Interlude 3:
A Ridiculously Powerful Tamer Appears!
THE WOMAN HAD worked as a receptionist in Rellim’s Adventurers’ Guild for several years now, but what happened today was probably the most shocking thing that she had ever experienced. Her name was Emilia, and she was twenty-two years old.
As for the aforementioned shocking event, a slender, unassuming man had shown up carrying a massive amount of high-ranking monster materials in a rare Bottomless Bag. Even in her capacity as a receptionist, she had never seen such high-rank monster carcasses before. I shouldn’t be so surprised, I guess, since he’s tamed a Wolfking. Despite his appearance, Emilia suspected the man was far stronger than he let on.
After collecting the money to pay Taichi for his materials, Emilia stopped in at the guild master’s office before she handed over the bag of coins. Taichi had to be quite the Tamer to bring in those materials. She thought it best to inform the guild master of the situation. If possible, she hoped the man would agree to register with their guild. It would probably be most effective to have the guild master extend an invitation personally. That was why Emilia stopped by her office.
“Guild Master? It’s me, Emilia. Do you have a moment?” Emilia asked after knocking.
There was no response.
Emilia had a sinking feeling in her stomach. She held back the urge to sigh and instead said, “Excuse the intrusion!” before bursting inside. As she suspected, it was empty. She wanted to scream.
“Where did you go, Guild Master?! I managed to lead this high-ranking Tamer into a private room so you could speak with him, and you’re not even here!” Emilia wanted to burst into tears. Why, when Emilia needed her the most, was she not here? There certainly wasn’t enough time for Emilia to go hunting her down. She would have to give up.
Shoulders slumped, Emilia dragged her feet as she left the room and returned to where she had left Taichi earlier.
✦ ✦ ✦
It wasn’t until that night that the guild master returned, and Emilia was finally able to fill her in on Taichi’s appearance at the guild.
“A Tamer with a Wolfking, you say? Someone that amazing came to our city?”
“Yes, that’s what I’m telling you! And yet you weren’t even here, Hymeria!” Emilia groused angrily. “I wanted you to meet him personally.”
Hymeria smiled wearily and shrugged. “It’s not my fault I’m not suited to be the guild master. You know I’m not any good at negotiations and the like.”
“There you go again! Might I remind you that you climbed to the pinnacle of your vocation, earning the specialization of Wise Sage. You’re incredible!”
“Still...I’m just not suited to office work.”
Despite her credentials, Hymeria was only sixteen years of age, and she looked every bit as innocent and youthful as she should. A peerless mage, she struggled to lead others. She preferred to adventure as she liked, especially at her age. The only reason she was serving as the Adventurers’ Guild’s master was because it was convenient for them to have her as a leader, not because she wanted to. That was also why she didn’t make public appearances as the guild master. Few people even knew what she looked like.
“We missed a golden opportunity to snag some serious talent,” Emilia complained.
Hymeria’s cheeks swelled with displeasure. She almost resented the king for appointing her guild master. She appreciated the people who looked up to her, but that didn’t make her any more pleased to have this “honor” foisted on her.
“It is curious that he managed to tame a Wolfking,” Hymeria noted.
“See?! So please, encourage him to work for the guild! All the monsters he brought us were high ranking!” Emilia spoke with passionate zeal.
Hymeria sighed. Of course she was interested in this powerful Tamer. No Tamer yet had made such a name for themselves before. Most adventurers probably thought of them as convenient support members if anything, since they could tame enormous beasts to carry everyone’s things, but they weren’t known for their battle prowess.
Silence hung in the air.
After considering everything Emilia had told her, Hymeria decided it was better not to approach him in her capacity as guild master.
“This matter is closed,” she announced.
“What? Why?!”
“Because I don’t wanna.”
Hymeria knew from experience how annoying it was to have someone persistently peck at you to do something for them simply because you were powerful. “Besides, if we pester him too much, he might leave the city altogether. If he really is as powerful as you think, then he could make it anywhere. He doesn’t have to stay here.”
Hymeria made such a good point that Emilia couldn’t argue with her. “Ngh... True, it would be a shame if he left.” Nonetheless, Emilia couldn’t help feeling that Hymeria was making the wrong decision.
But that’s just the kind of person she is. Hymeria rarely asserted herself when it came to the administration of the guild, despite her leadership position. According to her, she was lending her name to the institution and nothing more. In exchange, whenever something unforeseen happened—such as a dangerous monster showing up—she would work with the other members of her guild to resolve the matter. That was why the personnel here allowed her to come and go freely, leading to her frequent absences from the office.
“Having a powerful Tamer in our town is reassuring enough. Let’s be satisfied with that for now,” suggested Hymeria.
“I suppose. I’ll be clocking out for the day, then. Excuse me.”
“All right. Thanks for your hard work today!” Hymeria waved as Emilia strode out.
✦ ✦ ✦
Thinking she would probably head home soon too, Hymeria poured herself a cup of tea.
“A Tamer, huh,” she said to herself.
Hymeria had defeated a Wolfking before, but it had been a powerful opponent. It wasn’t a monster one could easily tame. And for it to completely obey him is amazing. As strong as she was, and even possessing a job specialization, Hymeria still found Wolfkings tough to tackle. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what it must be like for a Tamer to have one around them at all times.
“He calls himself a Tamer, but I wonder if he has a specialization like I do.” Hymeria thought it was a safe bet to assume he did. Could an ordinary Tamer actually tame a Wolfking? She very much doubted it. “Weird that no one has made a fuss if he really is walking around out there with a Wolfking.”
Hymeria would think most of the city folk would run screaming if they saw something so terrifying on the street. But then it hit her. “Of course! Most people have probably never encountered a hostile Wolfking before.” This one was probably much calmer, since it had been tamed and the city guard had seen fit to allow it in. “I kind of want to see it for myself.”
Alas, the Tamer in question hadn’t registered with the guild. It might not be that easy to meet him. Perhaps she should have stayed around the office so she could have met him earlier.
Hymeria shook her head. No, this was for the best. There was nothing more unpleasant than having a person in a position of influence proposition you.
“I wonder if I could be so lucky as to run into him on the street.” Then she could meet him as Hymeria the adventurer rather than Hymeria the guild master. “But it wouldn’t be right to just go out looking for him.” Then she would be doing exactly what Emilia had asked. “Awww, it doesn’t seem like anything will work. I just want to be friends.” She sipped on her tea, hoping she could be so lucky as to encounter this Tamer by chance.