Book 2 Chapter 21

Episode 45

Friday afternoon.

As soon as the student council activities concluded, I changed into my going-out clothes. It wasn't a school uniform, nor was it a family robe, but a commoner's activity suit.

April 24th is Victory Day, the date when the gods drove out the abyss and the Tertia calendar began. It's a worldwide holiday, and <Delaiten> gave the cadets a full week off.

That's why it's called Golden Week.

So, the time I have now is a little over ten days, combining two weekends and next week. It should be enough time to visit the black market.

I left the dormitory and walked along the now familiar streets until I arrived at the Adventurer's Guild.

The bulletin board for requests was bustling with many adventurers, as holidays seemed to hold little meaning for them.

"Bandit subjugation, the reward is quite high?"

"Hey, we called dibs on that first!"

"Goblins in the sewers… I don't want to do this. It smells."

"If you're a beginner, don't be picky about requests."

Rain walked past such a bulletin board immediately and headed straight for the reception desk. The request I wanted wasn't posted on such a board.

"How may I help you?"

When it was my turn, the guild receptionist asked with a professional smile.

"I'd like to take a long-distance escort mission. Preferably heading towards <Redacavle>."

A curious glint appeared in the receptionist's eyes. Her smile vanished, and her voice became serious.

"May I check your identification tag?"

That's when I got a feeling.

So that's it…

It meant that Doran Slade, the special task force chief, hadn't lied.

"Here. It's bronze."

"Bronze… confirmed."

The Alliance (Adventurer's Guild) naturally brokers illegal jobs like black market escorts. This is because there is a definite demand.

However, to formally avoid the eyes of the Empire's investigators (as seen in Doran's case, they also know and turn a blind eye), they do not publicly arrange such requests.

They only connect adventurers with such clients from the bronze rank, who have firmly accumulated social contribution and experience as adventurers.

The receptionist, who had returned the identification tag, frowned as she spread out several scrolls.

"You're a little late. Most of the request periods ended yesterday."

"There's absolutely nothing left?"

"There is just one left. This one is until this evening. However, they're not immediately giving the request; they want to conduct their own skill test before hiring."

So, they only want to pick and take reliable individuals… Not bad. There's no harm in temporary allies being thorough.

"That sounds good. Please tell me the location."

The client said they had a carriage waiting for the adventurers. I was told to go early since it would depart in the afternoon, and then I left the guild.

"Hey."

As I came out holding the request form, I heard a woman's voice from a table outside the guild.

"You handsome young gentleman over there?"

Assuming it was someone else, I quickened my pace, but the woman raised an eyebrow in bewilderment and strode towards me.

"You, I'm talking to you. Can't you hear me?"

She wore light leather armor, emphasizing mobility, over her slender frame, and two broadswords were crossed at her waist.

She smelled of the sea. Was she a swordswoman from the Ironcutting Archipelago…?

Her blue hair was braided back in the unique style of the Ironcutting Archipelago, so there was no need to look further.

"What is it?"

"Don't be so stiff! Let's go together. I have the same request form, you see."

And as if to prove it, she waved the request form. Rain tilted his head in bewilderment.

"Why go together?"

"Why? It's nice to have someone to talk to, isn't it?"

"Not really."

"?"

"Then goodbye."

"No, wait wait wait! Why are you like this when such a beautiful lady is offering to go with you? You're not, by any chance, a girl despite looking so handsome?"

Why do women assume all men will go crazy for them if they have a bit of beauty, I wonder…?

I tried to shake her off appropriately, but she stubbornly took the seat next to me in the carriage and started babbling about herself.

How she occasionally goes on such excursions, how considerable her swordsmanship skills are, and how she's already a bronze-rank adventurer…

"My name is Hirpien. What's yours?"

"Rain."

There was no need to state my family name. Nor did I intend to.

I was even wearing black artificial eye membranes to minimize any trace of a Ludwig scion visiting the black market.

"Rain? Hmm, what is it? I've heard that name somewhere. Very recently, in fact."

Anyway, this is incredibly annoying. Is this what it feels like when Seri grows up? The mere thought makes my body tremble.

The three other adventurers, each sitting in their own posture, were quiet.

How long did the carriage travel amidst such noise and silence? After leaving the city and passing through the suburbs, as the carriage entered a forest bathed in twilight, a muscular spearman spoke.

"Hey, where are we going now?"

The coachman simply replied, "To where the master awaits," but the carriage stopped in an eerie clearing in the forest.

"What, where's the client?"

A woman with a nimble physique and sharp features said. Judging by the daggers she wore on each hip, she must have been from the Rogue Guild.

"My master is waiting for you all here."

The young coachman grinned, then got down with a bundle of papers and handed one to each adventurer.

Let's see…

Rain checked, and it was a map. A very familiar city, <Goldenrose>. The marked place was a luxurious inn near the west gate, which they had just left.

The impatient-looking female rogue narrowed her eyes.

"What? The client said they're here, so why did you bring us all the way here?!"

"Didn't the Alliance explain the contract terms? That you would be hired after undergoing a separate skill test."

At that moment, something flashed in the forest.

Arrows flew, sharply cutting through the wind. Rain instantly spun the staff on his back and took a stance.

Fourth Form, Elephant.

As the staff moved with a fluid, rapid motion, deflecting three incoming arrows, Hirpien let out a whistle mixed with admiration.

"What, what? Weren't you a wizard? Do wizards these days do that too?"

The four adventurers, excluding her, instantly entered combat stance and glared into the forest.

"Where are they?"

"I don't feel any killing intent."

Then, the muscular spearman, who had glanced at a broken arrow, narrowed his eyes.

"They're real arrows."

The coachman then smiled subtly.

"Of course. It's that kind of test. He said he would hire everyone who safely escapes this forest and comes to meet him."

"…!"

"If you lack confidence, you can get back into the cargo hold. Attacks won't reach the carriage."

The adventurers exchanged glances, but no one expressed an intention to get into the carriage.

Slightly interesting… Do these adventurers have to take such tests now? I thought the world had changed in a rather amusing way.

The rogue sighed, kneeling on one knee, feeling the pulse of the ground, and closing her eyes.

"Let's see… Hmm, it seems the great employer, despite putting on such a grand show, actually wanted to save a lot of money."

"…?"

"Excluding us, there are only five presences detectable here. He plans to test us with just five people?"

Impressive. Detecting presences was a trademark skill of rogues and archers.

Rogues, who sharpen their five senses more acutely than anyone for stealth, and archers, who must read the flow of life and wind, could easily detect enemies unknown to mages or warriors in this way.

But this was much more advanced than expected… Looking at the rogue's waist, a silver identification tag jingled. She was a silver-rank adventurer, like Bat.

"Hey. If the examiners intend to test us with the intent to kill, it means we can kill them too, right?"

The spearman, also a silver-rank adventurer, said to the coachman.

Strangely, the coachman seemed to glance at Rain, then nodded as if to say 'of course'.

The spearman gripped his spear and swung it fiercely, creating a whirlwind from the spearhead that scattered all the leaves of the giant trees covering the surroundings.

'Oh, this one's impressive too.'

If it were Rista, she would probably have unleashed sword energy and cut down all the giant trees… but then again, sword energy (검기) and sword aura (검강) are symbols of the pinnacle.

In terms of magic, should sword aura be called 5-star, and sword energy 6-star?

It's hard to describe since I haven't wielded a sword myself, but in any case, swordsmen who could wield sword aura or sword energy left their names in history like Archmages. Of course, I know that all Feyquilters can use sword aura.

"My name is Willis. It'll be a short encounter, but let's overcome this together and make some money."

The spearman said that, then looked around through the clearly secured vision provided by his power.

"Our examiners seem to have already retreated, let's go."

"No, wait."

That's when Rain spread his palm. A graceful ray of light bloomed above his palm, weaving together to form a double magic circle.

'Oh, this guy…'

'High-speed computation of 2-star magic… Is he, by any chance, a Jorhen type…?!'

'Hmm, this guy is bronze…?'

The adventurers inwardly marveled, but in reality, this was merely a trick. Behind the artificial eye membrane, the mortality of Bell Sidius flashed.

01010100101010010100101010101.

A world of countless equations unfolded across his vision, all anomalies around them were detected as mathematical equations and directly transmitted to his brain.

"The arrows that flew earlier, I said there was no killing intent, so they weren't fired by people after all."

"…?!"

"There are quite a few traps set up with telekinetic magic around, probably one of these."

Of course, if I used Bell Quirias, obliterating them would be instantaneous, but the magical consumption would be a burden, and it would be like shouting 'I'm from the Ludwig family!', so I'll refrain.

"I see. Can you tell me the coordinates?"

Then, the woman carrying a large leather case on her back spoke.

She had already been identified as a mage thanks to her white jade necklace and earrings, which enhanced magical abilities.

Rain nodded, and as he wrote the coordinates on a tree branch with his staff, the woman unbuttoned her leather case and took something out.

"…?!"

"…?!"

"…?!"

It was a geomungo (a traditional Korean zither). It was characterized by four silk strings laid over clear, annual ring planks of summer wood.

"Wow, are you a Rigwind-type mage?!"

"Yes."

Mages who used sound as a catalyst were called Rigwind-type mages.

Its origin was Rigwind, the first disciple of Emissa Page, the progenitor of magic. Since the name Rigwind, given by Emissa, meant 'melody', that name became the school itself.

The number of students was small, but their power was strong.

For reference, the Harymoon School, one of the eight major schools representing them, used a seven-stringed zither, while the Solond royal family, founded by Rigwind himself, used a flute.

"It might be a lacking performance, but…"

The woman cleared her throat, sounding shy, and plucked the strings.

Then, a clear and sharp sound wave formed a magic circle and spread deep into the forest, and the magical traps began to vanish one by one.

Her magical precision was also quite significant. Had only serious candidates applied in the first place? It was becoming even more interesting.

"The mages I've met so far were either slippery or cowards, one of the two. This time, it seems different."

The spearman grinned and slung his spear over his shoulder, and the rogue nodded.

"I agree. Well then, shall we go see the faces of our examiners? If we take them all out, the test will be over, right?"

It was around that time that Hirpien, who had done nothing noteworthy until then, stepped forward. She clapped her hands cheerfully and shook her head.

"Is there a need for that? Hmm, I don't think so."

"What are you talking about? It only ends when we catch them."

"The test is already over?"

"By whose authority?"

"If I say it's over, it's over. I'm in charge of the test, after all."

Then, the adventurers, including Rain, looked at Hirpien with a "Is she crazy?" expression and tilted their heads.

They were still in the forest, and it would take half a day more to return to the city, wouldn't it?

But Hirpien smiled brightly and lightly gestured towards the coachman, who hadn't left yet.

"Tain, bring the contracts. I like all four people here. Their skills are good, and they seem like they'd be fun too."

Everyone was dumbfounded.

What is she talking about right now? No, when the coachman looked at me earlier… was he looking at her, not me?

It wasn't just Rain; everyone blinked in bewilderment as they received a copy of the contract.

The only one smiling brightly in this situation was Hirpien. The coachman sighed in embarrassment and explained.

"That's right. This is Hirpien Dialle. She is the eldest daughter of the Dialle family, a prestigious house ranked among the top three in the Ironcutting Archipelago."

The Dialle family? It wasn't Rain's place to say, but he couldn't find any noble dignity in her words or actions.

That's why he had firmly believed her when she said she was an adventurer… Then, was that identification tag forged? Isn't that illegal?

But the identification tag seemed genuine. Hirpien clapped her hands together affectionately and winked.

"To confirm skill, it's best to see it directly up close and judge. Hehe, well then, I look forward to your good escort, competent adventurer friends!"