At the Adventurers' Guild, there was an old man among the guild staffs who had been looking after me for several years. When I told the old man about the downfall that had happened to me over the past few days, he burst into laughter.
"No, it's not like I wanted to cry or anything to get sympathy. But it's irritating when people burst out laughing." (Idhir)
"Ghahahahahaha!? Well, he's too much of a stereotypical fallen heir! It's so commonplace it makes me laugh, Ghahahahahaha!" (Old man)
This guy was a seasoned veteran with ten years of experience at the Adventurers' Guild. He had apparently been an adventurer himself in the past, and because of that background he was very supportive and understanding towards active adventurers.
It was my meeting with this old man that led me to become an adventurer.
During my time at the Knight Academy, an incident caused me to give up on becoming a knight. In a state of despair, I found myself wandering around the red-light district when the old man approached me and said, "If you have that much energy to spare, ..." It was his invitation that set me on the path to becoming an adventurer.
Taking up the adventurer's life as a way to relieve my frustrations turned out to suit me better than I expected, and it didn't take long for me to become immersed in it, neglecting his knight classes.
The reason for my increased absences and rock-bottom grades were solely due to my time and effort I dedicated to adventurer quests.
Thanks to that, even my unsatisfactory student life became fulfilling in its own way. Thanks to the rewards from adventurer quests, I was able to have some financial comfort as well.
"Well, you see. My laughter is meant to encourage you, to not get too upset, so don't get so upset." (Old man)
"I'm not depressed at all." (Idhir)
"In fact, there are surprisingly many young noble boys and girls who have run away from home or been disowned to become adventurers. The majority of them have become independent and are doing well. Some even make it to A-rank, and are even asked by their fallen families to come back." (Old man)
"That's a splendid turnaround." (Idhir)
Is that something that could happen to me too so I should cheer up? Unfortunately, my two older brothers were extremely capable, so there was no way my family would fall into ruin.
"You yourself are quite an excellent adventurer, aren't you? The other day you temporarily joined a B-rank party. They asked you to officially join. It seems you handled the situation quite well." (Old man)
"Ah, that time." (Idhir)
Helping that party with the quest meant I had to skip the Knight Academy for about ten days. Well, it was a more meaningful use of my time than just attending classes.
While attending the minimum number of classes, I could only take on one-off quests, and I couldn't form an official party because I couldn't keep making everyone accommodate my schedule.
Now that I was free from my status as a student and could use all my time as I pleased, I decided to change the way I approached adventuring, which had previously been no more than a side job. In fact, it's my main job now.
"However, please politely decline the offer." (Idhir)
"Why? If you're planning on making a living as an adventurer, this is a godsend." (Old man)
Under these circumstances, the old man genuinely worried about me, recognizing that I had been abandoned by my family and school. His heartfelt concern was a beacon of support amidst the challenges I faced. It was because he was a good person. I had a responsibility to provide explanations, so as not to disregard this person's concern.
"There's something I want to try, you see. To do that, I want to work alone for a while." (Idhir)
"Could it be that? The original magic you've been researching on your own?" (Old man)
"That's right." (Idhir)
That said, it was not entirely my own idea.
In the early days of joining the guild, I decided to challenge myself and explore my potential as an adventurer.
Adventurers were divided into various classes — warriors, archers, pugilists, tanks, thieves, mappers, and tamers. Additionally, there were magic classes such as mages and healers.
...I was the one who didn't succeed as a knight. I wanted to hope that there were other traits that matched me better.
I tried out all the different classes to see if any of them suited me, but I failed at all of them.
I could handle each class to some extent, but I fell just short of becoming a specialist in any of them.
I felt the same way when I was pursuing the path of knighthood. Even at my best, I could only reach second place and never achieve first.
Given that my two brothers graduated at the top of their class from knight school, my father must have felt that second place was an intolerable disgrace. When I returned home with a second-place result, my father was furious and severely punished me.
Around that time, my passion for becoming a knight began to fade, but that's beside the point.
Even after getting hooked on adventurer work, I kept facing situations where I fell just one step short of mastering something— or rather, I always fell short.
Could it be that I'm a jack-of-all-trades but master of none by nature?
The disappointment I felt when aiming to become a knight was unparalleled, so from the second time onwards, it wasn't as devastating, but it still came as a considerable shock.
One time, while I was rambling at the tavern attached to the guild, someone sat down across from me without asking.
Flashback
It was a bard.
It was evident at a glance from his attire — A stylish hat, an elegant cloak, and most notably, a harp tucked under his arm — With his attire alone, he could have easily been mistaken for a mage, but the instrument he carried made it unmistakably clear that he was a bard.
I thought he might be planning to sing for tips, but what he actually brought up was unexpected.
"...You have talent." (Bard)
It was a truly unexpected comment. I was in the midst of realizing my lack of talent.
"You are capable of anything you wish to achieve. However, you cannot master any skill to the fullest. It seems that you were born under such a star, you see." (Bard)
"...Are you trying to pick a fight?" (Idhir)
"There is a secret technique that only you can master. No one else can use it. A lost ancient technique that only you can use. I shall teach it to you." (Bard)
Is this a new scam technique?
"By secret arts, do you mean magic?" (Idhir)
Indeed, during my quest to find the right class as an adventurer, I also dabbled in the ways of the mage. However, after mastering all intermediate-level spells of every element, my growth stalled, and I never really became proficient.
"Please don't be so wary. The magic I wish to bestow upon you is something different from the simple magic currently remaining on earth. It is a secret technique that transcends time and space and summons miracles that do not exist in this world. The name of this technique is... Bond Summoning." (Bard)
"Bond Summoning?" (Idhir)
"Lost ancient magic. That's what I named it." (Bard)
Suspicious. It couldn't be more suspicious.
It was too suspicious, something I would normally never get involved in. However, at that time, I hadn't found anything to immerse myself in, so my curiosity was piqued.
"...I won't pay a penny for tuition fees or anything, you know" (Idhir)
"I won't ask for any money. I just want you to show me what you can accomplish with the secret techniques you have mastered." (Bard)
Thus, an agreement was reached, and I began learning what was called Bond Summoning.
The bard's behavior was exceedingly suspicious, but when I decided to give it a try, I found myself surprisingly hooked.
I quickly finished learning the basics, and just when it was time to move on to practical application, I got expelled from the Knight Academy. The timing couldn't have been more perfect.
"I'm going to start training to master Bond Summoning. So, I won't be able to participate in party activities." (Idhir)
After patiently going through my reminiscence, the old man let out a deep sigh in response to my assertion—
"You're pretty diligent even though you considered yourself a loser, aren't you? Or what? Are the students at the Knight Academy more diligent than you?" (Old man)
"No way." (Idhir)
A proper knight candidate at the Knight Academy hardly focused on their studies. As long as they secured grades sufficient for graduation, they were more engrossed in social gatherings and balls. Every night, they would pick up and seduces ladies dressed in beautiful dresses.
"I don't want to think that I was born without any meaning. I want to have at least one achievement that will remain after I die."
At first, I was skeptical about Bond Summoning, but now I could confidently say it had become a challenge worth dedicating my life to.
I was grateful to the bard for teaching me this. By the way, after he finished teaching me the basics, the bard disappeared and his whereabouts were unknown since then. Well, he's probably off wandering and singing somewhere, as he's a bard after all.
"If used well, it will be beneficial for my activities as an adventurer. I want to pay close attention to this." (Idhir)
"Well, it's your life, so live it the way you want. But if you refuse to join the party, your profits will be reduced, you know? What about your living expenses for the time being? I can lend you a little bit, you know?" (Old man)
"I still have the reward from defeating the wyvern the other day, so it's okay." (Idhir)
"Wyve—?!" (Old man)
For a moment, the old man's face looked as if he had swallowed vinegar...
"...You, why are you being treated like a loser? Aren't wyverns something that only B-rank parties or above would go hunting for?" (Old man)
"That's why, I joined that B-rank party, you see. Isn't that you who asked me to join that party?" (Idhir)
I had confidence that I managed to handle the quest well. It seems that I was good at reading other people's rhythms and adapting to them, which allowed me to quickly fit in with any party I joined.
"That's why you're suited to learning Bond Summoning," was what the bard had said.
"...Although, my second oldest brother is three times stronger than me, and my oldest brother is ten times stronger than me." (Idhir)
Compared to my genius older brothers, a mere talent matching the rhythm with others was nothing.
That's why my father could never forgive me for being inferior to my genius brothers. A slight surpassing of the average was not enough for my father. Unless I was "An excellent student like my brothers," I was nothing but a failure in his eyes.
"So, since no one expects anything from me, I'm going my own way. I won't be taking on any quests for a while and will be doing fieldwork. I won't be able to show up here either, so please don't think I'm dead if you lose contact with me." (Idhir)
"I understand that, but... fieldwork? Are you planning on staying in the fields or somewhere?" (Old man)
"To the Ideonyr Great Sea of Trees." (Idhir)
"The Great Sea of Trees?!" (Old man)
The old man's shocked expression left a lasting impression.
It was a place that even veteran guild staff were astonished by.
Translation Note
Thanks to Otaku Hikikomori for the corrections