Kays Translations

Chapter 56

“It’s been a while, Madam.”

“Oh my! Sheele-san! It really has been a while!”

Melt and I arrived at the Hamusutei Inn to inform them that we would be checking out today and that Same had to leave town suddenly due to an urgent job.

“He really seemed sorry about it, you know. Same said he was very grateful for the month we stayed here.”

“It’s quite alright. We rarely get long-term guests, so really, we’re the ones who should be thanking you.”

Most likely, because this inn is aimed at newcomers, they don’t usually get guests wealthy enough to stay long term.

Guests who want a long-term stay would probably opt for an inn with better facilities—or go for a cheap place if all they need is a bed.

“Hey, Madam. Is your husband not around?”

“He’s taking a nap to prepare for the night shift. Would you like me to pass on a message?”

“Yes! Please tell him thank you so much for everything. And for the delicious food! He helped cook too, right?”

“Oh, you noticed that?”

“Totally. His cooking was all rich flavors with meat and potatoes. Perfect for when we were tired! Your soups were always amazing too! Thank you so much!”

“…You really are a sweet girl, Melt-chan. Sheele-san, please tell Same something for me. Tell him: ‘You shouldn’t leave such a good girl alone.’ And ‘Keep her close if you can.’”

“I will. Definitely.”

Melt had clearly become well-liked by everyone at the inn.

And I could understand why. It’s rare to find someone who expresses gratitude so sincerely.

Even I felt like patting her head right then and there.

“Well then, as much as we’ll miss you, it’s time we took our leave.”

“I live just outside town now, so I’ll come by for a meal again sometime!”

“You bet! Take care!”

And so we left the inn that had taken care of us since we first came to this town.

Truly, we were fortunate to have been introduced to such a good place.

“Sheele, what will you do now? Are you heading home?”

“Before that, I’m going to the General Guild. I’m thinking of joining both the Scholar’s Guild and the Adventurer’s Guild.”

“Wow! So you’re becoming an adventurer too! We’ll match!”

“It seems I need a formal status to move freely.”

Although, I still don’t know the exact requirements to join the Scholar’s Guild.

It’s possible I might not be able to join on the same day.

“…Still, I do seem to stand out a lot, don’t I?”

“Yeah. Plus, our hair colors are rare, and since we’re walking around together, we draw even more attention.”

“True. I’ve barely seen anyone with silver hair besides you, Melt.”

“Same. I only ever saw it occasionally in the noble district.”

So, not completely unheard of, but certainly rare.

As we walked while attracting curious stares, we eventually reached the General Guild.

“I’ll head to the Scholar’s Guild desk now.”

“Hey, do you think it’s possible to be a member of more than one guild? You’re becoming an adventurer too, right?”

“It’s worth a try. At worst, even if I can’t become an adventurer, being able to fight is all that matters.”

“Hmm… Sheele, are you bloodthirsty!?”

“No, it’s for testing purposes.”

Let’s clear up Melt’s misunderstanding.

If anyone is bloodthirsty… it would be the ‘Upper-tier Characters.’

Same once said that in Silent, even I had started to think more dangerously, more strategically.

Then… what about the top three characters?

Perhaps my personality has remained distinct from Shizuma’s partly because of how strong I am.

In fact, stat-wise, Silent and I are nearly evenly matched.

Of course, in actual combat ability, Silent comes out ahead.

But if the boundary between personalities is determined by stats, then surely those top three would…

They’d suppress Shizuma’s personality, and their own character selves would emerge instead.

That could lead to serious downsides.

I consider myself cooperative with Shizuma. And when the day comes that he grows stronger and this self becomes truly his, I’ll gladly embrace that.

As a character, I see Shizuma as my creator—and as the place I’ll eventually return to.

But what if this personality—this mindset—is entirely shaped by “character settings and scenarios”?

What if a character with a terribly tragic background ends up fully self-aware?

…The top three characters all have horrific backstories, settings, and origins.

So… I need to experiment with myself first. To make sure that one day, when Shizuma grows stronger, he can fully absorb me and evolve.

“Sheele, what’s wrong? You spaced out there.”

“Ah, sorry. I was just thinking.”

I must become Shizuma’s stepping stone—his growth. So I need to keep testing.

I approached the Scholar’s Guild reception and asked to join.

The man who had once shown me the library remembered me clearly.

“You want to join? In that case… you’ll need to submit a research report. Do you have a specific field of study?”

As expected, with “scholar” in the name, it wasn’t going to be simple.

“I research a method for temporary elemental infusion into objects. Instead of complex rituals using special materials or weapons, I’m working on a simplified, efficient method to temporarily imbue objects with elemental power.”

As I spoke, I cast a basic enchantment spell, imbuing a nearby quill with lightning.

“Oh… that’s an impressive enchantment. Extremely fast activation, too. Please submit a summary of your research. If approved, your work may be archived in the academy or even the research institute.”

“Understood. I’ll come back another day.”

This technique likely can be reproduced with the magic of this world.

When I cast it, I could feel it aligned with this world’s magical framework.

It seems our powers aren’t just otherworldly forces forcibly imposed by a Dungeon Master—but are instead reconstructed within this world’s own rules.

A valuable insight.

“Oh, by the way—excuse me—can I ask something? Is it possible to be part of the Scholar’s Guild while also working as an adventurer? I want to know if dual memberships are allowed.”

“Yes, of course. Many members take side jobs in the Adventurer, Apothecary, or Alchemist guilds to fund their research.”

“Got it. Thank you very much.”

So dual membership is permitted.

Maybe I should tell Melt as well?

She would shine in the Apothecary Guild with her knowledge.

…No, better to wait until her life is more settled.

She finally has a home and a place to belong.

It’s best for her to focus on that for now.

“Sheele, were you able to join the Scholar’s Guild?”

“Not immediately. I need to submit a research report next time.”

“Oh! A report! That brings back memories. Grandma’s room was full of those.”

“Really? Did you read them too, Melt?”

“Yup. When I ran out of things to read, I started reading only reports.”

What an intellectually curious girl.

She likely gained her strength through constant trial and experimentation.

Not just talent, but also her mindset brought her this far.

“Alright, let’s head to the Adventurer’s Guild next.”

At the adventurers’ guild reception desk, Sigurd-san was on duty today.

It seemed Melt was acquainted with him, and she greeted him first.

“Hello, Sigurd-san!”
“Oh, it’s young Miss Melt. You alone today?”
“Nope, I brought a friend. She wants to become an adventurer!”
“Oh, a rookie, huh? Then have her fill this out.”

I took the form from Melt and began filling it in.

…Honestly, there wasn’t much I could write properly besides my name—just like when I registered as Silent.

Still, under “Specialties,” I noted: Investigation and Research.

“I’m finished filling it out.”
“Hmm, you’re the friend? Sorry, but could you remove your hood? I need to check your face against the wanted posters and registry, just in case.”

Right—out of habit, I had kept my face hidden in crowded places.

“My apologies. Here you go.”
“…Melt, this person really your friend?”
“Yep! Her name’s Sheele. She’s been here before, too!”
“I… I see. Hm, unknown origin, no background… got a story behind that?”
“Yes, even I don’t really know myself.”
“Hmm… Looks like you’re an elf. Maybe you’ve had all kinds of experiences in your long life. You wrote that your specialty is investigation and research, but can you fight? As your rank goes up, you’ll be doing more work in the field.”
“I didn’t write it down, but I can handle a bow and knives, and use basic magic.”
“Hoho… Normally we’d do a more in-depth interview in another room, but… let’s just head out to the courtyard for a practical test. I don’t think we need an interview.”

Hmm? No interview necessary… Is that because I’m an elf?

Do they just assume I have botanical knowledge, or something?

Honestly, that’s a relief. I still don’t know how different this world’s flora is from Earth’s or the game’s, and I’m not confident I could match names to appearances…

And so, Melt and I were led to the courtyard.

The courtyard had once been damaged in an explosion during the events when I was acting as Silent.

But now, it was fully repaired, back to its original state.

Speaking of which… I wonder if that attacker is still locked in the dungeon?

“Alright, Sheele-san, show me a little sparring and marksmanship. A wooden dagger-type sword okay?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“Alright then, I’m going to strike now. Deflect, dodge, or counter—your choice.”

This would be my first time fighting as Sheele.

Her main job is Hunter. Her primary weapon is the bow, and knives or daggers are sub-weapons.

So she doesn’t know any specific sword techniques. Still, I seem to have knowledge of close-quarters combat using knives stored within me.

I reverse-gripped the knife and lowered my stance.

In terms of agility, I surpass Same. That means—

“Wha—!? She vanished—”

I moved at the moment his weight shifted onto one foot for his step.

“Pardon me.”

Instant acceleration. I dashed low to the ground, vanished from view with a step, then leapt into the air.

As I flew over him, I swung lightly across Sigurd-san’s neck from above—just a glancing blow.

“Guh!”
“I countered. Are you injured?”
“N-No… geez… you and Melt-san—what kind of monsters are you two? Were you an assassin or something?”

He asked it half-jokingly.

…Maybe there really are people with such backgrounds here?

“Nothing that dangerous. I was just a hunter for a long time.”
“You could reach the upper ranks just with your close-combat skills. Alright, let’s test your marksmanship next—this way.”

I can fight. Rather than clumsy sword skills or techniques, this is far more effective.

Honestly, being mistaken for an assassin is understandable.

This is real strength.

“Alright, from here, shoot the dummy over there. Want a shortbow or longbow?”

Next, I was brought to the archery range.

It looked like some people were there training on their own—many were drawing bows.

I borrowed a longbow made of a simple metal and wood combination.

…Hmm, is this a kind of composite bow?

For the first shot, to get a feel for the bow, I aimed directly at the center of the target’s torso.

“—Hup.”

The arrow flew straight and true, sinking perfectly into the spot that would correspond to the navel.

The arrows were made of wood, fitted with carefully crafted fletching.

There were no strange quirks with the bow, and it didn’t throw off my aim at all.

“That’s a fine bow.”

“Glad to hear it. We just had it maintained by the Blacksmiths’ Guild last week.”

“That explains it.”

I decided to test it a bit more.

One of the basic archery skills of the Hunter class: “Precision Shot.”

In the game, this switched to a first-person view, making it easier to aim for weak points.
It also applied buffs: increased attack power, higher critical hit rate, and extended range.

I wondered how that would translate into the real world here.

“—There.”

My target was an arrow I had already shot into the dummy.

I aimed to shoot the arrow onto the arrow—what’s known in Japanese archery as a “ketsuya” (splitting an arrow with another).

Ordinarily, it’s not something to celebrate too much—it damages equipment, after all.

But just for now, I hoped they’d forgive me. I wanted to test my capabilities.

“…Success.”

One more shot… another hit.
A rare phenomenon: three arrows connected end-to-end, all embedded into each other.

“This is… godlike skill. Just who are you…?”
“Just a bored person who’s spent a ridiculous amount of time with a bow. It’s a stationary target—if you spend enough time, it’s bound to succeed eventually.”
“No, no… I get it now. You’re the real deal. Sheele-san, when we get back to the front desk, please take a seat and wait for a bit. We’ll need to hold a brief review meeting.”
“Understood.”

At some point, I’d attracted the gaze of every person in the training area.
So, Melt and I quietly slipped away.

“Sheele, that was amazing! I’ve never seen anything like that! The arrows went thunk! thunk! thunk! and just kept getting longer! It was so cool!”

“Fufu, I thought so too. I wonder how many I could’ve stacked like that?”

“We should try again sometime! I bet the last arrow’s tail would end up right in your face!”

Back at the reception desk, Melt shared her thoughts on what she’d just seen.

Really… her reactions and the way she expresses herself are always so cute.

“And the way you handled the knife, and how you ran—so cool! I wanna try copying you next time!”

“If it’s you, Melt, you just might pull it off for real.”

Now then…
I wonder what my starting rank as an adventurer will be?

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter