I left Rimuru to do his usual checkups whilst I handled the matter of our military and agriculture.
As promised, during one of my lessons with Shuna, I included the little knowledge I had on agriculture.
That girl could do anything as long as you showed her how it's done.
What a monster...
She quickly picked up on it and even gave a few suggestions on how they could be integrated with the cultivation system (not the stupid martial art system made in the Chinese novels) we had here.
That was pretty wholesome.
As for the job of integrating magic into our military ranks, I was cooking something up.
It was all slowly coming together.
At some point, I decided that I was also going to become an adventurer.
It wasn't gonna help much in the long run, but it also posed no problem, so it was decided.
Rimuru had briefed me on his reason for choosing to become one himself, so I also decided to tag along.
Now I was all ready to go.
◇◇◇
We got ready to hit the roads once the adventuring trio arrived.
We had a carriage (not really a carriage) to use, and a starwolf would serve as our horse.
I'm pretty sure that was a body double of Ranga's, so there would be no need for food or water or whatever.
Pretty neat.
Rimuru, for his part, did his usual stuff, and we began to ride.
Geld was our coachman, so everything was sorted.
Right now, three highways were in the works leading out from Tempest.
One, linking it to the Dwarven Kingdom, was nearly complete. The second leading to Eurazania had only just begun construction.
The third, headed for the Kingdom
of Blumund, would begin to proceed in a short time, I imagined.
There were (generally speaking) two paths between us and Blumund-a trail that plunged straight through forest land, and another that circled over to Falmouth before hitting Jura.
That path took longer, but with all the dangers in the forest, the Falmouth route was the safer one if you had the time for it.
Kabal's party usually took that one; it involved beginning on one of the highways from Farmuoth or the Dwarven Kingdom and taking a turnoff for the forest midway.
These were rough walking trails, of course, originally blazed by
animals.
Thus, taking a round trip from Blumund to Tempest was a daunting task-you could pick up a stage-coach on your way here, as Kabal put it, but you might not be so lucky on the way back, especially if you're trying to cram in three people.
As a result, even a one-way run took anywhere between two and four weeks, which just shows how impossible it was to schedule one with any accuracy.
Bad weather or the wrong kind of monster encounter could further delay things.
To them, hearing about a new highway opening a formal route from Tempest to Blumund was a real eye-opener.
Rimuru just briefed them over a few details concerning the highway, and they were all eyes out.
I don't know what's with these guys, really. They're so amazed by the tiniest of things. But I'm sure Kabal and his gang will get used to things shortly.
They were having some sort of conversation, one I needed to ignore.
What's with this world and politics?
Back in my world, it was all mangas and animes. Gaming, too. The people of this world discuss politics like old timers.
It was barely negligible.
So the journey continued without incident. We had left at sunrise, and it was already past noon.
Kabal: 「Man, this sucks. The mountains look so small now...」
Gido and Elen nodded their agreement.
Well, yeah, guys. A starwolf's a B ranked monster by itself, and unlike a horse, it didn't need to rest after this much distance.
Geld: 「Now, milords, what will we do about dinner? There's a resting house up ahead.」
Eh? When did he arrive? Was he with us all along?
Rimuru: 「Nice one, Geld. Let's take a break and have ourselves a meal in there!」
That lit up the mood across the wagon.
Despite their initial complaints, the adventurers were well used to traveling in wolf-wagon luxury by now, even enjoying the view out the windows.
Talk about self-absorbed.
Once we reached the hut, Geld hopped off the coachman's seat.
I loved how serious-minded he
always was, and it reflected clearly in his work.
The perfect picture of an artisan, I suppose.
We prepared food and ate while discussing boring matters.
I imagined I was fine. Soon, our lunch was complete, and it was back on the road.
Two hours later, Geld and his crew of high orcs waved their good-byes as we set foot in the deep forest ahead.
Kabal: 「Heh-heh-heh! Better be careful, Sirs! This is already the Forest of Jura here! The den of monsters itself!」
Elen: 「But don't worry! You're with us, so...!」
Gido: 「Leave the heavy lifting to us!」
They were certainly enthusiastic now.
These idiots were putting up a rather impressive front.
I was impressed-they weaved through the forest with expertise.
Put a little bit of aura on 'em, and I wouldn't spit on your face if you told me they were S-ranked adventurers.
We continued in this vein for three hours.
It was already evening, about time to set up for dinner, but the three didn't show any sign of resting.
Instead, they were discussing something, cold sweat dripping down their foreheads.
We were on a path that, for some reason, I remembered being on before.
Reading the room and all that stuff, I realized the stupid truth.
One of 'em looked ready to cry, even. Better be the man, I figured.
Fubuki: 「About the trip, we're lost, aren't we?」
Elen: 「Nn-nnnooooo~, what makes you think so, my good sir?」
Kabal: 「Kah-kah-kah-! Your imagination surely isn't lacking, boss!」
Gido: 「Heh, did you really think we'll mess this one opportunity to impress you. You did, right?」
Um, guys, heaven awaits sly liars. Tell me the shit already, wouldya?!
Rimuru: 「No, no, no, I'm pretty sure I saw this rock an hour ago.」
Yeah, I thought so, too.
Fubuki: 「....」
I stared menacingly, and they broke.
"""I'm sorry!!"""
I knew it!
Fubuki: 「You asses! You ultimate asses!! You had one job!! ONE job!! And you call yourselves B-rank adventurers?! I might as well come out from my mom's womb and declare myself a guild master!!」
I let my heart out. After all the praises I showered them with, they returned the shit to my basement.
I was heartbroken, betrayed, even.
Elen: 「Ouch...」
Gido 「I-I... think I broke...」
Kabal: 「...」
Yeah, face the other way, Kabal! Feel the shame! You look shittier it's almost beautiful!
Rimuru: 「What was I even expecting...」
He sighed. He was taking this way too easy. Or was I overreacting? It didn't matter.
「Notice-」
Oh? You decided to speak up at a time like this? How odd...
「-That's the flower specy, baffledil.
A flower possessing a deep hallucinatory effect on its environs, both rare and sought after for use in magical items.」
Hm? That's the annoying thing Treyni complained of during one of those stupid reports.
Wow. Newsflash, stupid reports aren't that bad after all!
I took the lead and showed them how it was done.
In my mind, a thought communication message was being exchanged.
--- Oya~, Treyni, can you hear me? ---
--- Loud and clear, milord. ---
--- Right, I'll have you and your gang assist Geld with clearing up those stupid bush thorns. Is that okay with you? ---
--- Tch! I will end the lives of those miscreants! Please excuse me. ---
She immediately cut off the communication line.
Wow, that's some intense hatred there... I guess she has a history to settle with those troublemakers.
Tough luck, my dudes! You have a construction boar and a leaf sage to deal with.
Geld had already had his crew track down and uproot the baffledils in the area, lest they interfere with work any further.
Further help from the treants would do.
I was a sore loser at heart. I didn't want the team looking at me weirdly.
If they found out it was never really their fault to begin with, they wouldn't let me live it down.
Now, they bore the true weight of embarrassment.
My three companions couldn't have looked more sheepish.
If anything, it was my fault for wanting to have an Authentic
Adventurer Experience without any cheats.
Fubuki: 「Embrace the shame, for it is a good burden.」
I spoke sagely, stroking my non-existent beard.
I also earned complicated gazes from the squad.
Rimuru: 「Huh? Since when did you become a priest? I thought you'd be one to share a meal with terrorists.」
Fubuki: 「.....」
The three whined over their tragic fate for a while, and my sole purpose in life was to prick that sore with poisonous needles.
It was a fulfilling sight.
After about a week of this and that, we finally reached the desired destination.
Blumund.
◇◇◇
Blumund. A smaller kingdom, population under a million.
It consisted mainly of little villages, collected into regions ruled by noble lords.
The only big settlement to speak of was the capital. It was seriously a super-tiny country.
We reached the Blumund office of the Free Guild in the capital.
It was just before evening by the time we got in line. Apparently, the front lobby would soon be swarming with people.
It was pretty chill in the afternoons, but at night, it'd get packed with people returning from the field.
If we wanted to get this done soon, then we had to hurry.
Fubuki: 「I'm here to register as an adventurer.」
"Oh, please hold on for a minute."
She quickly took out her, uhh, whatever that thing was, and began preparing some sheets.
Rimuru: 「I'd like to register as an adventurer, too, please.」
She immediately halted.
"...How old are you?" the woman on the other side gently asked. "Being a general member's one thing, but aren't you a little young to be an adventurer?"
Rimuru: 「Pfft, I'll have you know, I'm a thirty-seven year old gigachad! Mentally, at least...」
"...Your daughter's really cute, you know?"
Fubuki: 「Ahh, ignore her. She has this silly dream of becoming a religious terrorist once she grows up. Some weird new ambition unlocked for kids, I figured.」
"Oh, I see. kids these days... *Sigh*"
Rimuru: 「.....」
Elen: 「...Pfft-」
Rimuru: 「I dare you to laugh.」
Elen: 「...」
Rimuru: 「Yeah, just face the corner. I haven't forgotten about that stupid stunt y'all pulled off. Imagine the guild receiving such quality information.」
Kabal: 「H-Hold your horses!! Surely you jest!」
Rimuru: 「Do I? I don't really know, too. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!」
That was some smooth recovery, I guess...
*Sigh*
Let's get this over with.
Fubuki: 「Actually, she wanted to take a step forward in achieving her goal, so I decided to bring her over.」
Rimuru: 「I do not like the line of this conversation.」
"Hmm... I don't know."
I turned to look at Kabal, and he instantly understood. At least his brain's capable of deciphering information.
Kabal: 「Hey, hey, now, no need for that. This person here, Rimuru... lemme tell ya, is way more of a performer than you think. Is my word good enough for ya?」
"He performs enough to impress you, Kabal? Well, the test can be quite a dangerous thing, however..."
Fubuki: 「Not a problem. I don't mind. To become a true terrorist, one must overcome the trials of life. This is her first step.」
Rimuru: 「....」
With our constant pushes, the counter clerk finally (if reluctantly) agreed to run through the registration paperwork.
He filled out the sheet handed
to him-name, age, special skills, birthplace, and so on.
Whatever he could fill out was fine, she said, so he simply wrote his name and SWORDSMANSHIP under the skills section.
I did the same, with the only thing being my skill.
I chose to become a MAGICIAN. It was obvious, wasn't it?
As I filled all this out, I heard people shouting at us.
"Hey! Lookin' good, Kabal!"
"Elen's looking just as beautiful today as always!"
"What are you, blind? Anyone who isn't amazed at Gido's pure manliness is just an idiot!"
None of that made sense to me. Why are Kabal and his friends so revered?
They're just as much celebrities here as they were back at the village. I pondered that as I wrapped up the entry sheet.
"Are you sure about this? Monster slaying might be the most accessible, but it's also the most dangerous department."
We reassured her once more, and we were free to go.
Fubuki: 「So, we're getting the test underway or...?」
"Umm... Yes, well, I hereby grant you two permission to take the examination. You must attain a
rank of at least D in order to become an adventurer, so I do not recommend this exam for anyone who does not specialize in combat.
The monster-slaying department's exam is particularly trying, so it's not recommended unless you're at least a D-plus,
preferably a C. Are you sure you wish to take it?"
Fubuki: 「Yeah.」
Rimuru simply nodded.
You were assigned the rank of F the moment you joined the guild and upgraded to E once you gained some battle experience.
After enough time on the field, you were assigned rank D and gained the ability to call yourself an adventurer.
This was a far better system created by the individual Yuuki Kagurazaka.
I can't wait to meet him.
I was up first.
The woman stood up, went into her office, and brought back a man who I assumed was the examiner.
"Hmmm! You, taking the test? And stronger than Kabal, even? Well, all right. Follow me."
He certainly acted full of himself.
He gave my friends a mean-looking glare on the way, too. Was there some history between them?
Meh, whatever.
The test site was in a building best described as a gymnasium. There was me, Rimuru, Thegis, Kabal, and the team, and a few guild members looking to kill time by watching us.
The lack of entertainment options in this world must have made
something like this seems like an epic occasion.
Alright, let's do this! Wait, what abilities do I use?
Enma? Are...?
"Let me say this first," he briskly began. "Once you earn an E rank, you'll have the chance to immediately try passing the D, then the C-ranked exam as well.
If you fail, you will not be able to take another rank-upgrade challenge until you regain your current rank and earn enough points in your work to do so. Do you understand?"
Fubuki: 「Yeah.」
Thegis pointed toward the floor.
"We will hold the examination inside this magic circle. We have a safety barrier over it, but don't rely on that too much, all right?
If you're willing to risk your life for this, step inside and give me a signal when you're ready."
I nodded.
Hey, Reina-san, there should be that staff I received from Lucia, right? Can I have it?
「Understood.」
Before me, a bright, holy light was summoned.
An enormous amount of energy escaped my world-type skill, but it was almost instantly absorbed into the white light.
The converging lights soon materialized, and a magic staff was the result of the energy coagulation.
Wow, this thing was incredible.
「Interference waves were generated, and the excess energy was hidden to prevent the arousal of suspicion.」
Good, it seems Rimuru didn't quite get a read on it.
I turned to look at the man named Thegis with a smirk.
He understood me. It was a little taunt meant to rile him up, and it seems it worked perfectly.
"You two, stronger than that Kabal and his team? Let's see exactly how!"
A semicircle-shaped barrier
materialized the moment I walked in.
The audience watched carefully, waiting for my response.
Fubuki: 「Bring it on!」
The first monster Thegis brought out was a Hunter Hound, a low-ranked monster I had never seen before.
I honestly expected a bigger challenge, like an arch-demon or something.
It was well trained, but that was about it.
Before it could even let out a yelp-or even feel any fear, I suppose-I sliced through it cleanly, using the aspectual magic Gale Slash.
Ahh, I remember shocking Ashura senseless with this same magic. Long time no see, buddy.
"Oh-ho? Well, you handled that, at least. Let your guard down, though, and you'll pay dearly for it later. You're ready to take the next challenge?"
Fubuki: 「Yeah, yeah, give me your best.」
Even as Thegis seethed, he summoned my next opponent-a jet-black Dark Goblin, fully armed and ripped with muscles.
"Begin!!"
Fubuki: 「Mine Detonator.」
Another aspectual magic based on magical emissions.
It was just a small scheme on my part to grab Fuze's attention.
I wasn't keen on taking this seriously, so I ended it real quick.
Right under that sucker's manhood, a controlled explosion shot off.
The poor thing died from the pain.
Fubuki: 「Are you suffering from old age? You are clearly unstable, as it is.」
I grinned.
He clenched his fists tighter in frustration.
"Oh-hohhh! Not bad. All right-next it is, then!"
The air fell silent once more-the audience being much more gripped with tension than I was.
"You'll need experience in group combat as well. Are you ready for that?"
He summoned three Giant Bats.
Ooh, they sure bring me back. When was the last time one of those attacked me? It seemed like ages ago.
How do you deal with these? Simple.
Fubuki: 「Water Blade.」
Nine sets of water blades were projected at full speed towards the approaching monsters.
A flash of the several blades downed them, and they were out.
In my case, the magic density was quite high, so it easily did the deed.
Rimuru: 「Wow, real smooth, my dude. Real smooth.」
Don't be so grumpy. I've been through that shit multiple times.
"Not even my own eyes could see it...?!" Now he was starting to lose his composure.
They warned you, dude. You shouldn't mess with people you know nothing about.
"Heh-heh-heh-heh...Well done. There is no doubt in my mind that you could defeat Kabal's band now. Very well. I challenge you to face the trial of the B-ranked challenge!"
Right, another letdown.
I could see the veins in Thegis's eyes bulging as he began chanting once more, this time with clear rays of magic shooting up and down his arms.
The observers looked on silently.
It was a... lesser demon.
Nice. Just what I needed.
His objectives were completely changed. He hated Kabal
and his friends, and he wanted to take it out on me.
This was definitely not the
kind of monster you carted out for a B-ranked exam.
And really, had he forgotten all about Rimuru?
Fuze: 「What the hell is going on here?!」
Rimuru: 「Eh? Fuze?」
Ahh, you came a bit too late. The show's already on.
"A-Ahh, Sir Fuze-"
Fuze: 「Explain, now!」
He was busy handling the affair with them, so I thought it considerable to let them be.
Demons naturally had resistance to magic. If I were to kill this demon using magic, everyone would become suspicious of me.
That's gonna be a pain. I think I'll stick with Modelwill, I guess.
Sticking to my word, I took this fresh quantity of pure magical force and applied it directly to the tip of my staff.
The conversion took place, and a spiraling ice ball was formed.
I dashed towards the demon with baited steps, aiming for the right moment.
When the demon felt I was close enough, it clawed its way towards my head.
But that was what this was all about.
Right before the attack landed, I swerved to the side by jumping out of the attack's range, and the perfect counter was right before me.
*BAM*-!
I slammed the icicle ball right onto the demon's chest, and it did the trick.
The demon was frozen solid.
As soon as I landed, I turned around with force, holding the staff whilst manipulating the air to form an arc of sharp wind.
The air met the frozen demon, and it was finally broken.
Following that, I struck a cool pose.
Fubuki: 「It'll take a lot more to bring a man such as me down.」
The onlookers snapped out of their trance.
It was an uproar.
"Wowwwwwwww!! That was soooo cool!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! That dude's just too damn strong!!"
"Are you kidding me?! He ripped a Lesser Demon apart all by himself...?"
"Oh, what's the matter?! Hey, ignore that idiot! Let's party it up later tonight, okay?"
Fuze: 「Silence!!」
That shouted silenced them all.
Fuze: 「Sir Fubuki, you are okay, I presume. If anything were to happen to you-」
Fubuki: 「Heh, I'm sure you'll regret worrying about me one day.」
He looked at me for just a moment, relieved, before bottling that up and turning to Kabal.
Fuze: 「And what are you people doing...? I told you a million times, didn't I, to just bring them directly to me? Not to make any side trips? So why do I find them in this state of affairs, hmm?」
Blue veins appeared to pop above his forehead as he scowled at the trio.
It was quite impressive, and it made the three freeze in place, giving excuses like "Um" and "Well, you know" and "I tried to stop them..." He wasn't buying it.
Fuze: 「Silence, you fools! From this moment forward, you will hereby be referred to as the Three Fools of Blumund!!」
Kabal: 「Well, wait a second...」
Elen: 「That's just mean! They said they wanted to become adventurers, so...」
Gido: 「...Could we maybe get a better name, please?」
The plaintive request was turned down.
He nagged them a lot, and they seemed as if they would die any moment.
It was honestly hilarious to watch.
◇◇◇
It wasn't long before I was back in Fuze's office.
The Three Fools kneeled meekly on the floor as Fuze sat there, running a hand up and down his forehead in agony.
Thegis was standing right next to him, looking incredibly awkward.
Fuze: 「That stunt you pulled off might as well draw unneeded attention.」
Fubuki: 「Eh? Really?」
Fuze: 「Not many individuals could defeat a lesser demon as nearly as swiftly as you did.」
Oh, is that how it is? How weak has the world gotten?
If lesser demons are such a pain to them, then the mere idea of them fighting back against demon lords sounds diabolical to me.
That'll just be a blitzkrieg to doom.
Fubuki: 「An art that applies magic itself to a weapon is a high-level ability indeed, but I understand that paladins are capable of such a feat.
A few A-ranked adventurers in the Free Guild headquarters have unique skills of their own along those lines-such things are not unheard of.
But being able to slay demons with it? Unless you want a crowd of people harassing you wherever you go, I would recommend being careful with that move. You may regret being known for it.」
Fubuki: 「I see. Thanks for the heads up.」
It was Fuze's opinion that this was all the result of Kabal's trio failing to follow his orders.
But as he put it, there was one silver lining: "The crowd was all a bunch of C ranks and below, so I'm sure they didn't even realize what they were seeing."
Rimuru didn't need to take the test with Fuze around. He found himself a B-ranked adventurer's identity.
So that night, we set out to devise our future plans. It was me, my adventuring friends, Fuze, and Thegis.
Our main mission, of course, was to meet with Yuuki Kagurazaka, whom I believed I shared a homeland with.
Fuze had already written the letter of introduction Rimuru asked for via Kabal.
If they could just produce some ID documentation for us, all would be set.
Fuze: 「I think your papers will be ready for you tomorrow morning. Tell the person at the counter that I know you, and I'm sure they'll expedite it.」
Elen: 「That lady at the counter was in the crowd, too, Boss, I think. I bet she's a total fan by now!」
Gido: 「Ooh, could be. Who wouldn't be after that kind of performance?」
Kabal: 「Yep. It was a treat to watch.」
"It chagrins me as an examiner, but that was some masterful fighting."
Fubuki: 「Geez, guys. Don't make me feel so embarrassed.」
All this praise from Thegis and Kabal's crew was starting to embarrass me.
But really, I should have been more considerate myself.
I guess every day is a new experience.
For now, the guild master seemed willing to let it slide in the long run.
Our plan, then, was to finish up the prep work by the end of tomorrow and get moving as soon as possible.
...But Fuze had other ideas.
"Actually," he told us, "the king of Blumund wanted to have a confidential talk with you."
Our arrival must have already reached his ears. Apparently, he was interested in holding a conference in three days.
We readily agreed to this.
So that took care of tomorrow and three days from now.
Our talks continued well into the night, so late we wound up staying in the guest room of Fuze's guild branch.
Man, what a day...
---------------------------------
「Note: Here's another conclusion brought to you by yours truly.
Sorry guys, I really wanted to make a chapter way earlier, but the drive was lost, and I kept on getting unwanted results. The desired ending was not really being expressed clearly, so I decided to give it a break.
I just decided to read other stories to regain my usual rizz aura, and guess what, it evolved!
I made a girl blush today, and I immediately reached cloud nine. It was the best aura moment for me, so I went ahead with the chapter, and there you have it.
Man, the world seems to be dancing to my tune today.
All right, that's enough yapping for now. If you enjoyed today's sequel, please vote for the chapter. See ya!」