Volume 2 Chapter 7 Lower-Rank Adventurer Promotion Exam III
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
While returning the club to his waist, Kian walked over to Christy.
The black-haired magician turned her gaze towards Kian and said, “Ah.”
”I thought you were frozen in fear since you were just standing there dazed. It’s a relief to see you didn’t end up as minced meat.”
”Sir Kian, are you injured?”
Manon looked at him with her dark blue eyes from beneath her mask.
Though her expression was hidden, her movements and tone of voice showed that she was genuinely worried.
It seemed she had assumed Kian would be crushed by the Shield Cane.
”Thanks to Ms. Christy, we survived. It’s good that none of the 3 of us dropped out.”
”Hmph.”
”It’s true. It was an enjoyable adventure! It was a bit scary, though; I want to experience it again.”
”There won’t be a next time, Your Excellency Maribel.”
From behind, a young man with golden hair and a shaved side──Oswald approached with a clatter.
Though he was speaking to Manon, his golden eyes were fixed on Kian.
”If you want to see a monster and knight fighting, please use the arena inside the castle. If you keep going out to the dungeon, the guarding knights will collapse from stress.”
(Maribel──so this girl Manon is actually Margrave Izerland herself.)
Kian gazed at the masked girl, thinking to himself.
The impossible thing that ‘glasses’ had mentioned had happened.
To think that a noble lady from this territory would secretly participate in a lower-rank adventurer’s qualification exam…
Did her retainers not stop her from doing this?
”Could it be that a Low-rank adventurer──”
”Wait. If I remember correctly, we need to bring back something called the ‘proof of subjugation’, right?”
”Yes, it’s a part of the monster’s body. Most often, it’s the head.”
Kian looked at the Shield-Cain, which was sinking in a sea of blood.
The monster was still twitching its hind legs.
Visually, it resembled an enlarged mantis creature.
”I’ll take care of it. I can’t let the skin of 2 ladies get stained with blood.”
”I’ll help too.”
For some reason, Oswald proposed this.
He swiftly came to Kian’s side before he could say anything.
And then he stared at them again from a very close distance.
”What’s the matter? Aren’t you going to take the head?”
”No. Could you pull the armor off its right arm outward? I’m going to insert a knife into its neck.”
”Armor?”
Oswald asked in a teasing manner.
”I mean, this giant has no armor left, right?”
”Because I smashed it to bits with a rock spear!”
”Hahaha…”
Oswald patted Kian’s shoulder, who was forcing a smile at Christy.
He whispered low into his ear.
”Still, that was impressive swordsmanship. Or should I say, club handling? Hehe. If you don’t mind, could you tell me how you pierced through that thing’s armor?”
”Eh…”
”You just need to pull my arm, right? …Here, now’s your chance, take the head.”
”Ah… Thank you.”
”No need for thanks.”
As Kian was about to sever the head, he was once again stared at from an alarmingly close distance.
His golden eyes seemed to waver strangely.
The sun-shaped earring in his ear made a soft jingle.
”And, you don’t need to use honorifics with me. And no more laughing like that.”
”Um…”
While cutting off the Shield Cain’s head, Kian responded vaguely. Oswald, after briefly glancing at the two women who were getting more excited over there, turned his intense gaze back to Kian, once again staring at him from close range.
”Are you lacking in confidence? Or do you have no desires? Which is it?”
”I don’t really understand the intent behind your question, but… I don’t think I’m particularly confident.”
”…That’s not right. You’re probably quite confident. You take pride in your abilities. You deeply love your swordsmanship, trust it strongly, and believe that if you wanted to, you could defeat anyone. Am I wrong? That smile of yours isn’t from humility; it’s from cowardice.”
”……”
Kian tilted his head slightly and offered a forced smile to the blonde knight who was whispering things he didn’t quite understand.
Oswald continued quietly.
”Cowardice comes from ignorance. You should know more about other people. For instance, someone like Christina, who is so arrogant over there… In the earlier battle, who do you think achieved more glory, you or Christina? Well, I suppose it’s obvious.”
”────”
The sun earring in his ear jingled again.
Kian finally looked directly at the handsome blonde with a buzz cut.
He relaxed his stern mouth slightly.
”You’re wearing some interesting earrings, huh? They resemble ‘crescent moons’.”
”I found this… at the ‘Labyrinth of Roses’.”
”Oh… I heard that a vampire was defeated about 3 weeks ago at the ‘Labyrinth of Roses’──was that you?”
”No, I delivered the final blow, but it was Aliona who stripped it of its combat abilities.”
”…Kian. I’m becoming quite interested in you.”
Oswald whispered this, a smile creeping across his well-defined face.
The way his eyes narrowed and his mouth spread gave him the appearance of a large serpent in one swift motion.
In the scripture, the serpent that made man eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge…
”Use my leather pouch. The return trip goes uphill. Even if I carry the monster’s head, Friedrich won’t complain.”
”Thank you.”
”No need for thanks. I want to express my gratitude as well. You showed me something wonderful.”
Oswald said this as he released his grip from the monster’s corpse and took out a folded leather pouch from his waist.
Kian dropped the grotesque head of Shield Cain into the pouch and distanced himself from the strange blond youth.
”Do you think I’m a weird person?”
”Well…”
”Ha ha ha! You’re an honest one!”
At Oswald’s loud laughter, Manon and Christy turned to look at them.
”Were you having an amusing conversation?”
”No, Your Excellency. It was just small talk.”
The handsome young man with the blond hair laughed cheerfully and returned to Manon without glancing back at Kian.
His silhouette, from the appearance alone, seemed like a capable knight faithfully serving a noble.
’He seems like an interesting fellow.’
(Indeed… It feels strange. It’s the first time I’ve encountered someone whose allegiance is unclear… whether they are friend or foe.)
As Kian stood frozen beside the monster’s corpse, Manon turned and asked him that question. Kian shook his head and replied, “Shall we go? The exam isn’t over until we return to the top.”
And so, the four of them rejoined the three Guild staff members who had been watching from behind and began retracing their steps down the path they had originally come from in the Dungeon.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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