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

 

 

Adventurer Guild and Hunting

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“Leon-san. Fourteen years of age… male.” (Guild Clerk)

I had submitted an application for new membership at the Adventurer Guild.

I waited in line at the counter, and now I faced the clerk responsible for reviewing the personal history document I had completed. I (Boku)… no, I should say I (Ore) in this instance was having my submitted document checked.

There had been a brief pause when my gender was read aloud.

Surely, she had suspected I might be female, had she not?

Alas, the events of this morning had intensified my paranoid imaginings.

The clerk appeared to be a woman in her early 20s, reasonably beautiful… no, considering my recent acquaintances with Adele-san and Dia-san, my standards were certainly inflated.

“Your vocation is magic art user. Ah, you shall be entering Salomea University’s Department of Magical Studies next month. My, my… oh?” (Guild Clerk)

“Yes?” (Leon)

“Ahhh, the Department of Science and Technology, is it?” (Guild Clerk)

The clerk’s disappointment was unmistakable. She had expected to see the Department of Skills and was pleased accordingly, only to discover it was the Science and Technology Department.

“Understood. Your membership application has been accepted, but if you wish to register as a combat vocation, you must undergo an examination, and unless you reach a certain standard, registration will not be possible.” (Guild Clerk)

“When may I take it?” (Leon)

“Um, please wait a moment.” (Guild Clerk)

The clerk left her seat and went somewhere, returning after a brief interval.

“If you wish to take it immediately, you may.” (Guild Clerk)

“Then, please proceed.” (Leon)

“Very well. A handling fee of two Cecil, roughly two thousand yen, will be required.” (Guild Clerk)

 

—

 

I returned to the counter line, waiting for my turn once more.

“Now then, Leon-san…” (Guild Clerk)

“Yes. The examiner instructed me to submit this at the counter.” (Leon)

I handed over the card I had been given.

“Ah, so the admission test is complete. You have my congratulations. That was rather swift.” (Guild Clerk)

“Indeed?” (Leon)

“And the results… oh!” (Guild Clerk)

Hm?

“You performed excellently. Novice Level One, for beginners.” (Guild Clerk)

“Ah…” (Leon)

Am I truly excellent?

The examination had required the destruction of three targets, approximately 15 meters away, within three minutes. It was an entirely straightforward test. The targets were merely large stones stacked atop one another. When I inquired how much destruction was necessary, I was told that it sufficed if the stack collapsed. One could not help but question if that was truly satisfactory.

Even if they deemed me excellent, it was of little significance. It was merely a beginner-level assessment.

“This is your guild card, certifying your membership. The round section at the center is for personal verification. Please immediately apply your bodily fluid, Leon-san.” (Guild Clerk)

I accepted the small blue metallic plate, no larger than a palm.

“Bodily fluid?” (Leon)

“Blood, tears, or saliva will suffice.” (Guild Clerk)

Blood seemed undesirable.

“Then…” (Leon)

I licked my index finger and applied it to the card.

Lo! The card emitted a radial glow from the center, and the inscription Leon appeared. This in itself seemed a magical apparatus.

“Reissuance requires both time and a fee of five Cecil, so do not lose it.” (Guild Clerk)

“Yes.” (Leon)

“With this, Leon-san has formally become a member of the Adventurer Guild. We anticipate your achievements.” (Guild Clerk)

“Thank you.” (Leon)

Becoming a guild member had been simpler than I had imagined.

With time remaining until sunset, perhaps I shall venture out to hunt some magic beasts. The current season is stable, and no particularly strong ones are present.

 

—

 

Walking eastward from the Royal Capital Southern Branch, buildings gradually became sparse, replaced increasingly by greenery and farmland, which in turn became desolate, until only wasteland remained. I had spent more than three hours traversing that wasteland.

It was evidently off the major dragon vein that ran north to south. Looking north, the townscape of the Eastern District could be faintly seen which was in the opposite direction, a distant forest appeared through a light haze. It seemed the forest contained many magic beasts, yet the guild map explicitly warned that novices should not enter alone.

Detection!

≪ Impulse v0.47 ≫

A tuft of brown fur, similar to the color of the earth, flew through the air.

It was an Almirage, a small horned magic beast. According to the encyclopedia, it resembled a creature unrelated to rabbits, though I had only ever seen its fur. The so-called horns were neither keratin nor bone. They appeared to be composed of the same material as magic crystals, reflecting sunlight even when leaping.

Excellent.

My aiming had become considerably easier.

Previously, I had attempted to shorten the distance between the activation sigil and the target to increase the power of shockwave magic, but then the angular velocity for fast-moving targets grew, decreasing hit accuracy, a paradox I had struggled with.

The solution, at least one of them, was v0.47. I had devised this magic during the exceedingly dull journey by carriage from the Royal Capital to Emilia. It was coupled with a secondary magic, the Infrared Detection Art “Pit Viper”, improving aiming accuracy through automatic tracking. It was most convenient, and I was fond of the strong sense of automated control it provided.

Being infrared, however, meant that the hit rate might vary with different magic beast species, but for now, this should suffice.

Ugh…

With a knife, I skinned the fur and extracted the magic crystals.

This is a task I cannot enjoy. My hands are completely bloody. Perhaps I shall grow accustomed over time. Even though they are magic beasts, it feels inappropriate to speak so while taking life.

The sole solace lies in the horns. Upon death, they detach naturally from the skull, requiring no additional effort. One could perform exsanguination to avoid staining, but there is no time for such procedure.

≪Washing v1.0≫

I rubbed my hands together in three streams of foamy water.  The dirt came off far better than with plain water, yet given its origin, it did not feel truly clean. I felt an almost endless desire to continue washing. Yet I could not, so I shook off the water and dried my hands with a cloth.

Thus far, I had taken six Almirages. Smaller magic beasts were present, but I had not pursued them.

According to the guild, larger magic beasts are not common in this area at this time, and this observation proved correct.

Shall I return? There is still time before sunset. I am alone, so caution is prudent.

 

—

 

Crossing the wide streets, a sense of returning to the Royal Capital began to emerge. After 15 minutes of walking, the Adventurer Guild building came into view, with the sun descending beyond it.

I circled to the west side of the main entrance. There it was. The magic beast purchase counter. Several simple cloth-covered stalls had been set up. A sign indicated that large beasts, larger than humans, went to the left, and small-to-medium beasts to the right. I joined the line on the right. Ten people stood ahead of me.

Although I anticipated a long wait, the line moved quickly due to multiple assessors.

Indeed, this is the Royal Capital. Such measures were necessary to manage the volume.

“I wish to sell.” (Leon)

At the front of the line stood a burly, imposing guild employee, perhaps forty years old, wearing a large leather apron rather than the standard uniform, a clear indicator of dirty work.

“I do not recognize you. Show me your guild card.” (Guild Employee)

“Ah.” (Leon)

I retrieved it from my pocket and handed it over.

“Leon. Novice Level One, magic art user, is it?” (Guild Employee)

“Yes, I registered today.” (Leon)

Imitating the rough tone of previous adventurers in line, I received the card back and pocketed it. From my bag, I extracted the horns, fur, and magic crystals from the Almirage.

“Six Almirages…” (Guild Employee)

He muttered, glaring at me.

“Fur, horns, and magic crystals. The high-value components are all present. And the rest?” (Guild Employee)

“I buried the rest. Carrying it alone would have been too heavy.” (Leon)

Each slain individual weighed approximately 10 kilograms. Carrying two at once would have hindered hunting.

“Alone, you say?” (Guild Employee)

“Yes.” (Leon)

He tilted his head slightly.

“The magic art user and this nimble creature should be the worst possible match, yet six of them here before me…” (Guild Employee)

I understood his point. Even firing magic from a long distance, they should have been able to evade. He counted the items and recorded them on paper. Observing the assessors on either side, they conducted similar evaluations. Magic crystals were checked for transparency against a magical lamp, and fur was weighed.

Hm…?

The horns… he began comparing them with a standard rod. He separated them into four longer pieces and two slightly shorter pieces.

“Assessment complete. One magic crystal of first grade and five of upper second grade, not bad. All horns are upper second grade, yet we can only purchase these four.” (Guild Employee)

Eh?

“You are a novice, after all.” (Guild Employee)

“Yes.” (Leon)

“Perhaps you were unaware, but Almirage horns are generally used for magical staves. Any shorter than this standard rod, 333 milimetres, roughly 35 centimeters, are considered non-standard.” (Guild Employee)

In other words, the shorter ones could not be purchased.

“Understood.” (Leon)

I relinquished the two shorter horns, which might still be useful.

“As for the fur, though it was removed in an amateurish manner, damage is minimal. The total purchase price is 17 Cecil and 60 Darc. Is this acceptable?” (Guild Employee)

Hmm, not a great haul, yet it slightly exceeds a day’s wage assisting with accounting.

“Agreed.” (Leon)

“Then, take this to the settlement counter.” (Guild Employee)

He handed me a slip, with the amount and a signature by Hermann.

“May I ask one thing?” (Leon)

“What is it?” (Guild Employee)

“Today, I disassembled the beasts myself. Had I brought them intact, what would the purchase price have been?” (Leon)

“Hmm.” (Guild Employee)

He brought a hand to his chin.

“Disassembly incurs a fee, but ultimately the amount would not differ significantly. Meat and blood may be cheap, but they still hold value.” (Guild Employee)

“Understood. I am grateful.” (Leon)

 

—

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