The guild mornings are always noisy. The Cardina headquarters in the center of the royal capital Grancelta—a massive stone building that makes the Rastella branch look like nothing in comparison. The ceilings are high, and the walls are lined with enormous bulletin boards plastered with request forms. Rock stood in front of one of those boards. On his back was the wooden puppet, just back from Galdo's workshop. With its usual clumsily carved smile, it seemed to be peering over his shoulder at the board. (*Goblin extermination, huh.*) At the edge of the nearest board, a temporary party recruitment notice was posted. A request to wipe out a group of goblins that had appeared in the hilly area outside the city. Danger level: D-rank. Not impossible to handle solo, but due to their numbers, a party was recommended. As Rock looked at it, a voice sounded nearby. "[annoyed]Ugh, seriously. Isn't anyone gonna show up?" Turning around, he saw a party of three adventurers standing there. A man around twenty years old with spiky, bright red hair. In his hand was a short staff of the kind mages often use. He was the one who'd just spoken. Next to him, a giant of a man who looked to be at least 190 centimeters tall. A thick greatsword was strapped to his back, and his arms were crossed. Expressionless, it was hard to tell what he was thinking. And one more. A petite woman. Her shoulder-length black hair was tied back in a single bunch, and she held a bow in her hands. Her gaze was sharp, glaring at the bulletin board with eyes like a hunter searching for prey. "[casual]Um, this one." When Rock pointed at the goblin extermination notice, the red-haired man—apparently the leader—turned around. "[surprised]Oh, you up for it? That's a huge help. I'm Kane. The big guy here is Darryl, and this is Fiona." With a friendly grin, Kane jerked his thumb toward his companions. Darryl nodded silently, and Fiona merely glanced at Rock before returning her gaze to the board. "[friendly]I'm Rock. D-rank adventurer. My skill is—" "[excited]Oh, nice, nice! What is it? Swords? Or magic?" "[embarrassed]It's called Puppet Master. I use a wooden puppet to—" The atmosphere shifted. Kane's grin instantly turned awkward. Darryl furrowed his brow. For the first time, Fiona properly looked at Rock's face. "[skeptical]Puppet Master...?" Her voice had that tone—the one you use when you've drawn something completely different from what you were hoping for. "[blunt]A wooden puppet... Can it even fight?" Darryl's deep voice rumbled heavily. Rock placed his hand on the shoulder of the wooden puppet standing beside him. A handmade doll, 150 centimeters tall. A clumsily carved smile. Its joints were reinforced, and a queen ant's magic stone was embedded in its chest. "[explaining]It's called a Link Field. I can provide support—" He started rambling about magic circuits and field expansion, technical terms spilling out before he could stop himself. Flustered, he spoke faster and tripped over his words midway. "[calm]Ahh, okay, got it. Well, you won't get in the way, at least." Kane waved his hand lightly, cutting off Rock's explanation. "[serious]Reward's split four ways. That cool?" "[relieved]Ah, yes." Fiona was already checking her bowstring, as if she'd lost all interest in Rock. Darryl remained silent, staring hard at Rock's wooden puppet. (*Well, guess that's how it is.*) Rock looked back at the wooden puppet's face once more. The air in the royal capital was far colder than Rastella. --- The hilly area outside the city was windy. The thick scent of late-summer grass hung heavily in the air. The royal capital's walls were visible in the distance, and from the small forests scattered before them, the occasional howl of a beast could be heard. Rock and the other three were heading toward the valley where the goblin pack was said to lurk. Kane walked at the front, Darryl behind him, and Fiona advanced along a slightly distant slope with her bow at the ready. Rock was at the rear, walking with the wooden puppet at his side. "[warning]There they are." At her voice, everyone stopped moving. From the shadows of the valley's rocks, numerous small green figures crawled out. In their hands were crude clubs and rusty shortswords. Their numbers—close to ten. "[grinning]Alright, time to work. Darryl, front!" "[grunt]Yeah." Darryl drew his greatsword and stepped forward. Kane readied his short staff and began chanting a spell. Orange light started gathering at the tip of his staff. Fiona had already nocked an arrow. (*Now.*) Rock gently placed his hand on the wooden puppet's chest and closed his eyes. Magic flowed from deep within his chest to his right hand, and then into the puppet's magic stone. Warm. It was as if the wooden puppet had become a part of his own body. The wooden puppet moved its neck with a *clunk*. The next moment— Softly. Something spread outward, centered on the wooden puppet. Invisible to the eye. But he could feel it. The air changed. Like being underwater—slightly heavy, yet strangely pleasant. Link Field. "[surprised]What the... My body feels light." Darryl lifted his greatsword. Noticeably faster than before. His shoulder movements were smooth, and the greatsword, which should have been heavy, swung as if it were a mere branch. "[focused]Here I go!" Darryl charged. The goblins raised their weapons to meet him. But they were slow. A single flash. The greatsword tore through the air. Three goblins were sent flying simultaneously. "[excited]Incredible... I can see my arrow's aim so clearly." Fiona's bowstring sang. The released arrow flew in a straight line and pierced a goblin right between the eyes. Immediately, a second shot. Another goblin fell. Her movements had become unnaturally precise. "[surprised]My magic flow is stabilizing... I've never felt this before." A flaming arrow shot from Kane's staff. Its activation was a split second faster than before. It landed in the middle of the goblin pack, burning three of them at once. With his hand still on the wooden puppet's shoulder, Rock surveyed the battlefield. (*My support is working.*) The three of them were moving with astonishing speed and precision. Their coordination was seamless, as if they were a party that had fought together for years. But—that wasn't all. The enemies within the Link Field—the goblins—were moving just a little more sluggishly. Their feet tangled, their weapon swings slow. As if they were walking through mud. (*A slowing effect...!*) He hadn't noticed it before. In previous battles, he'd thought it only strengthened allies. But that wasn't true. It could even suppress enemy movements. Darryl roared. "[fierce]Raaaahhh!!" His greatsword swept sideways, mowing down goblins. The last one was sent flying like a pumpkin, slamming into a rock and going still. Silence. The battle was over. Darryl, breathing heavily, planted his greatsword into the ground. Fiona checked the contents of her quiver and let out a small sigh. Kane turned toward Rock. "[impressed]...What the hell, that's actually kinda amazing." "[surprised]I've never heard of a puppet user having support skills." Darryl was looking down at Rock's wooden puppet. "I could see my arrow's aim more clearly than usual. Felt like my eyesight got better." Fiona lowered her bow, and her expression softened just a little. That sharp gaze of hers was now slightly gentler. "[embarrassed]No, I'm still practicing. But... thank you." Rock patted the wooden puppet's shoulder and made a small fist pump. (*Alright.*) He was genuinely happy. He'd been happy when he first started using the Link Field in Rastella too, but being acknowledged by strangers felt different. --- Returning to the guild, the usual clamor greeted them. While Kane reported the quest completion at the counter, Rock waited a short distance away. In front of the bulletin board, other adventurers were milling about. Ones who'd just returned from battle. Their armor was stained with blood, and the smell of sweat and iron hung thick. "[mocking]Did you see that puppet user? He wormed his way into another temp party." It reached his ears. "[sarcastic]They got results, but honestly, they would've won even without that wooden puppet. Support types are just hard to prove, y'know?" "[laughing]Can't even tell if it's doing anything, and he still takes a cut of the reward." Rock's chest ached. (*That's not true. It was working. Darryl's movements actually got faster, and Fiona's aim got more precise.*) But—the words wouldn't come. How could he prove it? It wasn't something you could put into numbers. The sensations during battle—only the people involved could know those. (*How the hell am I supposed to prove it, anyway?*) Another group was laughing nearby. "[joking]A puppet user... isn't that basically the same as a porter?" "[laughing]Ah, yeah, true. If there's no porter, who's gonna carry the materials?" Rock pretended not to hear. He headed to the counter to collect the request form. Only his footsteps sounded unnaturally loud. --- Evening came. Inside the guild, it was packed with adventurers who'd finished their quests before dinner. At a corner table, Rock was adjusting the wooden puppet's joints. The shoulder area that Galdo had reinforced was a little stiff. He fine-tuned the magic flow so it would move more smoothly. (*If I can just keep improving it bit by bit like this.*) Nearby, he heard Kane and the others' voices. "[casual]What should we do for the next quest? We're close to ranking up to C, so I wanna take on at least one C-rank danger level job." "[calm]C-rank, huh... I don't mind. I've still got plenty of arrows." "[thinking]Well, not a bad idea." Rock set down the wooden puppet and stood up. "[hesitant]Um, can I come with you again?" The three of them froze for just a moment. Kane scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. Fiona averted her gaze. Darryl silently began maintaining his greatsword. "[uncomfortable]Ahh... well, we did get lucky this time. I'm thinking we want a party composition that ensures a bit more safety." Kane's voice was completely different from the one he'd heard on the battlefield. Distant. Standoffish. It wasn't a clear rejection. But—it was more than enough for Rock to understand. "[quiet]...I see. Thank you." He put on a smile. This face—it looked just like his usual one. The three of them walked off toward the bulletin board. Rock was left alone in front of the table. The wooden puppet made a small *clatter*. Rock patted its shoulder. Strength entered his fingertips, leaving faint nail marks on the wooden surface. --- Night. In a shared room at a cheap inn, Rock lay on a hard bed. The large man was snoring again today. The thin young man was curled up facing the wall. Against the room's wall, the wooden puppet sat leaning. Moonlight streamed through the window, faintly illuminating the puppet's clumsily carved smile. The magic stone glowed faintly, dimly. "[whispers]...Well, things'll work out somehow." He murmured it. But—his voice was far smaller than he'd thought. It didn't have the ring to it that came naturally, the way it had back when he was in Rastella. (*What would Miss Ganetta say?*) (*Mister Baldo probably wouldn't say anything. He'd just have the next letter ready.*) (*Liria... she said she wanted to meet the wooden puppet, didn't she?*) Baldo's letter of introduction, placed by his pillow. The name of Galdo's workshop. Tomorrow, he'd look for quests again. Ones he could do alone. And then, little by little, build up his achievements— (*That's all I can do, huh?*) Rock closed his eyes. He felt like the wooden puppet's hand trembled, ever so faintly. But surely, that was just the trembling of his own hand being transmitted through it.