Chapter 508 – Evaluation and Recruitment
Tauro and his companions were visiting the Adventurers’ Guild in the Royal Capital.
It was the day after they had spent the night in Babylon, the city built above the dungeon of the same name.
“…There’s the honorary viscount who somehow managed to get an extraordinary promotion to B-minus rank.”
Someone in the guild muttered as soon as they noticed Tauro and his companions.
The members of Black-Gold Wings ignored the remark and calmly entered the guild.
Several other adventurers followed behind them.
“It’s been a long time since I came back to the Royal Capital Adventurers’ Guild, but nothing has changed! And the fact that we made it back safely this quickly is all thanks to you, Lord Tauro. Truly, thank you!”
One of the men said this loudly and emotionally as he clapped Tauro on the shoulder.
The other adventurers initially assumed that someone was already trying to curry favor with Tauro now that he was an honorary viscount. But when they looked at the newcomers’ faces, they froze for an entirely different reason: they knew those faces very well.
“H-Honorary Baron Kars, leader of the A-plus adventuring team Five Dragon Virtues!?”
Shock rippled through the guild.
“What? How’s that possible!? No one has seen them for more than half a year!”
“Did they finally come back from their expedition? But why do they seem so friendly with Black-Gold Wings?”
“H-Hey, wait! There’s also the A-rank Light Tiger, the A-rank Blue Tortoise, and even the B-plus Heavenly Flying Horse! They’re all famous, top-class adventurers in this kingdom!”
Before long, everyone in the guild had gathered around Tauro’s party and the elite adventurers following them, staring from a distance in astonishment.
Tauro and his companions were unsure what to do with all the unfamiliar attention, but Kars, leader of Five Dragon Virtues, was completely at ease. He put an arm around Tauro’s shoulders, winked at the equally astonished receptionists, and led him into a special room in the back.
“Whoa, this is my first time seeing the A-rank Light Tiger!”
“Forget that—look at Five Dragon Virtues! They’re said to be the strongest A-plus adventuring team in the kingdom! People say Kars is strong enough that it wouldn’t be surprising if he reached the legendary S-rank band!”
“But why are legends like them with Black-Gold Wings, a team that only just reached B-minus rank and whose leader only recently became an honorary viscount?”
“Who knows…?”
The ordinary adventurers could only whisper in confusion. Until recently, Black-Gold Wings had been on much the same level as they were, yet now its members held honorary titles and had appeared on friendly terms with some of the kingdom’s greatest adventurers, people who had been missing for months.
In a special room at the back of the Royal Capital Adventurers’ Guild,
Kars’s Five Dragon Virtues and the other elite adventurers, who had been exploring the dungeon until only the day before, reported on their half-year expedition and took the treasures and items they had collected out of their [Magic Storage] to have them appraised and settled.
Tauro and his companions accompanied them.
“Even so, I never thought we’d really make it back to the surface this quickly…”
Kars had left the accounting to the others and sat beside Tauro, speaking with deep emotion.
“Hahaha. I’d expect no less from first-rate adventurers. You must have incredible luck,” Tauro joked.
Tauro and Kars had hit it off the day before and had been talking almost constantly ever since.
Or rather, it might have been more accurate to say that Kars had taken a liking to Tauro.
“I’m confident in my luck, but this time I think your luck with money pulled us through, Lord Tauro. After all, thirty percent of all the treasure and items we obtained on this expedition will be your reward! Hahaha!”
Kars laughed heartily as he watched his companions take glittering treasures and rare items from their [Magic Storage] and pile them up one after another.
“Should I lower my share a little?”
Looking at the enormous pile and realizing how much it might be worth, Tauro felt a little greedy and made the offer.
“No. Even thirty percent is too little. If we had recklessly kept going deeper and been wiped out, everything would have ended there, and even turning back would have taken months. Compared with that, this is cheap. Besides, none of us have ever seen an ability like your [Spatial Transfer], even after adventuring all over the kingdom. You’ve more than earned this reward. I’m truly glad you appeared when you did. Thank you.”
Kars thanked Tauro while the guild staff hurriedly appraised the mountain of treasure beside them.
“But the kingdom and the Adventurers’ Guild will still take taxes and handling fees, right?” Tauro asked.
“Of course. The dungeon is under royal management, and we’re allowed to enter only with the kingdom’s special permission. More importantly, the kingdom funds our expedition. And it’s because the Adventurers’ Guild exists that we adventurers can live with pride. Paying our share is only natural.”
Kars grinned.
Meanwhile, Aeris and the others helped the guild staff sort the treasures and listened excitedly as the elite adventurers explained how each item had been obtained.
Every so often, cries of “Whoa!” and “Incredible!” rang out.
“Lord Tauro, how about joining Five Dragon Virtues? Since you’re an honorary viscount, I’d even be willing to hand the leadership over to you,” Kars suddenly offered.
The other team leaders immediately reacted to the unexpected proposal.
“Hold on, Kars! No getting a head start!”
“Exactly! We agreed we’d discuss this after the accounting was finished!”
“Quite right! If you get to him first, Kars, a B-plus team like mine won’t stand a chance!”
Apparently, the leaders had already discussed recruiting Tauro among themselves.
Tauro scratched his cheek with a wry smile.
“Ahaha… I’m truly honored by the offers, but I’m the leader of Black-Gold Wings, so I’ll have to decline.”
Even as he politely refused, Tauro was deeply grateful that some of the kingdom’s finest adventurers thought so highly of him.