After having breakfast at home, I went to work.

　Today's duty, as declared, is to check on the various facilities in the village.

　Lax Village has grown reasonably large over the past five years, so I had to take a look around frequently or else it could lead to an incident.
　That's why we visited the Adventurer's Guild first.

　For me, I guess you could call it my first stop.
　My first job after coming to Lax Village was as an adventurer.

　The guild itself has changed since then, and has become a much larger organization.

　The guild's branch, which was rebuilt last year, is now a three-story building, and is as luxurious as any of the neighboring city villages.

　I opened the door of such a luxurious building and entered.

''Good evening.
Dariel!　I'm glad you're here!

　I was greeted by the guild master in Alexandria.
　He is also the man from Alexandria.

　Therefore, we ate breakfast together around the table just now....
　It seems that he wanted to do this, so he dashed out before me.

''You don't have to push yourself so hard........''
It won't be like that. Now you're the genius that has made Lax Village the most prosperous it's ever been!　I'm very proud to have someone like you as my son.

　As do I.
　If it hadn't been for you and Marika's hospitality, I would have died in a ditch somewhere.

　This is my small way of repaying you for your kindness.

The guild has grown up," he said, "and now that I think about it, this guild has grown up. It's hard to believe that I used to be both village chief and guildmaster, and used my house as my office.

　That's right, at first.

　When the village was small, things were small and simple, so it was enough for my father-in-law to serve as both the village chief and the adventurer's guild master.

　As the village grew and the duties became more and more complicated, I took over the role of village chief, and my father-in-law concentrated on being the guildmaster.

　I've heard that he was an adventurer in his younger days, which suits his nature better.

　He is no longer in his sixty years of age, and he is still strong and hardworking despite being surrounded by many grandchildren.

It's a good idea to give our adventurers a shout-out, too. The head of the village is the object of our admiration, so I'm sure everyone will be happy to see him!
No, no.

　I'm nothing more than an old man to these up-and-coming adventurers.
　A village chief is usually a role like that, right?
　It's like he's just there to bring the case.

There's at least one person who's going to be happy to see you.

　The one your father-in-law is pointing at is a rugged veteran with the dignity of a strong man.
　But that face is the same one that has been with me since I came to Lax Village.

"........isn't that your brother?

　A strong veteran adventurer noticed my appearance and rushed over.

　It's a good idea to have a good time.
　I'm not going to be able to get a good idea of what I'm talking about.

　I'm not sure I'll ever be able to find out if I'm going to be able to get my hands on one of the most powerful adventurers in the world.
　There aren't many people who can beat him one-on-one.

''What's going on here?　Are you on a tour?　A village chief's job is hard, isn't it.......!
Not compared to what you adventurers do.

　Their quests are always fraught with danger.

"Or will you be an adventurer again?　If he comes back, it'll be all over for us.
No, no...?

　I'm about to turn 40, so it's impossible for me to be an adventurer.
　It's all about physical strength.

How's your health, Gacita?　How are the kids?
'Thanks!　My brother's wife is very kind and delivers nutritious food to me every day!　And that's why both mother and child are healthy!

　In the past five years, Gacita has settled down, gotten married and had a family.
　Last year they had a baby girl, and it looks like it's been smooth sailing for him.

　He is married to a retired A-class adventurer, and the child he has born shows a lot of talent.

Then I'll have to work harder to earn more money. Gacita, what kind of quests are you doing today?
Gathering herbs.

　..........
　Um, Mr. Gacita?

　Since you're a Class A adventurer, it's time for you to get rid of the collection quest.

You're right, there are plenty of other high-level quests you should be hitting, right?
'No, no, no, no, no, no matter how great or strong you get, you can't forget your original intentions!　Ore's first instincts are packed into a collection quest!　And a lesson not to be forgotten!　That's why I'm going to be the guy who takes collection quests on a regular basis from now on and forever!

　I think that's an admirable sentiment....

　A long time ago, Gashita used to prod him as unworthy of the quests that Zako did, such as gathering medicinal herbs.

　In those days, he was truly a bundle of youth and pride.

　He is ashamed of himself and tries to remember his old feelings by taking regular quests to collect herbs so that he doesn't make the same mistake again.
　You have become a straightforward man.

I heard that you're the strongest adventurer in the world, so we should expect to see what a great guy you are...!

　Hmm?　What is it?
　A boyish, cocky voice?

You're a lazy bastard who spends his days on picking quests.　If you want to collect that much, why don't you just give up your A grade and do a D grade, huh?

　When I looked around, I saw a young adventurer who seemed to be the most cocky among the adventurers stationed in the guild.
　The guild in Lax Village has grown quite large, so there are always two to three dozen adventurers packed into the branch at any given time.

　It seems that they all gathered at the front door because of my arrival as the village chief, and the cocky little boy was one of them.

''Oh, hey, are you sure you want to do this, Gashita?　I've been told a lot of things, but?
Six years ago, I was right in front of you.

　It's a good thing that you're not the only one who has the generosity of a seasoned veteran to look at the newcomer who bites you without knowing what he or she is doing.

It's just that he's also young and has a narrow view. Even if you don't like it, your eyes will open sooner or later. It's the role of a senior adventurer to follow him or her so that they don't die at the very least until then, right?

　I never expected to hear such an overflowing line from Gacita's mouth...?

　Yes, he's already number one in this guild, so he's in a position where he has to think about training his juniors and so forth, right?

　I used to do that to him as well.
　The fact that the role I served in is now served by a junior colleague who has changed and is now serving in a different role brings tears to my eyes.

　But the cocky new adventurer has no way of knowing what those old men are going through.

I'm sure the village chief is annoying as well, barging in at every turn. Does he think the adventurers' guild is under his control?

　The point of the difficulty turns to me.

　One of the other adventurers nearby chides me.

I've heard that the village chief used to be an adventurer too.　I'm sure they'll come to visit us because of that relationship, and they'll feel close to us.
That means you're a retiree, right?　Keh, don't go around trying to be an adventurer halfway through. It's better to die than to quit halfway through. I'm not. I've risked my life to become a master adventurer, so I'm prepared to die if I don't become a Grade A adventurer.

　It's all about the youthful frivolity of the lines.

If that old man had 1/10th the determination as I did, he could have become a better adventurer. After all, being a village chief is just an escape route for dropouts, isn't it?　It's a shame that such a person can't just show up at the adventurer's guild.

　The cheeky boy was attacked by flying arrows.

　And it's not just one, it's dozens, no, hundreds.

　It didn't hit the boy himself, but it flew away from the threshold and pierced the wall behind him.

　On the wall, a line drawing of an arrow that copied the boy's silhouette exactly as it was formed.

''........What did you just say?''

　A killing voice rang out, so chilling that even the wolves were frightened.

　Gashita, who has become an A-class adventurer, can already freak out and incontinence with just his voice if he's a normal person.

''You can still humiliate me. I'm the head of the guild, and it's my job to take irresponsible insults from people. But I won't allow myself to insult my brother.　Expose me to death with regret!
Waaaaaah!　Wait, Gacita, calm down!

　I stop them in a hurry.
　I wanted my guild master, my father-in-law, to help me, but he wouldn't budge, saying 'it's only natural to crack down on the verbal abuse of the village chief'.

　Gashita, who had become an A-class adventurer, had condensed his sting (poke) aura and was able to create instant arrows with it alone.

　Thanks to this, he could rain a rain of sideways arrows for a long time with infinite remaining ammunition.

　The cocky boy who was driven away all day long by that rain of arrows escaped from the guild that night and returned to his hometown.