I instructed Aron to stay behind while sending the other adventurers home.
Bash, red with fury, stormed out of the guild with his party in tow.

As the receptionists began closing duties for the night, a tall, slender woman approached—graceful steps, long golden hair swaying behind her.
It was Emidia, my secretary and the guild’s chief receptionist.

She came before me, clasped her hands, and bowed deeply.

“Today’s response was truly magnificent. I, too, was dissatisfied with that one-sided expulsion…”

This woman had lectured me about “acting with the dignity of a guildmaster” yesterday—just after I’d reincarnated.
In the original story, she was portrayed as the overly competent secretary fiercely loyal to the corrupt guildmaster Jilkane. A side character, never deeply explored.

A woman whose thoughts I can’t read…
I have no idea how she’ll affect my attempt to rewrite the story. For now, I’ll play along.

“Of course. A guildmaster must uphold order, above all else.”

“...!? Ah, Lord Jilkane! Finally…! You have awakened to your true duty as a guildmaster!”

Tears welled up in Emidia’s eyes as she dabbed at them with a handkerchief.
“True duty”? What is she talking about?

Could it be… she’s one of those blind believers?

“Even when everyone else spoke ill of you, I never forgot the dream you once told me about—that you would become a guildmaster who truly leads all people.”

What dream? The original novel didn’t mention a single line about Jilkane’s past!
So there was such a backstory between her and him? Unexpected…

“Lord Jilkane… I am so happy…”

Her eyes shone with unwavering faith.
Damn it, this is unsettling. Who knows what might happen if I get caught up in this. Time to move things along.

“…Emidia, I’ll be leaving town with Aron tonight. I’m counting on you to handle the guild until I return.”

“Eh? But it’s already nighttime! Where are you going?”

“The Forest of Death.”

“The Forest of Death!? Why such a place!?”

At the mention of those words, Emidia stepped back in shock. Maybe overdramatic—but that’s just how people in this world react to everything.

The Forest of Death was where the expelled Aron wandered in the original story.
He fought monsters there to survive, and through constant battle over several months, he awakened his legendary skill.
But I know the method. This time, I’ll go there with him—and awaken his power myself.

“It’s for Aron’s training. To defeat Bash, he must draw out his true strength—even if the process is harsh.”

“Draw out… his strength?”

Her puzzled expression told me she wouldn’t understand. Fine. I’ll be cryptic.

I turned my back to her and cast a sidelong glance—delivering a line worthy of a mysterious character.

“Watch closely, Emidia. What you’re about to witness… is the dawn of legend. You should feel honored to stand witness to it.”

Leaving her behind, I strode out of the reception hall.
Phew. I can’t deal with unpredictable women. With luck, that’ll keep her quiet for a while.

I found Aron waiting in the dining hall, called out to him, and flung open the guild doors.

“Ah… how gallant… Lord Jilkane… Emidia shall follow you for life…”

I thought I heard her whisper something as we left.

◇◇◇

North of the city of Luminage lay the Forest of Death—a dangerous place where powerful monsters roamed freely.

The city was safe, separated by a canyon, but adventurers avoided the forest entirely.
In the original story, Aron only entered it in despair after being expelled.

We stopped our carriage at the edge of the forest and proceeded on foot into its depths. Aron would handle most of the fighting.
Jilkane, being a former adventurer, could fight too—but the goal was to make Aron grow.
I would focus on support, using the healing potions I’d prepared.

“GRUAAAAAAA!!”

“Ghh—!? It’s so fast…!”

A Death Wolf, the most common monster in the forest, lunged at him.
Aron narrowly dodged its fangs, though its claws grazed his shoulder, drawing a thin line of blood.
A single Death Wolf was as large as a bear and just as strong—this pace wouldn’t last long.

“Aron! Use enhancement magic! Focus Powerrest on your lower body for strength, then Quickness—twice!”

Following my command, Aron cast the spells. His movements sharpened instantly; in a blur, he dove in and thrust his sword into the wolf’s abdomen as its jaws snapped shut.

“GYAAAAAA!!”

The beast’s shriek echoed through the forest before it collapsed to the ground with a thud.

“Amazing…! I didn’t know I could do something like this…!”

Aron stared at his hands in disbelief. His mana use had been minimal—he shouldn’t be exhausted yet.

By concentrating the muscle-enhancing spell Powerrest on the lower body and stacking Quickness twice, he could replicate the effects of the high-level spell Speedia with far less mana.
It was a trick the original Aron discovered after months of hardship.
By teaching it early, I ensured he’d internalize it through actual combat.

He had solid fundamentals already. With proper guidance, rapid growth within three days was more than possible—and I was right.

“This is your own strength, Aron. I merely gave you a push.”

After all, I’m just handing him what he was destined to gain later.
Which makes me… his cheat item, doesn’t it? How ironic.

Well, fine. I don’t need to be a hero. I only need to protect my wealth and position.

“N-No way! It’s all thanks to you, Guildmaster! You saved me and now you’re training me too—I can’t thank you enough!”

Aron bowed deeply. Ugh, this world’s people are too earnest. Makes me itchy all over.

After expressing his gratitude, Aron sheathed his sword.

“But now… I won’t lose to Bash!”

Determination burned in his eyes.
Good. He’s starting to resemble the original protagonist.

However—

“Not yet.”

“Huh?”

“Bash isn’t the type to give up easily. Even if you win fairly, he’ll twist the result with excuses. Worst case, he might even sabotage your future quests—or worse, try to kill you.”

“That can’t be…! Even if Bash hates me, he wouldn’t go that far…”

Oh, but he would.

In volume two of the original, after losing to Aron, Bash tried to kill him during a quest, leading readers to utterly despise him.

That was when Aron awakened.
With that power, he crushed Bash completely—a satisfying turn for the readers.
I’d need the same awakening now, to ensure Bash couldn’t threaten me later.

And when the duel ends—that’s when my real work begins. I’ll manipulate Bash and erase him as a threat entirely.

But for now, focus on training.

“Break time’s over. We’re going deeper. In the end, you’ll face the master of this forest.”

“The master…? What kind of creature?”

“A monster said to turn all living things to stone with a single glare—the Basilisk.”

“W-What!?”

Sweat trickled down Aron’s cheek.
Understandable—the Basilisk was an endgame-level monster, one he only defeated in the story after countless attempts.

But this time, I’m here.
I know its patterns and weaknesses. We’ll be fine.

Surprisingly, I didn’t feel fear myself.
It seemed my consciousness had fully merged with Jilkane’s, adapting to this world’s instincts. No hesitation, only resolve.

In fact—I was excited.
Anger at my own doomed fate had become my fuel. I’d turn it into strength.

“Steady yourself, Aron. I’ll give you something worth risking your life for.”

“Worth risking my life…? What do you mean?”

I placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a firm pat.

“The legendary skill—Divine Endowment. I’ll awaken the power sleeping within you, and bring the god down into your vessel.”

In Aron’s eyes, light bloomed—of shock, and hope.

―――――――――――

Translator’s Note:
The “Forest of Death” is a recurring trial zone in many Japanese fantasy web novels, symbolizing both despair and rebirth. Here, Jilkane accelerates Aron’s original three-month growth arc into days, showing his cunning and impatience. Emidia’s loyalty hints at hidden depth—perhaps the “corrupt” guildmaster once dreamed sincerely before falling from grace.