Natalie called me over to the guild.
　It's boring to go alone, so Tania is with me.
　We walk through the city shoulder to shoulder...

Hey, Tania?
What?
Isn't that a long way off?

　There was enough space between me and Tania for each person.
　Normally, we're usually shoulder to shoulder...

Are you imagining things?
'I don't think so...'
It's not because I'm embarrassed to be around Rain, or because I'd be conscious of her or anything like that!　Okay, don't get me wrong!

　I don't understand what they're saying.

　Tania's cheeks were stained and she looked away lightly.
　Her tail was swaying restlessly.

　She is embarrassed........is it?
　We spend time together all the time, so I've kind of come to understand Tania's emotions.

　But I can't figure out what she's embarrassed about.
　I didn't do anything, did I?

Hey, Lane don't be staring at me like that.
'What?　No?
Oh, I'm just saying. Staring at a girl is not polite.

　I guess that's what I've been told.

'Sorry. There's something wrong with Tania.

　I don't feel like I'm sick or anything, so I'll probably be fine.
　I might get annoyed if I leave you more alone than necessary.


What's going on, Tania?

　Stopping behind her, Tania was mumbling something to herself.

'Nah, it's nothing,'
Come on, let's get going. At this pace, we'll go around noon.

What do you mean?
Lane can figure it out for himself.

　I don't know why I was pissed off.
　It's unreasonable....



----------



Congratulations!

　When I arrived at the guild, I was greeted by a smiling Natalie.

　Congratulations, but I have no idea what to expect.
　Or rather, I seem to remember this pattern from somewhere else...?

I'm pleased to announce that Shroud-san's adventurer rank has been upgraded to B.
'What?　A "B" grade?
'Yes. Mr. Shroud has solved a lot of big cases in recent years, in quick succession.

　Nathalie says, sounding as happy as she is.

'First of all, we have to defeat the demon that showed up in Pagos, right?
It's....

　I didn't beat Iris with the intention of beating her.
　I didn't want that to happen.

　But people don't seem to see it that way.
　Iris' case was supposed to be solved by me.

'I've been antagonizing the other adventurers...'
'Hasn't that matter already been explained and resolved? Shroud-san realized the trap the demon had put up. Deciding that there was no time to explain, he stopped the others by daring to fight. What would have happened if the strike force had rushed into the ruins like that...''
'Well I don't know why that's the way it's supposed to be.

　Actually, it's my own choice.
　The situation meshed together exquisitely and it was decided that it was.

''And then there was the dragon attack the other day. Thanks to Shroud-san, we were able to solve the incident without causing any serious damage. Oh, of course, it's also thanks to Tania-san. All of us in the Adventurer's Guild would like to thank you for that.
'Well, well it's just a whim, right?　You don't have to be so grateful, do you?

　Tania was embarrassed.

''Both of your achievements are wonderful. Therefore, we, the Adventurer's Guild, have decided to promote Shroud-san to the B rank. Congratulations.
....
'Huh?　Aren't you happy?　It's a B-rank, B-rank. If you become a high-ranking adventurer, you'll be able to take on more requests and receive various treatments.　For example, the bridge will be toll free.
If you're asking if I'm not happy, I'm not, but...

　It was a bit of a mixed bag.
　Aside from the dragon attack....
　The Iris case didn't get the result I wanted.
　And yet you can't congratulate me on that....

Hey!
Ow!

　Tania tapped me on the head with a tap.

'Rain, you're thinking about all sorts of unnecessary things again, aren't you?
It's not something I need to...
It's none of my business.

　Tania refuses.

'I don't understand why Rain can't be honestly happy. We've been together, and I've heard what Rain is thinking.'
....
But you know what? You can't change the past. You can't change what happened.
It's...
So keep looking forward. If you keep looking back, you will lose your way and fall down. Don't let that happen.
....
'I'm not going to tell you to forget it. Just remember it. That's all you have to do. Understand?
...Yeah, I guess so.

　Tania's words slipped into my mind.
　The fuzziness I had been holding in the back of my chest seemed to disappear ever so slightly.

'Thank you, Tania,'
Huh?

　He strokes Tania's head as if to canadize her.

'Oh, my bad. I didn't mean to treat you like a child, I was just expressing my gratitude... did you get mad?
Oh, no, no, no, no, no...!
No?
...nothing.

　Tania reddened and turned away... yet, she didn't try to move away.
　Rather, she held her head out to me as if to say more.

'Suh, do what you want?'
Then I'll do it.

　I stroked Tania, who was blushing.

'Um ... we're in the middle of a conversation, can you not make out in front of me?'

　Natalie gave me a zit-eyed look.

''Anyway, but.......that's why Shroud-san will be promoted to a B rank. If he refuses to do so, we can revoke the promotion, but.......
No, I wouldn't do that.
'I'm glad. I wasn't sure what I'd do if they said no.
How could anyone say no?

　Natalie says tiredly at Tania's question.

'You're there sometimes. When you move up in rank, you get all sorts of perks, but you also get more responsibility for it. And there are people who don't like that and prefer to stay at a lower rank, to a certain extent.
Wow, there are people like that. I don't understand it. If there is a ceiling, I'd like to get the best out of it.
'I'd be happy if all adventurers thought like you, Tania.

　Natalie giggled and....
　Then he continued to speak as he suddenly remembered.

''Yes. Mr. Shroud, would you be willing to take the A-grade promotion test?
Promotion test?

　I just got a B grade and now we're talking about an A grade...what does that mean?
　As if to answer this one's question, Natalie-san begins to explain.

''Up to rank B, you can be promoted at the discretion of the Adventurer's Guild. But in order to be promoted to A rank, you have to have certain achievements and take a special test. In Shroud-san's case, his achievements are perfect, so if he takes and passes the exam, he will be able to get an A-rank.
Oh, I see. That's how it works.
''If you move up to A-grade, you'll get a lot more benefits.
Like what?
''Well there's a lot going on and it's hard to explain it in a few words, but to roughly sum it up, you can have the power of an aristocrat.''
Is that possible...?
There are certain requests that cannot be accomplished by simply being powerful. In order to deal with such cases, the A-ranked adventurers are given the same power as the nobles. Well, they are only adventurers, so they cannot rule the city or be involved in the city administration like nobles do.

　It's a terrible story, but I didn't understand it.
　Occasionally we see incidents that can't be moved without power alone.
　The case of the lord and his son Edgar, who used to rule this city, would be similar to that.

''But is it really that easy to give them power?
''The king is also involved in the certification of A-ranked adventurers. So it's not a problem at all.
'Heh. So this is what the top brass of humans do. You're a human, but you think better than that.

　Tania nodded admiringly.

'When is that test thing going to take place?'
''The timing is good, and it's almost there. The place isn't here, though, it's the royal capital.
I see.
What do you want to do?　 What would you like to do?
It's...

　I can't answer Natalie's question right away.

　It seems to have many benefits, but of course, it's not all benefits.
　You'll have more responsibility, and you won't be able to bypass it.

　What should we do?
　I gave it some serious thought.