26. Something Grew… Again!?
It was the day of my promised meeting with Romanov-sensei.
I stuffed into my waist pouch the requested item, a bonus friendship bracelet, and a sandwich basket packed with an omelet, ham, tomato, and cucumber—courtesy of the head chef. Over my shoulder, I slung a flask filled with frozen raspberries, honey, and sparkling water.
I finally arrived after a long horseback ride, having left a tearful, trailing Regulus-kun in the care of Utsunomiya-san.
Where I ended up was a run-down shopping district with a few scattered shops—a shabby inn, a liquor store, a small eatery, a tool shop, a weapon store, and the Adventurer’s Guild.
From the estate all the way here, I hadn’t passed a single person. That... really didn’t bode well for the Kikunoi family.
I felt a cold sweat run down my back.
Even the occasional red-brick buildings among the stone ones looked faded and tired.
“This area mostly serves adventurers,” Romanov-sensei explained. “It’s usually quiet during the day because everyone’s off dungeon diving or completing requests. It gets lively again at night, so we’re not quite in crisis mode yet. Yet, that is.”
“…‘Yet,’ huh?”
So that means a crisis is coming, huh? Not great.
We tied our horses in the Adventurer’s Guild stable. The building itself, with its wooden doors and rugged design, looked like it had come straight out of a Western movie. As Sensei pushed open the door, a bell rang overhead.
The moment we stepped inside, I felt a dozen eyes land on us—mostly on Sensei, but some on me too.
Curiosity. Hostility. Indifference.
Mostly indifference, honestly. A brief glance, then back to their drinks.
That was way better than being actively hated.
Led by Sensei, I followed him toward the back counter. As we approached, a receptionist popped up from behind the desk—and long, floppy brown bunny ears hung from her head.
“Ah—L-Lord Romanov!?”
“Hello. Is the Guild Master available?”
“Yes! One moment, please!”
The phrase “like a rabbit bolting” came to mind as the bunny-eared receptionist sped off like a blur.
While I waited, casually looking around, she returned, panting.
“The Guild Master said he’ll see you in the back room.”
“Thank you kindly, miss.”
“Th-thank you…”
As I bowed politely to her and moved to follow Sensei through the door, the receptionist finally seemed to notice me.
“Huh…?”
Yeah, understandable. Sensei’s good looks tend to hog all the attention.
We were led into what looked like a reception room with a surprisingly nice-looking sofa. A man already sat there—an intimidating, musclebound man with short black hair in a buzz cut. Though his expression was a bit stern, the laugh lines around his eyes gave him a surprisingly warm vibe.
He greeted Sensei with a casual hand wave and gestured to the sofa.
But the moment he noticed me sticking close behind, his expression shifted drastically.
He glared—hard.
But I just kept my mouth shut and stared back, not quite understanding what I’d done.
Eventually, he looked away, then rudely jabbed a finger at me.
“What’s with this brat? My [Intimidation] isn’t working.”
“Hey now, could you not act like a petty thug around my precious student?” Sensei said with a sigh.
“You didn’t stop me though, did you?”
“Because I knew from the start it wouldn’t work on him. I wanted him to learn that some adults are just large children with muscles.”
Wait, you were using a skill on me? I didn’t even notice!
Also—Sensei, did you just throw shade!?
As I reeled from that, the big scary guy—still glaring—suddenly grinned and bared his teeth.
“He doesn’t look it, but he’s a real piece of work, this elf.”
“That’s not true. I’m kind to Agaha-kun.”
“You are, for the most part.”
“‘For the most part,’ huh?!”
The room rang with the Guild Master’s booming laughter. Meanwhile, Sensei grabbed and squished my cheeks in protest—not painful, but definitely uncalled for.
Still, I had to ask:
“So... who is this Guild Master guy?”
“Ah, sorry,” the man said. “I’m the Guild Master here—Dominique Roland. I’ve known this elf since he was just a snot-nosed brat in the Imperial Capital.”
“That makes it… what, forty years?”
“Roughly.”
Wait a second. Why was a snot-nosed kid from the capital in this rural dump?
I must’ve let my doubt show, because the Guild Master scratched his head awkwardly.
“Got in some trouble. Got shipped out here.”
“So Kikunoi is a penal colony now?”
“Huh? ‘Kikunoi’ is…”
“Forgive me. I’m Agaha, eldest son of Count Kikunoi. A pleasure to meet you.”
“O-oh… Well, your old man turned pale and nearly peed himself when I used [Intimidation] on him.”
…Why would you tell me that?
I really didn’t need to hear that about my dad. At all.
But seriously—what was all this talk about [Intimidation] and fear resistance?
As I tilted my head, Sensei spoke up again.
“Ah yes, [Intimidation] is a type of skill. It overwhelms opponents with fear, and it typically appears in upper-rank adventurers.”
“Oh… So that’s why he glared at me so hard.”
“He used [Intimidation], and you brushed it off as a simple glare,” the Guild Master grumbled.
“Agaha-kun probably has [Mental Resistance],” Sensei mused.
“What’s that?”
So the two of them launched into an explanation.
Apparently, the status screen I usually see is just a simplified version. There’s a much more detailed board available through the skill [Appraisal] or via special devices at the guild or temples.
Just like [Intimidation] is a skill, [Mental Resistance] is also one—it grants immunity or resistance to psychological status effects like confusion, intimidation, charm, and so on.
…Did I really have that much mental fortitude?
Well, my previous workplace was pretty toxic. That could’ve done it.
Still, I didn’t quite get it.
As I sulked with a pout, Sensei squished my cheeks again.
“Anyway, moving on. I have something I’d like to show you today.”
“What is it?”
Sensei asked me to pull a handkerchief from my pouch—the one with four condors embroidered in Elven motifs.
I laid it out on the polished table. The Guild Master leaned in and raised an eyebrow.
“Whoa, whoa…”
“It’s an enchanted handkerchief, stitched with Elven symbols to boost magical power. The four motifs should give it a double-boost effect.”
“And you got your hands on this out here in the boonies?”
“Let’s just say I have my sources. Can you confirm if the enchantment is valid?”
“Sure. One sec.”
He fetched a monocle from the desk, peered through it at the handkerchief—and his face twisted.
“You trying to pull one over on me, Elf?”
“Huh?”
Huh??
Wait a second—I embroidered that handkerchief myself. I’m only five! Even with my [Blue Hand], no way it could—
“This isn’t a twofold boost, it’s four times! Don’t downplay it like it’s nothing!”
“HUH!?”
“What kind of master artisan created this thing? Cheap cloth, normal thread, and just a basic motif—and it’s giving a 4x boost?! Who made this?!”
They both turned to look at me.
I could only stare blankly.
Was… was this really happening?
I glanced off into the distance. I wonder how Regulus-kun’s doing…
“Agaha-kun,” Sensei muttered beside me, voice heavy with suspicion, “did you sprout another new ability without telling me again?”
“No, really—I didn’t know anything this time!”
I shook my head furiously under Sensei’s pointed stare. Even the Guild Master looked confused now.
After watching for a moment, Sensei sighed and explained.
“That handkerchief was made by Agaha-kun.”
“…… Come again?”
“Yes, I know what your face says—‘This old man’s lost it.’ But it’s the truth. And I have proof. Agaha-kun, show him your status.”
“Sure.”
I said “Open” as usual, and my simplified status board floated into view.
And… I saw it.
Name: Kikunoi Agaha
Race: Human
Age: 5
Level: 1
Class: Noble
Skills:
Cooking A+
Sewing A+
Farming A+
Crafting A+
Swordsmanship E
Archery E
Horsemanship D
Magic B+
Special Skills:
Green Hand
Blue Hand
Master Artisan
Notes: Favorite of Hyakka Koushu, Blessed by Igor
…Wait.
What is THAT new one?!
I slowly turned my neck like a rusty door hinge—Guild Master Roland’s jaw was on the floor, and Sensei looked completely exasperated.
“See!?” I look away for one second, and you spout something weird again!”
“I told you! I didn’t know! I really didn’t know!”
Needless to say, until Sensei calmed down and Roland put his jaw back in place, I spent the rest of the meeting getting my cheeks thoroughly and repeatedly squished.
Eunie: For mobile users here is the font size okay? or do you prefer the ones from before?
Anyway here's a pic of Romanov-sensei squeezing Ageha's cheeks!! ENJOY~
Thank you for the chapter 💜
ReplyDeleteyou're welcome ☺️
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