Leaving the guild, he headed straight for the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) south of town. Pearl followed obediently at his side, neither too close nor too far.
Townspeople who saw Pearl recoiled in shock and backed away.
He would be passing through frequently from now on; eventually they would get used to it.
The Black Forest was a forested mountainous region in the southwestern Holy Empire. The peaks were not especially high, the highest being Feldberg at 1,493 m.
It was a treasure trove of magical beasts and a prime hunting ground for adventurers, though the depths were home to high-rank beasts and extremely dangerous.
This was his first official visit as an adventurer, but during his solo training he had secretly come many times and already knew the geography near Baden-Baden almost perfectly.
Becoming an official adventurer therefore brought him no particular tension.
For now he would act like a typical E-rank beginner: focus mainly on gathering, and hunt any beasts or magical beasts he encountered along the way.
He had already memorized during training which medicinal herbs and edible wild plants grew where, and had plenty of practical experience, so gathering was second nature.
He had Pearl keep watch of the surroundings while he concentrated on collecting.
Whenever beasts or magical beasts appeared, Pearl would alert him.
Since he was still in the shallower parts of the forest, only horned rabbits and soil moles that hurled dirt clods appeared. Both were small-bodied and rarely attacked humans unless cornered. When he spotted one he would shoot it with an arrow; Pearl would dash in to pin it down. Simple, repetitive work.
Lost in gathering, he gradually penetrated deeper into the forest. Medium-sized magical beasts like fire boars began appearing more frequently. He switched tactics: Pearl would hold their attention while he struck vital points in a single blow.
Eventually large beasts like ice grizzlies joined the mix, but he dispatched them mechanically without concern.
The vast quantities of plants and herbs he collected could be stored with storage magic, but that required constantly maintaining the spell, which he preferred to avoid. He had handmade a pouch enchanted with storage magic and simply kept filling it.
Before he realized it the sun had tilted far to the west. Walking back would mean returning after dark.
Too troublesome, so he teleported to near the forest entrance, re-entered town as though he had just come back, and headed for the guild.
At the purchase counter he made his request.
—Wait a second. I absentmindedly stuffed everything into storage… besides all those plants, I must have close to a hundred beasts and magical beasts of various sizes…
"There's too much to fit on the counter. What should I do?"
"But…you don't appear to be carrying that much…"
"This pouch is a magic bag enchanted with storage."
"My word…such an expensive item…"
"It's a family heirloom passed down through generations," he said on the spot.
Come to think of it, the art of crafting magic bags had been lost in this era; only a handful found in ancient ruins or dungeons ever circulated.
They were therefore astronomically expensive and owned almost exclusively by nobles and great merchants. Most had the capacity of a small warehouse at best; ones with dozens of warehouse-sized capacities like Friedrich's were virtually nonexistent.
—Gotta keep this under wraps.
"In that case, please follow me to the warehouse."
As he unloaded item after item in the guild warehouse, the staff member's face steadily paled.
"You registered just today, didn't you, sir? You stood out, so I remember… All this in a single day?"
"Of course… Is there a problem?"
"At this volume the appraisal will take two or three days. Once it's complete we'll deposit the amount into your guild account…
Also, there are ordinary wild vegetables and game mixed in. Those should be sold to greengrocers or butchers."
"You're right. I forgot about that. I'll do so."
He put the vegetables and game meat back into storage (there wasn't much), but even so his haul occupied roughly eighty percent of the warehouse.
No way he could sell the same volume again tomorrow. Now what…?
On the way back he stopped by a greengrocer and butcher, sold the vegetables and meat, and, thanks to their freshness, quality, and careful harvesting, earned a tidy sum of just over 10 silver coins.
Another fruit of his training.
◆
The next morning when Friedrich visited the guild, the staff member who had handled his registration called out to him.
She appeared to be in her early twenties, named Moderena. Apparently she was considered a veteran among the reception staff. Reaching that status at her age meant she was quite capable.
"I've been assigned as your dedicated handler, Lord Alex. From now on please come to me with any questions or concerns."
For some reason her smile looked a little strained.
"Also…about the hunting and gathering, could you please moderate the volume a little?
We've already been planning to expand the warehouse because it's too small, but after yesterday's incident the project has been moved up. Until the new warehouse is finished, could you possibly hold back a bit?"
"About that, I was thinking of focusing on quality today and targeting higher-rank prey specifically. As I heard yesterday, subduing higher-rank magical beasts is fine as long as I can do it, right?"
"Thank you for your consideration… but please don't overdo it."
"Of course. I know my own limits. Besides, I have my reliable partner Pearl."
"You're right. Well then, good luck again today."
—Hm. Moderena has a clean, unpretentious vibe. Polite, too. Pretty much my type. Being encouraged by a woman like that doesn't feel bad at all. Let's do our best again today.
Arriving at the Black Forest, he teleported straight to the middle to save time.
Using clairvoyance he scouted the surroundings. As planned, today he would pick off large and medium magical beasts.
In addition to yesterday's fire boars and ice grizzlies, he hunted thunder deer and the like.
Several saber-tooth tigers appeared as well. Those were somewhat tougher; he couldn't one-shot them.
He could probably insta-kill them with magic, but since he was still in his growth phase he decided to refrain from magic as much as possible and strengthen his body through physical combat.
In the end he took down quite a few again, so he wrapped up early and returned to the guild.
At the purchase counter:
"Sorry, it ended up being a bit much again today. Will it still fit in the warehouse?"
The staff member made a sour face but guided him to the warehouse anyway. He unloaded everything; it just barely fit, though the place was now practically bursting.
"My apologies, the appraisal still won't be ready today. Please come back tomorrow or later."
"Understood."
◆
The day after that, when Friedrich showed up at the guild, Moderena called him over.
"The appraisals for the day before yesterday and yesterday are complete. Thirty gold coins and five silver coins. Will you take it now?"
"No, please deposit it in my guild account."
—Adventuring really pays well. The results of all my training, sure, but am I actually pretty strong even without magic?
"Also, your promotion to D-rank has been approved. Starting today you will receive an iron plate. Reaching D-rank in just two days is incredible, a new record.
Quite a few B- and C-rank beasts were mixed in, and several of those saber-tooth tigers were A-rank. There was even talk of jumping straight to C-rank, but some executives objected to a two-rank jump, so it settled at D. I'm sorry my influence wasn't enough."
"No problem. No need to rush. I'll take my time and enjoy it."
◆
About three months passed in that fashion. Eventually Moderena brought up the topic of A-rank promotion.
"You'll take the practical exam, right?"
"Yeah. Might as well since the chance is here."
"The exam will be in swordsmanship, correct?"
"Yep."
The next day Friedrich arrived at the designated testing ground behind the guild at the appointed time. The examiner was already waiting.
The examiner was over 180 cm tall, roughly a 30 cm height difference, a major handicap. His physique was clearly well-trained.
Today Friedrich would fight purely with physical strength, no emission magic, no ki/plana body reinforcement. Pure hand-to-hand.
If it turned into a contest of raw power he would definitely lose. As a dual-wield user he relied on speed, number of attacks, and technique, so he just had to keep the fight in his own rhythm.
"Did I keep you waiting?"
"No, I was so excited to face the promising rookie that I came early.
For safety we use wooden swords. But if you take a solid hit it can still break bones, so watch yourself."
Friedrich took the wooden sword and gave it a few light practice swings. Having used real blades lately, it felt somewhat flimsy.
—But that means I can move faster. In that sense the advantage is mine.
"Ready?"
"Yes. Anytime."
"Then here I come!"
The examiner attacked first with considerable spirit.
Friedrich caught the blow one-handed and lightly deflected it sideways. Taking it head-on would become a power contest, bad idea.
After a few exchanges he was disappointed.
Dual-wield users were certainly rare, but the examiner clearly had almost no experience fighting them; openings everywhere.
He could have ended it instantly, but the examiner had his pride. So Friedrich traded blows for about ten exchanges, then thrust the tip of his wooden sword against the man's throat.
"Hah, I lose, I lose. You're strong. Damn good skill. Still young, right? Once your body fills out with age you'll be unstoppable. Keep it up, 'Silver Alex.'"
"Thank you very much."
By this time word had spread among Baden's adventurers about an incredible newcomer, and somewhere along the way Friedrich had gained the moniker "Silver Alex."
At the same time, bets were being placed on whether "Alex" was male or female.
Though he had never stated his gender, one would think his name and build would make it obvious, yet quite a few people read too deeply and assumed he was a strong-built woman pretending to be a man to throw people off. The odds were apparently close either way.
His strategy of concealing his sex was working, but the thought that many saw him as female gave him complicated feelings.
—They're not looking at me with lewd eyes or anything, right? Well, if someone tries to assault me I'll just beat them so badly they'll never recover.
◆
My name is Nigul Pearl.
I am a mid-tier dark spirit serving the great superior dark spirit Lady Obskuritas, yet by her command I have become the familiar of my current lord.
My lord's name is Friedrich Erde von Zähringen. A human.
At first I was bewildered by the order to stake my life protecting so frail a human, but now I can only feel ashamed of my own shortsightedness.
The first thing that struck me upon being summoned was my lord's beauty, almost elven in its grace. Yet his frame was small and he appeared weak.
I tried intimidating him anyway, but he did not flinch in the slightest. Was he exceptionally courageous, or simply slow to react…?
As I accompanied my lord on his activities as the adventurer Alex, however, my doubts melted away.
First, his physical ability as a human is outrageously superior.
His agility and reflexes far outstrip others, and his skill in swordsmanship and unarmed combat leaves no room for comparison.
The only drawback is that, at ten years old, his build is still small and his raw power lacking, but it is obvious that time and growth will resolve that.
As for magic, he has shown me only a little in my presence, but according to the superior spirits he has aptitude for every attribute and considerable power. A human with all-attribute affinity has not appeared in at least several thousand years.
His mana capacity is off the charts for a human, and its quality is clear and pleasant.
Lesser spirits of every attribute adore him; they gather around him like moths to a flame at night, enveloping him in a dazzling multicolored glow.
When appearing in public he seems to use a skill to block their light for caution's sake…
At night he detaches his spiritual body from his physical one and travels from the spirit realm all the way to the underworld for training. My lord's diligence is staggering.
While he is away, guarding his physical body is my most important duty, so I cannot accompany him, which is a little frustrating.
This may be favoritism, but I sense something noble in my lord's soul, reminiscent of spirits or fairies.
With such all-round talent, is my lord truly human? Sometimes I wonder whether spirit blood, or even divine blood, flows in his veins.
In any case, so long as I follow my lord, boredom will never find me.
I am endlessly grateful to my lord.