No, no, please!
'Get away from Luna!

　Meldy hits the blonde guy who was walloping Luna.

That's dangerous.

　With Meldy saving his speed, the man ducked her attack with plenty of time to spare.

''She's a violent woman, hitting me out of the blue or something. This is why adventurers are - ah?　What are you, a beastman?

Yeah. What's wrong with that?

No, no. I just don't want to deal with a bunch of raging beastman adventurers.

"Mr. Merdi is not a rabid maniac!　He's a very good boy!

　Luna and Meldy, who were visiting the Adventurer's Guild in the King's Capital with Hurt and the others, went inside the guild first and went to the bathroom. When they were about to return to Hurt, they were entangled by this blonde man.

''Luna. You don't have to deal with this guy.

　Meldy pulled Luna's hand away and turned to leave.

'I have no use for you, beastman. But not that blue hair over there.'

　A blonde man stands in the path of Luna and the others, blocking their path.

''You're the adventurer taking the promotion exam today, right?''

'Yes, but..... What does that have to do with you?

I can pass the promotion exam if you stick with me for a bit.

Yes?

''On the contrary, if you refuse my invitation here and now, you will definitely not be promoted to a C grade.

No way!　Why would you make that decision?

'I can decide that, can't I? I'm the one who decides if you all pass or fail.

What's this all about?

　Luna and Meldy were a little uneasy as the man spoke as if he wasn't sure what he was saying, but the man spoke as if he was sure.

'I'll be in charge of this promotion exam. If I don't say I pass, you guys will never get promoted.

　This blonde man was Gad, the captain of the 20th unit of the Kingdom Knights' squadron. This time, he would oversee Hurt and the others' examination for promotion to the C rank.

''I've just decided on the content of the exam. It's a one-on-one battle with me. If you don't have me to prove myself, you won't get promoted.

　Gad gives a sneaky smile.

'My test is pretty tough, huh?'

　He had once re-injured a group of adventurers who had come to take a promotion exam. This was because the adventurers who took the test were all men, and it put Gad in a bad mood.

　The adventurers who were beaten by Gad instilled a great deal of fear in them, and they all left Glendale to run away from him.

'I can let that beastman over there pass if you, the blue-haired one, are willing to deal with me. It's all up to me, to be spoon fed.

　Gad was not going to let the girls pass if Luna did not comply with his demands. Hearing Gad's words, Meldi was relieved to hear them.

'Do you want me to fight Anta with a tern and win?　That would be easy.

　We can beat this pissed off man and make him admit he's won.

"You. You seem to be a bit strong, but.... At best, it's the equivalent of a flaming knight. You won't be able to beat anyone in Elnor with that level of strength.

What?

　At Meldy's words, Gad snapped.

　Although I don't know what a flame knight is, I fully understand that I am being licked myself.

　Angry, Gado flew a killing blow towards Meldi.

　The killing air that made the adventurers who had once climbed to the top of the D-rank, tremble to the point where they couldn't move. And as a result of that...


Luna. Let's go.
Yes. Well then, if you'll excuse me.

　Meldi and Luna were unfazed.

　Luna, who was taken by Merdi's hand, bowed lightly to Gad and left the place.

''........What?''

　This surprised Gad.

　If he could defeat a D-ranked demon on his own, he could be said to be an adventurer with a decent level of ability, and those adventurers who take the examination for advancement to C-rank are the ones who are at that level.

　Luna and Meldi didn't change a single color as they were bombarded with enough killing energy to stop such a strong adventurer's movements.

　Gad is quite resigned when it comes to things involving women. Such as he was, he did not go after the two of them. Somehow I felt it was better not to do that now.


Tsk. What is it with those guys..... Well, okay.

　Aside from Luna, Gad was planning to beat up Meldy during his promotion exam.

''That beastman, he seems to hate losing. I'm going to make him regret taking a licking at me without knowing the difference in power.

　The image of Meldy crying and begging for forgiveness appeared in his mind, and with a chuckle, Gad went to the promotion exam room.


　─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─

Oh. Luna, Merdi. Thank goodness...

　A gut feeling kicked in that something nasty was about to happen, and Hurt was looking for Luna and Meldy. As the two of them walked in from the back of the guild, he showed a look of relief.

''Hurt-san. Actually....

Luna got picked up by a guy!
...What?

　As for Luna, she was going to tell Hurt that she might have made a bad impression on Gad that she was an examiner.

　But for Meldi, it didn't matter.

'Luna. Is that true?
Oh, um...

Really. He said the guy who hit on me was the one who was overseeing our examinations.

I'm afraid so. Mr. Hurt, I'm sorry.

Why is Luna apologizing?

Well.......... Wow, I might not be able to pass the promotion exam because I didn't take him up on his offer.

That's what the guy who picked up Luna said. He was threatening her.

　Meldy was convinced.

　He thought that if he said this, Hurt would be angry with him.

　And the idea was spot on.

'I see. First of all, Luna. Thanks for turning down my offer.

　Hurt holds Luna in his arms and gently strokes her head.

'Ha, Mr. Hurt....

　Even though there is no one to see, this is outside of her home. Luna blushed when she was suddenly hugged in such a place. She felt embarrassed, but she was more than happy to do so.

''By the way, I heard that the content of the exam is that you have to fight that pick-up guy one-on-one and win. He's probably as strong as a flaming knight.

We can all win with that much. But..... I don't want to let Luna fight someone who has a thing for Luna individually.

　Luna's hand around her back strengthened.

　As Meldy had intended, Hurt was quietly angry.

'Good!　First things first, I'll take the test.

　In the worst case scenario, Hurt was beginning to think that it was okay if he didn't get promoted. If he didn't make it this time, he could try again the next time.

　More importantly, he was glad that his own wife had refused to pick him up.

　I couldn't forgive the man who had made Luna feel remorseful.


'I'm going to make you feel just a little bit sorry for trying to mess with Elnor (my family),'