Chapter 125: The Stomachache Margrave’s Opening Ceremony 4
*
It happened yesterday.
It was when the three of us—me, Erika, and Elza—were having dinner at a diner popular with adventurers.
“By the way, Senior Disciple, what Rank are you?”
Elza asked this after finishing her meat, vegetable, and bean stew.
The meat’s fat had melted into the soup, and the beans and vegetables that soaked up its flavor were exquisite.
I had just cleared up the misunderstandings Erika held about the Longdagger Family, so I was completely off guard.
Incidentally, whenever the Maiden of Light or the Prince came up, Erika’s expression would darken, so I intentionally ignored those topics.
At Elza’s words, Erika and I instinctively looked at each other.
Come to think of it.
Erika licked a bit of grease from her lips.
“I had completely forgotten, but you’re still Rank 1, aren’t you?”
Elza slowly looked between my face and Erika’s, tilting her head.
“Were you slacking off, Senior Disciple?”
“I don’t think I was slacking off.”
Even excluding the Golden Ogre, there was the subjugation of a Designated Subjugation Target and the completion of a designated request from the Church.
I counted them off out loud.
“Hmm, thinking about it, it wouldn’t be strange if my Rank had gone up.”
In fact, I’d worked enough as an adventurer that it felt like it should have gone up.
I had Erika become an adventurer because it was supposedly the easiest profession to get into, but no matter how you looked at it, this wasn’t the workload of an adventurer who joined for such a reason.
Her active period has been short, so it’s not certain, but in Faltar, it wouldn’t be surprising if she were at least Rank 3 or 4.
I wonder why, I thought, tilting my head. Just then, Elza abruptly stood up.
“Wait.”
“Please wait.”
I reflexively grabbed Elza’s hand.
For some reason, Erika grabbed her other hand too.
Since it was a round table, we formed a strange triangle with Elza at the apex.
“What are you planning to do?”
“What do you intend to do?”
Even as we asked, our voices came out convinced it would be something troublesome.
Wait, why was Erika sounding like that too?
My question must have shown in my eyes, as Erika responded.
“Because we crossed swords once.”
Wow, she just casually said a line I’ve always wanted to say.
“I’m just going to ask the Guild.”
“Stop it.”
“Please stop.”
I doubted she’d actually “skewer” a Guild staff member, but it would undoubtedly lead to nothing but trouble.
Sit down, it’ll just cause problems—I was about to open my mouth when I sensed Erika was about to say the same thing, so I closed it.
I yielded the floor with a glance.
Erika nodded with a look that said, Understood.
“Elza-san, it is true that we set the goal of raising our Adventurer Rank.”
However.
“Neither Shin nor I intend to demand it. Grasping it with one’s own hands is the honor of an adventurer, wouldn’t you agree? If they say they won’t acknowledge us, then we simply need to make them acknowledge us. That is all there is to it. I quite like that freedom, you know?”
Therefore, please sit down, Elza-san.
Saying so, Erika released her hand.
Crap, my wife (temporary) is too cool.
I felt ashamed for only thinking, Just keep quiet, it’ll cause trouble.
As Elza and I stared with faces that seemed to say, Wow, Erika-san is so cool, Erika gave a fearless smile.
“However, it is also true that it is suspicious. Questioning one’s own worth oneself should not deviate from the ways of an adventurer.”
Let us head to the Guild first thing tomorrow.
I could only nod at her words.
*
And so, here we were. “Stop! Let go!” I wouldn’t let the struggling Lana escape.
I thought I’d gather stares from inside the Guild again, but strangely, almost no one was looking our way.
The Guild staff, in particular, were unnaturally avoiding looking over here.
Lana, you pitiful thing.
“I just have something I want to ask about Adventurer Ranks, so please stop trying to run away.”
“Lies! Definitely lies!” Lana yelled, just as an exasperated voice called out from behind.
“What are you doing, Shin-san?”
It was Shara, wearing the face of someone who just witnessed an acquaintance committing a crime.
What’s with that look? I haven’t done anything shady.
“I just have something I want to ask.”
“Lies! You’re definitely going to make some unreasonable demand like raising your Rank to 7 as a special exception! Damn it! Guild Master, come out! Where did that Baldo Barrel go!”
I sighed as Lana inadvertently taught me the physical characteristics of Hecate’s as-yet-unseen Adventurers Guild Master.
“I really just want to ask. I know I’ve caused you trouble, but I’ve never lied to you, have I?”
“That’s what he says, so how about hearing him out for now?”
Shara offered help with a wry smile.
As expected of someone who was originally a Sister of the Healer Faction, whose main activity was healing the weak with Healing Magic. Though now she’s been kicked out of her faction and belongs to the Monster Subjugation Faction.
That trouble is what’s so hard!
Lana stopped trying to escape while saying that. Also, what’s with you nodding deeply in agreement, Shara?
Since her Magicka flickered towards the back, it didn’t seem like Lana had completely given up on escaping, though.
But at least she seemed willing to listen.
“Why haven’t our Adventurer Ranks gone up?”
I don’t like beating around the bush, so I asked directly.
“Why haven’t they gone up? Is that it?”
For some reason, Lana tilted her head.
She looked as if she didn’t understand what I was asking.
Hmm, did I ask something strange?
Wondering about Lana’s reaction, I continued.
“It feels weird saying it myself, but I think we’ve worked quite a bit. Subjugating a Designated Subjugation Target, completing a designated request from the Church. Speaking just for myself, I subjugated a Blackened Dragon, and Erika, for her part, acted on designated requests from the Margrave and the Church.”
I almost tilted my head at Lana, who looked like she was thinking, I know that, but…
“Ah, uhh? Well, shouldn’t our Adventurer Ranks have gone up by now? That’s what I think?”
As I spoke, seeing the question marks continue to multiply on Lana’s face, the end of my sentence unintentionally turned into a question.
An awkward silence fell between me and Lana, who kept tilting her head.
Suddenly, as if something occurred to her, Lana asked timidly.
This might be a long shot, but…
“Longdagger-sama, is it possible you don’t know?”
Know what?
Before the question forming on my face could leave my lips, she gave the answer.
“About the Rank Promotion Exam.”
Eh? What’s that?