Chapter 12: Let’s Reason With Sharp Insight

***

[Mother, Father. How are you? This unworthy son is not doing well. I am truly sorry that my final farewell is in the form of such a letter. But I can’t bear the shame and have decided to leave this world…]

“Evan! Evan! Are you there!?”

In the midst of writing his farewell letter, a visitor arrived.

It was the postman delivering mail.

The postman handed over a single letter and disappeared immediately.

“What’s this…?”

There shouldn’t be any letters coming to me… Perplexed, I checked the sender’s name. It was an unfamiliar name.

Franziska.

“Fr… Fran… Franziska?”

Not knowing how to read it, I mumbled the name several times until I realized it was from the guild master, Francesca.

Once I understood, I carefully opened the letter and read its contents.

“To low-ranking adventurer Evan… The Adventurers’ Guild has decided that additional tests are necessary to raise your rank…”

To summarize:

“There is a test, so come to the capital.”

“Why me?”

I was about to crumple up the letter in irritation when I noticed something left inside the envelope. I checked the contents.

A few photos of a woman’s face were tucked inside. Wondering what they were, I looked over the letter again and discovered a postscript from the guild master.

“P.S. Enclosed are photos of the people who will be taking the test with you.”

I looked at the photos again.

I checked the letter.

Then I looked at the photos once more.

“All right, let’s go.”

They say the best way to forget love is with love.

Indeed, it was true.

The world was wide, and there were plenty of beauties, so there was no time to wallow over one rejection.

And so, I headed for the capital.

***

“So, you’re saying our opponent is this little kid?”

Psyche, the leader of the Valkyries, spoke as she glared at the guild staff in front of her. The look in her eyes, capable of killing dragon-type monsters with ease, was too intense for a mere employee to endure.

The employee, barely holding back from collapsing in fear, nodded cautiously, and Psyche bit her lip in frustration, her pride clearly wounded.

But only for a moment.

“So, if we complete the mission before this kid, we can become top-tier adventurers. I hope that’s true.”

“O-of course! Not only you, Lady Psyche, but all the Valkyries will be promoted to top-tier adventurers!”

The employee, seizing this rare opportunity, quickly explained and hurriedly exited the Valkyries’ office.

Watching him flee in such a pathetic manner, Annella scoffed and laughed, mocking the employee.

“Pathetic for a man.”

“Annella. Be quiet. What if someone hears?”

“But it’s true, isn’t it? Even the men in the capital can’t hold a candle to us. And once we become top-tier adventurers, none of them will stand a chance.”

Psyche almost pointed out to Annella that they hadn’t completed the mission yet and that even if they did, they’d be newly minted top-tier adventurers, not comparable to those who reached that level ages ago. But she held her tongue.

While Annella wasn’t wrong, not being wrong didn’t always mean saying something helpful. As a leader, it was better to show restraint and not dampen morale or ruin the atmosphere.

Especially for an advanced adventurer party known as the Valkyries—on the brink of promotion to top-tier, leading such a large party demanded even more from a leader.

“What’s the mission?”

“I haven’t heard yet. They said it would only be fair to tell us once this kid arrives.”

“So what is it?”

“Apparently, some rare minerals were recently discovered near the count’s territory close to the capital. A monster has taken over the area.”

“Ah, then we’ll need to prepare hammers or axes.”

Annella, the party’s warrior and front-line fighter, was already excited, imagining smashing the monster’s head in.

Psyche waved her hand, signaling Annella to leave, and as she watched her go, she began reviewing the information gathered by the staff.

“Evan Kalster. Only seven missions completed so far.”

He registered as an adventurer last month.

In other words, he’s a low-ranking adventurer who’s just shed his beginner status.

She couldn’t understand why she was supposed to compete with someone like him. Was he a noble? But she had never heard of the name Kalster.

“Is this a joke?”

Or perhaps it was a test to see how they would react. Evan might not be just a low-ranking adventurer but a guild monitor disguised as one.

Either way, the thought of competing with Evan had already vanished from Psyche’s mind.

“He really is a low-ranking adventurer. There’s no doubt about it. Which means… his skills must be insignificant.”

Her mind began to formulate the most rational strategy based on the current information.

This strategic insight—her brilliant mind and wisdom, often called the “goddess’s insight”—was what had driven her and the Valkyrie party toward the rank of top-tier adventurers.

“Perfect. Let’s get prepared, then.”

The battle was over before it even began.

The victory was theirs.

***

“Wow…”

Evan let out an exclamation as he marveled at the grandeur of the distant capital. The massive castle, the city walls surrounding it, and the towering rooftops within.

He could hardly imagine how much effort, time, and resources it must have taken to build something like that.

Could he cut it down?

Lightly placing his hand on his sword’s hilt, Evan judged that he could cut it down—of course, assuming there were no interruptions…

“Haha! First time seeing the capital, are you, sir?”

“Yes, it’s my first time.”

“Everyone who comes here for the first time reacts the same way. If you keep reacting like that inside, people will spot you for a country bumpkin in an instant and try to take advantage of you. Be careful.”

“Oh, yes. Thank you.”

Taking the driver’s valuable advice to heart, Evan entered the capital while riding on the carriage. Since he had a certificate from the adventurers’ guild, entry didn’t take too long.

The driver, who stopped in front of the adventurers’ guild headquarters, let Evan off and departed quietly. Standing in front of the guild with just his certificate in hand, Evan stared up at the guild building in a daze.

“It’s big… Is everything in the capital just enormous?”

The walls, the castle, the buildings—there didn’t seem to be anything small here. Evan, who had thought so, opened the guild’s door and went inside.

Then, he took a few steps back after bumping into someone coming out.

“…”

“Huh? Oh, kiddo. Sorry about that.”

“What?”

“Wow, the capital…”

Evan exclaimed in awe at the “capital-ness” of the person he’d bumped into. The woman he had collided with tilted her head, seemingly puzzled by his reaction, and stared intently at his face.

“Hmm…? Kid, have we met somewhere before?”

“No, this is our first time meeting.”

“Is that so? I thought so too… What’s your name?”

“It’s Evan.”

“Evan, Evan… I don’t know any Evan! Hahaha!”

Laughing heartily, the woman began to playfully slap Evan’s back as she walked past. With each burst of laughter, her regal bearing shook noticeably.

Rubbing his now-tingling back, Evan continued further into the guild. It seemed some adventurers inside, who had been lounging around, noticed him getting smacked by the unfamiliar woman at the entrance, and now looked at him as though he were a greenhorn.

Ignoring their looks, Evan approached the reception desk and held out his certificate.

“This isn’t the place to submit requests…”

“Oh, but they told me to show this here.”

“Excuse me? What does that mean…?”

The headquarters staff, seeing Evan’s young appearance, initially thought he was just a little kid sent to take on a mission. But upon seeing the certificate Evan handed over, the staff member stiffened.

This was a certificate verifying his rank and identity, revealing that Evan wasn’t just someone visiting the headquarters but an official guest of the guild.

“─Could you please wait a moment?”

The staff quickly guided Evan to the VIP room. Leaving tea and refreshments, the staff member politely asked him to wait for a short while before hurrying away to call someone.

As Evan nibbled on the snacks and waited, the door suddenly swung open, and five women walked in, causing him to pause.

‘The ones from the photos.’

Five beautiful women of various types stood there, and one of them was the person he’d encountered earlier.

“Oh, kid. Why are you here…?”

“Anella, do you know him?”

“I met him at the entrance earlier. I’m pretty sure he said his name was Evan…”

“Evan?”

“Do you know him?”

“Ah-!”

“He’s the one who’s supposed to take the test with us.”

Anella, finally realizing Evan’s identity, let out a sound of recognition. Then she started eyeing Evan like a rival.

Without so much as a greeting, Valkyrie, who had sat on the sofa beside him, casually took the refreshments placed in front of Evan.

Watching his snacks being taken, Evan shed a tear inwardly and glanced at them. Anella grinned at the sight.

“Kid, what are you staring at?”

“Oh, nothing.”

“What, do you want to keep looking because the older sisters are pretty?”

“…Yes, you’re all very pretty.”

“Haha! I like this one! Hey, have you ever been with a girl before? If not, this big sister could—”

“Anella.”

“What? I haven’t said anything yet.”

Watching Psyche effortlessly subdue Anella, Evan quickly grasped the hierarchy among them. That woman… the silver-haired Psyche, was the leader of their party.

“─Apologies for the wait, everyone.”

At that moment, the head of the adventurers’ guild entered the VIP room. Upon seeing the guild head, Evan and Valkyrie straightened up and greeted him.

The guild head returned their greeting with a nod and went straight to the point.

“As you are aware, each of you will be competing against each other for a single mission. Only the winning side will be able to advance in rank.”

“What’s the mission?”

“It’s this.”

Evan took the documents handed over to him and frowned slightly at the gruesome creature sketched on the papers.

“Rock Eater. The mission is to hunt down this monster, which has appeared in the territory of Count Blind, and to bring back its materials first to win.”