Chapter 74: Natural-Born Leader

Alfrion’s hands trembled as he frantically reviewed every piece of information available about Elizabeth. His eyes darted back and forth between her and the numerous holograms floating around him, as well as the scattered papers clutched tightly in his grasp.

“W-What sort of…? Elizabeth, who exactly are you?!”

His eyes twitched in disbelief. The old ice elf, known for possessing a heart as cold as frost, had always enforced the strictest combat tests. He never allowed anyone who dared to conceal their personal information to register with the guild.

But now he could feel it. Something was changing.

“Hahaha! I see you’re all nervous now, Alfrion. What’s wrong? Is it not what you expected?”

“?!”

His gaze snapped toward a tall figure seated not far away. A tall, gorgeous woman with pale white skin, long flowing red hair, and visible scars across her face and arms. Her glowing purple-red eyes and pointed red horns gave her an intimidating yet captivating presence. She wore tight black leather pants, a black blouse, and a white translucent coat that resembled half of a dress. Part of her face was covered by a delicate white veil decorated with beautiful golden rosaries and small skulls.

She was an incredibly charismatic woman. Her striking appearance and unique attire instantly drew everyone’s attention.

“Camilla?! Y-You’re here?!”

Alfrion was genuinely shocked to see her in this place of all locations. Why did she have to return to the Adventurer’s Guild on this specific day?

“Hm? Are you addressing me without a proper honorific, little elf? Too much smoke in your head is going to make it burst. It’s Lady Camilla to you!”

“L-Lady Camilla, I didn’t expect your return…!” Alfrion muttered nervously.

“Turns out that Monster Tide wasn’t that big of a deal after all. I made it back just in time~ So, what do we have here, hm?” she asked, smiling down with clear fascination.

“Y-You don’t really need to see anything. Why not go take a break? You must be tired…” Alfrion suggested carefully.

“Hah?!” Camilla shot him a look filled with contempt and anger. She raised an eyebrow and flashed her sharp teeth. “Who do you think you are, ordering around your damn Guild Master, shrimp?!”

Despite her mature beauty and natural charisma, she behaved like an average street thug.

“M-My apologies!” Alfrion muttered weakly. “I merely was… uhh…”

“Heheh, I know exactly what’s happening here~!” Camilla teased with a mischievous grin. “Someone’s finally going to do it, right? Is a group actually about to pass your Hell Difficulty Combat Tutorial, you damn cruel elf bastard?!”

“Tsk…!” Alfrion ignored her teasing remarks and glared down at the battlefield. A confident smile soon formed on his lips as he readjusted his glasses. “That remains to be seen. Yes, there are some interesting candidates here, but they have yet to experience what these monsters are truly capable of. If these people plan to become adventurers, they cannot possibly believe that fighting monsters is so easy, right?”

“Hm?” Camilla, the Guild Master of this branch of the Adventurer’s Guild, raised an eyebrow in surprise and smiled. “Oho? What sort of fucked-up trickery do you have prepared for our guests today, you damn scheming bastard elf?”

“…Hmph. I would prefer if you didn’t swear so much, Lady Camilla. It’s bad for the reputation of our establishment if you—”

“Shut up! I talk however I want! If you’ve got a problem, come here and show me with your strength!” she roared, lifting a large cup of beer and taking a long drink. “Phew! That’s how we do things here… burp.”

“…” Alfrion facepalmed and let out a deep sigh.

Every single day, he secretly wished for Lady Camilla to be replaced by someone else—anyone else. Gustav, Philip, or even Flare—any of the other three Guild Masters who led branches within the capital seemed far better than her in his eyes.

Sure, Gustav was an eccentric obsessed with merging modern science and necromancy, but he was still more grounded than Camilla. Philip was the very definition of a brute, yet he caused far less trouble. And Flare was simply Flare, but even she was preferable to Camilla.

“I can already hear it from here. You’re wishing you had a better Guild Master, aren’t you?!” she hissed angrily, shocking the elf.

“I-I have said no such thing!” he panicked, now seriously wondering if she possessed some form of mind-reading ability.

“Well, whatever. Let’s see with our own eyes what’s happening down there!” Camilla declared. “If these people manage to surprise me—especially that girl—maybe I’ll meet them in person.”

Alfrion rolled his eyes but continued watching attentively. His sharp, calculating gaze remained fixed on the mysterious girl.

Elizabeth.

“Just who is she?”

“She’s a little magus!”

“She has two grimoires?!”

“Amazing! She can conjure both barriers and offensive spells!”

“She’s an all-rounder magician. Does she have a Sage Class?”

The adventurer candidates whispered among themselves in awe as they speculated about Elizabeth’s identity. They had watched the girl confidently approach a Thrallgus and use her barriers to effortlessly block its deadly attacks.

Then, as if that were not enough, she conjured a strange black and red fog. From within the mist, dozens of tiny jaws emerged, biting into the Thrallgus’s entire body and severely weakening the monster.

“Now that I have your attention, please listen. This trial was designed for us to work together!”

Her words carried incredible inspiration and the natural charisma of a true leader, despite her small and adorable appearance.

“We cannot win if we do not work together…! So please, help us defeat the Thrallgus!”

Her speech struck deep into the hearts of the fearful candidates who had been trembling, unable to face the monsters before them.

“!!!”

This little, adorable, disguised dragon stirred their hearts like no one else could. It was as if she possessed a natural, kingly charisma.

“I-Is that…?”

They could almost see a shining star behind her.

“She’s glowing…”

She was a natural-born leader.

“Seriously, who is this brat…?”

Inspired by her presence, the candidates rose to their feet. Looking at the monsters and feeling her encouraging light reach them, they suddenly felt stronger, more motivated, and filled with newfound confidence in themselves.

“I will buff you all. Let’s fight as one!” she declared. “Don’t lose to fear. If you want to become adventurers and survive, you have to learn to work and live alongside fear. You cannot escape it, but you cannot let it consume you!”

After falling into despair, hope finally filled their hearts once more thanks to her inspiring words.

“Let’s become adventurers!” she roared.

“YEAH!!!”

The adventurers roared in unison, united by their shared dream of becoming true Adventurers.

Alfrion’s mouth fell open in shock as he listened to them cheering together, supporting her as if she had instantly earned their complete trust.

“What the…?!” he muttered in disbelief. “Nngh… damn brat…”

“Hahahaha! She’s got charisma, I’ll give her that! It’s a pity she’s so small!” Camilla laughed heartily, smiling as her interest in the girl grew stronger.

CRASH!

Reinhardt swallowed hard, narrowly avoiding a giant claw that came crashing down. He clenched his teeth and aimed his sword at the Thrallgus.

“GROOOHHH!”

The furious Thrallgus, already covered in wounds, charged toward him once again. Reinhardt fearfully dodged another deadly swipe, then sidestepped with precision. His body was drenched in sweat, yet his eyes grew sharper with determination.

“I can’t just keep getting beaten down…! Damn it!”

His sword gleamed with Mana Aura. He then infused it further with his Spiritual Aura, stacking both energies together and layering them into dozens of overlapping waves.

“EAAA!”

CLASH!

Although he had yet to fully master the proper techniques and sword arts of his house, he struck with all his strength, applying the same core principles.

“GRRRR?!”

The Thrallgus groaned in pain as its left arm was torn apart. Blood sprayed everywhere, exposing muscle and bone. But the beast roared with even greater fury, swinging its claws faster than before and kicking Reinhardt away amid the chaos.

“Gaaaaah!”

He tumbled across the sand, coughing up blood.

“D-Damn it! They’re too damn tough!”

He slowly pushed himself back to his feet, glancing at the small audience watching the battle. His anger flared even hotter when his eyes landed on Alfrion.

“That damn bastard. He really doesn’t want us to pass! Why?! Just because we refuse to share our status? Is that such a big deal?!”

He clenched his teeth and clicked his tongue, trying to calm himself as the Thrallgus charged once more.

The voice of his stubborn father still echoed painfully in his mind.

“You are a disgrace to the House, Reinhardt! You are not worthy of wearing the emblem, let alone learning the swordsmanship passed down by your ancestors any longer!”

“…What?! But dad, I already told you I was sorry, and—”

“And why are you dressed like that, pretending to be a human? What is that terrible hair?! What are these piercings?! That is not how elves act, look, or behave!”

“I am not just an elf. Mom was…! She was a human. How can you not—”

“Your mother is long gone, and it’s time you moved on. You are not a child anymore! Half-elves are effectively just elves! Act like one!”

“I…! I am myself! I don’t care about being a damn knight! I will join the Adventurer Guild and show you I am not a disappointment—you are!”

“Hmph, go ahead! I’ll be waiting, you good-for-nothing buffoon!”

All of this struggle had started because Reinhardt had gotten into trouble with his friends one night. While drunk, he had caused destruction of public property and minor vandalism in a moment of rebellion. He deeply regretted what happened. After years of living under a father who demanded he become a perfect model of an elven knight, he had simply wanted to unwind. Things had escalated faster than he could control.

But even now, remembering his father’s harsh words filled him with renewed fury.

“Hmph, go ahead! I’ll be waiting, you good-for-nothing buffoon!”

He stared at the approaching monster with burning hatred.

“Maybe you already forgot about mom, but I haven’t!” he roared inwardly, facing the giant monster’s claws head-on.

CLASH!

“I don’t want to be just an elf. I want to embrace what makes me human too!”

CLASH!

“I want to be an adventurer just like mom was!!! You damn…! You damn old man!”

CLASH!

Claw and sword collided violently. Reinhardt’s blade suddenly erupted with a faint golden light. His eyes widened as he felt his energies responding to him with greater strength than ever before.

“T-This is…?!” he gasped. Noticing the Thrallgus groaning in pain with its claws destroyed, he saw his chance. “An opportunity…! I cannot waste it!”

He charged forward alone, his sword gleaming brightly as he circulated his internal energy into the blade, sharpening its edge again and again.

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