I'm going to enjoy the sights of King's Landing and...
　I rested my body sufficiently, and then the day of the exam arrived.

　The exam room is a ruin located a few hours' walk from the royal capital.
　A long time ago.......................It seems to be over 200 years old.

　At least two hundred years have passed, and during that time it has been exposed to the rain and wind.......
　The ruins do not deteriorate at all.
　According to one theory, the fort was built by the strongest species.

　Nowadays, the ruins are used as a fort in case of an emergency.
　In the past, when the war with the Demon King broke out and the outskirts of the capital became a battlefield, the ruins were used as a fortress.
　They were holed up in the ruins and intercepted the enemy.

　The name of the ruins is "Earth's Wedge".

　That's where the test was held this time.

Ooh, it's packed!

　The square in front of the ruins...................that was designated as the meeting place.
　Numerous adventurers had gathered there.

　From a quick look, there were more than 100 people in attendance.
　As expected, it couldn't reach 150 people.

''So these are all B-ranked adventurers... in a way, it's a spectacular view.
Meow?　Some of us have friends, so not all of us, right?
Oh, that too.

　This test can be taken by the whole party.
　You'll have to bring your friends along with you, just like me.

Are they going to be our rivals?
'I don't think so, do you?　I haven't heard that there's a limit to the number of people who can become A-rated, so I guess it's more of a case of those who don't meet a certain standard being eliminated rather than competing with each other.
I see. But that's a lot of work, isn't it?

　If it's not a competitive system, but a drop-out system, you'll be judging each and every party.
　Depending on the content of the test, it would take a lot longer.
　Most of all, if it's something that makes you sift through the whole thing, you might be eliminated in one fell swoop, but...
　Well, it's hard to say about all this.

　There's no point in imagining this or that.
　Whatever test they're going to give you is not going to be ready until you're ready to take it.

"Yes, sir.

　A pang and a hand clanked.
　I turned around........and saw Cell.

''I'm Cell, an A-ranked adventurer serving as an examiner. Nice to meet you.

　I never thought I'd see Cell as an examiner...
　Is this the edge you were talking about the other day?

　It wasn't just Cell, I saw less than ten other people who looked like adventurers.
　They must all be examiners.

　Among them, how could Cell represent them and greet them.....
　Do you have a higher position in the guild than you thought?

Well, you're a big girl, aren't you?

　Tina says in a small voice, apparently thinking the same thing.
　Continuing, Nina tilts her head slightly.

"But.........Axe is gone....... What's wrong, I wonder?
Well, yeah. Those two are always together...
Have you been in a fight?
'Hey, man. Or maybe Axe was finally dumped?

　Stop imagining things like that for the poor kid.

　But....
　They're both right, it is indeed a mystery.
　I don't think Axe is going to leave Cell's side.
　And if they're in the same party, I'm sure they're standing in the same position...

You'll take countless exams, and when you pass all of them, you'll earn an A grade. I'll tell you what the exams are and how many you have to clear. How many exams do I need to clear?　It's a secret. So make sure you don't set the pace wrong.

　Not knowing the goal is tricky.
　Cell is right, though, pacing will be important too...
　It's more than that, it requires a strong mind.
　Being forced to do an endurance race that you don't know when it's going to end is a lot of mental fatigue.
　There would be people who would lose their minds during the race.

Well then, I'd like to get right to the first test, but before I do, I'd like to introduce a special guest.

　Special guest?
　Maybe that's what the old man at the stall said the other day....

'I don't know if you've ever heard of me but I'm Arios the Brave.
We'll get it.

　At Cell's greeting, Arios emerged from the tent set up in the back.
　A bad feeling is in the air.
　He was followed by Aggus, Lean, and Mina...

Yeah?

　Finally, a woman I didn't know appeared.
　She's dressed like a knight, but who is she?

This time, the brave souls will be specially invited to join the judging process. The judging standards are not going to be made any more stringent, but you need to brace yourself.
Hi. This is Arios, who has just been entrusted with the introduction. Perhaps "brave" would be a better description. This time I have a chance to be an examiner here with my friends. I'm looking forward to seeing you all in good health. I look forward to working with you.

　Arios greeted her with a refreshing smile and...
　When the other adventurers saw him, the other adventurers shivered with an oh-oh.

　To be encouraged by a brave man who everyone admires.
　It's a great idea to have a brave man serve as an examiner.
　How lucky are we?
　I can't fail this exam.
　I have to do well and show the brave man some good points.

　........That's how everyone was excited about it.

''Nyahhhh.......It's disgusting how high and mighty he is. I mean, why is that guy in that place with a natural look on his face?　I thought you were pissed off.
I should have, but...

　In my talk with Lady Sarya I have heard that Arios was summoned to the royal castle and blamed for his problematic behavior in the case of Iris.
　I've also heard that he was punished.

　But I didn't hear what kind of punishment, nor did I hear that he was stripped of his bravery license.
　I'm not sure if it's because of his position as a brave man that even the king couldn't be blamed for his actions?
　Or did the punishment convert Arios?

No, of course not.

　Kanade was the first to deny it.
　Everyone else agreed.

'Maybe serving as an examiner is a punishment.
Meow?　What do you mean?
'Minor offenders can be ordered to do community service ... volunteer work and so on. Like that, Arios might be ordered to do a lot of different jobs as well. If you look closely, there's one person I don't know who joins in.......and I guess it's more of a watchdog role?
That's not nice, but...
I was so demoralized by the whole...
Can I go home now?
'Or rather, can I blow it up with magic?　It is.

　Everyone was demotivated.
　Well, it couldn't be helped.
　Arios' encouragement is counterproductive.
　There's no way I'm going to get motivated.

"Oh, I see.

　

''What's wrong?''
''Nope.
Yeah?
Axe is a straight shooter, right? For better or worse, he's a straight shooter.　Because of what happened before, he doesn't want to be on the same stage. That's because Cell is an adult. He may have many things to think about, but he's just trying to be patient.
I see.

　It was an accurate explanation.
　Maybe, as Tina said, Axe doesn't like Arios and doesn't want to be on stage with him, so he's temporarily out of his seat.

　I know the feeling.
　After what happened........
　If we were together, I'd probably hit him because of Axe.

Hmph.

　Suddenly, Arios looked at me.
　He smiled provocatively.

"Hey, hey, Rain. I'm sure he's up to something again, isn't he?
Should we crush it while we're at it?

　I almost say yes.

'No. If you do that, it will make Sora and the others look bad.
"We know about the misdeeds of the brave men, but the men here will know nothing about them. "We know about his misdeeds, but the people here don't know anything about them.
If you mess with the brave men, you know what happens. Even if you don't, Sola and the others will be disqualified.
'I hope that's all it takes. At worst, you'll have to deal with everyone here.
'Oh, no. I don't really mean it.
Just kidding. Just kidding.

　Maybe Kanade and Tania were serious about it.

"We can't eliminate the possibility that they will try something, but that doesn't mean we can't get out of the exam right now. Let's be careful enough.
Yeah, okay!
Let's go for it.

　It's very possible that Arios is up to something.
　It's just too good to run into him in a place like this.

　But even so, we can't just run away from here, so...
　If they try to play a little trick on you, you'll only break it down head on.

'Then we'll start the test.

　After the greetings, Arios moved to the back and...
　Instead, the cell stands in front of me again.

　Finally.
　What kind of test awaits us?
　I was nervous and slightly amused.
　Surprisingly, there was quite a bit of leeway.

　I knew it was because we were all together, right?
　If this was the type of exam I would have taken alone, I would have been filled with anxiety.

　Yeah, it's okay.
　If I'm with you guys, I can get over anything.
　I'm going to pass this test, too.

The first test is a marathon.