Episode 6 - Junior Adventurer Promotion Examination II
「I am armed with two clubs and a wooden sword. The handles of the clubs are made of oak wood, and the tips are made of stones and iron scraps. The ghostly monsters that appear in this Catacomb are just "Wraiths," a subspecies of Night Wraiths and Rain Wraiths. If you smear the clubs with pine sap and hit them, you can easily make the magic power that makes up their bodies explode and dissipate」
Kian explained as he took out a container of pine sap and showed it to the two women who had agreed to join his party.
The little girl ― who identified herself as Manon ― dressed in a hood and white mask said, "Oh, yes," or "My, it's handmade! How dexterous you are, Kian-sama", she was just simply surprised.
Kian couldn't sense any tension, or he doubted if she was really motivated.
Even now, holding the clubs she received from Kian with both hands, she staggered, "It's surprisingly heavy. ......!", and was being supported by Christy beside her.
Christy, on the other hand, seemed to have finally become disbelieving.
「I say. It's true that the examinations for promotion to junior adventurers will probably involve only enemies the size of Wraiths, but aren't you too poorly armed? A club and a wooden sword. ...... How did you beat Griffin with that?」
「That's ......It just happened」
Kian put his hand to his head.
「The windmill shack collapsed in a swell way, and that's how I was able to finish off Griffin.」
「Oh, so it's like that. In other words, you just got lucky. That makes sense. Well, I thought it was strange. A weak guy like you couldn't beat Griffin. Manon, now you know get it right? Now that we have confirmation, let's leave.」
「Hah, leave? Leave, you say?」
Kian peeled his eyes.
Christy shrugged her shoulders.
「I mean it as it is, though? We're leaving because I don't feel like taking the test anymore, so please do your best」
「That's absurd.」
『Is she an idiot? How can she have a gut to underestimate you, Kian?』
「Christy. Whatever the case may be, it's not a good idea to throw in the towel here. If we are gone, Kian-sama will be left to conquer the Catacomb by himself.」
Manon turned her dark blue eyes under her mask to the dark-haired female magician.
Christy let out a sigh.
「I'd like to go home now, though....... It's not like I'll get any special allowance, and why should I have to babysit the lowest-level adventurers in such a gloomy place .......」
「Don't say that, let's work hard, shall we? Okay?」
「Eeeh......」
The black-haired girl who looks like she's in trouble and the masked girl who is soothing her.
From what they say and do, it's about time Kian stopped seeing them as adventurers.
(Or rather, these girls.)
Kian gazed at Manon's expensive-looking white mask and Christy's well-kept, shiny black hair.
(Somehow, there is a scent of nobility about them. If they were a nobleman, they wouldn't be serious about becoming an adventurer, and is it possible that they are participating in the adventurer's examinations undercover? If so, it would make sense that Friedrich would be out here in such a place).
Kian thought so and looked toward the skeletal-looking guild leader who was still flying instructions in the corner of the main square.
He had been glancing here since a while ago.
He is definitely concerned about Kian and these girls.
(Are we being forced to go along with the amusement of the bigwigs who live in the fortress?)
Kian sighed inwardly
I knew it,......, even at my age, I still don't understand what the bigwigs are thinking.
The aristocrats of the Kingdom of Franz and other western countries all have this image.
Playful and debaucherous.
They suddenly want to do these 'sneak peeks' and other annoying pranks.
It was impossible considering the Azrair cadres, who maintained a stance of poverty and were faithful to their duties.
『Hmph, is she the daughter of a baron or baroness? Maybe she got tired of practicing her manners before getting married and came out.』
(Does that mean she is the daughter of a baron or a viscount under the control of the Count of Ezerland? Why would she come all the way out to the Frontier Count's lap to blend in with the qualification test for junior adventurers?)
Kian raised his eyebrows.
Frankly, it would be better if I didn't know anything about these girls ― but aside from Christy, the masked Manon sounds like a voice I've heard once before somewhere.
(Maryabelle Danoffern).
Kian looked down at the petite masked girl.
A young lord who rules over the fiefdom of the Counts of the Ezerland Frontier, which includes this East End.
She is too young, or rather, she's too young to be a princess.
That's why he hears that politics is being done by the family order and female magicians in her stead.
(No, I don't think so. No way a feudal lord's princess would come to catacombs like this.)
『In reality, more improbable things often happen than in stories. It would be foolish to dismiss the possibility out of hand.』
(Indeed. If they were daughters of noble families, they would want to show off their abilities here for their future.)
『Aren't they already failed in their appeal?』
Just as Kian was about to reply to the voice of the glasses, the stairs leading down from the ground to the square suddenly became noisy.
He could hear loud voices that seem to belong to guild staff, such as "Please stop!" or "You're causing trouble!" or "This area is off limits to all persons concerned!".
The thirty or so adventurers who were tense in front of the entrance to the dungeon in the Catacombs all turned toward the noisy stairway to the surface.
「Wait, Sir Knight, you're making trouble here!」
「I'm sorry, but it's urgent. Step aside. You, too. I'm sorry. Make away. Get out of my way!」
The voices grew louder and louder, and soon a man in expensive-looking clothes came hurrying down the stairs at the back of the square.
He was a beautiful young man with two-block blond hair all back and shaved.
He pushed aside the guild officials who tried to keep him back and quickly looked at Kian and the other lowly adventurers hanging out in front of the dungeon entrance.
「Hey, Sir Knight!」
「I'm sorry. Forgive me for this.」
With that, the handsome young man with a funky all-back shaved haircut pushed a gold coin from his pocket at the guild official.
「......!」
「Let me talk to Friedrich-shi, the Guild Master.」
The young man said and slipped past the official.
He flipped his leather coat and walked toward Friedrich.
On the cropped side of his head, one could see his ears with their many ornaments.
In particular, his earlobes were shimmering with golden earrings that resembled the shape of the sun.
「Oh, welcome ......Oswalt-sama」
Friedrich greets a beautiful young man with a shaved and pierced face.
The blonde intruder, called Oswalt, approaches the skeletal Guild Leader and pulls his face in close, almost biting him.
He then began to whisper something to him.
In contrast to the calm Friedrich, the young man Oswalt seemed quite agitated.
He gestured with both hands as if strongly insisting on something and shook his sun earrings violently. Friedrich only shook his head gently.
「Now, everyone, please get into position!」
As the adventurers turned their frustrated gazes toward the Guild Master, Irina, the head receptionist, raised her loud voice to bring them back to consciousness.
「The test will begin shortly! Please gather in front of your assigned dungeon entrance and get ready! Prepare yourselves!」
The adventurers were all making noise and becoming excited.
The masked girl―Manon―huddled beside Kian and said in a small voice.
「Kian-sama, Christy. It looks like it's about to start. Let's pack up front.」
She said so, pulling her hood forward and curling her body as she walked forward.
Just as Christy was about to follow her, a young man with shaved blond hair, who was having some kind of trouble with the Guild Master, turned his attention here.
「Christina!」
His voice was crisp and clear.
The young man with the all-back hair, shaking his sun earrings, moved away from Friedrich as if he had no more use for him.
He comes quickly toward her, his eyes twisted.
「You must be Christina, what are you doing here!? I hope I'm wrong, but――」
「Oswalt ......」
The dark-haired magician girl tediously lowers her eyebrows.
She let out a sigh.
「Don't make too much noise. I don't want any trouble.」
「You're the one causing trouble!」
The blonde-haired young man bared his white teeth and stormed toward Christy.
Behind him came Friedrich with a sour look.
Oswalt spots Christy and Manon, who are casually trying to hide in Kian's shadow, and clicks his tongue.
「We're going home, both of you.」
「That's a nice suggestion. I, too, wanted to get out of this gloomy place as soon as possible.」
Christy said, raising her hand with the examination slip and giving a small cowering look.
Oswalt raised an eyebrow as he saw the examination slip glowing orange in her hand.
He then also spotted the examination slip in Manon's hand.
「Did you even make an entry?」
「I was forced to approve it. Oswalt-sama.」
Friedrich added from behind in a discouraged tone.
The guild master looked at Kian and tightened his lips.
「You are out of luck, Kian-kun. It looks like those two are going to retire here.」
「...... What do you mean?」
「Commoners like you don't need to know.」
Christy said simply.
Manon next to her raised a voice to chide her, "Christy," but faster than that, the blonde-haired young man stepped forward and slapped the dark-haired witch on the cheek.
「Wha......」
Christy holds her cheek.
With a stunned look on her face, she turned her gaze back to Oswalt ― tears slowly welling up in his eyes.
「You look like you're trying to tell me it's not my fault.」
Oswalt said quietly.
However, despite his tone of voice, each of his words was infused with anger.
「Because of your selfish behavior, this man here is going to suffer a great deal. He worked hard to get through the first round of exams, and now he's going to fail the second round because of your unintelligible whims. Do you understand? You are now ruining an important moment in his life.」
「What's this for one mere commoner? There's no need to hit ......」
Ignoring her mumbling, Oswalt turned to Kian.
His yellow eyes flashed strangely.
Kian was also staring squarely at Oswalt.
(He's incredibly handsome. ......)
He is about the same height as Kian.
His physique is similar to Kian's, who has recently gained muscle mass.
He has a clean-shaven smooth chin and red lips.
Kian felt something like a magical charm from him.
「Um, Oswalt. Christy is not to blame.」
As Kian gazed at Oswalt, Manon began to speak from the side.
「It's because of my selfishness ....... She only obeyed. Please don't scold her.」
「It is Christy's job to stop you, isn't it? Friedrich, what about the adventurers over here?」
「It's right before the start already, and I'll have him dive in alone.」
Friedrich said nonchalantly, but Manon shook her head.
「No, we will stay together until the end. We will not do anything irresponsible like stopping halfway and pulling out.」
「Do you know what you are talking about?」
Manon's dark blue eyes flashed once at Oswalt's words.
「Yes, I do. Oswalt, if you are worried, you should come too. It's fine if you just follow behind and keep an eye on things, right? We will take care of the monster, so it should be fine for the test.」
「You can't fight!」
「My, I'm good with magic.」
「I don't want you to fight!」
「Then, if it comes to that, you will step forward. At that time, it didn't matter if we will be disqualified.」
「Friedrich?」
Young Oswalt looked back at the Guild Master.
Friedrich raised his eyebrows.
The skeletal Guild Master was now under the gaze of all the adventurers who were tense before the start.
「.......I understand. Well then ...... only the Orange Team will be four people, and if Oswalt-sama interferes, they will be disqualified. ......Staff, follow behind them. Keep a close watch on them to make sure nothing goes wrong.」
「Excuse me, Guild Master? The signal to start is.....?」
Over there, Irina, the head receptionist, was making a troubled face with her whistle.
Friedrich raised his hand.
「We are behind schedule. Signal the start immediately. Are the staffs ready yet? Stay with the Orange team, all three of you behind them.」
「Thank you for waiting. Let's start!」
Over there, Irina blew her whistle loudly.
The adventurers glanced at Kian, but at the signal to start, they all dived into the labyrinth at once.
Kian looked at Friedrich.
「Um, can we leave now?」
「No problem. Hurry up and go.」
「Christy, you protect her. I'll cover the sides. Sorry about that, staff. You must be very careful because there mustn't be any surprise attacks from behind(?)」
It's like a noble's procession or something.
In fact, they may be high-ranking nobles, but from Kian's point of view, who had only come to take the lowly adventurer's exam, the situation was progressing completely out of his control.
『Hmmm, didn't I say that being with you gives the opportunity for great adventures? You can't help but get a little caught up in it somewhat』
(Whatever the case may be, what I do will not change: to be diligent, to be on my toes, and to complete the tasks of the examinations.)
Kian replied and turned to Manon and Christy.
「I'll go first. You guys follow behind me.」
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Tftc
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