Appraiser 4

Test

I Got A Guardian

"So, shall I hear the details?" 

While sipping water placed in front of him, Yuuri nodded.

This is the dwelling of the Scarlet Lynx. It's on the outskirts of the royal capital, Drahern, in a corner where adventurers have settled. It's the residence of the Scarlet Lynx. Currently retired, the mansion purchased by the previous generation was a lavish residence by Yuuri's standards. It was opulent in appearance, or rather, it was mansion-sized.

In fact, it might be closer to a training camp as an impression. At least, it was overwhelmingly larger than the surrounding houses. I heard the reason for that as well. Apparently, even if the clans are the same, they don't live together just because of that. It's just a gathering place when needed. But everyone lives in their own lodgings or boarding houses. However, all the Scarlet Lynx members live in the same place. That's indeed quite unusual.

However, there is a valid reason for that. Upon hearing it, Yuuri also agreed.

The Scarlet Lynx is like a training ground for treasure hunters.

There are no schools in this world. There are, but they are only for nobles and the wealthy, teaching etiquette and manners. Under such circumstances, one can easily imagine what becomes of fledgling adventurers. Youngsters who rush headlong with neither the necessary education nor restraint will die soon. Especially if they're treasure hunters who dive into dungeons, they tend to die easily. It's rare for them not to die.

So, the previous generation, concerned about this, established the Scarlet Lynx, where young people aspiring to be treasure hunters train. Ali, Brooke, and Frau are mentors for such newcomers. There are a couple more mentors, and the number of Scarlet Lynx members is 20. That's on the smaller side for a clan.

And the Scarlet Lynx members who become full-fledged gradually graduate. As replacements come and go, adventurers aiming to be new treasure hunters arrive. That's the curious nature of this training ground-like clan.

Leaving aside such digressions.

"...My job is an Appraiser."

"......Huh?"

"...Sorry. I planned to deceive you, but, well... I didn't want to stand out."

Yuuri confessed to Ali's astonishment with a dejected air. He couldn't help it. He could only see the timid boy in front of him.

The Appraiser is a legendary job. For those with Appraisal-type jobs, it's a revered and legendary existence. And it's not just a story among appraisers. Bestowed with eyes that see through truths from the gods, the Appraisers can be called the representatives of the gods in this world.

That timid boy in front of her? It was unbelievable.

However, he didn't seem to be lying. Moreover, an ordinary person must accept Ali's appraisal, who is an Authenticator. An Authenticator is currently considered the highest-ranking job in the appraisal field. Since people never confirmed the existence of Appraisers, it's not unreasonable to say that the Authenticator, positioned just below, is the strongest in the appraisal field.

However, there's an Appraiser right in front of him. A being born with transcendent abilities that everyone pursues, but can never acquire postnatally.

"...If you're an Appraiser, you can see my job and skills, right? Tell me."

"Ah, yes. Your job is an Authenticator. Your skill is [Magic Eye] Level MAX... However, it was halved."

"...To see that accurately. It's not often someone can see through to halved even for an Authenticator. It's not for nothing that you're at Level MAX."

Ali groaned, holding his head. What Yuuri said was a fact. Ali possesses a skill called [Magic Eye], an upper-tier skill in the appraisal field. In short, it could be called a subpar version of [God's Eye]. Although they generally possess similar abilities, not everything is visible. It's just superior to [Appraisal].

And Ali, having lost an eye due to injuries suffered in a dungeon, resulting in [Magic Eye] being halved. However, even with the halved effect, the skill level is still MAX, so he's better than most other [Magic Eye] users. And since it's at Level MAX, no one can see that Ali's [Magic Eye] is halved.

To think that skill depends on actual eyes, who would have thought? Ali himself only realized that his skills were affecting his eyes when he lost one. If they both had [Magic Eye], they could see each other's irises change color depending on the light, but to ordinary people, they would look like normal eyes. Ali now feels that he should have taken that fact more seriously.

"...Is it also a secret that you're an Appraiser in your homeland?"

"...I didn't say that. Besides, I'm skilled in cooking and sewing, so that's more like a hobby, or my main thing..."

"I see. Don't mention being an Appraiser. But, since you've seen through traps, it's clear that you have an appraisal-type skill. There's no point in hiding it. Just go with the title of Authenticator."

"...Yes."

Yuuri nodded. As far as Ali is concerned, he actually wanted to keep Yuuri as an Authenticator. But Yuuri's eyes are normal. Authenticators know each other's eye colors. Even if Yuuri, whose irises don't change color, claims to be an Appraiser, it lacks credibility. Since there's unlikely to be anyone stupid enough to suddenly force an appraisal, there's no choice but to make do with that. That's what he thought.

Ali held his head. He groaned. He even thought, "Why did this happen?" It's grateful to have returned safely from the dungeon, and Yuuri should be thanked for noticing the trap in the hanging ceiling. However, however. Why did he end up with such a troublesome matter? Ali felt like asking the gods.

"Stay here until you can return to your homeland."

"...?"

"Common sense differs between countries. You might inadvertently get tricked and sold."

"I don't want that. Thank you very much."

Yuuri bowed obediently. In this short period, Yuuri had seen that he could trust Ali. Whether that's due to the effect of his skill is unknown even to him. But Ali, despite his rough tone, had always been concerned about Yuuri. He seemed like a caring older brother.

Maybe it's because of the influence of the ability parameter called Luck∞? Yuuri thought about it, but it was troublesome, so he gave up. He couldn't do anything about status parameters he hadn't tampered with. Besides, Yuuri wasn't originally particularly lucky. He didn't understand why his luck value became ∞ when he came to another world.

On the other hand, Ali sighed at the suddenly increased newcomer. His skills were too exceptional, but everything else was too amateurish. He had heard he was in the dungeon, but his level was 1. If his ability parameter wasn't particularly high, it'd be troublesome to take him to the dungeon. He thought it best to raise his level in directions other than combat for his own safety.

And thus, Yuuri ended up staying with the Scarlet Lynx for a while.

They told Yuuri they'd give detailed explanations and duties tomorrow. After parting with Ali, Yuuri wandered around the hideout. His room had an atmosphere like a student dormitory. It was just a room with a bed, a desk, and a dresser. However, since it was a single room, it protected his privacy. They told him that shopping for necessary daily items would be done tomorrow, so he obediently nodded.

And then, fueled by childish curiosity to confirm the layout, Yuuri wandered around. Also, it was true that he was looking for a kitchen-like place because he was hungry. His curiosity surpassed his surprise at being thrown into another world.

After all, Yuuri is someone who goes at his own pace.

Perhaps the story of Yuuri being a newcomer had spread, as everyone he met greeted him kindly and taught him various things. The Scarlet Lynx is a clan with a rapid personnel turnover, but perhaps because of that, they were friendly to newcomers. For Yuuri, who had been a loner for a long time, it was surprisingly comfortable here. That's because everyone was kind.

He didn't know much about the level of civilization in this world, but it seems that water supply and sewage systems are in place. He was shown to a bath, and hot water came out of the faucet properly. Yuuri didn't quite understand the principle, but it was said to involve a device using fire attribute magic stones or something.

.Maybe he could understand various things if he appraised it, but it was too much trouble, so Yuuri didn't do that. As long as there's the fact that he can take a warm bath.

There also seems to be a washing machine. However, unlike what Yuuri knows, the drying is manual. Still, not having to hand wash is good enough for him. When he thinks of a washing machine with washing and drying separately, he remembers an old washing machine he saw at his grandmother's house. Although it looked completely different, he thought it was somewhat similar.

He could understand various things if he appraised them, but Yuuri didn't bother. If he can do laundry easily, that's fine by him.

Cleaning his own room and his own laundry are done individually, but general cleaning, bath cleaning, meal preparation, etc., seem to be the newcomers' tasks. Since there's no specialist in those areas, others also take turns, but it's basically the newcomers' job. First, they learn basic self-care before being trained as treasure hunters. It reminded Yuuri of training at a temple.

"...Is someone there?"

Approaching the kitchen, Yuuri heard someone groaning. It wasn't a growl. But rather a troubled voice. Wondering what was troubling them so much, Yuuri tilted his head and peeked out of curiosity.

There stood a boy with a younger appearance than Yuuri's. He was just a human. He had brown hair, eyes, and freckles floating on his face. Although he had a charming face, he was currently groaning as if he was about to break out in a cold sweat. Wondering what was wrong, Yuuri stepped into the kitchen and called out. He couldn't just abandon someone in trouble, as that was a part of Yuuri's character.

"Um, are you in trouble?"

"Whoa?! W- Who are you?!"

"Ah, nice to meet you. I'm Yuuri. I'll be staying with the Scarlet Lynx from now on."

"A newcomer? I'm Yak. For now, I'm the lowest-ranking apprentice here."

To the introduced Yuuri, Yak smiled shyly and extended his hand. Yuuri realized he was being asked for a handshake and shook his hand. Yak squeezed it tightly, causing Yuuri to tear up from the pain. It seems this world's residents have higher ability parameter values than Yuuri. He didn't confirm their statuses out of politeness.

"So, what were you groaning about?"

"Well, you see, I'm on meal duty..."

Seeing Yak's dejected look, Yuuri tilted his head. If it's meal duty, shouldn't he just prepare the meal? He wanted to say that, but looking at Yak's dejected state, he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Yuuri never imagined that this encounter would determine his position.