with a dumbfounded face.

"Follow me. You just have to watch me kill the magical beast. Let's finish it quickly and go to Sven's to eat pig's feet."

Boris naturally chimed in.

"Good. I never get tired of Sven's pig's feet."

Schmitt quickly moved his hands and said something in sign language, but I ignored him and opened the door.

It was probably something like 'W-wait a minute!'.

Seeing is better than a hundred words.

"Schmitt. You carry that pathetic guy."

"Pathetic guy?"

I ignored Boris's protest and created the Floating Step.

Hwoooong—

Wind rose from my whole body and my clothes began to flutter.

Looking at Schmitt's wide eyes... I grinned.

"I'm going at full speed. Follow me well."

(End of Chapter)