New chapter of Control Engineer is out! (1/2 chapters)

 

 

Test of Strength (3): Two Sides of Evaluation

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A considerable time had passed since lunch.

Now, Niels-san was moving ahead, and Waren-san was at my side.

“Hey, Leon.” (Waren)

“Yes?” (Leon)

“When you are dealing with adventurers, you should stop calling yourself ‘boku’.” (Waren)

“Why is that?” (Leon)

“Hmm. Well, to put it simply, they will look down on you.” (Waren)

“I see.” (Leon)

“Adventurers are, first and foremost, about muscle. The same goes for magic professions. Ability comes first. There is a place to respect veterans, of course, but in the end, people compete on whether they are stronger than the other.” (Waren)

That was a story I often heard.

At first, Waren-san had looked down on me or treated me with contempt, but after hunting together several times and breaking the ice, it seemed he had come to accept me a little.

“So, if you keep calling yourself ‘boku’, then, you will be treated like a kid no matter what.” (Waren)

“I understand.” (Leon)

“Well, if you are not going to become an adventurer, it does not matter. But since you are out here testing your strength, you are not completely opposed to it, right?” (Waren)

“Umm. Well, I suppose that is the case.” (Leon)

“Oh.” (Waren)

Waren-san’s gaze turned ahead; Niels-san was walking toward us.

“I have scouted, but there is no sign of a large magic beast.” (Niels)

Indeed. Since the Magic Armored Rhinoceros Arme-Line, we had not encountered any large magic beasts.

“It is almost four o’clock. The days are long and you might want to continue hunting, Leon, but I think we should pull out.” (Niels)

When I closed my eyes, the system clock displayed 15:47.

“I will follow Niels-san’s judgment.” (Leon)

The day still felt high to me, but that might be the hopeful wish of an amateur. Waren-san beside me nodded slightly.

“All right. Then, let us withdraw.” (Niels)

We abandoned the meat, Niels-san carried the stripped rhinoceros shell on his back, Waren-san carried the horn, and I put the obtained magic crystal into my bag and began to walk. We returned to the highway and headed back to Emilia town.

Niels-san had said it was not that heavy, but I wondered. Rumor had it that a magical apparatus called a magical bag existed. They said it could store a slain magic beast whole and still weigh as little as to be carried with one hand.

Would that contradict the law of conservation of mass in Reo’s knowledge? I could not help but think so, but perhaps it stores things in a subspace.

Rozel-ojiisan had said the magical bag was expensive and rare, not available in Emilia. Now that I had seen this, I wanted one.

 

—

 

We passed the stone monument and entered the barrier. When we had left, I had not been aware of it, but I now felt my mana rise a little. After a while, we returned to Emilia town.

“This is a relief. Thank you very much, Niels, Waren.” (Leon)

“No, until yesterday I was a little worried, but nothing serious happened.” (Niels)

While walking along the road I asked, “Again, I apologize for putting Waren in danger”.

“That is done and over with.” (Waren)

“Also, it may be conceit, but I felt I was able to respond to the magic beasts to some extent. Of course, that was on the premise of your support.” (Leon)

Indeed. Rather than my magic ability alone, it was thanks to their various considerations. Still, I wanted to believe I was not completely useless. However, an inexperienced person’s confidence is less objective than the opinion of experienced people.

“To be honest, how did I do? Do you think I can be used as a magic-user, or not? Please tell me. If possible, I would appreciate your view on my prospects as well.” (Leon)

“Mm. That is the contract, after all. I have thought about it. If I answer first, it will bias things, so have Waren answer.” (Niels)

“Me first? All right.” (Waren)

Waren-san nodded and then looked upward.

“The power of his magic is no different from a mid-level magic-user. However, his activation is quite fast. Well, today I did not see him use any large magic, but even within our clan I think there is no one faster than Leon. So, from my viewpoint, he is usable. He is younger than me, which is a bit annoying.” (Waren)

“Haha. You are much more straightforward than this morning, Waren.” (Niels)

“Hey! That is mean. So, Niels, how do you see him?” (Waren)

“Well then. If we speak of whether he can be used as a magic-user, for now, he is adequate.” (Niels)

“Adequate?” (Leon)

“Hmm.” (Niels)

“On a scale of ten, six or seven. You said this was your first fight with a magic beast today, right?” (Niels)

“Yes.” (Leon)

“Then, six is sufficient. I would not entrust my life to Leon yet, but if you are 14 years old, with experience you will surely approach a full score. If that happens, our clan would invite you to join.” (Niels)

Oh. That meant I should be considered to have potential.

“I understand. Then what do you think I lack?” (Leon)

“Let us see.” (Niels)

Niels-san relaxed his expression for a moment, then furrowed his brows.

“I cannot be sure whether it is lacking, but what we could not confirm today was suppression power.” (Niels)

“Suppression power?” (Leon)

“Yes. The ability to reliably slay a magic beast from long range, as you did today, is impressive. However, the direction a party expects from a magic-user is not only that. There is also the aspect of suppression power, which is the ability to strike many magic beasts at once.” (Niels)

“I see.” (Leon)

Suppression power, then.

“On the other hand, may I ask you a question?” (Niels)

“Yes. What is it?” (Leon)

“Do you want to become an adventurer as a magic-user in the future?” (Niels)

“How should I put it. I want to make a living by magic arts, but if you ask whether I want to become an adventurer, I have not made up my mind yet.” (Leon)

“I see. Understood.” (Niels)

We had returned to the Emilia’s Adventurer Guild branch.

“Then, please wait a moment. I will see Daria and sign the completion certificate. Thank you.” (Niels)

“Thank you as well.” (Leon)

We parted from them in the branch’s foyer.

 

—

 

Two nights after the request had ended, I came to the upscale tavern Meisesu-inn. The place was half full.

“Hello.” (Leon)

As usual, I raised my hand and greeted across the counter.

“Oh, Niels. Back there.” (Innkeeper)

The innkeeper pointed with his thumb upward.

A room on the second floor, perhaps.

I nodded and climbed the stairs, then knocked on the inner door.

“Niels. Please come in.” (Young man)

The man who had been the young client before. I nodded and entered. Another older man was already there.

“Thank you for your work the other day. I understand the outward request went smoothly. Please sit.” (Older man)

I sat opposite the older man. The young man remained standing. Only their tea set was on the table. It did not feel like we would be sharing drinks. I wanted to finish quickly.

“Well then, immediately. Here is the report on your request.” (Young man)

He took an envelope from his bag and placed it on the table. The young man smiled as he picked up the envelope and handed it to the man opposite him, who I presumed to be the true client. He took out the report I had compiled yesterday and today and began to read. After reading it expressionlessly for several minutes, he put it back in the envelope and carefully returned it to his bag.

“Very good. Also, this was not part of the request, but I would like to ask something.” (Older man)

He was the older of the two. I nodded.

“How did he react when told his evaluation?” (Older man)

Hmm.

“Leon-kun received my strict evaluation without flying into a rage and remained calm throughout. Unfortunately–…” (Niels)

“Unfortunately?” (Older man)

“Unfortunately, he showed no sign of giving up at my answer.” (Niels)

The clients exchanged glances. Then, the young man nodded and took a bundle from his pocket.

“This is the remaining payment.” (Young man)

 

—

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