Book 4: Volume 4 Chapter 2, Travel Companions

Translator: Kazumi

Editor: Silavin

 

Upon learning of Riku’s rank-up exam, Gazeran sprang into action. This exam was supposed to change from E rank to D rank, but he used his authority to change it to C rank.

 

Of course, Gazeran had rarely made such a drastic change before, but not a single employee objected. One reason for this was Gazeran’s considerable authority, but even more so because Riku’s party was more than capable enough to take the C-rank exam.

 

There had originally been discussion within the Adventurer Division about whether to allow Riku to take the exam at an accelerated level. In the end, they decided to shelve that idea, they seized the opportunity at Gazeran’s request and directly changed it to a C-rank exam.

 

Incidentally, everyone in Riku’s party was academy students, but taking the C-rank exam at such a young age would make them exceptionally talented. The Adventurer Division was excited about the arrival of a major newcomer, but that was for another story.

 

About three days had passed since Riku brought the report on the rank-up exam. Unlike the previous days, Riku was holding his head and complaining to Kousuke.

 

“Cannot you do something to stop this, Dad?”

 

“No, it’s impossible.” Kousuke said firmly, and Riku gave him a resentful look.

 

“Not only is he interfering with the grade-skipping exam, but it is also strange to have the department head accompany me to a mere C-rank exam, no?”

 

“Well, that is up to Gazeran to decide. I do not think I can say anything,” Kousuke replied.

 

“Then you can at least stop him from going with us!”

 

“That is probably impossible, though. He was so excited about finally fulfilling his promise. If we miss this opportunity, who knows when the next one will be.”

 

Kousuke answered nonchalantly, with Riku’s expression unchanged. While he was at it, he added something that had been bothering him.

 

“Also, I think you should stop speaking that way, because it would result in worsening your situation. Well, we are used to it, so we do not say anything.”

 

Riku, who has been striving to become an adventurer, spends his school days surrounded by the third and fourth sons of Nobles and merchant Families who also aspire to be adventurers. Perhaps because of this, Riku’s everyday speech with his friends was rougher than the polite language used by Nobles.

 

However, since he was raised as Royalty, he can also use polite language when necessary. In front of family members like Kousuke and Floria, he sometimes speaks in a polite manner, not knowing which tone to use.

 

Riku looked embarrassed when Kousuke told him this. Riku was not consciously speaking in a polite manner. It was a habit he had developed since childhood. He simply spoke this way in front of his parents or at parties hosted by the Royal Family.

 

“It is not like I am being conscious of it or anything… no, I am not.”

 

Kousuke chuckled as Riku took the time to rephrase. “No, sorry, sorry. I was not trying to make you feel uncomfortable. It is fine if you just talk to me normally, all right? I just meant to say, be careful. There are plenty of people who will not take it that way.”

 

“Yes. I understand,” Riku nodded solemnly at Kousuke’s advice, and seemed taken aback.

 

“No, Dad! Do not try to change the subject and dodge the question! What about the exam?”

 

“Didn’t I already say it? Let us just accept it.” Kousuke patted Riku on the shoulder, and Riku’s shoulders slumped.

 

…

 

And so, Riku and his companions ended up taking the exam to become C-rank adventurers, with guardians present.

 

Actually, depending on the content of the rank-up exam, it is not unusual for a senior adventurer to act as the examiner. But the fact that the examiner is the head of the Adventurer Division makes one wonder what kind of joke this was.

 

Incidentally, Riku did not tell his companions, but the man leisurely petting the wolf was undoubtedly his Father, a living god. Once they knew, it would be impossible not to be concerned about this.

 

Ignoring Riku’s anguish, the party continued smoothly through the exam. The test Riku and his companions were taking required them to collect materials from several types of monsters within a certain time period.

 

Though they were distracted by the overly impressive examiner, Riku and his companions were making good progress gathering materials. They had already collected more than two-thirds of the materials, and only three types remained to be collected.

 

However, those remaining three types could be considered the biggest challenge. To obtain those three types, they had to hunt monsters that appear on different Floors, so there was a chance they might encounter monsters along the way.

 

Furthermore, the last one could only be obtained by hunting a high-level monster, even in the intermediate class. At this point, it could truly be called a C-rank test.

 

Riku and his companions had been relaxed up until then, but at this point, they no longer had the luxury of looking away.

 

Kousuke and his companions were moving along as they watched Riku and his group move on to the next hunting ground. Kousuke’s party consisted of six people and one pet. Three of them were Kousuke, Kouhi, and Gazeran, and the remaining three were former teammates of Gazeran’s.

 

One of them said as he watched Riku and the others move, “Things seem to be going quite smoothly.”

 

“Yes. Well, at least they are not the kind of people who should be lingering at E-rank,” the first to speak was Zoya, who was in charge of magic, followed by Rukich, who was in charge of scouting and reconnaissance.

 

The other member was Marat, but he was generally a quiet person and hardly ever speaks. When Gazeran first introduced them, he was even the subject of immediate conversation.

 

Regardless, their eyes were fixed on Riku and the others. From Kousuke and the others’ perspective, the current Floor was nothing special, but they were accompanying them as examiners, so they had to keep a close eye on Riku and the others.

 

Riku and the others had been told that the test would involve gathering materials, but their conduct during that time was also being evaluated.

 

“Well, I suppose that is true,” Kousuke replied after listening to the two of them.

 

Gazeran laughed when he heard Kousuke’s comments. “You were exceptional from the start. You are no help to me.”

 

“Well, I get that,” Kousuke replied with a wry smile to Gazeran’s words.

 

Apparently, Zoya, interested in their conversation, asked, “By the way, I heard that Kousuke-sama conquered this Tower incredibly quickly. How did you do it?”

 

“Yes. You will be amazed by his story. Apparently, he traveled by riding a flying dragon.”

 

The three of them looked dumbfounded after hearing Gazeran’s answer.

 

“By the way, I had not become a living god yet at the time. When I first heard about it, I thought it was some kind of joke.” Kousuke added.

 

“That is true.”

 

“Well, in a way, it makes sense.”

 

As he listened to Gazeran and the other three’s conversation, Kousuke looked elsewhere. By the way, Zoya and the other three had already asked Kousuke what kind of person he was.

 

Kousuke did not discourage them, telling them to just speak normally. That was why they were so casual about talking to him, but it would not normally work like this. This was what one could expect from a party said to be the best of the current generation.

 

Whether or not they were aware of Kousuke and the others’ behavior, Riku and the others continued their steady march to the hunting grounds.