#1003 I, Who Have Been Told to Quit by an S-Rank Adventurer, the Guild Master Took Me In and Acknowledged My True Potential

I’m Murshela.

I’m an A-rank adventurer who has supported Lord Golden Bat until now, but today, I got fired.

The reason was that he wanted to try out an ‘expulsion template.’“

I have no idea what that means.

He said he wants to see what happens after he kicks me out, even though I’ve been his loyal sidekick for years.

—“Once you’ve figured it all out, report back!” he said as he sent me off.

I still don’t get it.

In any case, regardless of the method employed, I’m technically fired, and all my planned quests with Lord Golden Bat are scrapped.

What should I do now?

Maybe take a break? I’ve been so busy prepping for quests lately.

I do have some savings, so why not go all out and take a month-long vacation?

I mean, I’m an A-rank adventurer; I can afford it.

...Usually, when someone gets kicked out, they say, “Leave all your earnings behind!” and you end up penniless.

In the end, this plan is full of holes.

Yet here I am, tasked by Lord Golden Bat to experience the expulsion and emerge victorious.

Helping Lord Golden Bat is my mission!

I must aim to rise again after this expulsion!!!

So, I head straight to the Adventurers’ Guild’s reception.

To make a comeback, I need achievements, and for that, I need to take on quests.

Let’s see if the receptionist has something new for me.

“Welcome to the Adventurer Guild!... Oh, Murshela?”

She recognized me.

Well, I am part of the most famous adventurer, Lord Golden Bat’s crew, after all.

“What brings you here today? We discussed your quests yesterday, didn’t we?... Did Lord Golden Bat say something weird again?”

The receptionist who attended to me thought I was here for Lord Golden Bat’s quest.

And that he had messed up again.

Well, she’s right about the mess-up part…

But the nature of the mess-up is likely beyond her wildest imagination.

“Actually, I got fired from supporting him...!”

“Huh?”

“So now I need some quests for myself...!”

She looks sympathetic right away.

She has probably guessed the rest of the story. As expected, the guild’s receptionists are top-notch.

Usually, the expelled adventurer gets either disdain or support from the receptionist. Which way will it go for me?

But I’m an A-rank adventurer.

I’m not at the bottom.

There should be no disdain here.

“...Please wait a moment. I’ll check with the Guild Master.”

“What? Why?”

Is it necessary to involve the Guild Master here?

“The guild recognizes your skills, Murshela. Now that you’re not with Lord Golden Bat, we can’t let your talent go to waste. Seeking the Guild Master’s guidance is best.”

If you say so...

Soon enough, I’m led from the reception to the guild’s office.

***

And there, in a room fit for important meetings, sits the one and only Lord Silver Wolf.

A former S-rank adventurer.

The current Guild Master.

And Lord Golden Bat’s eternal rival...

“...Ahem. Murshela, was it? You’ve been Golden Bat’s assistant for years, right?”

“My achievements were under Lord Golden Bat’s orders, so they’re his achievements, too.”

“I see you’re very devoted to him...!”

Lord Silver Wolf rubs his forehead.

It’s hard to tell where a dog-person’s forehead starts and ends, though.

“Golden Bat’s got a wild personality, but he’s also got the skills to back it up. It’s no wonder he has followers...”

“Are you subtly boasting about how many adventurers admire you, sir?”

“Not at all!”

Lord Silver Wolf’s expression said, “This one’s a handful too.”

He’s clearly respected enough to be chosen as Guild Master, something even Lord Golden Bat can’t claim.

When Lord Golden Bat tried to start his own organization from scratch, no one followed, and it flopped.

“Regardless of your own view, the guild sees Golden Bat’s success partly due to your support. That’s an unwavering evaluation.”

“Quests are mostly won in the preparation stage. The more meticulous the preparation, the higher the survival rate, meow.”

Suddenly, there’s another woman sitting beside Lord Silver Wolf.

One with the head of a cat.

The Guild Master’s wife, once an S-rank adventurer herself, the formidable Black Cat.

Why is she here, too?

“W-Well, you see... even for a rough-and-tumble adventurer, being alone in a room with a woman isn’t exactly a good look. Better to have my wife present, you know, to keep things formal...”

“Cheating’s a no-go, even if it’s just a suspicion, meow.”

Oh, right...

I almost forgot I’m a girl...

Running around as an adventurer day and night, you tend to forget things like that. Even the way you talk changes.

“...Murshela, nineteen years old. Reaching A-rank at your age is quite an accomplishment.”

“As I said, that’s all thanks to Lord Golden Bat’s guidance, sir.”

“Putting that aside...Oh, I see you also have bat therian traits? Is that why you and Golden Bat get along so well...?”

“That does say something, meow.”

Exactly.

You see, I’m a bat therian, just like Lord Golden Bat, though my traits are much weaker. That’s why he took notice of me and decided to mentor me.

“Bat therians have top-notch hearing among the therians, which is also top-notch among all of mankind. This is a huge advantage for an adventurer.”

“Those with strong traits can understand their surroundings through echoes, meow. No need for light in caves; they’re practically invincible, meow.”

“Yet that fool would rather climb mountains.”

Did he just call Lord Golden Bat a fool?

What’s wrong with a bat climbing a mountain?

It’s just the fate of those who love mountains.

“That’s enough chit-chat... Let’s get to the main point. Why would Golden Bat let go of his invaluable right-hand woman like you? From the guild’s perspective, this is a serious issue that could render our top adventurer dysfunctional.”

“The guild can’t ignore this situation, meow.”

I see...

I totally understand why they’d want to know, so I explained everything that led to this.

As expected, Lord Silver Wolf buries his head in his hands.

“I thought we resolved the expulsion commotion the other day... But he hasn’t given up yet...!”

“Trying to iron out issues with test cases is so adventurer-like and sneaky, meow.”

Both of them are pretty harsh.

Even as a Golden Bat devotee, I can’t argue with them.

“Golden Bat’s always been unpredictable, but he’s become completely incomprehensible since a certain point. Why?”

“He lost his restraint when you retired, Wolfie. Before, he had a clear goal to compete against, but now he’s lost and doesn’t know what to aim for, meow.”

“Please stop using that nickname...!!!”

Despite the harshness, Lady Black Cat’s observation was spot on.

Lately, Lord Golden Bat has indeed been lost.

As an adventurer, Lord Golden Bat is clearly superior, so he should just forge ahead boldly...

“...By the way, Murshela, you didn’t participate in the S-rank promotion test last year, did you?”

“No, I did not, sir.”

“Why not?”

“Because there’s something more important to me than becoming S-rank...”

That is to support Lord Golden Bat and make him the eternal greatest adventurer.

For that, I don’t mind staying in the shadows.

I can’t neglect to support him just to advance my own rank.

“...”

After I said that, Lord Silver Wolf fell silent.

What is he thinking?

Just as I wondered and tried to gauge his reaction...

Lord Silver Wolf suddenly pounced at me.