I Was Called Incompetent ch.25

Weekly chapters (2/2)

I’ll update the Table of Contents (ToC) later when I have free time.

Enjoy~

Translator: Raizu
Editor: Shirayuki

Episode 25 : The Past

The Historia’s Adventurers Guild office was not really different from Ist, but it’s certainly bigger.

The number of people doing their activities here cannot be compared though. The number of requests coming in seemed to be a lot higher.

[Welcome. Are you here to make a request?]

A receptionist greeted us. This one was a pretty and young woman in a uniform that was distractingly left unbuttoned on the chest area as if to show off her large breasts. 

Apparently, she thought that we are here as a client.

I suppose it can’t be helped if people think so from seeing Levi, who keeps following me while still wearing a maid uniform.

[Excuse me, my name is Rhode. I’m here to take the wyvern subjugation request.]

[Ah! Pardon me. So it turns out you are an adventurer. Since you have a maid following you, I thought you are a young master from somewhere. My name is Lanna. Nice to meet you, Rhode-kun. Alright then, can you show me your guild card and the request form?]

The guild card is almost like an identification card for adventurers.

My guild card had a large【Ｄ】etched on it, which indicates my current rank. 

It’s only the size of my palm, but it was made from a special material to make it fairly sturdy.

Apparently, it’s the guild’s precaution so that the card won’t be damaged during harsh situations.

So I handed over my guild card and the recommendation letter from Gagan-san to Lanna-san.

Looking alternately between the two, Lanna-san seemed surprised. 

[Oh, if it isn’t a special recommendation letter. You must be pretty good. This one is very hard to come by, since a Guild Master will not write a recommendation letter unless they’re very confident with the person’s capability. Very well then, I will proceed with the procedure. Please wait a moment.]

So that’s how it is, huh?

I have to thank Gagan-san next time and make sure that I won’t be a shame to his name.

[Alright, it’s finished. And these are the materials important to the request.]

I received the request order certificate then asked something that piqued my curiosity.

[How many people have received this request?]

[Nn, of course… wait a moment. Weーll, including you… it should be about 20 parties already.]

20 parties!?

That many?

I really can’t afford to take it easy then.

[The reward is quite good. Not to mention that the country has made a notification to complete the request post-haste. Naturally there are considerably a lot of people coming in. Some of them are known to be pretty good at it… so maybe you should make haste.]

[Thank you very much, Lanna-san. Alright then, let’s go.]

[Be careful on your way, Mister Rookie!]

After waving Lanna-san a good bye, we left the guild.

It’s 12 o’clock in the afternoon… maybe we should at least go to the nearest sighting area.

[Levi, let’s head to the sighting area. Balmung might get angrier if we take it easy now.]

[Indeed. Shall we go there on foot?]

[Un. We’ll have that one to help.]

=====

[R-Rhode-sama…! Is it not heavy like this!?]

[No worries, you’re light, Levi. In any case, I don’t think Levi can keep up with me at this speed, can’t you?]

I was running with all my might, carrying Brionac on my right hand and Levi on my back.

With Brionac’s ability, hiking through the mountainous path can be done swiftly.

After running through the mountain road for a while, we finally almost arrived at the lodge near the first sighting area.

[L-Levi… it’s alright to let go now…]

[N-no… if I let go my body will…] 

It might not be without bad intentions, but she’s been sticking her body very tightly to my back from a while ago.

I-I guess it can’t be helped….

[Ah, Rhode-sama, over there… Ara?]

There was a hillside lodge with many adventurers in front of it.

Apparently, the 20 groups had gathered, making the place crowded.

[Everyone else is already here after all.]

[Well, we will not get anything here. Should we head to the next sighting area?]

[True. Maybe I should call Balmung…]

[Hey you, it’s dangerous in here. Civilians should stay away.]

We were approached by some of the gathering adventurers.

We really looked like ordinary people, didn’t we?

Maybe I should wear some armor…

[Oh, you got it wrong. I’m also an adventurer.]

[Ho, is that so? My bad, my bad… it’s because I haven’t seen your face before.]

[Certainly I never saw your face before as well. What’s your rank?]

[Still trying to climb up…]

[A D rank? But how? It’s a B rank request.]

[Firstly, I was allowed to take the request because of a special recommendation letter]

[Seriously? Can I see it?]

I was quickly swarmed by these adventurers who kept asking me questions one after another.

There it goes…perhaps I should’ve just stayed silent.

[Wーell, it’s from Ist…]

[Ah, Gagan, was it? That guy really has fallen. To be driven to such a countryside town…]

[Eh?]

Apparently Gagan-san was pretty famous.

But, what did he mean by fallen…?

[What? You don’t know? He was an excellent adventurer for sure, even having 2 nicknames… one of  them was “Gagan the Crusher”, wasn’t it? He was originally a Guild Master in a fairly big town. But after making a mistake, he quickly fell in rank. That’s why he’s sent to the countryside.]

I didn’t know something like that actually happened.

Gagan-san actually had it hard…

[Sending a D ranker just to get a good evaluation…can’t he just come instead?]

[Indeed. He really has become a pitiful man.]

[Well, that’s the reason why he got there in the first place.]

These guys kept throwing bad words about Gagan-san left and right.

But in my eyes, Gagan-san is not that kind of person.

[That isn’t correct…. Gagan-san is not a pitiful person.]

He worked hard, shedding blood and sweat for the town.

I couldn’t accept him being made a fool like this.

[Haha… what can a D-ranker do in this kind of request? Don’t feel bad for yourself and just go home already.]

[Recommended by that Gagan? That guy has knotholes for eyes apparently.]

[Gagan-san made a wrong call…?]

[Should I tell you the mistake he made? He caused an adventurer to be seriously injured. He wrote a recommendation letter for low ranked people like you.]

[Eh…?]

[I told you already, didn’t I? Just go home.]

[He wrote another recommendation letter again? And he sent this D rank kid?]

[That’s what I’m trying to say from the beginning~. You should be glad, you know? At least you find out before you die.]

The gathering adventurers began to laugh.

But I don’t care.

I don’t want to disappoint Gagan-san who believed in my capability.

[Gagan-san…is not that kind of person.]

[Hee… then how about we see who will complete the request first. The loser must listen to whatever the winner wants. How about that?]

I don’t want to play that kind of game, but if I relent, they will just continue to make a fool of Gagan-san.

There is no other choice but to accept.

[Very well.]

[Fuhaaa! Are you serious? All of us against you?]

[It doesn’t matter.]

I can’t accept them ridiculing Gagan-san like that.

I’m sure writing another recommendation letter might be traumatic for him. And yet he still wrote one for me.

He knew I would be told about his past mistake.

Therefore, I should just respond to it.

[You have guts. Well, let’s begin then. Alright, start!]

The adventurers scattered all at once, leaving only a few in front of the lodge.

They’re using the human-wave tactic to find the target quickly.

Well, it’s only natural to do so.

[Rhode-sama, let us make haste.]

[Sorry, Levi… I…]

I didn’t tread calmly.

I couldn’t keep my calm.

But…

[I would have said the same thing. He is after all, Vaendymion’s godfather. I have the same thought in my mind you see?]

Levi gave me a reassuring smile.

Thanks to her smile, I regained my calmness.

[Thanks, Levi… alright, Balmung!]

I called upon Balmung’s name and casted Materialization magic.

This was her third time being summoned and she appeared before us with a large grin on her face.

[Balmung, actually…]

[I vas listenink. Now schut up and let me koncentrate.]

After saying so, she started to sniff the air around.

Then she suddenly stopped while looking in one direction.

[Zis…smells like a dragon.]

[You can tell?]

[Fufufu… wissen sie how many dragons haf fallen under my blade?]

[Well, no… I believe you.]

[Fery vell. Follow me silently.]

Thus we started running to follow Balmung through the mountain path