TBAGM Vol. 1 Chapter 1 Part 3
After I had calmed down, Ellis waited for the right moment before asking,
“Lord Lloyd, is there anything you want to do from now on?”
“I suppose… once this temp job ends, I’d like to start searching again for Advisor work.”
After everything she said, there was no way I could go back to being just an appraiser.
I still wanted to be an Advisor. I still wanted to help someone toward a brighter future.
That desire had grown too strong to ignore.
As if waiting for that cue, Ellis lit up and said—
“In that case, Lord Lloyd, shall we start a guild?”
“Huh? Start… a guild?”
I was fairly certain she’d just said something about founding a guild. Maybe I misheard.
No—surely I misheard. There’s no way she meant starting a guild with just the two of us—
“Would you like to start your own guild with me?”
Right. I don’t understand anything that’s happening right now.
“You mean… starting a guild? Like, actually starting one?”
Look at me—I’ve been thrown off so badly I can’t even form coherent questions.
“Yes! The two of us, from the ground up. We’ll build it together!”
I had to admit, her ability to just keep rolling with this was… impressive. But that wasn’t the point here.
A guild was a collective of individuals who shared a common goal.
It could be dozens, even hundreds of members, all striving toward a unified purpose. It’s like a large, extended family.
In the Kingdom of Fereia, there were many kinds of guilds: adventurer guilds, blacksmith guilds, even alchemist guilds.
Joining one wasn’t mandatory. But for adventurers, it’s practically essential for a stable life.
Membership ensured consistent pay. That’s why nearly every adventurer aimed to join a guild.
“But… can we just decide to start one like that?”
Back when Incarnation of the Sun was founded, Kyros had taken care of everything.
I had practically no firsthand experience in establishing a guild.
“You need at least one person with an A-rank qualification. But that’s something you can cover, right, Lord Lloyd?”
“Well, I’m technically S-rank, so…”
Yes, I was an S-rank adventurer—though not due to personal strength or any special ability.
It was purely based on achievements as an Advisor. It felt hollow to say aloud, so I never made it public.
Yet, hearing her acknowledge even that unpublicized detail made me realize just how sincere her respect for me really was.
“Before anything else… can you see how much I’ve grown, and decide afterward?”
Ellis wasn’t backing down.
I could feel her conviction; this unshakable determination to build a guild together.
“I heard you left Incarnation of the Sun, Lord Lloyd. So I figured… if there was ever a time, this is it. That’s also part of why I came today, to invite you to form a guild with me.”
The moment she found out I was doing temp work here, she’d rushed over.
To express her gratitude. To show me the results of three years of effort. And to pursue her dream of building a guild with me.
There was no way I could turn her down after all that.
“…All right. But if I’m going to watch your growth, how exactly will you show me?”
Honestly, I wanted to see her ability for myself.
I’d been avoiding reality, but her appraisal results were beyond abnormal. Maybe I’d finally understand what they meant.
“I have a training ground at my house. I’ll show you there! No point wasting time—let’s go!”
“Wait… you’re inviting a man you barely know into your house…?”
I mean—I don’t really have much experience with women, but… that’s not normal, right?
“Mmmph!”
…What even is “Mmmph”?
Ellis puffed out her cheeks and clamped her hands around mine.
Was this her way of saying she wouldn’t let go unless I agreed?
“O-Okay, okay… I’ll go.”
“Great! Then let’s be on our way!”
The moment I nodded reluctantly, Ellis sprang to her feet and exited the room, humming a cheerful tune as she went.
I followed her out, and together we left the appraisal office behind.
—
We were now riding a carriage toward Ellis’s home, swaying gently with each turn of the wheels.
Sunlight poured in through the window. Just moments ago, the sky had been overcast, but now it was clear skies without a single cloud.
Ellis, having finished recounting her story, broke the silence.
“That’s about all there is to my past.”
I still had questions, of course, but I’d gained a deeper understanding of who Ellis was. For now, that was enough.
‘My family’s background is a little… unique. I was forced to learn swordsmanship.’
From a young age, Ellis had undergone rigorous daily training in swordsmanship.
Both of her parents were B-rank adventurers, fairly well-known swordsmen in the Kingdom of Fereia.
However, they had never managed to reach A-rank. That unfulfilled wish was something they hoped their only daughter, Ellis, would achieve.
‘But being forced to do something… it’s not exactly fun, you know?’
For Ellis, the training was burdensome.
Crushed by the weight of unrealistic expectations, she claimed she wanted to become a blacksmith instead; an escape from the path laid before her.
But that escape led her straight into another hardship, as she was relentlessly overworked doing menial tasks day after day.
That was when I gave her advice.
‘Do you like 【Water Ball】? I think you have a natural talent for it. Maybe you should focus on mastering just one thing?’
She said it was that moment—my words—that opened her eyes.
That she could choose to pursue what she wanted to do.
Until then, she’d only run from swordsmanship. But blacksmithing wasn’t something she truly desired either.
‘Mother. Father. I want to become a mage!’
That was the moment Ellis chose to stop running.
No matter how strongly they opposed her, she believed that if it was truly what she wanted, she could convince her parents.
The reason she loved magic? It was because the first time she ever cast 【Water Ball】, her parents had praised her.
That simple praise for a childhood spell had stayed with her; it was the joy in that moment that propelled her forward.
And ultimately, she succeeded in persuading them.
“Since then, I’ve practiced 【Water Ball】 every day whenever I could.”
She’d poured herself into training.
Her methods were anything but ordinary; so much so that others expressed concern for her well-being.
‘【Water Ball】! 【Water Ball】! 【Water Ball】!’
Every single day, until the sun went down, she cast that spell over and over again.
She knew she had no real talent for magic.
That’s why she never learned any other spell: only 【Water Ball】, nothing else.
All because she wanted to master the thing she loved.
“At first I’d run out of magic quickly… but now I can fire two hundred shots a day without using potions!”
“Two hundred!?”
Th-That couldn’t possibly be true… could it? Then again, if she really had S-class magic, it wasn’t impossible.
For someone with D-rank mana, even ten casts of 【Water Ball】 would drain their reserves.
Even A-class mages might not manage two hundred.
No matter how basic it was among water spells, being able to fire it two hundred times made her an exceptionally rare mage.
“Oh, looks like we’ve arrived.”
Just as we were talking, the carriage gave a jolt and came to a stop. We’d reached our destination.
Ellis stepped down and gestured toward the grand structure ahead.
“Here we are! This is my house!”
“Wait—this is your house!?”
Ah… right. I had a feeling from the moment she mentioned having a training ground.
But this was… enormous. Easily a hundred times larger than my home.
The vast grounds resembled those of a noble estate, and the mansion itself was adorned with luxurious embellishments.
And the biggest surprise of all—
“Welcome back, my lady. And your guest?”
“This is Lord Lloyd. We happened to meet today, and he’s kindly agreed to spare some time to see my training.”
So maids… really exist.
She wore a black-and-white uniform with a long skirt that brushed her ankles, revealing glimpses of pale skin; graceful modesty in human form.
And yet, she had a full, curvaceous figure that her outfit could barely contain, and her face held a calm sharpness that somehow felt reassuring.
I’d heard the rumors… but this level of impact was another thing entirely. Maids were terrifying.
She bowed deeply.
“Lord Lloyd, I’m terribly sorry you’ve been caught up in Lady Ellis’s whims.”
“N-No, not at all. She’s helped me quite a bit, actually.”
Her words truly had saved me.
The fact that I had even left the appraisal office was proof enough.
She had given me a reason to try again—as an Advisor.
“I’m glad to hear that. Lady Ellis never missed a single day of training. She always said it was to someday repay Lord Lloyd’s kindness. Please watch over her with a warm heart.”
“Of course. As her Advisor, I want to do whatever I can for her.”
I answered with a smile. It seemed Ellis had spoken to her about me.
Then, from the training ground ahead, Ellis called out in a loud, eager voice.
“Lord Lloyd—hurry up and come here already!”
“Got it! Ah—excuse me, I’ll be back later.”
I gave the maid a respectful nod and ran to catch up with Ellis once more.
—
“This is the place where I always train!”
It really was a training ground; maybe even rivaling those at the magic academies.
The ceiling soared over twenty meters high, with exposed steel framework overhead.
Numerous targets were lined up, likely for her to practice 【Water Ball】.
Despite being a temporary structure, the facility was reinforced with defensive barriers and soundproof barriers at several points. It must have cost a fortune.
“Fhaa… now I’m getting nervous.”
Still, for someone who trains every day, this place was remarkably pristine—like new. Not a single scorch mark or scratch marred the training grounds. That was probably due to the nature of beginner-level magic; it didn’t seem powerful enough to damage the walls or floor.
“Lord Lloyd, I want you to save others like me—those who’ve been overlooked or underappreciated.”
“Save them? Me?”
“Yes. You saved me. Thanks to you, I can now cast my favorite spell, 【Water Ball】, as much as I want. Well… it’s the only one I can cast, but still. Ahaha…”
Ellis chuckled with a hint of self-deprecation, then retrieved the staff hanging from her hip.
The idea of founding a guild with Ellis—one that could nurture underappreciated individuals like herself—sounded… nice.
Just imagining it made my cheeks soften into a smile.
But reality wasn’t so kind.
Ellis was overestimating me. I didn’t have that kind of ability.
And as for Ellis herself—though it was hard to say—if she could only use 【Water Ball】, then her ceiling was likely D-rank. Even with S-class mana, that wouldn’t change much.
A guild formed by the two of us wouldn’t be facing a bright future. If anything, it was pitch black.
“Calm down, me… I can’t be nervous in front of Lord Lloyd.”
Standing in her designated spot, Ellis murmured to herself under her breath.
She probably thought I couldn’t hear her. But I could hear every word loud and clear.
Still, I pretended not to.
No need to add to her embarrassment.
“Okay… focus. I’m going to impress Lord Lloyd!”
Ellis raised her staff toward a large target set up several meters away.
The target was a circular disk about one meter in diameter.
Depending on the caster’s mana and concentration, 【Water Ball】 typically formed with a radius of twenty centimeters. Even with minor deviations, her shot should still hit the target.
“Here I go!”
The incantation for 【Water Ball】 was: “By the blessing of water, become a sphere and drench my foe.”
As a beginner-level spell, the chant was short.
Given that Ellis cast the spell hundreds of times daily, her chanting should be quite proficient.
“Tei-yah!”
Ellis suddenly shouted in a childlike voice.
There was no chant, maybe it was just a rehearsal?
That’s what I thought—until, without warning, a massive orb of water manifested in front of her.
“What the—!?”
The enormous water sphere launched the moment she swept her staff downward from high to mid-level.
With a thunderous crash, the target shattered into fragments.
The orb continued unimpeded, punching a hole clean through the far wall of the training ground.
.
.
“Wha—huh?”
A stupid sound escaped my lips at the surreal sight.
Oh, so there’s a huge garden on the other side of the training hall—wait, that’s not the point.
Could a 【Water Ball】 really do that?
Absolutely not.
A normal 【Water Ball】 couldn’t even leave a scratch on a wall. And she didn’t even use the chant.
Ellis strolled over, looking rather pleased with herself.
“So, what do you think? That was my 【Water Ball】.”
If that spell really was 【Water Ball】, then nothing made sense.
If she’d been firing that every day, this training ground wouldn’t even exist anymore; it’d be reduced to rubble. Wait… could it be?
“…When was this place last rebuilt?”
“Umm… the day before yesterday, I think? On average it lasts about a week.”
“Ahaha… I see…”
There was nothing I could do but smile wryly as Ellis stated it like she was talking about food shelf life.
Apparently, she destroyed and rebuilt the training area regularly, keeping it in like-new condition that way.
“Oh! That one’s not suitable for appraisal, is it? Here you go!”
With that, Ellis conjured another enormous sphere of water directly in front of me.
Wait—hold on. Seriously, just wait a second.
What does “here you go” even mean? Can she just say “hoi” and fire off a 【Water Ball】?
And this one—its size and mana density are clearly on another level from before.
Nervously, I activated 【Appraisal】 on the water sphere before me.
.
|
【Water Ball】 |
[Power] 10 +99 |
.
“W-Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!?”
Wh-What is this? Where do I even begin?
The standard power of a 【Water Ball】 was 10. That much, I understand.
But what’s with the +99? What does that even mean?
And a power level exceeding 100? That’s something I’ve only ever seen in high-tier magic.
High-tier spells were among the strongest forms of magic; costly in mana, and at most usable five times per day.
…And Ellis said she could cast how many of these?
“Ellis… how many more of those can you fire?”
“Two hundred! Hoi!”
Ellis released the orb she had on standby, launching it at another target.
Naturally, the impact shattered the target and, with a deafening crash, pierced the far wall.
Her 【Water Ball】 required no chant. She could fire it two hundred times a day. And its power rivaled that of high-tier magic.
“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!?”
That was, without a doubt, the loudest scream of my life.
“—Wait, wait, hold on a second!?”
Let me break this down before my brain crashes.
Ellis was supposed to be talentless in magic, swordplay, and blacksmithing; no special attributes. That was clear from her appraisal results. And I still don’t sense any overwhelming pressure from her like I would from a powerful individual.
Which means… it must be her unique trait.
She honed her innate skill 【Water Ball】 through sheer effort. Eventually, it evolved into a hidden skill, and her stats—especially mana—rose to S-class. That wasn’t a display glitch. She really did surpass her limit.
This theory feels the most plausible.
I asked on impulse:
“Ellis, do you like 【Water Ball】?”
Ellis never aimed to become stronger. She didn’t crave improvement.
She just wanted to enjoy casting her favorite magic, and to thank the person who made that possible.
“Yes! I love it!”
She nodded with a radiant smile.
Back when I was in Incarnation of the Sun, I only searched for people whose stat ceilings exceeded B in every category.
In other words, I thought I was looking for raw gems, but I was actually just picking up polished jewels, already shining on their own.
No wonder I was cast out.
“So… what did you think of my 【Water Ball】?”
“Well… that is…”
Ellis still didn’t seem to grasp just how exceptional her magic was. She tilted her head, awaiting my response.
How do I even answer that?
Her 【Water Ball】 was categorically abnormal. Even an S-rank adventurer couldn’t imitate it.
Should I tell her that? Or keep it to myself?
If I spell it out, it might give her a sense of safety that dulls her future growth.
From what I’ve seen of her, she’s innocently unaware of her limits, and that’s a good thing. It allowed her to surpass them.
As an Advisor, I couldn’t lead her astray.
Which means the advice I ought to give was—
“Well, honestly… I was just surprised by how little control there was over it.”
I chose to downplay her accomplishment.
Do I have no heart? Of course I do.
But I trust Ellis—trust that she won’t crumble from my words. Not her.
“I figured! Control’s always been a bit of a weak point…”
She’s a D-rank adventurer. That critique would normally be reserved for A-ranks and above.
And still, she doesn’t question me. Doesn’t doubt me.
In that case, I’ll show her—through my words, through my eyes—what it meant to master something.
“That was the most exciting 【Water Ball】 I’ve ever seen. It embodied all three years of your effort.”
“Really!? I—I’m so glad…!”
“You have potential, Ellis. The kind that could make you an S-rank adventurer.”
“Me? But I’m just a mage who can only cast 【Water Ball】…”
Her eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly shook her head with a self-deprecating smile.
Clearly, S-rank adventurers were some kind of mythical existence in her mind.
Even after blasting through a wall, she still showed humility.
“Ellis. About that guild we talked about—could you tell me more?”
Starting a guild from scratch. Sure, it’d be tough.
But why not?
The strongest 【Water Ball】 user and a disgraced Advisor. An all-or-nothing gamble might not be such a bad idea.
Seeing her magic made me feel that way, almost before I realized it.
“Of course! Let’s talk it over on the way to the Adventurer’s Association!”
Ellis grinned ear to ear and took the lead with eager steps.
The Adventurer’s Association was the organization that managed all adventurer guilds.
They handle unregistered adventurers, oversee promotion exams, and more. Founding a guild went through them too.
“Lord Lloyd! If you space out now, I’m leaving you behind!”
“Ah, right! I’m coming!”
I will never again create someone like Kyros; a fool blinded by arrogance.
And I’ll never again lose myself to vanity.
No matter how limited a person may seem, I’ll help them uncover their future. Offer them advice they truly need.
Because that is my calling—as an Advisor.
†
