Translator: Denryuu; Editor: Ryunakama
When I arrived at the dining hall the next morning, Leyte, Rabi, Meiri and her bodyguards were already there. Milia and the chief, though also residing in the castle, had their meals at a different designated area.
Meiri ran over to me and took my hand, guiding me to the seat beside hers.
「Morning, Roland!」
I ruffled her hair as a greeting.
「Morning.」
After greeting the four girls from the Pretty Girls’ Squad, I sat down to find Lyla the black cat curled up at my feet.
「So it’s a lass even younger than Milia this time.」
「It’s a long story, but her skills as a mage will prove useful.」
「If that’s the case.」
「Uh, Roland… I think I’m a little out of my depth here. Aren’t those two the queen and the princess?」, muttered Rabi uneasily.
「Neither of them are bad people. You’re probably the only one like that here.」
「Enough of that, okay?」
「Anyway, even you will have a job soon enough. After you receive it, it’s up to you whether you wish to continue staying here or find some other lodging elsewhere.」
「A job? For me?」
「I’ll explain later.」
Having overheard our conversation, Meiri reacted accordingly.
「Roland will be my husband, so don’t take him away…」
The Pretty Girls’ Squad burst out in laughter.
「Husband…? Really? Is this girl serious!?」
「Pipe down. We’re in the middle of a meal. Also, no.」
「No? What do you mean by that?」, said Meiri, pouting.
At my wits’ end, I looked at the girls tasked with protecting the little princess.
「You’ve neglected her in favour of your work」, chuckled Hire.
「Look at you, Roland-sama, making passes at girl after girl. Of course Mei-chan would get angry」, said Lyan.
Sans nodded wordlessly in agreement. Just when I thought nobody was coming to my rescue, Sue, having seen enough, spoke up.
「You all seem to be begging the question. He’s not making passes — or anything of the sort — at all.」
「That’s right」, I agreed.
「Well, that’s why he doesn’t treat us as he should either.」
「You too, Sue?」
Lyla laughed.
「It’s all your own doing.」
「I don’t remember doing anything to deserve this. Fine, then. I’ll return immediately after I finish work.」
「That’s what you always say, and look where you end up disappearing to every time」, replied the little princess.
「I won’t go anywhere. I promise.」
She stuck out her pinky in response, and I returned the gesture.
「Marrying to elevate your status, eh?」, asked Rabi during our walk to the guild.
「Nope. Meiri… Princess Alias decided on it all by herself.」
「Hmm…? Then what’s this about a job?」
「I want you to become an adventurer.」
「Me, a mage? An adventurer?」
「You don’t seem too pleased.」
「I wouldn’t put it that way, but anyone can become an adventurer. Why make a mage, of all people, become one?」
As we continued talking, I learnt that Rabi had been under some teacher’s tutelage. Because of that, she saw adventuring as a job that anyone could take up as long as they passed the entrance test.
「Sensei told me that I have potential!」
「Not in Ferland. With that unfounded pride of yours, you can’t hold a candle to the demons.」
「It’s not like that!」
When we reached the guild, I had her wait outside and started the day as an ordinary guild employee. Iris addressed some admin matters, after which we opened for the day. Before long, the guild was already filled with early-bird adventurers here to get the freshest worms.
I gestured for Rabi to enter and made her sit at the counter opposite me. I then provided a questionnaire for her to fill up with details such as her name and age.
Rabi Trooper. Fourteen years of age, as I had expected.
「Let’s get this over and done with, shall we? You have a job for me, right?」
「Only if you can pass the test.」
「There’s no way a mage like me can fail!」
I had my reservations about a girl who only knew how to generate force fields. Nevertheless, I placed the magicka-measuring crystal on the counter to begin the test.
「Raise both hands, and it will glow in accordance with your magical ability. We’ll give you a rank based on that.」
「Ah, this thing? I did it during my training! Man, that brings back memories. Sensei would do it once a week.」
Our clients, waiting in line, began to notice her.
「You know, I think I can pass using only a fraction of my magicka!」
People who can use magic aren’t particularly rare, but those who learnt their magic under a tutor certainly are. I guess you can call them the most orthodox mages, or even ‘pedigrees’ to a certain extent. Because of that, mages in Ferland gain prestige based on who their tutor was. If I’m not wrong, they even split themselves into different factions.
The adventurers around us looked at her casually. Maybe they found her more feisty than most, or they just had nothing to do while waiting for their turn.
「This will be no biggie –」
「One thousand is the yardstick for C-rank. While the practical component is on equal weighting, you can be failed on the spot if you measure too low.」
「Hm? That doesn’t concern me, does it?」
She raised her hands, and the crystal glowed.
「…」
「Hehe. It’s but a trifle.」
Two hundred and thirty.
「Knocked right off your feet? I’m a genius after all ♪」
「…F-rank」, I said. 「It’s not low enough for immediate failure. I guess I can say that you’re still in your growing years, and there’s potential for improvement…」
I wrote the raw figure, rank and some remarks on the questionnaire. Her ‘Area Force’ must be either highly magic-efficient or extremely optimized for her to be able to execute it at all.
「Heh. Saying all that, and turns out she’s an F-rank.」
「Hahaha, a mage? I smell bullshit.」
「Even someone unspecialized like me got D-rank the first time!」
Rabi nearly flipped her lid when the nearby adventurers started making fun of her.
「Oh, come on! This crystal thing, it must be broken! I know I was much better in the past!」
「That was in the past.」
「No, it’s just broken! It’s old and no longer sensitive!」
「Broken? No longer sensitive…?」
I’m not a crystal expert, so I can’t say with certainty that it isn’t broken. But when I placed both hands in front of the crystal, everyone in the guild dived for cover under a desk, a chair or behind a pillar.
「What’s wrong with everyone…?」
「I doubt it’s broken…」
I raised both hands, and the crystal glowed intensely.
It then exploded with a short but deafening crack, shattering in all directions.
「Fugya!?」
A shard struck Rabi right in the forehead, flinging her right off the chair.
「Look, Rabi. It’s perfectly fine. Well, I suppose it was.」
Contrary to the young mage’s astonishment, the staff that came out of their hiding places spoke as if they were used to it already.
「As always, Argan-san.」
「It shattered more quickly than the last time!」
「Aha. The fragments shot out with more force too.」
「Shall we measure how far they traveled this time?」
Rabi’s cheeks were as red as her forehead.
「So that’s why everyone hid…」, she muttered.
Translator: Denryuu; Editor: Ryunakama
When I arrived at the dining hall the next morning, Leyte, Rabi, Meiri and her bodyguards were already there. Milia and the chief, though also residing in the castle, had their meals at a different designated area.
Meiri ran over to me and took my hand, guiding me to the seat beside hers.
「Morning, Roland!」
I ruffled her hair as a greeting.
「Morning.」
After greeting the four girls from the Pretty Girls’ Squad, I sat down to find Lyla the black cat curled up at my feet.
「So it’s a lass even younger than Milia this time.」
「It’s a long story, but her skills as a mage will prove useful.」
「If that’s the case.」
「Uh, Roland… I think I’m a little out of my depth here. Aren’t those two the queen and the princess?」, muttered Rabi uneasily.
「Neither of them are bad people. You’re probably the only one like that here.」
「Enough of that, okay?」
「Anyway, even you will have a job soon enough. After you receive it, it’s up to you whether you wish to continue staying here or find some other lodging elsewhere.」
「A job? For me?」
「I’ll explain later.」
Having overheard our conversation, Meiri reacted accordingly.
「Roland will be my husband, so don’t take him away…」
The Pretty Girls’ Squad burst out in laughter.
「Husband…? Really? Is this girl serious!?」
「Pipe down. We’re in the middle of a meal. Also, no.」
「No? What do you mean by that?」, said Meiri, pouting.
At my wits’ end, I looked at the girls tasked with protecting the little princess.
「You’ve neglected her in favour of your work」, chuckled Hire.
「Look at you, Roland-sama, making passes at girl after girl. Of course Mei-chan would get angry」, said Lyan.
Sans nodded wordlessly in agreement. Just when I thought nobody was coming to my rescue, Sue, having seen enough, spoke up.
「You all seem to be begging the question. He’s not making passes — or anything of the sort — at all.」
「That’s right」, I agreed.
「Well, that’s why he doesn’t treat us as he should either.」
「You too, Sue?」
Lyla laughed.
「It’s all your own doing.」
「I don’t remember doing anything to deserve this. Fine, then. I’ll return immediately after I finish work.」
「That’s what you always say, and look where you end up disappearing to every time」, replied the little princess.
「I won’t go anywhere. I promise.」
She stuck out her pinky in response, and I returned the gesture.
「Marrying to elevate your status, eh?」, asked Rabi during our walk to the guild.
「Nope. Meiri… Princess Alias decided on it all by herself.」
「Hmm…? Then what’s this about a job?」
「I want you to become an adventurer.」
「Me, a mage? An adventurer?」
「You don’t seem too pleased.」
「I wouldn’t put it that way, but anyone can become an adventurer. Why make a mage, of all people, become one?」
As we continued talking, I learnt that Rabi had been under some teacher’s tutelage. Because of that, she saw adventuring as a job that anyone could take up as long as they passed the entrance test.
「Sensei told me that I have potential!」
「Not in Ferland. With that unfounded pride of yours, you can’t hold a candle to the demons.」
「It’s not like that!」
When we reached the guild, I had her wait outside and started the day as an ordinary guild employee. Iris addressed some admin matters, after which we opened for the day. Before long, the guild was already filled with early-bird adventurers here to get the freshest worms.
I gestured for Rabi to enter and made her sit at the counter opposite me. I then provided a questionnaire for her to fill up with details such as her name and age.
Rabi Trooper. Fourteen years of age, as I had expected.
「Let’s get this over and done with, shall we? You have a job for me, right?」
「Only if you can pass the test.」
「There’s no way a mage like me can fail!」
I had my reservations about a girl who only knew how to generate force fields. Nevertheless, I placed the magicka-measuring crystal on the counter to begin the test.
「Raise both hands, and it will glow in accordance with your magical ability. We’ll give you a rank based on that.」
「Ah, this thing? I did it during my training! Man, that brings back memories. Sensei would do it once a week.」
Our clients, waiting in line, began to notice her.
「You know, I think I can pass using only a fraction of my magicka!」
People who can use magic aren’t particularly rare, but those who learnt their magic under a tutor certainly are. I guess you can call them the most orthodox mages, or even ‘pedigrees’ to a certain extent. Because of that, mages in Ferland gain prestige based on who their tutor was. If I’m not wrong, they even split themselves into different factions.
The adventurers around us looked at her casually. Maybe they found her more feisty than most, or they just had nothing to do while waiting for their turn.
「This will be no biggie –」
「One thousand is the yardstick for C-rank. While the practical component is on equal weighting, you can be failed on the spot if you measure too low.」
「Hm? That doesn’t concern me, does it?」
She raised her hands, and the crystal glowed.
「…」
「Hehe. It’s but a trifle.」
Two hundred and thirty.
「Knocked right off your feet? I’m a genius after all ♪」
「…F-rank」, I said. 「It’s not low enough for immediate failure. I guess I can say that you’re still in your growing years, and there’s potential for improvement…」
I wrote the raw figure, rank and some remarks on the questionnaire. Her ‘Area Force’ must be either highly magic-efficient or extremely optimized for her to be able to execute it at all.
「Heh. Saying all that, and turns out she’s an F-rank.」
「Hahaha, a mage? I smell bullshit.」
「Even someone unspecialized like me got D-rank the first time!」
Rabi nearly flipped her lid when the nearby adventurers started making fun of her.
「Oh, come on! This crystal thing, it must be broken! I know I was much better in the past!」
「That was in the past.」
「No, it’s just broken! It’s old and no longer sensitive!」
「Broken? No longer sensitive…?」
I’m not a crystal expert, so I can’t say with certainty that it isn’t broken. But when I placed both hands in front of the crystal, everyone in the guild dived for cover under a desk, a chair or behind a pillar.
「What’s wrong with everyone…?」
「I doubt it’s broken…」
I raised both hands, and the crystal glowed intensely.
It then exploded with a short but deafening crack, shattering in all directions.
「Fugya!?」
A shard struck Rabi right in the forehead, flinging her right off the chair.
「Look, Rabi. It’s perfectly fine. Well, I suppose it was.」
Contrary to the young mage’s astonishment, the staff that came out of their hiding places spoke as if they were used to it already.
「As always, Argan-san.」
「It shattered more quickly than the last time!」
「Aha. The fragments shot out with more force too.」
「Shall we measure how far they traveled this time?」
Rabi’s cheeks were as red as her forehead.
「So that’s why everyone hid…」, she muttered.
