After the match ended, I was summoned by the guild staff and was receiving a brief explanation at the reception desk.
Apparently, since I'd caused a stir with other adventurers on my first day registering the Eastern Branch as my home base, I was receiving a severe reprimand.
I didn't think it was fair, but from the guild's perspective, it seemed they had no choice but to issue me a warning.
As the party representative, I was seated across from the reception guild staff member, Tahnia.
The rest of my companions were waiting at the rest area inside the guild, a sort of café. There probably wasn't need for all eight of us to be here talking.
The slender Tahnia looked at me, a hint of exasperation in her eyes as she finalized the report.
As for Erhard, I'd heard he'd been carried off to the guild infirmary to rest for a while before also receiving his severe reprimand.
"Ah, well, certainly the fault lies more with him. And since we've confirmed the circumstances of how you got caught up in it, Lyle, we do understand."
Even so, I was still dissatisfied about receiving a reprimand and protested.
"In that case, there's no need for me to be—"
"There is."
Tahnia stated this clearly. She finished writing the report, filed the documents away, and tidied up her desk.
She seemed like a very methodical person. She used her fingertips to lift the right edge of her glasses and adjust their position, then turned her attention to giving me my official warning.
"You have one party member dressed quite conspicuously. An Automaton, correct? Her outfit did draw attention. While it's rare for adventurers to openly pick fights within the guild like Erhard, there are always a certain number who resort to underhanded methods. Moreover, it's not inexperienced adventurers who do this, but those with real strength."
Hearing this, I learned that a certain number of malicious adventurers did indeed exist.
However, in the morning, such adventurers were always fewer in number.
They tended to be active mostly at night, so they were usually asleep in the morning.
Even so, it wasn't an absolute rule.
"Sometimes, 'the other party was worse' doesn't fly. In truth, a party like yours tends to attract trouble. As the leader, you need to be more careful."
When I wanted to object, I decided to simply nod and accept that part of it was indeed my fault.
Then Miss Tahnia proceeded to check the Guild Card information, confirming our evaluation so far.
"……It's been a while since Aramsass, hasn't it? But your evaluations are quite high. With this, you should be able to participate in Dungeon subjugations soon."
Hearing Miss Tahnia's words, I tilted my head, confused. I hadn't heard about this during the orientation.
When I asked for an explanation, Miss Tahnia looked slightly exasperated.
"You didn't know? The Eastern Branch is famous for the travel time involved, but obviously, there are benefits. Otherwise, adventurers wouldn't gather here. One of those major benefits is Dungeon subjugation."
Dungeons managed by the Free City of Baim are, naturally, forbidden to subjugate.
There are apparently fools who try to challenge the innermost chamber, but such adventurers are apparently eliminated by the[Super]cleaners known as sweepers.
In other words, in regionally-focused operations, the opportunity to challenge the innermost chamber is extremely rare. That meant not being able to obtain rare metals or treasures.
From within the Jewel, I could hear the Third Generation's voice.
"So the benefit is Dungeon subjugation. Indeed, you can't subjugate a managed Dungeon, and being able to obtain rare metals and treasures is a significant advantage."
The Fourth Generation, however, still sounded doubtful.
"But you didn't hear about this at the orientation. There might be a reason for that."
Indeed.
Thinking that, I asked.
"……Does that mean anyone can challenge it?"
Miss Tahnia shook her head slightly.
"No. They send multiple parties with a certain level of ability. In those cases, they naturally send parties with high evaluations. However, when a Dungeon is discovered, a system is in place where the Eastern Branch receives the requests as a priority. Other branches only get such requests a few times a year, if that."
(A few times a year? Is that few? Or should I think it's a lot? I don't really understand the situation around here.)
Hearing this, the Seventh Generation spoke in a displeased tone.
"So, unless my evaluation is high enough, I can't take on those missions. It all depends on the Guild's evaluation, then."
She looked at me with a smile that seemed deliberately put on, then spoke plainly.
"We welcome high-rated adventurers. By all means, I hope you'll prove to be an outstanding one here as well."
In other words, I had to complete the jobs that came my way and raise my Guild evaluation.
The Guild side would also look at the trend of our quest completions when assigning work.
Missions I was weak at probably wouldn't come my way, but even so, I considered the benefit of Dungeon subjugations.
(Obviously, clearing a Dungeon yields treasures from the innermost chamber or rare metals. Adventurer parties who get assigned subjugation requests are folks with a certain level of evaluation from the Guild. They'd be reliable, but that also means they'd be tough rivals.)
For someone like me who possessed multiple Skills, Dungeon subjugations were a place where I could achieve results beyond my actual strength.
Moving from the Eastern Branch to another branch might end up having more disadvantages than advantages.
(Even here, I could take on the Dungeon that Baim manages. In that case, working here is the right call for now.)
If I turned a blind eye to a few disadvantages, this was certainly a convenient Guild for me.
I stood up from my chair and offered my apologies to Tahnia right then.
"I'll do my best to live up to your expectations. And about today's commotion — I'm sorry for that. My apologies."
Tahnia chuckled softly, took off her glasses, and said.
"Even for us staff, it was the kind of thing you'd only read about in a book. It was quite entertaining, actually. Lyle-kun, you've become quite the celebrity from your very first day."
Told "my condolences" with a smile, I could only let out a wry laugh as I took my leave.
That day.
Back at the inn, I spent the time until dinner alone.
I was going to project my consciousness into the Jewel to train with the Sixth Generation, one of the Successive Heads.
In the Sixth Generation's memory room, I stood with my weapon ready, facing them.
I thought it looked like a room I had seen before, and it turned out to be the room in the mansion where I had learned swordsmanship.
The training grounds were an indispensable room for House Walt, which valued martial prowess above all else.
"It hasn't changed at all since the old days."
As I said that, looking around.
'There's no reason to change it for the sake of novelty. As long as the battlefield hasn't changed drastically, it'll stay this way.'
Weapons, tactics, and magic—.
The Sixth Generation's opinion was that the training grounds would remain the same as long as nothing revolutionary appeared in those fields to alter the landscape of the battlefield.
A war axe. The Sixth Generation, holding his halberd, looked at me and smiled.
'Coincidentally, that brat Erhard and I are the same type. Now, show me what you've got!'
He probably meant "power type," but the Sixth Generation did not possess any physical enhancement Skills. Even if he did, he should only be able to use the initial stage of the First Generation's [Full Over].
However, the halberd, which looked like a large axe attached to a spear, allowed for thrusting and slashing motions.
Its reach was wider than a greatsword, and on top of that, my opponent was not Erhard, but the Sixth Generation, who was brimming with real combat experience.
And just how many times had he fought against human opponents?
We took our stances and began to circle each other. I was debating whether to attack or wait to deflect his strike when the Sixth Generation charged at me.
"Fast!"
The Sixth Generation, like the First Generation, possessed a large, well-built frame.
And that Sixth Generation was charging at me, halberd extended.
Overwhelmed by a sense of pressure and intimidation surpassing even Erhard's, I tried to retreat to deflect—no, to evade.
'Naive. Too naive!'
I dodged the tip of the extended halberd, but the axe part caught my left shoulder as it was pulled back, leaving a gash.
I thought it was a light graze, but it cut deeper than I'd expected.
Blood spurted out. When I tried to create distance, the Sixth Generation gripped the haft long and swung the halberd with a single arm.
"Such brute force!"
'I told you, didn't I? We're the same power type!'
The halberd smashed into the ground, sending up a cloud of dust and a shockwave that felt like an earthquake.
Still dazed, I saw the Sixth Generation closing in with a shorter grip on the haft.
Sensing provocation in the way he was trying to fight at saber range, I immediately thrust my saber forward.
The Sixth Generation tilted his head left to dodge, but I angled the blade diagonally and tried to slash across his neck as I drew it back.
However—
"...Is that even allowed?"
'Once I grab it, you can't get away, right? Besides, this much is everyday stuff for me!'
The Sixth Generation caught the saber's blade in his left hand and swung the halberd in his right.
I let go of the saber and pulled back, but the charging Sixth Generation flung the saber far away, then thrust his left arm out and seized my collar, lifting me off the ground.
With his build came proportionate—no, greater-than-proportionate strength, and I was slammed into the ground.
'I at least didn't drive you headfirst into the dirt, but that still plenty hurt, didn't it?'
Released, I dragged myself slowly to my feet.
My back had been driven into the ground, and I couldn't catch my breath. On top of that, I was outmatched in hand-to-hand combat as well.
The build difference was too vast. Even if my skill exceeded the Sixth Generation's, I'd still lose as long as he had decent skill of his own.
Before any of that, though, he had no hesitation.
'Lyle, you still have hesitation when fighting humans.'
When he said that, I opened my right hand. A saber materialized there, so I gripped the hilt and took my stance.
The pain had already subsided, and the wound had healed as if nothing had happened.
"Well, we're not exactly on the level of mere acquaintances. It still feels wrong to point a weapon at you."
The Sixth Generation laughed.
'You're overthinking it. They won't die even if you kill them, so stop holding back. Besides... at full strength, you can't beat me.'
That pissed me off, so I activated my trump-card Skill.
I used the First Generation's Skill, Full Burst, which multiplies one's abilities several times over, and thrust the saber at the Sixth Generation.
But this time, the Sixth Generation sacrificed his left hand. He caught the saber's blade with his left hand — and naturally, it pierced right through.
Even so, the Sixth Generation was still smiling. Refusing to let go, he gripped the saber, and blood from his left hand splattered across my face.
On purpose — the Sixth Generation had moved to make exactly that happen, widening the wound.
"Eyegouge!"
My vision blocked, I tried to use my Skill to read my opponent's movements.
But the Second Generation, the Fifth Generation, the Sixth Generation —.
When it came to tracking an opponent's movements, there was no way I could match the Sixth Generation.
I was exploited through the instant gap created by my panic —
'The Second Generation told you, didn't he! Skills are only meaningful when you've truly mastered them! Getting baited into using a Skill over mere provocation is what a fool does!'
The belly of the axe came crashing down onto my head, and I collapsed to the ground.
The Sixth Generation slung his halberd over his shoulder and began his lecture.
'Listen — you could've kept your distance and attacked with magic. Of course, I would've countered that too, but you can use the Second Generation's Skills all the way to their final stage. If you fought from range, there'd still be a chance —'
Dizzily, I rose to my feet and looked at the Sixth Generation.
'――What's wrong?'
"No, I just thought the Sixth Generation wasn't particularly conspicuous, but he was surprisingly strong."
It seemed he was self-conscious about it too, as he brought the shaft of his halberd down toward my head.
'It's not that I'm not conspicuous! It's just that the others have such strong personalities! The fact that I, an ordinary person, don't stand out is because of them!'
The Sixth Generation was ordinarily strong.
(Well, not ordinary, I suppose, but compared to the others...)
He didn't fight by toying with his opponent like the Third Generation did.
Nor did he have a distinctive fighting style like the other Successive Heads; he was just straightforwardly strong.
I hadn't fought the First or Second Generation directly, but they too had their quirks in battle.
The Second Generation, for instance, wielded a bow. Close combat was tough for them, but if they could keep their distance and the setting was something like a forest, they'd be terrifying.
The First Generation would swing a greatsword with all their might, but that would already be at the level of a tempest or a gale.
As a result, my assessment of the Sixth Generation was: 'Ordinary, but strong.'
'Ahh, that's all for today.'
Hearing the Sixth Generation say that in a somewhat dejected tone, I realized the Saber I'd been holding had vanished, and I was now outside the Sixth Generation's memory room.
In the round-table conference room, it appeared the Fourth Generation had been waiting for me.
'Lyle, it's dinnertime. Little Novem came to wake you up.'
Upon hearing this, I immediately turned to go, but the Fourth Generation stopped me. "Wait a moment," he said, gazing up at the ceiling.
"What is it?"
When I also looked up, Novem's face was there.
She was peeking down at something, her hand touching it.
"…You're touching me, aren't you? Actually, could you see outside like this the whole time?"
The Fourth Generation shook his head.
'Sometimes it's through Laiel's vision, and sometimes I can see out through the Jewel like this. Of course, both consume Laiel's mana.'
Now I could handle it, but back when I first obtained the Jewel, it had been truly awful. Every time the Successive Heads caused a commotion, I'd run out of mana in an instant and collapse on the spot.
"So, what are you waiting for?"
The Fourth Generation gazed up at the ceiling.
'…Well, Novem-chan is looking at your face and smiling. I figured it'd be fine to stay like this a little longer.'
I looked up at the ceiling, and sure enough, Novem was smiling gently.
She seemed to be touching my face.
"Then I could just bring my consciousness back and pretend to be asleep…"
The Fourth Generation spoke up.
'That's what I figured too. But when she came into the room, she glanced at the Jewel. Just a little, but… Novem-chan might still be hiding something. I wanted to pass that along.'
Hearing the Fourth Generation's opinion, I looked up at the ceiling from the round-table conference room.
Gazing at the image of Novem's smile reflected there, I felt a faint flicker of unease.