I Said Make My Abilities Average! (LN) - Volume 9 - Chapter SS1

Side Story:

The Melancholy of Mavis 

I am Mavis von Austien. 

My birthday passed quite a while ago, and I am now eighteen years of age. 

It has been more than a year since I last left my family home. 

Eighteen… 

The more precocious daughters of nobles are married at fifteen, as soon as they become adults. This often happens because their betrothed has been decided since they were very young. In most other cases, we noble daughters are married between the ages of sixteen and twenty, whether through some connection of our parents, or because we catch the eye of someone at a party, or perhaps by some other means. By twenty-one, things start to go downhill. By twenty-three, it’s too late. By twenty-four, we’ve already stepped halfway over the precipice, and by twenty-five, we fall into despair. By twenty-six, our eyes go hollow, and at twenty-seven, we attain enlightenment. 

For me to have made it all the way to eighteen without so much as a single candidate for marriage puts me well behind the curve… In other words, I’m something of a menace. 

For better or for worse, neither my father nor my older brothers are interested in seeing me married—or rather, the aftereffects of my plans to obstruct such a thing have taken care of the issue. At present, it does not appear that I will be forced into a meaningless marriage. In truth, since I pushed through all of their objections and ran away in order to become a knight, it’s unlikely any proposals will be made. 

Still, I know they won’t want me to end up an old spinster, never married at all. Sooner or later, my father is going to start presenting me with more proposals. I know he would never force me into a horribly lopsided political marriage, where I would be miserable—at least, I’d like to hope not. Proposals from some ancient widower of a marquis’s line, or from some rich idiot son with a dreadful personality… 

Anyway, I’ve gotta become a knight! 

And then, I’ll achieve glory saving the kingdom alongside my fellow knights, have a grand romance, and be wed to one of them! 

And if it should turn out that my lover is actually a prince in disguise, then all the better!!! 

Eheh. 

Heheheheheheh… 

In order to make that happen, I have to hurry up with the knight part! At as young an age as possible! 

And for that, I have to hurry up and become an A-rank hunter and get all the other necessary prerequisites in order to be appointed to my desired rank! 

Drat it! If my family hadn’t objected, I could have gotten a recommendation from the head of the Austien household, and then my brothers, who are all knights already, could have pulled some strings. Then I would probably even have been allowed to enroll in the knight training school… 

It’s pointless to even think about that now. I’m going to become a knight on the strength of my own achievements alone, and show all of them! 

And then, I’ll find a splendid master… 

Eheh. 

Heheheheheheh… 

I’m learning that the road to that very first step, becoming an A-rank hunter, which just might give me a leg up in becoming a knight, is not an easy one. This makes sense, of course. If it were that easy, every noble daughter not in line for an inheritance would probably aspire to be an A-rank hunter. Most hunters never make it past C-rank, whether because they retire or because they die. Only a handful of skilled and lucky hunters ever reach B-rank. Attaining A-rank is something reserved for those upon whom the Goddess smiles. 

As for S-rank? 

It’s about as likely as a poor country girl one day receiving a visit from a knight on a noble steed, who tells her, “In truth, you are the daughter of his Majesty, the King, and thereby your true identity is the princess of our land.” Even in Mile’s fairy tales, it’s the kind of scenario that would be ridiculed as “stuff and nonsense, pure poppycock!” 

In other words, well, it’s the sort of thing that no reasonable person would ever think possible. Thus, I am aiming for A-rank. 

Even that has people asking me, “Are you serious?” However, my odds are definitely greater than zero. And compared to the chances of becoming an S-rank hunter or a knight on a gallant steed coming for me… 

Though I’m probably not someone “upon whom the Goddess smiles,” if a smile from a weird little girl who sometimes pretends to be a goddess counts, then I do get one of those every now and then. Maybe that will work? 

In order to be promoted as a hunter, you need contribution points, a minimum amount of time spent at your current rank, and a judgment from the Guild that you have “sufficient ability, reliability, and personal characteristics” for the next rank. The greatest barrier among those, for most hunters, is contribution points and ability. 

Jobs that will give you a large number of points don’t come around often, and even if you’re lucky enough to be able to accept one, you might not make it back alive… It’s the jobs that are dangerous and difficult that give the most points, so that’s to be expected. Hunters who try to get all their points at once by way of some huge achievement—instead of trudging along the slower, less risky route—often die early deaths. 

Skilled hunters die quick deaths, and hunters without skill live a life of drudgery, which means that they live longer but achieve very little… Such is the way of the world. 

For someone like me, who aspires to rank up as soon as possible, the chances of dying before my dreams come true are pretty high. I am all too aware of this fact. But what good is living, if not for the sake of your dreams?! 

In order to make C-rank as quickly as possible, I took the entrance exam for the Hunters’ Prep School and passed with flying colors! And then I met my companions, whom I roomed with in the dorms, and we formed a party… 

What the hell is with these guys?! 

Are hunters really this strong?! Are mages?! 

Is that really the ability of a rookie C-rank hunter?! 

This is hopeless! There’s no way I can make it to A-rank at this rate! 

Aah! Aaaah! Gaaaaaaaaah!!! 

So I thought when I first got to know my fellow party members. Realizing that their abilities were—how shall I put this?—abnormally excellent, and not standard for normal rookie C-rank hunters, brought me some relief. The three of them were people who could easily climb to A-rank. That was all. Mm-hm, mm-hm… 

With them at my side, I began to feel that I, too, could climb in rank as a hunter. 

“Burn them to the bone!” 

“Ultra Hot!” 

“Lattice Power, Barrier!!!” 

These guys will let me tag along until we reach A-rank, right? 

They won’t leave me alone on the side of the road somewhere, right? 

Right? Right? Right…? 

*** 

I don’t want to be left alone. I don’t want to cause trouble for the others. I don’t want to fall behind. 

It was with those thoughts in mind that I asked Mile to be my sparring partner and strove to better myself. Selfishly, unreasonably, I petitioned Mile to tell me her family secret and endeavored to attain her arts for myself… I’m sorry, Mile! 

After I labored for weeks—after a long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long period of training—I trembled with joy at having finally mastered this skill, only to see Reina and Pauline mastering new magics like they were nothing, with only a bit of simple direction from Mile. 

What the hell is thaaaaaaaat?! 

Drat it! Draaaaaaaat it!!! 

But, well, I mean, swordfighters and mages are different. 

I can’t do anything about the fact that we have different jobs. It’s just one of those things. 

I know that. But, but… 

No, that’s not iiiiiiiit!!! 

Hff hff hff hff… 

If I could beat those mages at something—anything at all!—it would be a consolation. 

If there were some skill I could contribute as member of this party—as the party leader—without being a burden upon the others! Some kind of useful ability? 

Goddess, please, give me strength! 

And, if you could, make me popular with gentlemen instead of ladies! 

Oh, Goddess, pleeeeeeeeeeease!!! 

I am Mavis von Austien. 

A woeful maiden who has amazing…perhaps slightly too amazing friends.