Chapter 5: You cant judge a book by its cover (2)

“That’s seriously impressive… How did you figure it out?”
“Even we get confused sometimes…”
“As expected of Kane! Knowing so much about elves too…”

It doesn’t feel like I’m being scolded.
But is it really that big a deal…?
Anyone who’s read a few books about elves could figure it out.

Sure, I know about the distortion in polymorph magic from reading advanced magic texts, but the Elvab fruit is common knowledge.

Of course, even without that knowledge, I could glean some of a person’s essence just by using my Aptitude Assessment.

[Name: Arna Rondo Merius]
[Aptitude]
[Spirit Magic – B]
[Archery – C]
[Spirit Studies – A]

Not a hero, but a prodigy with multiple aptitudes.
Spirit magic, spirit studies, and archery.
Plus, a ring embedded with an Elvab fruit?
Even a kid could tell she’s an elf.

But is it really that surprising that I figured it out?
Elves are rare, so maybe it’s hard to recognize one up close…

“Our race has been isolated from the outside world for over a century… Some people don’t even know what elves are. You’re the first person I’ve met who knows this much detail.”
“…Is that so?”

Guess she’s only met people uninterested in such things.

“Haha! Kane, you’re something else!”
“Right? My brother’s pretty awesome!”

Luckily, the mood lightened quickly, and we all drank and laughed late into the night.

“So, what brings you here?”

When the atmosphere softened, I asked Scarlet.
Why was she suddenly in the capital?
I’d heard she was active on the empire’s outskirts.

“Oh, I’m stopping by home.”
“Home…?”

The Harkur Marquis’s territory?

“Yeah. Sane said he has a request for our party.”
“…Sane, you mean Marquis Sane?”

Come to think of it, he’s inherited the title now, so I shouldn’t call him “Young Master.”

Anyway, a request important enough for Marquis Sane to summon them personally?
This is an S-rank party led by Scarlet, the Blood Empress.

Arna, the elf, is an A-rank mage and archer.
Jerome, a towering giant over two meters tall, is an A-rank heavy warrior.
Ron, a slightly roguish-looking priest, is a B-rank cleric.

Firepower, tanking, healing.
A perfectly balanced party with no weaknesses.

Known as Scarlet’s Party, they’re renowned not just in the Kar Empire but across the entire continent.
A request significant enough to call them in?
I’m a bit curious.

…But that doesn’t mean I’m going to follow them to the Harkur estate.
Gotta keep my head on my shoulders.

“So, you quit the academy. What’s next, Kane?”
“Huh?”

Jerome asked me casually, as if we were buddies now after sharing drinks.

Yeah… I do need to think about what’s next.
I can’t stay jobless forever.
I don’t have that much money saved up.

“Well, I’ll need to find another job. Since I was a teacher… maybe I’ll head to some rural area and start a small school.”

I don’t have anything concrete planned.
Just a vague idea.

I enjoy teaching and watching people grow.
Maybe I just want to keep guiding others?

“Wait, how about becoming an adventurer instructor?”
“…What?”

Scarlet chimed in with a suggestion.

“An adventurer instructor. I heard the adventurer guild in a city we were in is looking for a new instructor.”
“Hmm…”
An adventurer instructor…

Exactly what it sounds like: a job teaching adventurers what to watch out for and how to act.
I’ve heard it’s a role with a lot of responsibility since it directly impacts whether adventurers survive their quests.

It does sound better than doing nothing.
Plus, adventurers, heroes, and great heroes aren’t that different in what they do, just in how they’re perceived.
Teaching them shouldn’t be too different, right?

But…

“I don’t know anything about adventurers…”

I only know what I’ve read in books, thinking they’re similar to heroes.
I don’t know how adventurers should behave or what they need to be cautious about.
I never specifically studied adventurers.

At best, I could teach ways to minimize risks in the wild, distinguish between edible and poisonous plants, or identify monster traits…
Wait, is that enough?

“Come on, what doesn’t Kane know?”
“…”

I don’t know a lot, actually.
Like Jenny, the Harkur family seems to have way too high expectations of me.
I’m not that impressive.

I’m just an ordinary guy who tries to help the soldiers or students I teach to the best of my ability.

…Well, except for Marquis Sane.

“Adventurer instructor.”

After the drinking session, back in my inn room, I mulled over the conversation.

Adventurer instructor.
A teacher guiding adventurers.

Could I do it?

For now, I decided to keep it in mind and visit the Adventurers’ Guild Carmen branch with Scarlet’s party tomorrow to learn more about adventurers.

As the largest city in the world, it has one of the biggest adventurer guilds, with plenty of records and resources.
It’s a good place to start.

“…Hassler, huh.”

The city Scarlet mentioned, where the guild is hiring an instructor, is Hassler.

It’s not too far from the capital, Carmen.
But there’s the Ode Swamp, home to trolls, in between.
Going around it takes nearly ten days.

“Ten days… I’ll need to hire some adventurers as escorts.”

The detour avoids dangerous monsters like trolls.
But I haven’t trained my body much, and I have no combat-related aptitudes.
My fighting ability is weaker than an average soldier.

Even a pack of goblins could kill me on the way.
Hiring escorts is a must.
I don’t need high-rank adventurers, so it shouldn’t cost too much.

Why not ask Scarlet’s party?
Well, they could probably cut through the Ode Swamp and get there in five days.

But their destination is the Harkur Marquis’s territory, on the complete opposite side of the capital.
I’ve got some conscience—I can’t ask them to take a five-day detour, ten days round trip.

“First, I’ll learn more about adventurers. Then I’ll decide.”

No point wasting money, time, or energy.

…Wait.
What if I go and don’t get the job?

“…”

Whatever.
I’ll think about it tomorrow.

For now, sleep.

The next morning, Scarlet dragged me to the Adventurers’ Guild as soon as I woke up.

“Miss… you’re leaving this morning…”

Flustered, I asked, and she replied.

“It’s fine. We just need to stop by the guild and head out.”

Guess I can’t access the guild’s records alone, so they’re going to arrange it for me.
Makes sense—it’s not a national library; they wouldn’t just let an outsider browse their records.

“Yo, you’re here.”
“I talked to the guild master already. Scarlet, just show your face, and it should be fine.”

A massive, majestic building.
It made the adventurer guild in the Harkur estate look like a shack.

It was practically a palace.
With a sleek, modern design to boot.
Hard to believe this was an adventurer guild.

At the grand entrance, Arna, Jerome, and Ron were waiting for me and Scarlet.

“Such a shame. I wanted to talk more with Kane.”
“Yeah, just when we were getting to know each other!”
“Parting so soon.”

The three expressed their reluctance and said their goodbyes.

“We’ll meet again someday.”
“Yeah, if you become an instructor in Hassler, we’ll definitely see you there!”
“True!”
“We’ll come find you!”

…These guys.
I haven’t even gotten the job yet, and they’re already putting pressure on me.

“See you next time.”

I bowed to the three, then followed Scarlet through the guild’s massive front gate.

“Welcome, Scarlet. Good to see you again.”

A man in his mid-thirties greeted Scarlet warmly, his eyes gleaming.
He seemed to be the guild master.

[Name: Tachi Swale]
[Aptitude]
[Physical Skill Integration (6 types) – A]
[Fire Magic – B]
[Hero’s Qualities – A]

Oh… a hero?

A hero as an adventurer guild master?
That’s pretty rare.

And Swale—that’s a count’s family in the empire.
A prominent central noble.
Another oddball like Scarlet?

“This must be… Kane?”

He glanced at me with a refined voice and graceful demeanor.

“Hello.”
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Tachi Swale, master of the Adventurers’ Guild Carmen branch.”

I bowed, and he returned a polite nod.

I was a bit worried since he’s a noble, but he doesn’t seem to look down on me for being a commoner.
If anything, he feels… respectful?
Not just putting on a show for S-rank adventurer Scarlet—it’s like this is his natural demeanor.

Seems like a good guy.

“Take care of him, Guild Master. He’s my precious brother.”
“Of course, don’t worry.”
“Alrightintreo, I’m off!”
“Right, right…”

Like a storm sweeping through, Scarlet vanished in a flash.
Being around the three Harkur siblings always feels like my energy’s being drained for no reason…

Her attitude did make me trust Tachi Swale more.

Despite her carefree vibe, Scarlet’s sharp and has a great eye for people.
Her party members being both strong and good people is probably thanks to that.

If someone with her judgment trusts me to Tachi without hesitation,
it means Tachi Swale is genuinely trustworthy.

“Haha, it’s like a hurricane passes through whenever she’s here.”
“Hahaha… I feel the same.”
“This way, please. I’ll guide you to the archives.”
“Yes, thank you.”

As expected,
even without Scarlet, his polite tone and behavior didn’t change.
The word “gentleman” comes to mind.

I followed Tachi Swale to the archives of the Adventurers’ Guild Carmen branch.