My new life at the guild “Epic Seeker” began the following morning.
Snow came to wake me up personally.
Seeing us siblings sleeping in the same bed, she smiled. It was a strange smile, a mix of exasperation, envy, and nostalgia. Come to think of it, this might be the first time I had ever seen her smile.
After that, Snow immediately took me out of my room. Then, in the office prepared for us, she began to teach me the guild’s work step by step.
The guild work truly began after noon. About a dozen members gathered in the training area to confirm today’s schedule. Initially, Palinkron led the discussions, but it was soon decided that I would give instructions to everyone in “Epic Seeker” as the Guild Master.
I tried to refuse. However, Palinkron simply said, “It’s easy for Kanami and Snow,” and quickly disappeared from the training ground.
Left alone, Snow and I pondered under the gaze of the guild members.
We needed to devise the most efficient way to manage the guild with the resources we had.
And so, the answer we came up with was—
***
A mountain of documents loomed before me.
I desperately scribbled with a quill pen in front of a pile of various reports and requests.
I was to confirm the flow of guild supplies, improve fund management, and understand personnel deployment. I processed the necessary documents sequentially.
While handling paperwork at my desk, I also provided instructions for the “field” operations.
My illicit Dimensional Magic allowed me to grasp the situation on-site from headquarters. My modern education optimized my thinking, speeding up document organization. And my “Intelligence,” enhanced to the highest human level through “Level Up,” enabled me to perform these parallel tasks.
“…Kanami. Orders for the Teiri party.”
Snow murmured beside me.
In response, I organized the information I had gathered with “Dimension.”
The scene was several kilometers northeast of headquarters—a certain fugitive being pursued by Teiri and her party. I recognized them in real-time.
“Ah, I see them. …Teiri, turn left at the next intersection and proceed. Wait at the third corner. The other members can continue chasing the target for now. The target will enter Teiri’s position in about twenty seconds… no, about seventeen seconds. Tell them to intercept with magic while being cautious. The other members will likely arrive a few seconds later. Then, it’ll be a pincer attack.”
“…Understood. I’ll relay the message.”
Snow spoke softly to the magic stone in her hand.
She was communicating with Teiri and her party, several kilometers away, through the magic stone, relaying exactly what I had just said.
While listening to the communication, I continued to sort through documents without stopping.
Concurrently, I used “Dimension” to confirm whether Teiri and her party had captured the robbers. The pursued robbers, surprised by Teiri appearing in front of them, were then surrounded and apprehended by the other members.
“…How was it?”
“Yes, as expected. The target was immobilized by Teiri’s magic and captured by the members’ encirclement. The Teiri party’s request is now complete. It ended sooner than I thought.”
“…Of course. I doubt the robbers expected their opponent to have a grasp of the entire town.”
“Can’t Palinkron do something similar?”
“If you’re referring to Palinkron’s ‘Curse Technique,’ that’s a mistake. It has many strict conditions. And it’s not as accurate as Kanami’s. He can’t do this.”
“Is that so…”
I had heard that Palinkron was one of the continent’s leading users of Perception magic, but my Dimensional Magic apparently still had higher precision.
“Honestly, this is abnormal. Did Palinkron want us to do this…?”
“It seems so. After hearing about Snow’s and my abilities, he apparently had this combined technique in mind the whole time. I’m glad it’s working. Now I can at least do something that looks like a Master.”
“No, at this point, you’re already several times more capable than any regular Master… As expected of the Master…”
“…Snow, please stop calling me Master. For some reason, I don’t like it when a girl like you calls me that.”
“…Understood.”
Seeing my genuine displeasure, Snow nodded obediently.
Snow was generally compliant.
You could even say she lacked a strong will.
“Ah, I found another robber.”
I detected a crime occurring at the edge of “Dimension.”
“…Ugh. Again?”
“Contact Volzak and his group, who are nearby. It’s a chance for them to earn points.”
“…A bit troublesome.”
“No, no, no…! It’s work, Snow. We have to catch these robbers for the sake of the people living in Laura Via.”
“…Hmm. If it’s troublesome, it’s troublesome. Besides, this isn’t a request from the guild.”
Snow was compliant, but also extremely averse to trouble.
She disliked getting serious, hated getting tired, and would slack off as much as possible if she could.
Abnormally so.
“Snow, you’re just repeating what I say, aren’t you?”
“…I thought it would be an easy job just repeating things, but it’s surprisingly troublesome.”
“Hey. Don’t forget that I’m currently doing the document sorting that you’re supposed to be doing… I won’t help you anymore?”
“…When you say that, it hurts.”
“Just contact them.”
Bringing up the fact that I was shouldering some of Snow’s responsibilities, she reluctantly began speaking into the magic stone.
Volzak, who was walking through the town, heard the message and moved his lips.
I enhanced the “Dimension” I had deployed to “Dimension – Multiple Expansion” around Volzak alone, grasping the movement of his lips and the vibrations of his voice.
It seemed he had enough strength to defeat the robber.
His Status also indicated he was fine.
The robber’s Level was low, and Volzak’s HP was sufficient.
There should be no problem with a direct confrontation.
“Alright, he’s accepted. Now, proceed immediately to the market at Sector 67. I’ll give you detailed directions once you’re closer. The target’s Level is 5. There are no particular points to watch out for, so please focus on a frontal apprehension.”
“…Understood. I’ll relay the message.”
Snow repeated my instructions.
Receiving the order through the magic stone, Volzak ran his large frame towards the target. Once he approached a certain distance, I would provide finer details just before he clashed with the target.
Observing their movements with “Dimension,” I made moves like chess pieces.
Before long, the two clashed, and the robber was apprehended.
The difference in strength was clear, and the battle was over in an instant.
Volzak brought the captured robber to the damaged shop.
The shopkeeper wept with joy upon recovering the lost items. It seemed considerable damage would have occurred if they hadn’t intervened. I could tell from his expression. And I was glad I could prevent that.
All that remained was to escort the robber to the country’s Public Order Bureau.
It was all over in a matter of minutes, but another citizen of Laura Via was saved.
“That’s good. The shopkeeper seems happy…”
“…Yes.”
However, Snow didn’t seem to share this feeling.
With an indifferent expression, she looked up at the sky outside the window. She had a habit of basking in the sun when she had nothing to do.
“If you’re bored, I’d like you to help with the documents.”
“…It’s fine. Thanks to Kanami, the amount is already finished to the point where I won’t be scolded.”
“Ah, so that’s Snow’s standard.”
“…Unlike Kanami, I don’t like giving my all to do everything I can.”
I had gotten a good grasp of Snow’s personality over the course of the day.
Her stance was incompatible with my role as Guild Master, but I could understand her feelings. When I attended school in my previous world, I had taken the exact same stance as Snow.
The reason I was living my life to the fullest now was solely due to the environment of this Other World.
If the circumstances weren’t so harsh, I would likely act the same way as Snow.
“But still, I can’t feel at ease if Snow isn’t watching over me. I’m new here, and I might misunderstand something.”
“…That’s Palinkron’s fault for assigning me this role. When a newcomer is the one organizing documents, we might as well give up.”
“…You’re right. The fact that a newcomer on their first day is even looking at such important documents means everything is already strange…”
“…Exactly. Therefore, I’m not at fault. Since I’m not at fault, I won’t work any harder.”
“Ah, I see…”
I gave up on trying to get Snow to be more diligent and silently returned to my documents.
In reality, Snow was doing the work of dozens of people just by communicating through the magic stone.
The color of the sky outside the window turned reddish as the sun began to set.
The paperwork, which had started at noon, was nearing its end.
The guild’s scattered parties had also finished their respective requests.
For now, I thought it was a good result for my first day as Guild Master.
I renewed my resolve and began tackling the remaining documents.
However, I sensed someone entering the “Epic Seeker” headquarters through “Dimension.”
The intruder was a girl with a sword at her waist.
It was Seri, the young swordswoman I had fought first in yesterday’s battle royale, running out of breath through the building.
Seri’s party had finished their request far away in town, so I thought they would return later, but she had apparently rushed back ahead of them.
And she was heading straight towards me.
It seemed she had business with me.
“Hmm, Seri is heading this way. Ah, I want to pretend I’m not home. I don’t like that girl…”
I confided my honest feelings to Snow. Memories of the troublesome encounter with Seri that morning resurfaced.
“…Seri? …I don’t like her either. But since Kanami is here, she’ll come over to you, which makes things easier for me.”
Snow agreed with me while gazing at the sky.
“Apparently, she used to look up to Snow.”
“…I was her goal. That’s incredibly exhausting.”
Exhausting. Yes, that sentiment explained everything.
And the fact that her goal had shifted from Snow to me was a source of melancholy.
Even though I knew she wasn’t a bad person, I always felt exhausted talking to her.
As I made a bitter face, I heard footsteps on the floor outside the room—and with the sound of a large door opening and closing, Seri entered.
“Kanami-san! I’m back!”
“O-oh, welcome back… Seri-chan.”
I greeted Seri, who greeted me cheerfully.
“Here’s the report from the leader. Please take it!”
“Thank you…”
The business of handing over the report was completed. I wished she would leave now, but as expected, she showed no intention of leaving the room. After seemingly searching for an opening to start a conversation, she happily spoke to me.
“Wow, thanks to the Master, the request was completed incredibly quickly! You’re amazing, Kanami-san!”
“…No. I’m just giving instructions; it’s you all who are actually acting. Your efficiency is what translated directly into speed.”
“I respect that humility too, Kanami-san!”
“No, it’s not humility…”
I had assumed the role of Guild Master in a questionable manner to begin with.
I couldn’t brag about my achievements, but she completely failed to grasp that nuance.
“Kanami-san doesn’t abuse his power, nor does he act haughty! He’s fair to everyone and kind to everyone! Truly the best Guild Master!!”
“W-well, it’s only the first day… I’d appreciate it if you’d judge that after a bit more time has passed…?”
“Yes, you’re right, Kanami-san! I always jump ahead and fail! As expected of Kanami-san. You even understand someone like me, just one of the guild members!”
“Ah, yes. Yes…”
I could only nod, overwhelmed by Seri’s enthusiasm.
She continued to talk to me without any hesitation, despite my unenthusiastic responses.
She started by talking about today’s work, then asked me various things about myself.
Due to Seri’s unique energetic demeanor, I could only force a wry smile the entire time.
“So… t-tired…”
At one point, my true feelings slipped out slightly.
“Are you tired, Kanami-san! Shall I give you a shoulder massage!?”
However, Seri was completely unfazed.
“No, it’s fine. You should rest. And please be quiet…”
“As expected of Kanami-san! You never forget to care for your subordinates at all times! You’re so kind! Palinkron works us like beasts of burden! There’s a world of difference!”
“Ah, yes…”
I decided I shouldn’t respond to anything else.
I would simply reply “Yes” briefly.
That way, the damage would be minimized.
Thus, I continued to work on documents through parallel processing while enduring what felt like violence disguised as communication with Seri.
Just as my stomach began to ache, “Dimension” detected the return of the members.
The sun had completely set, and most of the members had returned.
Teiri was among them, holding the report from her recent mission.
Seeing this as an opportunity, I stood up.
“Ah, it seems Teiri and the others are back. There are things I need to discuss with them, so I must go.”
“Ah, is it that time already? In that case, I’ll go with you—”
“S-Snow seems to have a bit of work left. If you don’t mind, Seri-chan, could you help Snow?”
I tried to push Seri onto Snow, who was pretending to work on documents.
“—!?”
Snow’s ears twitched, and she looked at me with wide eyes.
“Understood! I’ll help with all my might!”
Seri happily accepted, but Snow seemed to have some complaints.
“…Wait, just a moment. Wait, Kanami!!”
I thought I heard something, but I left the room anyway.
Snow had sacrificed me and stayed in a safe zone. I figured I wouldn’t be blamed if I did the same.
I confirmed that Seri was clinging to Snow through “Dimension” and felt relieved—then expanded my senses to find Teiri.
I found her at the entrance, talking with Palinkron. I hurried towards the entrance. I wouldn’t want the two in the room to change their minds and come looking for me.
I walked through the “Epic Seeker” headquarters until I could hear Palinkron and Teiri’s voices.
“—How is it? Isn’t Kanami an excellent Master?”
“Yes, more so than you. Accurate information arrives at terrifying speed. It’s as if the information gathering process is completely bypassed. Thanks to that, a request that was given a seven-day period was completed in just a few hours. It’s practically cheating.”
“Both Kanami and Snow are talents that the people in our homeland would want by any means necessary. And this is their combined effort. It’s only natural that they can achieve this much.”
“Natural, you say… However, they still lack experience. They don’t have connections or widespread recognition.”
“The members can compensate for their lack of connections and experience. Those two are honest. They will listen to the advice of their elders. Don’t worry about making them known; I’ve already set things in motion.”
“You’ve put in so much effort… You’re serious about Kanami, aren’t you, Palinkron? I’ve never seen you this desperate before…”
“Heh heh. If I look desperate, then I still have room to grow. It’s just that I want to go back to my homeland with peace of mind.”
A bad habit.
When I activate “Dimension,” I become an unwilling eavesdropper. While it’s impossible to pick up information from this distance without “Dimension – Multiple Expansion,” I tend to pick up information out of habit at this range.
To avoid further eavesdropping, I quickened my pace towards them and spoke to Palinkron.
“Palinkron, the paperwork is mostly done.”
“…Oh, Kanami. So, how much of it is done?”
“How much? Well, almost all of it, but…”
Except for the small amount I left for Snow, all the handed-over documents were completed.
However, Palinkron looked as if he’d heard something unbelievable.
“A-all of it…? You mean that mountain of documents?”
“Yes. You said that’s what a Guild Master does. So, I finished it all.”
“Wait. …Wait, wait, that’s strange. It shouldn’t have been finished so easily! Some of those were just verification reports, but there were incredibly tedious financial calculation documents, weren’t there?”
Indeed, there were.
Guild logistics, its expenses, everyone’s labor costs, their incomings and outgoings—various numbers a newcomer shouldn’t be looking at, but I had finished organizing them all today.
“Perhaps it’s because the arithmetic I’m using is different…? I was good at bookkeeping and mathematics…”
“A-are you serious?”
“Also, with ‘Dimension – Multiple Expansion,’ I can use the trick of looking at multiple documents at once. And with my Level Up, I feel like I’ve gained the ability to think about multiple things simultaneously…”
Lately, I’ve noticed that my thinking level has clearly increased compared to when I was in my previous world. Not just my thinking speed, but more importantly, the very form of my thoughts has changed. The ability to divide my thoughts and perform parallel processing is a part of this transformation.
“Did Snow genuinely help…?”
“No, Snow didn’t help much in that regard…”
In fact, I did Snow’s share of the work as well.
While Snow had earnestly taught me various things in the morning, it was all to push the work onto me.
From noon onwards, she was completely lazy.
“No, even if Snow had helped, this speed is still strange… It shouldn’t be possible just because your Level went up… Or perhaps, depending on the nature of Kanami’s magic, something like that could happen? Or is it the characteristics of Dimensional Magic, or maybe the ‘Price’—?”
Listening to my explanation, Palinkron fell into deep contemplation.
I didn’t intervene in his analysis. He was knowledgeable about this world’s culture and was an expert in special magical techniques. It was better to leave the analysis to him.
“Anyway, it’s finished. Is this the end of today’s work?”
“Ah, ah. …However, it’s not just today’s work; it’s seven days’ worth of work that’s finished.”
“Huh? All of that in just seven days?”
I was surprised.
Admittedly, I was initially taken aback by the sheer volume.
However, I approached it with the mindset that it was the daily documents required to run an organization. Being told it was seven days’ worth felt a little anticlimactic.
Seeing my reaction, Teiri, standing beside me, interjected.
“Palinkron… Even without considering the magic, isn’t Kanami-kun himself strange?”
“Don’t say that… I’m surprised too…”
And so, the two of them looked at me as if I were something uncanny.
“Uh, well… So, should I just focus on assisting the members from now on?”
“No, it seems the seven days’ worth of work assigned to the members is also mostly finished. With Teiri’s report, all missions are complete. Thanks to Kanami’s assistance.”
It turned out that all the tasks I had completed through parallel processing today were actually seven days’ worth of work.
“Um… Isn’t that… a bit much?”
“It’s true that we gave Kanami a lighter workload since he’s a new Guild Master, but… even so, it wasn’t by any means a small amount. It was the average workload for a guild…”
“I-I see…”
I was beginning to grasp the gravity of the situation.
My high abilities.
And the high command ability when combined with Snow’s support magic.
It appeared to be an abnormal situation that accelerated guild operations sevenfold.
Palinkron continued with a troubled expression.
“I’ll negotiate with the country to assign more work starting next week… Until then, please proceed with dungeon攻略. That also contributes to the guild, after all.”
“Understood…”
I nodded obediently.
Teiri then voiced her question.
“Palinkron, what about us?”
“You can use your free time as usual. You can receive appropriate quests from public organizations, or go wherever you please with your party.”
“Understood.”
It seems I had gotten too carried away, thinking it was just the first day.
It wasn’t a bad thing, but the entire guild “Epic Seeker” was running out of work.
Thus, with the future policy decided, the three of us parted ways. Afterward, I felt a bit reluctant to return to my room, so I headed to the training grounds.
There, the members who had finished their work were gathered.
There, I first apologized for getting too carried away, but they told me it was “unnecessary.”
Most of them seemed to think that finishing things early was for the best. Instead of blaming me, I heard more voices praising my precise command.
I then deepened my interactions with the members.
By having revenge matches and teaching each other about magic, I felt that the distance between us had slightly narrowed.
As these interaction events unfolded, the day drew to a close.
In the evening, I had dinner with Maria and slept with her again… and thus, my first day of guild life came to an end.
