NOVEL WEB Chapter 227.1
Chapter 227.1. The Doctor
At the penthouse on the top floor of Amatsugahara Corporation’s headquarters. Recently remodeled to look like a brand-new home. Sakimori sat on the sofa, arms crossed, with a grim expression.
“No decent personnel at all…”
Sakimori-san is disappointed. Well, the reality is harsh. Good people don’t just appear.
I slumped my shoulders and sighed as I looked at the documents spread out on the table.
The latest information was listed in the documents, and there was an X mark over a photo of Matsunaga Hisahide, who might have made it to the Silver Rank.
“There’s nothing we can do. How about making Sakimori’s familiar a Silver Rank instead?”
Karin, sitting on the sofa opposite, casually suggested as she poured milk over vanilla ice cream in a slender glass. Looks like she’s finally decided to make her own shake.
Weren’t you complaining that it wasn’t a shake?
Watching Karin mix the vanilla ice cream with a spoon and the little girl sitting next to her with eager eyes, hoping to share, I replied with half-closed eyes.
“That familiar lacks intelligence. If I’m not controlling it, it can only perform very limited actions. It has no adaptability. Besides, I don’t intend to create a humanoid familiar. It’s only during tests like these that I use one. Generally, beasts are stronger.”
I don’t say it out loud, but creating humanoids is something I reserve for fairy machines.
If a humanoid familiar had a will of its own, I’d feel guilty if I didn’t consider
its employment status. It might be a bit stingy, but if Kou is basking in the sun by the water, I can think, “Oh, it’s just a snake,” but if it were humanoid,
I’d start worrying about its meals and home. That’s just how it is.
“Creating humans is the realm of the gods, after all. I understand how you feel.”
Shingen remarked nonchalantly as he looked at the documents.
But you’re the guild master of the adventurer’s guild now, aren’t you?
It’s not someone else’s problem.
“We have no choice but to stick with the current setup for the monster line fortress, right?”
Masamune said, looking at our current forces, his stern face breaking into a wry smile.
Today’s meeting also serves as a strategy session for the monster line fortress, so Date Masamune, who usually guards the Tsukuba line fortress, is also present.
Katsuyori, Baba, Serika, and Setsuka were also in attendance, and Ohki-kun, our tea-serving attendant, was busily distributing coffee.
Not everyone could sit on the sofas, so some were seated on the floor.
Maybe we should’ve held the meeting in the conference room.
“We’ll have to rely on the familiars and my cavalry. Everyone’s gotten pretty accustomed to fighting by now.”
“We need someone strong enough to take down a Goblin King single-handedly. Currently, we’re using automatic rifles to take them down, but I don’t want to hand out automatic rifles to the general public.”
Baba, who tends to speak in a somewhat old-fashioned manner, had a point.
Automatic rifles are powerful, after all. It wouldn’t be surprising if someone misused them.
“The bottleneck is still stats and skills. If you can’t exceed human physical abilities, you can’t defeat a Goblin King.”
“That’s exactly what Sei said. And that’s why we’ve gathered today, isn’t it?”
Sei nodded at Setsuka’s words and looked at me with an intrigued expression.
I nodded back at Serika and looked around at everyone with a serious expression.
I’ve come today to present a solution.
“It turns out that naturally strong Silver-class individuals aren’t applying to be adventurers. Well, they earn high salaries, so this result isn’t surprising.”
“The ones who did apply weren’t much good at all.”
“Karin, you really helped out. I’ll give your cat ears a nice pet later.”
“Be gentle, okay? No sticking fingers in my ear holes, got it?”
Karin gave me a sideways glance, setting conditions as she looked back at me with half-lidded eyes.
I nodded in agreement and continued talking.
She helped clean up the mess, so I’ll have to give her plenty of rewards later.
I’m really grateful. Maybe just the tips of my fingers in the ear holes would be okay?
“Allow me to introduce Dr. Tanegashima of the Jester’s Knight Order.”
With a snap of my fingers, the door burst open, and an elderly man in a rumpled white lab coat stomped in. The old man’s sharp gaze swept over us as he grinned, crossing his arms and puffing out his chest with pride.
“I am the great, the magnificent, the supreme genius, Tanegashima!
Bow your heads! Bow before the great scientist Tanegashima! Heh-heh!”
For some reason, Doctor Tanegashima also bowed his head.
Everyone was wide-eyed in surprise at the sudden appearance of the old man.
I was also quite surprised. I wish Shizuku had at least pretended to be a quieter, more intelligent doctor.
Yes, the small elderly man in front of us was actually Shizuku in disguise, using the power of the Ring of Illusion.
I had to ask her for this as a last resort to prove the doctor’s existence.
I used to be able to trust Shizuku to handle this kind of thing, but now that she’s become an independent trickster fairy, I’m extremely anxious.
I trust you, partner.
“Ahem, I am important. Ohki-kun, please bring me a chocolate shake as well.”
“Calling me by my last name when we just met, old man! And is there some kind of shake trend going on? I can’t make that.”
“In that case, just give me a chocolate bar from the cupboard.
I’ll make do with hot milk and a chocolate bar.”
Despite his arrogance, this old man has a childish taste for sweets.
Shizuku, be careful, okay? Oh, and I’ll deduct the chocolate from this month’s allowance.
As I was internally fretting over Doctor Tanegashima’s outrageous behavior,
Shingen, looking suspicious, spoke up.
“Is this guy really the scientist of the Jester’s Knight Order? I mean…he sure looks the part…”
“Well, any scientist who’s willing to investigate a dungeon is going to be like this.”
I shrugged in response to Shingen’s hesitation, giving him a hardboiled reply.
Mad scientists are like this. It’s just as you imagined, right? No objections allowed.
“Yes, I am Dr. Tanegashima! I might be a descendant of Tanegashima Tokitaka, the great ancestor who brought the Tanegashima rifle to Japan. Dr. Tanegashima!”