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Chapter 44 : New Mercenary Exam

Five years have passed since the day I met Chain in the Delusion Forest and when Elia’s adolescence was healed.

Already, five years have passed.

And during this time, there hasn’t been much to call a special event.

If I had to mention one thing, it would be the small change that occurred in the city called Rahman, which is known as the entrance to the underworld.

When Elia was eight years old, the clashes between the underworld organizations that happened constantly used to occur every three days after Elia turned fifteen.

But after five years, the clashes between the underworld organizations that used to happen in various cities completely disappeared, and all the organizations that had scattered across the cities were seen returning to Rahman.

Though the exact truth isn’t clear, it seems reasonable to think that Chain had successfully completed the Worst and had begun to control the underworld.

Most of the people who knew about the underworld situation speculated the same way.

However, even after completing the Worst, Chain hasn’t shown any significant movements yet.

I heard that he sometimes causes a ruckus in a few cities, but it’s only to that extent.

He hasn’t caused any major incidents yet.

“I think he’ll probably cause some trouble soon…”

Of course, considering that the original timeline in the game is approaching, I was preparing, thinking that the Worst would cause trouble soon.

Well, my preparations mostly consisted of training every day without skipping a single session, practicing combat to keep my sword from rusting, but still, I was preparing.

However, unlike usual, today, I was not training, but waiting at the mansion’s front gate to meet Elia.

Why? Because today is the day Elia, turning 20, is going to take the mercenary guild’s exam.

“Good luck today, my daughter! Your mom and dad will come to watch later!”

“Well, Mom… I don’t think it’s necessary for you to come. There’s nothing hard about the mercenary exam, right?”

“Still, I want to see our daughter take the exam! It’s her first day becoming a mercenary!”

Sigh “Okay… but could you at least wear a robe?”

With a voice full of excitement, Ruina, showing a bit more of her womanly side, spoke, while Elia, who was slowly starting to look like a woman, sighed and responded.

Now that she was twenty, her appearance was no longer just that of a girl but that of a woman in certain ways.

Of course, to me and Ruina, she still looked like a child.

Elia, wearing the armor I had ordered from the kingdom’s best craftsman as a birthday present last year, with a beloved small sword at her waist, looked great in her outfit.

She wore a black lightweight metal armor with careful patterns over a luxurious-looking red leather, which was the perfect fit for Elia.

Although Elia was burdened by the expensive first armor, it was customary to have the best armor for a first set.

After all, when someone is still not used to real combat, the only things that can protect them are their skill and armor.

Then, I spoke to Elia, who was receiving Ruina’s excited words with a troubled look

“Don’t worry too much; I’ll wear the robe properly. But have you prepared for the exam?”

“Honestly, I’ve prepared so well that it’s almost a problem… With my current skills, I can easily beat any gold-plate mercenaries who are acting as examiners. I hate to brag, but… I’d probably win even if I fought without any weapons, but now I’m going with armor and a sword… There’s no way I can lose.”

While other new applicants might be nervous about the mercenary exam, Elia looked indifferent.

This was only natural, considering how strong her past opponents had been.

At fourteen, Elia had already showcased her prowess by defeating the Shardena Knights, so now, after five years of growth, a mercenary exam would not be enough to satisfy her.

“Of course, I also set up something with Martin for this.”

But, knowing that Elia would react this way, I had secretly arranged a new exam just for her, in consultation with Martin.

A special mercenary exam for Elia, known only to me, Ruina, and Martin.

I chuckled as I imagined Elia’s surprised face when she saw it, then turned back to her, who had returned to her neutral expression.

“Alright, go ahead, Elia. Ruina and I will follow shortly.”

“Okay, I’ll go ahead. I’ll see you at the exam site!”

Since Elia was the one taking the exam, she waved and left for the mercenary guild first.

Then, I turned to Ruina, who was standing next to me, and spoke.

“Shall we buy something simple for Elia to eat and head out?”

“Sure, let’s do that. Kael.”

Since we would probably be hungry after the exam, it seemed like a good idea to grab something to eat.

So, I decided to stop by the market for a moment, and together with Ruina, we returned inside the mansion.

With eager steps, filled with anticipation for Elia’s exam.

The regular mercenary exam held once a week by the mercenary guild.

It was a test for those confident in their fighting abilities, those who had been trained in combat but didn’t have the talent to become knights, or newcomers without connections, all hoping to become mercenaries.

And at the mercenary guild in the capital of the Shardena Kingdom, many new applicants gathered for the exam each week, just as you would expect from a kingdom’s capital.

About ten years ago, the average number of applicants was around seven or eight per exam, but recently, that number had risen to an average of twenty.

This was the result of the peace following the end of the Inma War, after quite some time had passed.

Buzzing-

Naturally, with the increase in the number of applicants, the number of mercenaries watching the exam also grew.

More new applicants meant a higher chance of spotting an unpolished gem among them.

Although, of the twenty applicants, there were some repeat candidates, and since repeat applicants usually passed after two or three tries, the overlap wasn’t significant.

Besides, repeat applicants didn’t all take the exam again the very next week.

However, today, the number of spectators at the mercenary exam was higher than usual.

If you asked how much higher, it was to the point where, before the exam even started, there were already about fifteen mercenaries sitting in the stands.

Normally, only three or four mercenaries would sit beforehand, so this was several times more than usual.

And the reason for this was simple.

“Didn’t they say that the famous one is coming today?”

“What was his name again? Ah… Allen? Is that right?”

“Maybe you’re right. Wasn’t he quite famous in the South? I heard rumors that he already knows how to wield sword aura.”

“Sword aura at twenty? Ha! That’s utter nonsense.”

There was a widespread rumor that today’s mercenary exam would not bring in unrefined raw gems, but rather, already polished ones.

It was a case where someone had already fought multiple monsters in the South, and their achievements had spread through the mouths of southern mercenaries, making them famous.

If it were a false rumor, it would have been exposed long ago, but the name of the young warrior from the South, Allen, had been repeated so often that it had even reached the Kingdom of Shardena.

They said he had already slain over a hundred monsters, that he could wield sword aura at the age of twenty, and that his skills were already at the level of a gold-rank mercenary.

Rumors about Allen were so numerous—whether true or not—that he naturally drew more and more attention.

That was why so many mercenaries had gathered for this exam.

To verify whether the rumors were true or not.

And if the rumors were true, to be the first to build a connection with him.

As a result, the mercenary guild in the Kingdom of Shardena was more crowded than usual today.

Among the bustling mercenaries, the subject of the rumors—Allen—ran his hand through his platinum-blond hair and let out a small sigh.

“Damn it… Those southern mercenaries spread useless rumors.”

In the corner of the guild, away from prying eyes, Allen grumbled as he sat on an old wooden chair.

Two people sitting beside him—one man and one woman—spoke up in response.

“But isn’t this a good thing? It’s your first time at the royal capital’s mercenary guild, and you’re already getting so much attention. If you want, you might even be able to pick a decent party here.”

“I agree with Charles. The royal capital’s mercenary guild doesn’t know you yet, so this is actually an opportunity, Allen.”

The two beside Allen were his comrades from the South—Charles and Hans.

Unlike Allen, who wielded a sword, Charles was a woman who used a massive polearm, while Hans was a man with a powerful longbow.

They patted Allen on the back, saying that this overwhelming attention was actually a good thing.

And Allen couldn’t help but somewhat agree.

“Well… It’s true that coming to the kingdom was a bold move, but I don’t have any connections here. If I think about it differently, this could be an… opportunity.”

It was a fact—he had no connections in the kingdom.

In the South, he had built a network among mercenaries while hunting monsters, but in the kingdom, he had left all of that behind.

In that sense, this overwhelming attention could also be seen as an opportunity to build new connections.

If he could meet their expectations in this mercenary exam and show results, he would gain many valuable contacts.

And since it was all true—that he had slain over a hundred monsters, that he could wield sword aura, and that his skills were at a gold-rank mercenary’s level—there was no need to worry about failing to impress.

Thinking this way made him feel a bit better, and Allen nodded before standing up.

“Alright. Let’s start preparing for the exam. It looks like it’ll begin soon.”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

“There’s no harm in being ready early.”

Charles and Hans nodded in agreement.

With them by his side, Allen stepped forward, moving through the gazes he had been avoiding.

“…Huh?”

At that moment, Allen saw something.

Clank—

The guild door swung open, and a woman walked in.

She had an expressionless face and wore armor that looked undeniably expensive.

However, the pristine, untouched surface of the armor suggested that she, like him, was a newcomer taking the mercenary exam.

But despite being a clear novice, Allen couldn’t shake off the strange feeling he got from her.

This feeling was just like…

“Stella?”

He had only seen it once before.

The presence of a platinum-rank mercenary he had encountered just once in the South.

And this feeling was eerily identical to that moment.

Before he knew it, Allen muttered under his breath.

“What the hell is that monster?”

A single instinctive whisper that captured his thoughts.