NOVEL NEXT Chapter 31
Sometimes Working [God’s Eye]-san
On that day, when Yuuri went out shopping, Brook was with him. Brook had his own shopping to do and accompanied Yuuri. In a way, it was probably a blessing in disguise. Maybe.
“…Brook-san”
“What is it, Yuuri?”
Yuuri was staring intently at the people lounging in the adventurer’s guild. There were various races, from humans to beastfolk. The adventurer’s guild is thought to be a gathering of outlaws, but that’s only a handful. It’s that foolish handful that causes trouble for the other adventurers. There are fools everywhere, just as there are lazy bees among the worker bees.
Following Yuuri’s gaze, Brook tilted his head. What Yuuri was looking at were ordinary adventurers. Frontline fighters and support personnel. It seemed like an ordinary party composition without any doubts, but Yuuri kept tilting his head while staring at them.
He tilted his head again and again, then looked up at Brook and asked. No, more like dropping a bomb.
“Um, is a slavery necklace something normal people wear?”
The place froze. Everyone looked at Yuuri in surprise. Especially the group Yuuri had been watching earlier. All of them looked at Yuuri with wide eyes. Startled, Yuuri grabbed Brook’s clothes. Growing up as an ordinary person, Yuuri didn’t have the guts to confront tough adventurers head-on.
“…Yuuri”
“Yes”
“Is someone here wearing that, um, slavery necklace?”
“Yes”
Since it was true, Yuuri answered honestly. The surroundings became noisy again. Brook pressed his forehead and decided to take Yuuri into the adventurer’s guild. This was not a conversation to have in public. Fortunately, only the keen-eared adventurers had heard the exchange. Truly, a blessing.
Led by Brook, Yuuri entered the adventurer’s guild, followed by a crowd. Brook, holding Yuuri’s shoulder, asked the curious receptionist to call the guild master, then quietly asked Yuuri.
“Who here is wearing the slavery necklace?”
“The lady in armor over there.”
“…Her. Anyone else?”
“The man in the robe behind her is wearing a slavery bracelet.”
“I see.”
The surrounding noise ceased. Silence fell. Brook remained calm. Yuuri, despite being troubled, answered properly.
Yuuri didn’t mean to expose anything. He just had a bad feeling while watching them and wanted to know why he encountered such an unpleasant feeling in town, similar to encountering a trap in a dungeon.
Then he saw a necklace glowing around the neck of a pale-faced woman in armor. The same party’s robed youth wore a visible slavery bracelet. Dangerous items for ordinary people. Moreover, the two items were disguised, something Yuuri hadn’t yet told Brook.
When Yuuri appraised the items, they appeared as follows:
――Red Stone Necklace [Disguised: Slavery Necklace]
A necklace with a red stone. Quality, ordinary.
[A necklace that enslaves the wearer to the master. Impossible to remove by oneself.]
――Silver Bracelet [Disguised: Slavery Bracelet]
A silver bracelet, common.
[A bracelet that enslaves the wearer to the master. Impossible to remove by oneself.]
Probably, if one’s appraisal level was low, they wouldn’t see through the disguise. However, Yuuri’s skill is [God’s Eye]. The strongest cheat for appraisal. Such disguises are virtually nonexistent to it. Instead, the fact that there was a disguise was plainly evident, revealing the original information. No disguise can surpass [God’s Eye].
The two pointed out by Yuuri looked tense but somewhat relieved. Meanwhile, their companions’ faces twisted, directing killing intent at Yuuri, but a glare from Brook silenced them. Brook’s killing intent, briefly aimed at a specific target, effectively showed the difference in power.
“Oh, Brook. What is this commotion?”
“Sorry for the disturbance, Guildmaster. It’s urgent.”
“It must be, for you to come in person. What happened?”
“This kid says those two are wearing slavery accessories.”
“…What?”
The guild master, appearing from the back, looked unlike his title suggested. He seemed unreliable, thin, and wearing a monocle, resembling an old butler. Not someone you’d expect to be the master of an adventurer’s guild. However, his poised movements and lowered voice carried undeniable authority.
“This kid’s appraisal skills are endorsed by Ari. Based on that, he claims those two’s necklace and bracelet are slavery items.”
“…Someone, verify it. If they resist, restrain them.”
“”Yes.””
Responding to the guild master’s words, several men stepped forward. The two didn’t resist being restrained, but their companions did. They resisted conspicuously. However, they were outnumbered, and the surrounding adventurers only watched suspiciously, offering no help.
Then, the guild staff who ran to check the necklace and bracelet kept tilting their head in confusion. Seeing the troubled woman adjust her glasses, Yuuri approached her, of course with Brook and the guild master in tow.
“Ma’am, those two items are disguised.”
“Disguised?!”
“Yes. They appear to be a red stone necklace and a silver bracelet. But both are disguised.”
“…I’m amazed. You’re so young, yet you can see through that?”
“They say he’s Ari’s protégé.”
“That makes sense.”
The woman immediately nodded at the guild master’s words. Yuuri thought Ari-san must be amazing, feeling relaxed. The men being restrained were struggling, but no one paid them any attention. It was typical of the adventurer’s guild.
Knowing the items were disguised, the woman examined the accessories seriously, then sighed with a somewhat displeased expression.
“Guild master, the boy is right. These are cleverly disguised, but they are indeed slavery accessories.”
“I see. The next question is, who is the master…”
“”……””
Everyone looked at the struggling men, knowing that the master was likely among them. Yet no one would confess, and the two wearing the accessories couldn’t answer either.
“Um…”
Yuuri’s carefree voice broke the tense atmosphere. Everyone, not just Brook, looked at Yuuri. He pointed directly at one of the struggling men and said,
“It’s him.”
“”……””
Silence filled the place. Everyone thought, aren’t we skipping too many steps here? Should we ask how he knows, or why is he so sure? No one knew. But Brook patted Yuuri’s shoulder, looked him in the eyes, and asked,
“Is that man the master of the slavery accessories?”
“Yes.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes. Uh, it appeared in his status.”
“…I see.”
Brook nodded slightly. The guild master, without a word, gestured to the staff. The men were led away, likely to face some enjoyable interrogations. They shouted insults at Yuuri, but Brook gently covered Yuuri’s ears, so he heard nothing and just tilted his head in wonder.
Everyone was noisy, questioning how Yuuri knew, praising his appraisal skills, until the guild master declared, “He’s Ari’s protégé,” and everyone nodded in understanding. Yuuri didn’t know, but Ari was quite famous as an appraiser. With a skill level of MAX, even the capital’s people knew him. He was so skilled that people wondered why he led a beginner’s clan. If asked, he’d dismiss it as “troublesome”.
Later, the two freed from the slavery accessories thanked Yuuri and returned to their hometown. They had been local vigilantes, but their skills and looks got them recruited, then tricked into wearing the accessories and brought to the capital. It was unfortunate.
Fortunately, they had savings from their journey, and they received compensation, allowing them to return home safely. They thanked Yuuri repeatedly and promised not to speak of him. Ari wanted to prevent the unnecessary spread of information.
However, there’s more to this story.
People who noticed Yuuri’s exceptional appraisal skills, and those punished in the incident, started targeting Yuuri. But none could approach or harm him. No one interfered.
Ari simply said.
“He’s got a lucky constitution. Everything gets prevented beforehand.”
Everyone thought, is that even possible? But considering Yuuri rarely faced danger, only minor accidents, and mostly met good people, they agreed. It seemed some invisible force was at work. Thus, everyone accepted it.
Thanks to his parameter of Luck ∞, Yuuri was enjoying a slow life.