The content of the training in the outlying cities is more demanding than I had expected.

　After taking the training from morning to evening, I had to write a report on the training and submit it the next morning.
　In addition, they are handed the next day's training materials when they return home and instructed to look over them before the next day.
　So, the next day's training starts on the assumption that you have read all the materials, so if you don't read them beforehand, you won't be able to understand what the lecturer is talking about at all.

　In fact, there were even trainees who were made to leave the room in the middle of a lecture because they failed to prepare for it.

　And today, this weekend.
　In the afternoon, an exam is being held.

　It's a test to see how well I understand what I've been taught during the week.
　If you don't get more than 90 points, you have to take a supplementary exam as well as the previous exam.
　If you don't get more than 90 points in the supplementary exam, the course qualification will be revoked.

　However, five people who passed the first day of the course, including me, passed it on the first try this time, too.
　I was able to score 100 points, which put me in the lead, along with Kiristic, who also got a perfect score.

　Many of the people who passed the re-test had also passed, but five of them had to take a supplementary exam.
　The make-up exam is supposed to be held tomorrow, so we won't know until the end of the week whether they passed or not.

　And tomorrow would be the first holiday since this training program began.
　Although Lycknath had asked if we could have a get-together, the students didn't seem to be in such a mood, perhaps out of consideration for the five of us who had been sentenced to a supplementary exam, so it seemed to be a wash this time.

　I went back to Quinn's office after packing the piles of materials for next week's lecture into my magic bag, and took a short break in the reception room as I watched Quinn return from his business meeting.
　Then
Mr. Gossage, you've got a visitor.
　And the clerk, Kobold, came to inform me.

　Huh?　Wondering who it was, I walked out towards the store and saw Kiristic there.
''I'm sorry for asking you on such short notice may I have a word with you?''
　I led Kiristic, who offered to do so, to the reception room.
　Kiristic seemed to be moping around for a while, looking at my face.

　........but really, Kiristic has a woman's face, she has a beautiful face!
　You think I do.
'I'm going to be blunt I think you should keep your distance from Riknas.
　Kiristic told me so.
'Gossage may not know this but that Urinacombe in Riknas is practically controlled by a dark organization that once caused my Amazocombe to suffer quite a bit of damage...'
　After hearing that story, I thought I understood why Kiristic had been so disgusted with Riknas on the first day of training.

　Indeed.
　The current Urinacombe is effectively ruled by the dark charmers if you only look at it from the edge, and it can't be helped if Riknas is seen as nothing more than a puppet lord candidate.

　However.
　As someone who actually saw and heard the movements of the Central Agency's Frontier Bureau and the actions of the dark winsome voice that went along with them, I thought it was premature to dismiss Riknas as evil all together.
''I know how you feel but I think you should separate the dark charmers from Riknas first.
　That's how I started the conversation.

　Afterwards, when I told him about the festival that occurred between Liberty and the Darkness Charming and the incident with the ancient monster race, Kiristic seemed quite surprised.

　After all, it seems that information involving the winning voice of the darkness is not easily conveyed to the outside world unless you become a party to it.
'I didn't know that happened I'd never heard of it before.
　And Kiristic was also listening to my story with interest.

　And I wondered if Kyristick had come to me just to say that.
No, since you're the only person in this training program that I've deemed worthy of speaking with as an equal, I thought I'd drop by to say hello and let you be my friend from now on.
　Kiristic laughed at that.

　I could imagine that this was probably because I got the same perfect score as Kiristic on the exam, I could imagine.

　Kiristic was on top of that.
And I wouldn't want you, my friend, to have any association with such a troubled individual with ties to a dark organization with no apparent connection to my city, so I thought I'd give you the benefit of the doubt.
　He smiled at that and smiled.

　.........or rather.
　From my point of view, I couldn't help but chuckle, thinking that it was some kind of great superciliousness, like we were friends because we got a perfect score, or that if we were my friends, I shouldn't go out with this guy.
　Kiristic, in between conversations.
"I urge you to disassociate yourself from Lycknath at all costs.
　And then I kept screwing up.

　At any rate, I had a feeling that if I argued with the room here, it was going to be very long again, so I continued to phase in and out of Kiristic's story.

　Soon after.
'I enjoyed our meaningful conversation today. Thank you.
　And with that, Kyristic left the Quinn Chamber of Commerce.

　

　So that's all I had in mind.

　However.
　I'm sure we are all friends of the same frontier city training program, so I'd like to continue to build friendships with them.

◇ ◇.

　If it was true, I was supposed to be at the Three Dragons Pavilion by the time Quinn came back to talk about recruiting the sub-human mercenary group that I had promised Googs, but the sudden visit of Kiristic took up a lot of my time, and it was around the time of Kiristic's return.
Sorry to keep you waiting.
　With that said, Quinn came back, so the day went straight back to Quinn's private residence.

◇ ◇ ◇.

　When I returned to my private residence, besides my maids, Kirko and Unja, Lerdo the demoness greeted me.

　Lerdo ran up to me as soon as I got out of the carriage.
"Thank you, Mr. Gossage, for your help in finding a job for me. I would like to thank you very much for helping me find a good job for Bloor.
　He squeezed my hand with such force that I could shed tears.

　It seems that he received a letter from his sister, Brua, who went to Liberty to join Liberty's guards.

'This city is vibrant, and I'm fired up for my job as a guard.
　I heard that he seemed to be very pleased with it from the written statement.

　I was very grateful to hear that, even for the lord of Liberty, so I was filled with trepidation.

　When I heard that story.
　The sooner we go to the Three Dragons Pavilion to discuss the matter of the sub-human mercenary group, after all, the better, Lerdo thought, folding his arms.
I'd introduce him to this place if I could find out what happened to my youngest sister, Iero, who we haven't heard from for some time now.
　That's what he said.

　I told her that if it was Reldo's sister, there would be no mistake, and that she should feel free to talk to me when she got in touch with me.


◇ ◇ ◇.

　I came back to my room and was doing this and that.
How are you going to spend your day off, little man?
　Unya asked me that.

　I was thinking of returning to Liberty if I had the time, but there is an overwhelming amount of material to work with, so I decided to take a look at it first.
I'd like to have a look at it," he said. "Then, young man, you can start tomorrow afternoon.
　Yes, Unja said.