The Ultimate Sage Who Faked Incompetence and Was Disinherited Just Wants to Enjoy His New Life! - Episode 2: Silver Rank

Episode 2: Silver Rank 

Supporting the trembling receptionist back into the building, another receptionist rushed over. She sensed something was wrong. This one was a tall beauty. 

It was almost as if there was an unspoken rule that “adventurer guild receptionists must be beautiful.” That was kind of intriguing. 

“Hey, Carrot! What happened to you!?” 

“A-ah, senpai… I was just a little surprised…” 

It seemed I had traumatized Carrot-san. But I couldn’t afford to fail the test back there. After all, I was nearly out of money. If I didn’t become an adventurer and start earning soon, I’d starve to death. 

“Fran! Process Fel’s adventurer registration. Starting today, he’s a Silver Rank adventurer. His class is Sage.” 

“A S-Sage!?” 

“Yeah, that’s right. I’m counting on you. Honestly, I could’ve made him Platinum Rank. But Fel needs some adventuring experience first. Sorry, but he’ll have to settle for Silver Rank. Once he gets used to taking requests, I’ll rank him up soon enough.” 

After saying that, Guild Master Aslan left the dumbfounded Fran-san behind and disappeared into the back room with heavy steps. 

“Is… is this for real, Carrot? A Sage…?” 

“It’s true. Look, there’s a Fairy on Fel-san’s shoulder, right?” 

“A Fairy? R-Really!? This is my first time seeing one!” 

“That’s what that old man earlier said too—” 

“Sh-She spoke! It’s real!” 

—Clatter! Crash! 

Fran-san fell backward, knocking over several chairs. Pure white. 

“A-Are you okay? Is it bad that people can see the Fairy? If so, I can ask her to stay invisible…” 

“N-No, that’s not necessary. I was just surprised. More importantly, let’s get to the registration.” 

“Um, about the ‘Sage’ title… Lilia just made that up. Is that okay?” 

“It’s fine. Everyone just calls themselves whatever they want. Though I think this is the first time we’ve had a Sage.” 

Fran-san chuckled as she stood up. She walked toward a wall lined with numerous drawers. 

“Um, Carrot-san, why are all the guild receptionists so beautiful?” 

“Hey, Fel. What do you mean by that? Are you saying I’m not enough for you?” 

Lilia placed her hands on her hips. She narrowed her eyes with a smile. But I could feel a rather ominous magical aura in the air. 

“Not at all! You’re more than enough, Lilia! I was just curious. I mean, in all the adventure stories I’ve read, the guild receptionists are always beautiful. Isn’t that strange?” 

Carrot-san laughed knowingly. Did she know something? 

“There’s actually a reason for that. Adventurer guilds with beautiful receptionists tend to attract more adventurers. In other words, it makes the guild more profitable. The majority of adventurers are men, after all.” 

“I see. So it’s a strategy to keep adventurers from moving to another guild in a different town.” 

Adventurers were generally free-spirited. If they didn’t like the guild they were in, they could simply move to another one in a different town. And if they became famous, guilds from other places would actively try to recruit them. 

“That’s why, as a Sage, we’d love for you to use this guild as your base of operations.” 

As she said that, Fran-san returned with a card in her hand. Was this the rumored adventurer’s license? I was getting excited. 

“This is your adventurer card, Fel-san. Please check it over.” 

The card I received was a metal plate. My name, class, and the words “Silver Rank” were engraved on it. It had a plain and simple design. It looked easy to forge. 

Perhaps my thoughts were obvious on my face, as Fran-san added, “If you try to forge it, we’ll know immediately. And it’ll be confiscated.” It seemed the adventurer card had some special processing done to it. 

“Would you like an explanation about the ranking system?” 

“Yes, just to be safe, please.”

“I understand. The adventurer ranks, from highest to lowest, are Platinum, Gold, Silver, Copper, and Iron. Additionally, adventurers who achieve remarkable accomplishments may be awarded the Orichalcum or Mithril ranks by the kingdom.” 

“I doubt I’ll ever have anything to do with Orichalcum or Mithril rank.” 

“Most adventurers probably feel the same way. But Fel-san, you might have a chance.” 

Fran-san gave a smile that could be taken as either a joke or a serious statement. Personally, I had no interest in getting involved with the kingdom. So I didn’t need such a thing. 

After that, I also asked about how to take on requests. It seemed I just had to take one of the requests posted on the board to the reception counter. I could accept any request that was at or below my rank, with the exception of those recommended for multiple people. 

“Do you have any other questions?” 

“Um, can you recommend a good place to stay? I… don’t have much money…” 

“In that case, I recommend staying here at the Adventurers’ Guild. The third floor and up are used as lodging for adventurers. You’ll have to clean the room yourself, but it’s free to use. Of course, if you break anything, you’ll have to pay for it.” 

What should I do? Maybe I should stay here until I have some money to spare? I glanced at Lilia. And she gave me a small nod. That seemed like an “okay.” 

“Then, if it’s alright, I’d like to stay here.” 

“Understood. I’ll bring you the room key right away.” 

— 

The room we were given was on the third floor. Inside, there were two beds and a single table. It was quite simple. It seemed like the standard arrangement was two people per room. There was a single window in the wall. 

“It’s definitely better than sleeping outside. Once we save up some money, let’s move to a better inn.” 

“Yeah. Given our financial situation, this is a huge help.” 

As I sat down on the bed, I heard a creaking sound. Still, as Lilia said, it was far better than camping outside. I opened the window and saw people bustling along the main street. The city of Colibri seemed to be fairly prosperous. 

“There’s still some time before dinner. What should we do? Explore the city? Or take on a request?” 

“We don’t have much money, right? Then let’s take on a request. There’s no point in walking around the city when we can’t buy anything.” 

“…Yeah, good point. Let’s do that.” 

Lilia could be oddly practical at times. I thought for sure she’d want to explore the city. I closed the window and headed to the first-floor request board. 

I wanted to take a request that wouldn’t take too long. Monster extermination, alchemy material gathering… Oh, magic stone deliveries might be good too. 

“Which one should we pick?” 

“Let’s gather materials, defeat any monsters that show up, and deliver magic stones while we’re at it.” 

“Okay. Then this one. Hm? This request is marked as ‘Always Open’.” 

“You’re right. Then let’s head out right away.” 

The materials we needed to gather were three types: “herbs”, “mana grass”, and “antidote grass”. They would buy each one individually. 

Instead of exiting through the entrance where we arrived via carriage, we left the city through a different gate. It seemed this way was closer to our destination—the forest. 

“Fel, do you have the map?” 

“Yeah, I made a map of this area using the Auto-Mapping spell while we were on the carriage.” 

“Not bad. That’s a Sage for you.” 

“Wait, you were serious about that?” 

“Of course. You really need to start recognizing that your abilities are way beyond the norm.” 

“……….This is the first time I’ve heard that, though?” 

“Yeah. First time I’ve said it.” 

Lilia puffed out her chest as she spoke. That chest, however, was as flat as a board.