TBAGM Vol. 1 Chapter 3 Part 2

At that time, the ripples caused by Lloyd and his group were spreading rapidly across the land.

“A-rank Nero joined a new guild!?”

The moment the Adventurer’s Association officially approved Nero’s transfer to Veiled Moonrise, the news swept across the kingdom like wildfire.

There were only a few dozen A-rank adventurers in the entire country. For one of them to join a newly formed, bottom-tier guild was unprecedented.

Adventurers couldn’t stop talking about it for an entire day.

“Whoever bet that they’d fold in a week is screwed now!”

“With Nero, they’ll last at least a month, don’t you think?”

“They might even break into the rankings.”

“No way. I mean, the guildmaster’s some no-name who doesn’t even fight, right?”

“Wasn’t that the case with Incarnation of the Sun, too?”

“Incarnation of the Sun was in a league of its own. That doesn’t count.”

A touch of the extraordinary had pierced through the monotony of daily life, and countless adventurers were thrilled by it.

—

At the same time, some individuals were celebrating for an entirely different reason.

At the adventurer guild Oni’s Fang—

“Owen, gather every unit member. Looks like our time has finally come.”

“Yes, sir! Right away!”

Oni’s Fang held the 22nd rank among guilds. Last year, it placed third from the bottom; a near-worst position.

With over one hundred members, it was a mid-sized guild whose headcount alone could rival those at the top.

However, its members were individually weak. The guild was a chaotic assembly of mostly D-rank adventurers, lacking cohesion or power.

“Ahahaha… at long last, our opportunity has arrived.”

The guildmaster of Oni’s Fang, Nike, was an Ogre: an Oni race known for their fierce strength.

He had two long, sharp horns and an imposing presence that made direct eye contact difficult.

Nike was the only B-rank adventurer in the guild. With physical abilities far beyond human limits, he overwhelmed foes with sheer athleticism. He had built the guild from the ground up with those hands and now commanded over a hundred subordinates.

A somewhat gaunt man bowed his head before him.

“Nike, sir! All members are assembled!”

The young man kneeling before Nike was Owen.

He was the second-strongest adventurer in the guild and served as the captain of the First Unit.

Though a C-rank adventurer, Owen was at the upper echelon of that rank and held near-absolute authority within the guild.

“Listen up, everyone! It’s finally our turn to ride the wave!”

Nike rose from his seat and called out to the gathered members.

“We’ve been stuck at the bottom for long enough—but that ends soon!”

Out of the twenty-five guilds, the bottom nine formed the lower tier, the middle eight were mid-tier, and the top eight made up the elite group. Veiled Moonrise had now joined the lower tier.

Since treatment varied by group, every guildmaster fought to push their guild into a higher category as groupings shifted.

Nike had gathered everyone precisely with that goal in mind.

He raised his clenched fist high and declared:

“Oni’s Fang will challenge the new guild, Veiled Moonrise, to a guild showdown!”

“YEAH!”

The members raised their fists in unison.

Nike’s declaration lit a fire in the room. Hope began to flicker in the eyes of his subordinates.

To further stoke that flame, Nike continued:

“Let them call it underhanded—I don’t care! I want to show all of you what the world above looks like! That’s why, in this showdown, we’re going to steal A-rank adventurer Nero for ourselves!”

Nike had been agonizing over this decision.

He was consumed by frustration every day.

In his eyes, his members had the potential to grow; he believed they could rise to C or even B rank.

But reality was harsh. Most remained stuck at D-rank. Even he, as guildmaster, had plateaued at B-rank.

That was when he set his sights on Nero, who had reached A-rank in just two years.

Even if it meant jeopardizing his own position, even if Nero were to become the new guildmaster of Oni’s Fang—Nike didn’t care.

He simply wanted his members to become stronger. To witness the world that lay beyond.

“So lend me your strength!”

“OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!!”

And so, while Lloyd and his group remained unaware, the plan to snatch Nero away was already quietly taking shape.

†

After returning to the guild, I—Lloyd—entrusted Elna to Serina, who had come to greet me at the entrance.

“Miss Serina, would you mind giving this girl a bath?”

She glanced at Elna, who was wrapped in my robe, and asked,

“She’s a Dark Elf? She’s quite dirty.”

“Yes. I purchased her after finding her in a slave auction. I understand if you’re uncomfortable washing her. I can do it myself, but I figured she might not like that either.”

I said this while looking down at Elna, still fast asleep.

Even with the age gap, we had just met today and I was male. It was only natural she’d be uncomfortable.

Dark Elves were seen as symbols of calamity. There were tens of thousands of people who wouldn’t even want to be in the same room with one.

I had anticipated Serina might refuse. But she simply shook her head and smiled as she gently accepted Elna.

“I don’t concern myself with such things. Please allow me a little time.”

“Thank you. I’m counting on you.”

Leaving Elna in Serina’s care, I headed off to check on Ellis and Nero.

It had probably been about three hours since I left. The training session should have ended by now.

At the time, Nero had just barely managed to damage a 【Water Ball】. There was no way he could’ve been stringing together consistent success yet.

“Hm? Not here? Then they must be at the training grounds.”

When I checked the common hall where we usually gathered, neither of them was there.

Maybe they were still training.

Thinking that, I made my way to the training area.

—

“Ah, Mr. Lloyd! Welcome back!”

“I’m back. More importantly… what is this?”

As I stepped into the training grounds, the usual scene was nowhere to be found.

What had once been a spacious room was now packed with hundreds of floating 【Water Ball】 spells.

And Nero was moving down the line, destroying them one after another.

Yes, it was a surreal scene. Someone should really commend me for not screaming on the spot.

“Where did Ellis go?”

“She left right after you did, saying she had to ‘fulfill her duty.’”

“Her duty?”

I couldn’t recall asking her to do anything beyond helping Nero train. Perhaps something else had come up.

“Wait—can you even leave behind 【Water Ball】 spells like this?”

“Don’t ask me. Ellis just dumped them all here and said, ‘I’ll leave the rest to you.’ There were hundreds of them. I seriously almost passed out at the time.”

Nero clutched his head in exasperation and pointed toward the mass of floating spheres spread across the room.

By normal standards, it should be impossible to fix a spell in place. Once the caster leaves, it’s supposed to dissipate.

None of this made sense.

“So, how’s your progress… Looks like it’s going pretty well.”

I widened my eyes, activating 【Appraisal】 on Nero as I spoke.

.

【Magic Breaker】 D → C

.

This was going too well.

I was already surprised when his skill leveled up once, but again? At this rate, I felt like I was producing monsters.

“If the magic is stationary like this, then—watch!”

Nero swung his sword at one of the nearby ‘Water Balls’.

It split cleanly in half and collapsed to the floor.

It was the unmistakable sight of a spell being completely destroyed; a phenomenon no one had ever imagined possible.

“Well done! That’s incredible, Nero!”

I praised him enthusiastically.

It was a remarkable feat, rivaling even Ellis’s prowess with 【Water Ball】.

Judging by the puddles on the floor, Nero must have been swinging his sword non-stop until I returned.

He looked bashful as he smiled and deflected the compliment.

“N-Not at all. This is all thanks to you, Mr. Lloyd!”

With growth like this, he would easily reach the target before the deadline. As expected of someone who had climbed to A-rank; his resolve was something else.

“Nero, I’m about to hold a strategy meeting. Can you join?”

“Understood. What about all these ‘Water Balls’?”

“I think we can just leave them… probably?”

Nero and I exchanged looks, sharing a tired chuckle.

I just hoped this level of absurdity wouldn’t become our new normal.

With that lingering thought, we made our way to the guild’s common hall.

—

By the time Nero and I left the training grounds, Ellis had already returned to the guild.

The satisfied smile on her face suggested that she had successfully completed whatever task she had set out to do.

Now, everyone in the guild was gathered in the common hall.

Elna gave a small bow to me, Nero, Ellis, and Serina.

“I-I’m Elna. Nice to meet you…”

Freshly washed by Serina, Elna looked completely refreshed.

Her wounds had vanished thanks to a potion, and the sheen had returned to her silver-white hair.

She wore a white dress—slightly oversized, likely Ellis’s old clothes—but it suited her well. Honestly, she was incredibly adorable.

“She’s the one I brought back. And yes, I did so fully aware that she’s a Dark Elf.”

Elna lowered her gaze, a shadow of guilt crossing her face.

Every time she looked like that, it tightened my chest. She hadn’t done a single thing wrong.

“Elna. If you’re comfortable with it, would you tell us your story?”

“My past? It’s not interesting… not worth hearing.”

“That’s not true. It means something only if you’re the one to share it.”

She shook her head, but I gently continued.

I could give a general explanation of Dark Elves myself. But that wasn’t the point. To truly stand beside her, we needed to hear it in her own words.

“Please, Elna. We want to understand you.”

“O-Okay.”

Perhaps realizing that refusal was futile, Elna reluctantly nodded.

“We Dark Elves are…”

She began with her race’s history.

Dark Elves were commonly seen as an inferior offshoot of Elves.

Their dusky skin was said to be the result of a great sin committed in the distant past. Because of that legend, Elves came to be seen as pure, while Dark Elves became branded as harbingers of calamity.

Elves were known for their delicate control of magic and excellence in alchemy.

In contrast, Dark Elves were physically gifted and specialized in combat.

Originally, both races had coexisted on equal footing, balancing each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

But at some point, Elves began to dominate them, stripping Dark Elves of their rights and treating them like tools of war.

That imbalance gave rise to the very prejudices that still persisted today.

“And my own past…”

Next came her personal story.

By the time she became self-aware, both of her parents had already died in battle.

While we lived in peace, other nations were still locked in constant racial conflict.

Her parents had been forcibly conscripted by Elves into a war and were slain by soldiers of another race.

There were many Dark Elves in situations like hers.

Those children, given no time to mourn, were sent into battle just the same.

But—Elna had been an exception.

“I can’t fight.”

She lacked even the most basic aptitude for combat. During training, the Elves deemed her useless.

To them, Dark Elves were only valuable as warriors.

And if she couldn’t even fulfill that role, her fate was sealed: she was sold off as a slave.

Dark Elves were viewed as cursed, but also rare. That rarity gave them market value.

At age eight, she was exiled from her village and spent the next two years as a slave.

Whether by luck or misfortune, no one ever bought her during that time.

And two years later, I was the one who finally ended her captivity.

“……”

After hearing Elna’s story, we were all left speechless.

We’d always believed ourselves to be the unfortunate ones. That we were the most unlucky, the most overlooked.

But compared to her, our suffering seemed trivial.

“I have no talent. I… have nothing.”

The expression she wore as she finished was one of resignation.

It was not the face a ten-year-old should ever wear. A look no child should be forced to accept.

“Elna, you possess a truly remarkable gift. And I promise—I will help you bring it to life.”

I wanted to see her smile. That was why I reached out.

“We should also tell you about us.”

I explained our situation to her.

About Veiled Moonrise. About our plans to create two guild branches under its banner.

And that I wanted her to lead the alchemy guild.

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do… I’ve always been told I was worthless.”

“Elna, your talent in 【Magic Manipulation】 surpasses even the Elves.”

It was true that, at first, I bought her because she had an inherent trait.

Finding someone with such a gift was almost unheard of. And she had the potential to help us break free of our limitations.

But now, none of that mattered.

None of it.

“Nero, Ellis, and I—we were all misfits once too.”

“…!”

Elna’s brow twitched at my words.

Her face seemed to say, Really?

“I was treated like trash everywhere I went because of my ‘useless’ skill. Before founding this guild, I was part of the strongest guild in the country—but I got kicked out.”

“Just like me…”

“Nero, though, he’s always had talent. So much that he never even knew what it meant to be overlooked. But because of that power, his life was miserable.”

“If Mr. Lloyd hadn’t found me back then, I think I would’ve died.”

Nero said it with complete seriousness.

And he wasn’t exaggerating.

Two years ago, if I hadn’t scouted him into Incarnation of the Sun, he wouldn’t have made it.

Hearing our stories, Elna grew even more curious about us.

“Ellis? She used to be a blacksmith with no particular talent.”

“A blacksmith? Not a mage?”

Elna tilted her head as she looked at Ellis. With the staff on her hip, it was obvious at a glance that she was a mage.

Ellis responded gently, her voice calm and kind.

“Lord Lloyd taught me something important—‘pursue what you love to the fullest.’ That’s why I’m no longer a blacksmith; now I work as an adventurer.”

Elna’s eyes widened as she looked at Ellis’s fulfilled expression.

Then she leaned forward eagerly toward Ellis and Nero.

“M-M-Myself too! Can I become someone like that!?”

“Of course! Lord Lloyd would absolutely make it happen!”

“Yeah! If it’s Mr. Lloyd, he’ll definitely help you reach your potential!”

Ellis and Nero both nodded with confidence, meeting Elna’s hopeful gaze.

Grateful for their trust, I added,

“We’ll always support you, Elna. So I want you to support us in return.”

My eyes met hers. In those once-clouded eyes, a flicker of light—hope—began to take root.

Then, a single large tear slid down her cheek.

“I… I won’t be worthless anymore?”

“That’s right. No one will ever call you worthless again.”

“Uuu… uwaaah!”

And in that moment, the emotions Elna had been bottling up burst free.

Tears poured down her face.

“I… I want to be someone who’s needed… someone who helps people.”

That was when I became certain—she was a child who would grow.

More than revenge or bitterness, she longed to be needed. That desire alone was the most direct path to growth.

“I’ll make you the greatest alchemist in the world.”

“Lord Lloyd!”

As Elna threw herself into my arms, I gently patted her head and renewed my vow in silence.

I would never let Elna cry again. No matter what, I would lead her—and this guild—to greatness.