Episode 7
“We’re thinking of starting to take on requests soon.”
“Huh?”
“What kind of requests?”
“The Adventurer’s Guild gives rewards for completing requests.”
“Oh… I get that, but are we really doing that?”
“We need funds too, you know. Seems like the Hero doesn’t think much, huh? ♡”
“Aren’t you getting support from the Empire as a Hero?”
The Saint shook her head.
“We haven’t made any achievements yet, so we didn’t get anything at the last Regular Reporting Meeting. Of course, I received the initial support funds, but it won’t last us two months.”
“Ah, is that so?”
Guess nothing in this world is free. You need achievements to get funding.
Like how Levius received a million gold as a reward, it seems you get funds based on your accomplishments.
As I was thinking that, the Saint smirked at me.
“Don’t tell me you were planning to use me to make money?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Like selling me off to a brothel to rake in a fortune~. Ahh♡ What will become of me♡ I can’t refuse the orders of a trashy Hero like you~.”
…Crazy woman.
The Saint dropped her smug smile and got serious.
“Since the Hero’s skills are still a bit lacking, let’s start with simple requests♡ We’ll improve our skills, defeat monsters, and earn money along the way.”
“…Sure.”
If she doesn’t bully someone for a day, thorns grow in her mouth. – By Estelle.
I’ll carve that on her tombstone when she dies.
“Shall we go register as adventurers? The pathetic Hero is about to become a rookie adventurer♡”
The Saint led me to the nearest village. It was definitely bigger than the village I lived in, though not quite a city.
As we walked through the village streets, people turned their heads whenever she passed by.
She was pretty, and when she stayed quiet, she looked like a devout priestess. It must’ve been unusual for a priestess to visit such a village.
“Hero.”
“…Ah, sorry.”
When did she get so far ahead?
“You really… get lost the moment I take my eyes off you.”
“Haha….”
How did she know? Ever since I was a kid, I’d always get lost in big malls or department stores.
“I guess I’ll have to take care of you♥ Would you like to call me mommy, you mama’s boy Hero~?”
“…No thanks.”
“Hehe.”
The Saint laughed and continued walking. She stopped in front of a particularly large building in the village.
“This is the Adventurer’s Guild.”
“That must be the sign.”
There was a sign in front of the building with a crossed sword and shield. The Saint nodded.
“That’s the symbol of the Adventurer’s Guild. Don’t forget it, you dummy♡”
“…Got it.”
When we opened the door and entered, some rough-looking guys stared at us. Oh my.
‘Why do they all look like that?’
Of course, there were some who didn’t, and there were female adventurers too, but strong impressions tend to overshadow the rest.
Some scary-looking adventurers glanced at me, then turned their attention to the Saint. They whistled.
“Wow.”
“Hey, this lady’s got it going on. Look at her.”
“Is she a nun? Or a priestess? Wanna join our party?”
Despite their obvious intentions, the Saint didn’t bat an eye. She just smiled and walked to the counter.
Following her, we were greeted by the guild receptionist.
“Welcome! Is this your first time at the Adventurer’s Guild?”
“Yes, we’re here to register as adventurers.”
When the Saint answered in her soft voice, the receptionist looked surprised. Honestly, so was I. Her voice was ridiculously pretty.
‘She can sound like that too?’
Then why the hell does she talk to me like that, you crazy woman.
“Are both of you registering?”
“Yes, please.”
“Understood. Please fill out this form with your names and some basic information.”
The receptionist handed us quills and paper. Ah, the symbol of the medieval era, the quill. I looked at the paper and doubted my eyes.
“?”
I couldn’t understand what was written. Wait, I can understand the language just fine.
‘Don’t tell me.’
Now that I think about it, literacy rates were pretty low in medieval times. And this body is just a commoner…?
Damn, I can’t even read. The Saint’s gonna rip me a new one for being an idiot.
“Hero, are you done?”
The Saint asked in her sweet, unfamiliar voice. I had no choice but to answer honestly.
“…I can’t read it.”
The Saint’s eyes widened slightly, then curved into a crescent moon.
“It’s okay, that happens. I’ll write it for you, just tell me what to put.”
Look at her being all nice in front of others. I wish she’d talk to me like that all the time.
The Saint wrote down what I told her. Age is probably seventeen based on what my monkey friend said, and as for where I live…
‘What’s the name of the village I lived in?’
While I was pondering, the Saint naturally filled in the village name. How did she know? Oh right, she came to our village too. Makes sense.
The Saint finished filling out my form and handed it to the receptionist.
“Abel and Estelle, right? Got it.”
They didn’t even flinch at seeing the Saint and the Hero. I thought it was strange, but then I realized I hadn’t been a Hero for long.
Guess no one knows I’m the Hero yet?
“Since you’re both new, you’ll start at F-rank. Check the bulletin board for requests matching your rank and follow the procedures…”
“Can we take the promotion exam right away?”
“Ah, of course… wait, what?”
When the Saint asked in her soft voice, the receptionist almost answered naturally. But then she hesitated.
“Promotion exams require proven achievements.”
“But if we have the skills, shouldn’t that be enough?”
“That’s true, but you two don’t have any proven records yet.”
“Then isn’t it just a matter of proving it? From what I know, you can get promoted just by proving your skills, even without taking on requests.”
When the Saint asked, the receptionist looked at her with a “What’s this?” expression.
But is there really a need to get promoted from F-rank?
The receptionist whispered softly to the Saint.
“Saintess.”
“Yes?”
“Is there really a reason to insist on getting promoted?”
“Hmm, do you want to just catch rats in the sewers, Hero?”
“Huh?”
“That’s all an F-rank adventurer can do. You need to raise your rank a bit to take on requests that will help a mediocre Hero like you grow♡”
Oh ho. So you had it all planned out, huh?
“Then you’re requesting a certification test?”
“Yes.”
“Understood. Please head up to the second floor, both of you.”
“Thank you, you’re very kind.”
When the Saint smiled warmly, the receptionist gasped. They say beauty is a woman’s weapon… seems like it works on other women too.
Following the Saint to the second floor, another receptionist greeted them.
“Welcome. Estelle, Abel. We’ll take you to the certification test room right away.”
“Okay.”
Guided by the receptionist, they entered a room with a large crystal.
The first thought that came to mind was, “That looks like a StX Pylon.”
A blue crystal, reminiscent of a Pylon, floated in the room.
“This is a high-purity magic crystal. The certification test is based on how much damage you can inflict on this crystal.”
Damage is the criteria? So, essentially, you have to break it. But the crystal in front of me didn’t look like it could be broken easily.
“It looks pretty intact.”
“Well, it’s been chipped quite a bit already.”
So, no one has managed to break it yet?
“Let’s proceed. Who would like to go first?”
“I’ll go first, Hero.”
“Go ahead.”
The Saint stepped forward. She extended her palm.
**Holy Arrow**
A bright white arrow formed and struck the magic crystal. A large chunk of the crystal broke off.
“…Wow.”
That’s a pretty big chunk, isn’t it?
My guess was somewhat correct, as the receptionist overseeing the test looked surprised.
“Excuse me, if it’s not too much trouble, may I ask what you do?”
Instead of answering, the Saint just smiled. Sorry, receptionist. She doesn’t feel like telling you.
“How’s the verdict?”
“…Ah, yes. Let me weigh the broken piece first.”
The receptionist struggled to lift the crystal. Is it that heavy?
“Should I help?”
“Oh, that would be great.”
Let’s see. I grabbed the crystal with both hands and lifted it.
Wow, damn. It’s freaking heavy.
But I didn’t want to show the receptionist a Hero struggling, so I pretended it was fine and placed it on the scale.
The receptionist was surprised once again.
“…This is enough for an S-rank rating. However, S-rank adventurers require achievements…”
“It’s fine. A-rank is enough.”
“Understood! Estelle, you are now registered as an A-rank adventurer!”
Now it’s my turn. When I drew the Holy Sword, the receptionist looked at me with curiosity.
“Using such a large greatsword, you must be incredibly strong.”
“…Yes.”
Actually, it’s super light. But I couldn’t say that.
I stood straight, holding the Holy Sword. Just swing it, right?
I raised the Holy Sword high and swung it down with all my might. With a clang, the sword struck the crystal, and I couldn’t help but be surprised.
“…?”
What, is it stuck?
The crystal didn’t even crack, let alone break. The receptionist looked flustered, and the Saint started giggling.
“Can I try again?”
“Yes, yes… go ahead.”
This time, I’ll do it properly. I summoned all my strength and swung the Holy Sword down.
*Clang*
A tiny fragment fell off the crystal. It was smaller than my pinky finger. Compared to the chunk the Saint broke off, it was pitiful.
“……”
“Pfft, pfft♡ Still a rookie♡”
Damn it, stop laughing.
“Ah… well, Abel, you’re definitely not F or E-rank! E and F-rank adventurers can’t even scratch the crystal. I’ll promote you to D-rank!”
So, I became a D-rank adventurer, utterly defeated.
“Damn it.”
“Oh my, Hero. Heroes shouldn’t use such bad language♡”
Says the Saint who curses like a sailor.
“By the way, only managing to break that much of the crystal… you’re trash♡ A rookie♡ Worse than a bug♡”
“……”
Can I just smack this b*tch once, Solaria Goddess?
Huh? You’re allowing it? Thank you. I’ll deliver the judgment of justice right now…
‘…But if I hit her, won’t I be the one who ends up dead?’
According to the certification test results, the Saint is at least on par with an S-rank adventurer. I’m just a D-rank. It’s obvious what would happen if I tried anything.
“It’s okay, Hero. We’ve achieved our goal.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I’m now an A-rank adventurer, right? That means I can freely choose requests that match your level.”
“Ah, I see.”
That makes sense. We’ll just stick together anyway.
So, what are we doing, b*tch?
“Let’s start with this request. It seems just right for your level♡”
The request she picked read:
[Please eliminate the pack of forest wolves causing damage to the ranch! Required adventurer rank: D]
