Ch 9

For the next 6 days, I was accompanied by Alex, Maria, Chelsie, and sometimes Wendy on our gathering quest.

Whenever I asked Alex if he liked to spar with me after we finished gathering some bittercress grass, he always had a frightened look and gave one reason or another why he couldn't.

It’s kind of disappointing that he is always busy with something or another; it honestly is not that much fun to train alone. He makes a good dummy… I meant sparring partner.

Today I completed my 10th F-rank quest, which means I could take the E-rank evaluation test to become an E-rank adventurer.

Being an E-rank means that you’re unofficially considered a true adventurer since that’s where the dangers of being an adventurer start.

You have to fight an instructor in the training area to see, at the bare minimum, if you can fight.

“Umm… Nyx, after this, you should be able to take the E-rank evaluation test, right?”

Maria spoke next to me as we were gathering some herbs.

“Ya, I’m planning to do it tomorrow. Why do you ask?”

“I was just wondering.”

A question popped into my mind: isn’t Maria an E-rank?

“Aren’t you E-rank?”

“Well…” with a pained smile on her face.

“No, I’m still an F-rank. I’ve failed it twice already.”

She took a deep sigh and said

“I must be a real burden to Alex and everybody else.”

She is really beating herself up about it; maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself; I doubt that’s true.”

Overhearing our conversation, Chelsie walked by, carrying a few bundles of bittercress grass in her arms.

“You’re not a burden to any of us; you’re our friend.”

Chelsie’s words seemed to lift Maria’s spirits somewhat. She smiled and returned to collecting herbs.

Although Chelsie’s words eased most of her negative and self-deprecating thoughts, a small sense of unease still remained, from what I could tell.

Still, they’re really supportive of each other despite constantly fighting over Alex. I guess this is something Maria will have to work through on her own, no matter how many attempts it takes.

Speaking of the others.

“By the way, I’ve been wondering what Lucia and Wendy usually do."

Chelsie responded.

"Well, Lucia is either training her magic or doing quests exclusively for mages, like operating some magic tools or using her fire magic in a forge.”

Then she told me about Wendy. She usually takes on hunting quests, using her beastkin senses, which are better than those of humans, to track down monsters. However, she occasionally comes along to help out when there aren’t many good hunting quests available.

Hearing that made me think, from thinking of everyone. For the past few days, I’d been wondering just how far Maria, Chelsie, Wendy, and Lucia had gotten with Alex.

Are they already on first base, or maybe on third base? My best guess is around half or a quarter to first base since, from my gaming knowledge, this is the beginning of their story, so nothing of note is happening, or that Alex, like most protagonists, is really dense.

“I got another question, so how far along have any of you gotten with Alex?”

Saying that, Maria was all red, blurting out.

“Nyx! Why would you ask that sort of question out, so out of the blue?”

As for Chelsie, she blushed a little but suddenly went silent, seemingly and suddenly lost in thought.

“Don’t tell me… don’t tell me… you're also after Alex.”

What are you talking about?

Then she murmurs to herself in full earshot of me.

“That would explain why Alex always acts weird whenever he is around and why Nyx sometimes smiles whenever he meets with… wait, does that mean when Alex went and checked up on Nyx, they did it?”

What the heck kind of conclusion did she come to? I thought Chelsie was the calm and logical one.

“Wait, Nyx is a guy, Chelsie. That can’t be right; they’re… both guys.”

Maria muttered repeatedly, fidgeting nervously with her fingers as her face grew even redder.

“They’re both guys, that can’t be… but…”

Her face was so red that I could almost see steam coming out of her ears. I’m seriously starting to think she’s imagining something really weird right now.

Chelsie grabbed her hair in frustration and then faced Maria.

“I can’t believe someone has already gotten with Alex before me. Our plans have changed; we need to talk with Wendy and Lucia about this. I can’t believe his ability to attract other women even works on guys now.”

Chelsie let out a tired groan and continued, holding her hands over her head.

“Great now; we have to worry even more that more people will fall for Alex now.”

Before this misunderstanding could balloon into something even bigger, I spoke up. I was starting to get a yandere-like aura from Chelsie, almost exactly like the Named Pilots from my past life. And was I hearing things correctly, or was she muttering some frankly disturbing things?

“What are you even talking about? I’m not attracted to Alex. Why would you think that? I’m just wondering since I see you all fighting over Alex all the time. I just want to confirm, given the constant rumors I’ve been hearing about your party.”

“So you're not after Alex?”

"No, and why would I? I’m a guy.”

“Good, I don’t have to find some way to get you out of the picture.”

Chelsie sighs in relief upon hearing me say no, and I ask her, choosing to ignore that last part.

“So, are you going to answer how far you’ve gotten with Alex? And what’s this plan you’re talking about?”

“Oh, that. The four of us agree not to let any more girls go after Alex, and we’re all competing to see who will be Alex’s first wife; however…”

“We haven’t even made any progress.”

Maria finishes what Chelsie said, with both of them looking a bit dejected.

As they had answered my question, Alex walked toward us carrying a couple of bundles of bittercress grass.

“Chelsie, Maria, and Nyx, I’ve finished collecting the bittercress grass for today's quest.”

“Good, we also finished today.”

Saying that, I then asked him if he wanted to spar with me again since I was planning to take the E-rank evaluation test and wanted to get some extra practice in.

As I asked him that, Alex had that frightened look again. His eyes were darting all over until they landed on Chelsie and Maria. After a bit, his face turned all red, and he said.

“I can’t because, ummm… I’m taking Chelsie and Maria, umm… on a date, you see.”

Both Chelsie's and Maria’s faces blushed after Alex blurted that out.

“Do you mean it, Alex?”

Maria’s face was all crimson ask if he would really take both of them out on a date.

“Aren’t you leaving Wendy and Lucia out if you're taking both of us out? It won’t be fair for them.”

I was surprised when Chelsie, also blushing, told Alex that it wouldn’t be fair to exclude the other two. I guess she’s the mediator between the four of them when it comes to deciding who will become Alex’s first wife.

“Don’t worry, Chelsie, because… I’ll also take them on a date tomorrow.”

His face became even redder as he blurted that out. Then he grabbed Maria and Chelsie’s hands and began walking away.

"Sorry, Nyx, I can’t spar with you today.”

“Okay…?”

I stood there silently, wondering what I had just witnessed. Did Alex grow a pair and ask both of them on a date, along with two other girls? I guess he really is the main protagonist.

Seeing Alex walk away while holding Chelsie’s and Maria’s arms, I trained for a bit and went back early so I could rest and prepare for the evaluation test.

After returning to the Adventurers’ Guild, Emma congratulated me for completing the ten F-rank quests required to qualify for the E-rank evaluation test.

“When would you like to take the E-rank evaluation test, Mr. Nyx?”

“Tomorrow afternoon if possible.”

“That should be fine.”

“And what about the instructor?”

"Unfortunately, Mr. Nyx, I can’t say who the examiner is since that’s part of the test.”

“I see”

After finishing my conversation with Emma, I headed downstairs to the library and picked up where I had left off with Mable. We spent the rest of the day sitting together in comfortable silence, quietly reading our books.

Going back to the adventurers guild tomorrow, I walked in anticipation of the E-rank examination test.

The Adventurers’ Guild was as empty as usual at this time of day. I walked over to Emma’s booth, where she told me that the examiner was waiting for me at the training area.

The training area was located outside, behind the building. It had a dirt floor, with several training dummies and racks of wooden weapons lined up along the sides.

I only saw a big, muscular, red-haired guy who was two to three times my height standing in the middle of the training area, holding an oversized wooden sword that was as big as he was, which honestly looked extremely impractical to use.

“You must be Nyx.”

“You must be the examiner, then.”

He had a big grin as he introduced himself.

“I’m Cade, B-rank. Emma has some interest in you, so I also have some too.”

Emma has some interest in me. I asked what he meant.

“Oh, you don’t know? Emma used to be an A-rank adventurer, but these days she is retired. You’ve caught her eye.”

Wait… she used to be an A-rank adventurer; that is a surprise, and why me? Thinking about it, the way she is treating me is exactly like how I was treated when I was still a noble. Does she know that I’m a noble?

Interrupting my thoughts, Cade spoke.

“Let's start. The wooden weapons are on your right. Go and pick whatever you want. You just have to land a hit on me to pass, so make this interesting.”

“Alright then”

I'd better ask her after this. It shouldn’t be too difficult to pass the examination; I’ll just have to hit him once, especially with him using an impractical oversized sword.

After grabbing a wooden sword, I waited for him to give the go-ahead.

“Let’s start then.”

We both stared at each other for a short while. I made the first move, rushing at him to make it difficult for him to use his oversized sword.

He swung his oversized sword to keep me from getting closer, so I ducked under the swing.

However, he took several steps back and adjusted his swing with a surprising amount of dexterity, especially for someone wielding such an oversized sword. Surprised, I was forced to leap back to create some distance.

“You're not half bad; Emma was right about you. I don’t have to hold back too much.”

A slight grin spread across my face as I realized this was going to be harder than I thought. I never expected to have the opportunity to fight someone skilled enough to make such an impractical weapon actually work.

I tried closing the distance again. This time, I entered the striking range, but it was only a feint. He shifted his body to the right and immediately counterattacked, which I barely managed to dodge.

That was close. Judging by the momentum behind that swing, I’d probably fracture a bone if I took a direct hit, despite the fact that it was only a wooden sword.

I tried getting close to him several more times, looking for an opportunity to land a hit, but every attempt was unsuccessful. He skillfully wielded his oversized sword to keep me at a distance.

"You've got to do better than that.”

I didn’t respond to his taunt, but my grin only grew wider as I welcomed the challenge.

If this continues, I’ll tire myself out, so I have to think of a new strategy. It is going to be challenging to get past his giant sword.

I really wish I had some ranged weapons I could use; then it would be easier to create an opening against Cade.

I guess I’ll have to do something he’s not expecting if I want to get past his sword.

Rushing back at Cade, I continued dodging his attacks by the skin of my teeth, doing my best not to get hit while trying to force him into making a particular swing.

Finally, after a couple more swings, he swung his sword in a wide arc. I immediately jumped onto the flat of the blade, using my hand to steady myself before planting my feet on it. Then I jumped off, letting his sword crash into the ground as he completed his swing.

This gave me an opening where he couldn’t use his sword for a moment, so I threw my wooden sword at him. However, he twisted his neck to dodge it, which was exactly what I wanted because it created an even bigger opening.

I rushed up his massive, muscular arm, using his biceps as leverage before jumping and delivering a spinning kick across his face. He had been forced to look away for the briefest moment to dodge the sword I’d thrown at his head, giving me the opening I needed.

He only said that I had to land a hit. He never specifically said I had to use my sword.

Landing on the ground behind him, I waited for him to respond, trying my best to hold back my urge to continue.

“Heh heh heh, that was a good hit.”

Turning around, he covered his nose with one hand as blood trickled from it. I asked him, “Did I pass?” He answered with a vicious smile and a bit of bloodlust seeping into his words.

“You pass, go to Emma, and she’ll sort out the rest.”

“Great.”

"In the meantime, why don’t we have another match? Whoever knocks the other out wins.”

“That sounds like fun.”

Saying that, I was ready to continue, despite not having my wooden sword with me after throwing it at him.

But the moment we were about to make our move, I heard a small cough that drew our attention away. We both looked toward the sound, wondering who had interrupted us. That was when we saw Emma standing by the entrance to the training grounds, wearing a smile and giving off an extremely scary and menacing aura that surprisingly made even me stop smiling.

“Ahem, Examiner Cade and Mr. Nyx, I believe that the evaluation is already over. I do ask that you two refrain from fighting any further until Mr. Nyx receives his rank-up."

Saying that, I quickly did as I was told, and so did Cade.

I don’t know what makes her look so terrifying or radiate such a commanding tone, but it kinda felt like standing in front of the Commander in my past life when Norn and I made our typical huge mess of things.

Walking up to her, kind of reluctantly, as Cade tried to make himself look small, we walked to the counter.

And as we walked, I tried to strike up a conversation.

“Umm… Emma, I didn’t know you were an A-rank adventurer.”

“Ah, Cade must have told you, Mr. Nyx. I was a rather high-ranking adventurer back in my day, but I’m retired now. Those days are long behind me.”

“Oh, I see. Do you mind telling me what it was like back in your time?”

Shaking her head, she said, “I’m afraid I can’t, for… personal reasons. But enough about me. Allow me to congratulate you on your promotion.”

As we reached the counter, Emma asked for my guild card. I handed it to her, and she placed it on a box-like device on the table. The device made the card glow before turning it bronze.

After receiving it back, I looked at my adventurer’s card. The only changes were its color and the title of my rank, which had been updated from F to E.

Seeing that, I figured this was as good a time as any to ask her, especially since it was just the two of us. I mainly wanted to know why she had been treating me with noticeably more respect than everyone else.

“By the way, you know that I am a noble, right?”

It took me a while to figure that out, mainly because I was a noble. I was accustomed to people speaking to me that way. The other day, I’d gone to another reception counter, and the receptionist there hadn’t been nearly as respectful as Emma. She was simply polite and courteous, like any other customer service worker.

Thinking about it, I wasn’t doing a good job concealing the fact that I was a noble; being able to read and write was a dead giveaway. To be more specific, most commoners in this world can only read and write simple sentences, just enough to get by, but they can’t as easily read a contract as I did, which I took for granted, given my life as a noble and my past life, where everyone is literate.

“As expected from Mr. Nyx, I apologize.”

Emma was about to bow in apology, but I stopped her.

“I prefer you speak to me plainly.”

“If it’s alright with you, then.”

After saying that, Emma’s expression slowly relaxed, and her speech became more natural. Even so, I could still sense some tension and caution in her.

“You really are a noble; can I ask which family you are from?”

"I would rather not say.”

Emma seemed surprised when I didn’t say which noble family I belonged to.

“That's strange; normally, you nobles would always use your family names, even if you're trying to hide your identity.”

“Are nobles becoming adventurers that common?”

“It’s rare; I’ve come across a fair amount during my time when I was active, and they always use their family title to get favors with the guild.”

Interesting, so nobles becoming adventurers is more common than I thought.

“Anyways, I’m curious about why you’ve become an adventurer.”

“I had an opportunity, and I ran away.”

I couldn’t tell her everything; after all, the less, the better, and it made Emma look even more surprised and confused.

“Why? Someone of your talent and potential at such a young age. Even if you don’t have magic, why did you run away?”

“Family troubles, I guess.”

Emma wore an exhausted expression and let out a deep sigh upon hearing my response before placing a hand on her forehead.

“This is why I retired, so I don’t have to deal with stuff like this.”

"Also, is there anyone else who knows?”

“I haven’t told anyone except for the guild master. Either way, what are you going to do now after you got promoted to E-rank?”

“I’m planning to buy some throwing weapons since my fight with Cade revealed a weakness.”

From my fight with Cade, I realized that changing my swordsmanship is not enough, so I'm planning to buy them to help me in the future.

“Then I’m planning to take on some E-rank quests. And after that, I plan to do a D-rank quest to escort a wagon to Acton.”

It’s a bit annoying that I have to complete 3 E-rank quests to be able to do a D-rank quest, but if it gets me to Acton, then I’m fine with it.

Acton is a large city that was formed around the Dradevow dungeon, so the main adventurer headquarters of this region and the mages guild are there, along with other guilds like the merchant guilds.

There, I could find the resources I needed to learn how to create magical tools that didn’t require someone to be a mage to use, like the adventurer’s card I was currently holding.

After telling her my plans, leaving out the part about creating magical tools that didn’t require someone to be a mage, I headed to Kinwall’s shop. On the way there, I thought about what kind of throwing weapons I should buy, since I found out I needed some after fighting with Cade.

Emma’s perspective

“So what do you think of him, Cade?”

After Nyx had left, Emma talked to the guild master, Cade.

“His talents and skills belie his age; he’s abnormal, to be honest. I doubt a genius his age can match him.”

“Interesting… He also figured out that we know he’s a noble. Were you able to figure out which family he belongs to by fighting him?”

Emma continued, offering her best guess as to Nyx’s identity.

“My best guess would be the Lunslur family. They’re currently embroiled in a power struggle over who will become the next head after the previous one died a year ago, and their territory borders ours.”

“I doubt it since his swordsmanship is very different from that of the Lunslur family. I feel like I fought it before for some reason.”

“I see, he is a mystery.”

Emma placed a hand on her chin, deep in thought as she tried to assess how much trouble Nyx might cause in the future. However, she eventually gave up since they didn’t have enough information about him.

"Also, by the way, here.”

Emma sucker-punched Cade in the gut without warning.

Despite Cade being way taller and more muscular than Emma and being the guild master, Emma still punched Cade in the gut because she was ticked off that her secret got revealed again. It caused him to collapse on the ground in pain.

“That's what you get for revealing that I was a high-ranking adventurer.”

Cade clutched his stomach and groaned on the ground.

“Ya… I'm sorry… I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”

“You said the same thing last time.”

Even more irritated, Emma kicked Cade in the stomach while he was still down.