The Blessed Hero – Journey around the sacred grounds – The town of Hember 4 –

A direct hit, and a roar of flame shakes the training ground.
Staring at the roaring fire, Arthur does not let go of his stance.
Mei's flames, reinforced by Roa's wind, did indeed reach Ansem --- Still, Arthur had a certain premonition.
(That much isn’t enough to beat him...)
And that hunch turned out to be right.
Ansem calmly stepped out of the flames as if Arthur's attack had never happened.
(He’s still unscathed after doing all that...)
Unmoved by Ansem's appearance, Arthur worked out his magic to make his next move.
As he made eye contact with his companions and was about to move, Ansem dissipated the magical powers enveloping him.

"The exam is over."

When Arthur and the others tried to get on with their momentum, they got a cold bucket on their heads and almost can’t keep up with their minds.
Although he didn't put down his weapon, considering that he might let his guard down, the tense atmosphere from before had already disappeared.

"Is that enough?"
"... how long did you intend to continue?"

Arthur, who assumed it will continue until one of them collapsed, spun his mouth.
Staring at the still undiminished flames, Ansem instructed the surrounding adventurers to extinguish the flames and instructed Arthur and the others to head to the guild's main building.

"Take a class at the reception. Finn, Lloyd, you guys stay."
"Aye aye"
"Okay, everyone, let's gather at the entrance after the class is over."
"I understand"

………………
…………
……

Arthur and the others bowed and returned to the main guild building.
Ansem followed them with a sharp gaze.
"Oh, what? Ansem-san, are you angry for being roasted?"
"──── What did you guys think?"
Ansem asked while ignoring Finn's teasing.

The two of them understood his intentions despite their lack of words, and their expressions tightened.

“A newcomer… or rather, there probably aren’t anyone around here have that kind of strength at their age. Above all, it's not a coincidence that five people with that much talent are gathered together in one party."

“Next is their cooperation? They’re quite strong. Well, it's not like I can judge it from looking at that quick fight, but if it's just the way they get along, it's a level that even uncommond for a veteran party. If it's just about strength, it's about rank 4? They’re definitely stronger than us.""
"Didn't you ask them anything?"
“I don’t know what to ask, but I really just met them. They’re looking for an inn, so if I take them, I wonder if I can use the them to please our signboard girl."
"If you're interested in them, Ansem-san, I'll try to find out about it."
"... No, it's fine. If you look into every adventurer's background, there will be no end. From the looks of it, there are no people who will cause problems to me."
"to you, huh..."

The two let out a wry smile at Ansem's attitude that trying to avoid getting into trouble.
It may contain a warning to them, but if it stands out that much, the result will be the difference between early and late.

"Well, you should know when to withdraw."

Leaving that behind, the two went after Arthur and the others.

………………
…………
……

When Arthur and the others finished their course and headed to the entrance, Finn and Lloyd were already waiting at the table.
"Sorry to keep you waiting"
"I don't mind. Did you complete the registration successfully?"
At Lloyd's words, the five took out the registration cards they had just made.
The number "10" representing the rank is engraved on the metal card along with each name.

"With this, you've safely joined the ranks of adventurers. There's no reason why you can't register after showing something flashy like that."
"Congratulations anyway"
"thank you"
“So, do you have any plans for the future?”
“For the time being, I think I should get used to the activities as an adventurer in this city.”

Finn and Lloyd nodded at Arthur's answer and brought up a proposal.

“Then why don’t you team up with us? If we are in this city, we’ll be able to get some work done, and we can also teach you know-how as an adventurer.”
“I am grateful for this story, but there isn’t any merit for the two of you, right?”
"That's not true. If you team up with another party and complete a request, you can appeal to the guild for cooperativeness, and if you can guide newcomers and handle them well, that's one of achievements."
“That’s right, adventurers can get along well with other adventurers, so trust is quite important.i"
"However, most new adventurers are impertinent and don't listen to what others say, or they can only do the bare minimum of self-defense and panic as soon as something happens. A newcomer like you who is polite, understanding, and capable is a valuable presence for the instructor who can safely gain experience.”

After hearing the two of them, Arthur confirmed with his companions, and since there was no objection, he readily accepted her proposal and bowed to them.
 
"If that's the case, please do so."
“Then, shall we immediately accept an affordable request?”
“What criteria do you use to decide which requests to accept?”

Finn and Lloyd gave a wry smile to Mei, who asked her question in a stuttering honorific.
"You don't have to worry about being polite to us. It's not just Mei-chan, it's everyone else. So, ah, it's a work standard. There are various things such as rewards and danger levels, but at the beginning anyway, it's a good idea to take as many requests as you can, and once you've gained a certain amount of experience, you should decide on a direction. Whether you like it or not, try various things.”
"How did you two decide?"
“Lloyd and I have a wide range of jobs, but if I dare say it, we often choose jobs where we can meet the client face-to-face.”

When Arthur comes to the guild, he recalls the story he heard from the two of them.

"To build trust?"

"Oh, so you've come to understand it. After all, it's easier to trust people who meet face-to-face, and there's a higher chance that you'll receive a nominated request. Even people who can properly communicate will be evaluated.”
“Especially in areas like this where there aren’t many monster subjugation requests, the requests come more often based on acquaintances rather than guild rank.”
"I see"
"Well, that's the end of the introduction."

Several request sheets were lined up in front of the five people who nodded.
As they’ve said earlier, the content of the work and the rewards listed there are various.

“There is this kind of way of thinking, we can teach you that it is better to keep these elements in mind, but in the end there are things that you can’t understand unless you make your own decisions and succeed or fail. My advice is just do it, and if it doesn't seem to work, I'll follow up, so choose the request you want to accept."
"Yes!"

Finn looks at the juniors who are happily discussing the request list for the first time with a sorrowful expression.
Lloyd furrowed his eyebrows at his partner's expression, which did not suit him too much.

"What kind of emotion is that face..."
"Because... I thought we were still young, but when I saw these guys, I thought, oh, I also had a time like this..."
"Isn't that completely an old man's impression?"
"...Is twenty-four an old man?"
“Please stop asking me so much… Well, from Roa-san’s point of view, you might be an old man.”
"guess so~..."

A voice called out to Finn, who leaned over his back and looked back to the voice.

“Excuse me, I was thinking of doing this request.”
"Sure, then, why did you try to do this?"

(Looking at it this way, he's just a good senior.)
Finn stood up as soon as he called out to him and seriously consulted him.
Like a partner who doesn't let you feel even the slightest bit of desire hidden inside, Lloyd casts a gaze that is neither impressed nor disgusted.
(I can't speak for people either.)

It's been six months since I came to this city, and when I've grown tired of hugging Kikka, who was an affordable partner, they came here as the ultimate prey. Of course I'm not going to miss it.

All that's left is to wait for the right moment.

Please support the author by checking the site

You can check advance chapter in my Patreon