Early TBAGM Vol. 1 Chapter 5 Part 6

Full title: The Banished Advisor’s Guild Management

Note: If you found any typos/mistakes, pls write them in the comment. Thanks.

Translator: Canon

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“Um, Mr. Lloyd? Wasn’t that a bit too much?”

“It’s fine, Orgus. First impressions are important, after all. Or would this count as a second impression?”

I—Lloyd—and Orgus stood beneath the weight of every guildmaster’s gaze.

Well, everyone except Nike, who wasn’t here.

By the way, the door had been kicked in by Orgus.

It had flown several meters before crashing to the floor.

Even I hadn’t expected it to go that far.

“Anyway, I’d like to get back quickly and congratulate our members, so I’ll keep this short.”

Ellis, Nero, Elna, Nick, and even Laina had all given it their all.

There was no way I could just sit back and spectate.

As their guildmaster, I had to fulfill my duty with everything I had.

With a smirk that didn’t quite suit me, I made my declaration.

“Kyros. We’ve come to challenge the Incarnation of the Sun.”

“““—Huh?”””

The guildmasters could do nothing but gape in shock at the sudden turn of events.

Already overwhelmed by the appearance of unknown spells and skills, their minds were on the verge of short-circuiting.

And now, a bottom-ranked guild has challenged the strongest in the kingdom. With their brains at capacity, there was no way they could process this rationally.

“D-Does that mean you’re claiming your guild will take first place?”

One of the female guildmasters asked me, her expression half in disbelief, as if hoping I was only joking. Of course, I wasn’t.

“Yes. That was exactly what I meant.”

“I-I see…”

Seeing how calmly I replied without so much as a twitch of my brow, the guildmaster fell silent.

Normally, they would’ve scoffed, calling it impossible. But now, no one could deny it.

After all, they had just witnessed a scene powerful enough to make them believe it might actually be possible.

Then suddenly, Kyros, who had been silent until now, burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.

“Ahahahaha! You think you can beat my guild?”

“Yes. The moment I saw you were the guildmaster, I knew we could win.”

I shut him down with an immediate reply.

Maybe because I said it with a straight face, no one could say a word. A suffocating silence fell over the room.

Even the smirk faded from Kyros’s face.

“Lloyd… don’t you think you’ve gotten a bit too full of yourself?”

“I’m not doing this out of some desire for revenge because you kicked me out.”

It’s not like I ever wanted revenge in the first place.

All I wanted was to aim for the top with companions who needed me. To share a future where we could laugh together.

“Your guild just happens to be a checkpoint along our path.”

“What!? You’re saying my guild is just some obstacle?”

“Exactly. If we settled there, we wouldn’t be able to aim higher, would we?”

Kyros seethed with rage at my words.

To realize that the enemy you thought was aiming to defeat you didn’t even consider you a real opponent, nothing could be more infuriating.

Quivering with fury, Kyros snapped.

“Wh-What are you aiming for?”

“Victory at the Hero’s Round Table (Playbabel).”

I spoke without a shred of hesitation.

“““…Huh!?”””

The guildmasters’ eyes widened in disbelief at my unexpected answer.

“Kyros. Your guild always finishes last, doesn’t it?”

“What!? How do you even know that!?”

“““…Huh?”””

Shock spread even further through the group.

That information should’ve been known only to the king, Kyros himself, and the Second Unit forced to participate in the Hero’s Round Table.

“You’re just a frog in a well. I’ve no intention of staying in a guild that’s satisfied with being merely the best in this country.”

“““…………”””

None of them could refute what I said.

Some were probably thinking, What is this kid even talking about?

But seeing the seriousness in my expression, none of them were foolish enough to jump in without thinking.

And just then—cutting through the tension—one girl raised her hand with a bright grin.

“By the way, we of “Greenpeak” are going to support Lloyd’s group too!”

She must’ve been convinced after seeing the results of the Guild Showdown.

“So, I guess that makes us allies now? That’s fine, right, Lloyd?”

To Mint, Ellis was a complete unknown, especially in a field she had believed herself to be omniscient: magic.

There was no way someone like Mint wouldn’t be fascinated by Ellis. Wanting to form a connection was only natural.

Though I hadn’t expected her to go so far as to offer an alliance.

“Yes. We’d be more than happy to have you on board.”

“““…What!?”””

The guildmasters clutched their heads in exasperation as another bomb was dropped on them.

Publicly announcing an alliance with Greenpeak, the seventh-ranked guild, was a move with enormous implications.

And to top it all off, the stern-faced man behind me—Orgus—spoke up.

“I’m sorry, Kyros. I’m currently in charge of Mr. Lloyd’s affairs. So from here on out, I’ll be prioritizing their support.”

“Y-You’re all insane…”

Kyros muttered, blood dripping from his clenched fists.

Everything had gone smoothly for him until now. This—this was unthinkable.

But no matter what he said, he couldn’t stop the momentum now. It was already too late.

“Anyway, everyone. If you plan to stand in our way, I’ll take you on without mercy.”

“And I’m coming along, too!”

Having said my piece, I left the room with Mint and Orgus in tow.

The others were left behind, likely too stunned to do anything but stare.

†  

Word of our meteoric rise spread across the country in no time.

“Veiled Moonrise beat Oni’s Fang!”

“And they destroyed magic in the process? Is that even possible?!”

“What was that water spell?! Can a D-rank even cast something like that?!”

Their rise from the bottom was a tale the entire nation longed to hear, a story that brought joy to all.

And to fuel that excitement further, even the guildmasters’ exchange began to spread.

“Veiled Moonrise picked a fight with Incarnation of the Sun!”

“Does that mean they’re aiming for first place?!”

“And they teamed up with Greenpeak too, right?!”

That wave of momentum had grown far beyond what Incarnation of the Sun could suppress.

—

That momentum had begun to reach the people at the center of it all.

“Lord Lloyd! There’s another line of applicants forming outside the guild!”

“Sorry! Please turn them away again!”

“Understood!”

Serina had already been asked several times to decline new applicants.

It wasn’t that we didn’t want capable members. We simply weren’t interested in people who came running only because of the current hype.

“Seriously, everyone’s changing their tune so fast.”

Nick leaned on his elbow, grumbling with a hint of boredom.

Though his energy hadn’t fully recovered, the remaining bruises and fatigue had been healed using leftover potions.

Under normal circumstances, I should probably have warned him not to push himself so hard next time, but I didn’t.

This was his way of climbing toward the summit. It wasn’t my place to stop him.

“Char, you feel the same, don’t you?”

“Nyaa~”

Char, perched on my shoulder, let out a meow as if to agree with Nick.

By the way, Char had watched the Guild Showdown with us. Whenever Ellis or Nero made a big play, he’d let out an excited “Nyaa~” like a proper spectator.

Almost like a person, really… though maybe it was just a coincidence.

“We’re popular now! I’m happy!”

“Yes. But Lord Lloyd, are you truly sure about this?”

Beside Elna, Rena asked nervously.

After crafting potions, she had bowed her head and asked to join the guild.

It wasn’t just a passing interest, she genuinely wanted to pursue her passion.

“It’s fine. I’ve already gotten Orgus’s permission. Just make sure to support Elna properly.”

“Thank you so much! I’ll give it everything I’ve got!”

Rena bowed deeply.

Since I had received Orgus’s approval the night before, I had decided to accept her as Elna’s assistant.

They got along well, and more importantly, it was unthinkable for an advisor to turn away someone with the will to grow.

“Let’s work well together, Rena!”

“Looking forward to it, Elna!”

Elna still lacked a lot of knowledge when it came to potion-making.

Rena possessed the skill 【Spatial Recording】, which had the potential to grow to Class A.

【Spatial Recording】 was arguably the best skill for data preservation, making her perfectly suited to manage the alchemy guild Elna was about to found.

Besides, Elna would probably feel more secure having someone with her. Rena could easily become a big-sister figure to her.

“But still… it ended so easily. Kind of anticlimactic, huh?”

Ellis puffed her cheeks in frustration.

Honestly, I’d expected the showdown to be a more intense battle too—if only someone hadn’t ended it in a single blow.

“Ahaha… I never thought Ellis would finish it in one shot.”

In yesterday’s Guild Showdown, Ellis’s 【Water Ball】 had obliterated the entire fortress.

Everyone in the opposing First Unit was rendered unconscious from the impact of the collapse.

Even now, it still made no sense to me. How does a beginner spell destroy a whole castle?

“Well, you and I were part of the top guild once, right? It’d be embarrassing if we got held up by a bunch of small fry like that.”

When I praised Ellis, Nero straightened his back and boasted in return.

“You’re one to talk, weren’t you the one crawling back for potions?”

“Huh? I destroyed that massive spell, remember? Of course I was half-dead!”

“So what? You were just showing off, diving from that high up. That’s on you.”

As usual, Ellis and Nero started bickering.

“Everyone did great! That’s what matters!”

“Exactly. Geez… you two are always fighting...”

Elna and Nick tried to calm them down with exasperated smiles.

And I watched them—watched this ordinary, heartwarming scene—with a smile of my own.

Days like these wouldn’t last forever. Sooner or later, we’d face an overwhelming wall.

When that time came, I would need to fulfill my role: as an advisor, and as a guildmaster.

To carve a future where we could all keep smiling.

To bring about a future where everyone could find happiness.

This is the story of how our guild came to be known as the strongest.

This is the tale later remembered as—The Banished Advisor’s Guild Management.

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