Guild Handyman? More like Mastermind! Using My Hidden Skills in the Shadows Volume 1 (eBook)

Sakaku Hishikawa (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
250 Seiten
J-Novel Club (Verlag)
978-1-7183-0520-5 (ISBN)

Infos

Unassuming, hard to notice, downright plain-that's how Tenes Lumel's coworkers at the adventurers' guild describe him. As the guild's handyman, he tackles the boring paperwork and menial labor, all while clocking out on time from his quiet job in the boonies.

But the low profile he keeps by day hides a darker truth. In reality, Tenes is the mastermind behind a secret organization singularly determined to upend the twisted rules that govern the world.

Exiled from a great noble house and abandoned by God, he won't stop until he's dismantled the system. From the shadows come powerful allies to stand by his side: a battle-hardened maid, an infamous bandit, and a legendary dark elf. Together, they're plotting their next move behind the scenes-and Tenes has more than a few tricks up his sleeve to set the stage.

Textauszug

Prologue

The town of Lavos was located in a remote corner of the northwestern region of the Lordship of Lumel in the Holy Empire of Novalis, the great nation that ruled over almost the entire continent. Though being in the periphery of the region’s capital might sound appealing, the only road out of town was flanked by wide open fields, and beyond that was nothing but forest and mountains.

In other words, it was the boonies.

A structure made of stone and brick stood by the town’s main road, illuminated by the vermilion sunset. It was the Lavos Branch of the adventurers’ guild.

Inside, the blonde receptionist behind the counter looked troubled.

“C’mon, Felicia, don’t be shy.”

In front of the young lady was a middle-aged swordsman clad in bronze armor, casually leaning over the counter. “Let’s have a nice drink tonight. I already booked a table for us,” he insisted.

“U-Um, I’m afraid that the guild doesn’t allow such things...”

The young receptionist girl attempted to rebuff the man’s advances, but the man’s expression soured and he leaned even closer to her.

“Hey. The great Galuzzo the Wild-Armed himself is offering you a fun night out here. Do you know just how much I’ve been contributing to this boring shithole of a guild?”

“I-I’m quite aware, but—” The girl named Felicia glanced between Galuzzo and the bystanders hoping to get some help, but the few adventurers in the lobby clearly shrank away upon hearing the man’s name and title.

Galuzzo the Wild-Armed was a famous and highly skilled adventurer known throughout the capital of Lumel, but he was also infamous for hitting on tavern waitresses and beating up entire parties of adventurers who tried to stop him.

“C’mon, let’s have some fun.” The man reached for Felicia’s shoulder, but someone grabbed his wrist.

“Please refrain from discussing matters unrelated to adventuring within the adventurers’ guild premises.”

“And who the hell are you?”

A young, black-haired employee was the one who had stopped the man. The employee was unremarkable and unassuming—downright plain, even—but upon closer inspection had a handsome and well-kept face.

“Tenes?” Felicia cried out of shock.

Galuzzo laughed. “Oh? Didn’t know there were more cuties in here.”

“I hate to disappoint you, but I’m male.”

“Tch. Come to think of it, you do sound like a man. What a confusin’ look.” Galuzzo shook his arm free of the employee’s grip. “So who the hell are ya?”

“I’m just a part of the guild’s administrative staff. A handyman, if you will.”

“So you’re an errand boy? No puny errand boy gets to lay a hand on me!”

“Sir, I’m afraid that stepping in to resolve disputes is part of my duties.”

“Listen here, boy.” Galuzzo lowered his voice to a threatening tone. “The number of quests I’ve accomplished is directly tied to this branch’s reputation. Why don’t you watch the way you talk to your biggest patron, hm? I might just refuse all the quests this guild posts from now on.”

The young guild employee was unfazed and merely let out a soft sigh.

“Article XII, Paragraph 5 of the Adventurer Code: An adventurer must act with decorum at all times. I’m afraid that we have the ability to blacklist adventurers who cause scandals. In that case, you’ll be barred from taking jobs not just from this guild, but from all other guilds. I think we both know which one of us would be worse off if that happened.”

“What?! I ain’t gettin’ blacklisted from this! It’s nothin’! The higher-ups’ll never take you seriously!”

“Just so you know, I have connections with upper management—I might just be able to push this through with a few words in the right places. Fortunately, we also have several eyewitnesses here who are willing to testify to your unsightly behavior. If you back down, leave right now, and pay close attention to your future actions, we are willing to overlook this incident and say that you acted appropriately.”

“You little... You better remember this, Tan— Uh...”

“Name’s Tenes. I think it would also serve you well to remember, sir.”

“Shut up, you punk! Now I ain’t forgettin’!”

Galuzzo pointed straight at Tenes, then spun toward the door and stomped out of the guild.

Felicia stared at the door, which kept swinging well after Galuzzo was gone. “Tenes... Th-Thank you so much,” she said.

The handyman gave her a big grin and replied, “Oh, it’s no problem. It’s all just a part of my job. I’d love to have some peace and quiet, after all.”

“But,” she added, “how long have you been standing there? I didn’t notice you at all.”

Tenes, still smiling, answered, “I’ve always kept a low profile.”

***

“Good work out there.”

“You too, Tenes.”

Once work hours ended, the handyman named Tenes exited the guild through the staff-exclusive back door and vanished without making a sound.

“What a strange man,” Felicia’s coworker commented from beside her as they watched Tenes leave.

“Is he? I think he’s a pretty nice guy. He takes jobs that nobody likes and works on them quickly and accurately. I hear he’s from a high-ranking noble family, but he doesn’t get fazed by gossip,” Felicia said.

“Yeah, about that... If he’s from a noble family, I really wonder what exactly he did to end up out here in the boonies.”

“Well... That, I don’t know...”

“See? All we know is that the guild chief went straight to the head office to get him hired. There’s gotta be something goin’ on with him.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“He does his job pretty well, sure. But he’s always so hard to find. You don’t even notice if he’s there or not. Sometimes I even forget that he exists at all.”

Felicia laughed. “Now that’s a bit much, isn’t it?”

Her coworker lowered his voice and leaned closer. “On top of that, there’s even more weird rumors about him.”

“Like?”

“You know about the old graveyard in the mountains up north?”

“I’ve heard of it. That’s the one people say to stay away from because fellbeasts show up there, right?”

“Apparently, he lives there.”

Felicia blinked, then let out another hearty laugh. “There’s no way!”

***

He’s out.

A fierce-looking man glared at Tenes as he left the adventurers’ guild. He was a middle-aged man wearing a suit of bronze armor—the adventurer Galuzzo. He could not accept that he’d been humiliated in front of the cute receptionist he had been flirting with just moments before.

So he waited behind the guild building for his prey to make an appearance. When Tenes finally showed his face, Galuzzo hid in the shadows of trees on the streetside and quietly stalked him.

I’ll make you pay for makin’ a fool of me.

However, as he tried to match his prey’s pace, anxiety started to creep into his mind.

I’m...following the right guy, right?

Galuzzo’s prey had changed out of his guild uniform and into his personal clothes. But those clothes were blending into the dusky colors of the town’s streets. Tenes and his clothes were so indistinct that Galuzzo was beginning to lose track of him.

Wait, what did he look like again? Dammit, he’s so plain that I can’t even remember!

The one thing he recalled was his black hair. It was the only thing he was sure of. Galuzzo repeated this to himself as he continued his pursuit. His target passed through the shopping district, the residential area, and across some farmland before finally entering a thick forest in the mountains.

Shit, how far are you planning to walk?

There shouldn’t have been any houses up ahead. On top of that, an old graveyard was said to lie deep in these same mountains. Powerful fellbeasts were reported to be in the area, and it had already been designated as a Hazard Zone. There were also signs all over that warned trespassers to keep away.

With growing confusion, Galuzzo hastily scanned his surroundings, but lost sight of Tenes entirely.

“Huh?” he grunted. “Where the hell did he go?!” His prey had vanished into thin air. It was as if he had been chasing a mirage.

Galuzzo pondered for a moment, then decided to search the mountain forest for a while longer. Even though he was in a Hazard Zone, he couldn’t let his honor stay sullied by a mere errand boy. He would silence him the way he silenced all his critics.

Did he wander off the path?

A voice rang out. “You sure are persistent. You should know when to quit.”

“Who’s there?!” Galuzzo leaped. Was it the boy? No, it wasn’t. The voice he’d heard was deeper, and unmistakably a woman’s. But why would a woman be in the mountains? Galuzzo drew his sword, but he couldn’t find the speaker.

“It’s dangerous out here. Better get out before something bad...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 8.10.2025
• Reihe/Serie: Guild Handyman? More like Mastermind! Using My Hidden Skills in the Shadows
• Illustrationen: Sakaku Hishikawa
• Übersetzer: Sakaku Hishikawa
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Fantasy / Science Fiction ► Fantasy
• Schlagworte: Antihero • Beast Girl • dark elf • double life • maidolder sister • revenge
• ISBN-10: 1-7183-0520-6 / 1718305206
• ISBN-13: 978-1-7183-0520-5 / 9781718305205