Orion was officially the Seventh Prince of the Arseral Empire—but in truth, she is a woman. This was because her twin brother, who was meant to be the Hero’s reincarnation, had died in childhood. To preserve the line, the twin sister had taken his place.
Her real name was Rione. Normally, she hid her chest beneath armor—but underneath, a magnificent pair of curves awaited.
“There’s a private shower in the room. You should use that to wash up.”
Anje said casually.
“Hey, Anje-oneechan!?”
“Well, in that case, I suppose I’ll use that one.”
Orion muttered.
Thanks to Anje’s unnecessary comment, Orion ended up using the private shower instead of the large bath.
It was cruel… I’d been looking forward to bathing together after so long…
『Serves you right.』
While I was sulking over my misfortune, Orion returned from the shower.
“You were quick.”
“I couldn’t linger… someone might have peeked.”
“True enough. No one lets their guard down around that type.”
Just then, a notification chimed. It seemed we had arrived at our destination.
“This must be the building.”
Amid the desolate wastelands stood a lone, sturdy structure. Rugged and imposing, it could almost be called a fortress. High-level wards surrounded it, guarding the place against any unwanted intrusions.
As we disembarked from the airship and approached the entrance, a voice called out from a small window beside the massive gate.
“This is the Adventurers’ Guild Association headquarters. Please show your guild cards.”
We presented our guild cards as requested.
“Six A-Rank adventurers, huh… wait? Six? I only see five.”
“Did you forget about me?”
Seething from not being able to share the bath with Orion, I had Fana hold me up, making sure to assert myself.
“!? A baby…? It’s speaking!? Wait, I’ve heard about this. A baby who became an adventurer at zero years old and skyrocketed to A-Rank in no time… so that’s you, huh? Hmm… I still can’t believe it, seeing it with my own eyes.”
“Wait, you know me?”
I asked, surprised.
“Of course. This is the Adventurers’ Guild Association, after all. Information from guilds all over the world flows through here… In any case, your guild cards appear genuine. You may enter.”
With a deep, resonant sound, the massive doors swung open, and we stepped inside the headquarters.
“We’ve been expecting you, Fana-sama, Anje-sama, and Orion-sama. I am Randia, a staff member of the Association assigned to oversee your S-Rank promotion exam. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
The one who greeted us was an elderly man with the air of a butler. His speech was polite and precise, yet there was an unmistakable sense of authority about him—likely a retired adventurer of considerable skill.
“Thanks to the arrival of the three of you, it seems that all candidates scheduled to take the exam this time have gathered. We will assemble everyone shortly to explain the exam’s details, but until then, please make use of the free accommodations inside the building to rest.”
According to the staff member who introduced himself as Randia, the headquarters also functions as a fully equipped adventurers’ guild. Well, this place serves not only as the Association’s main office but also as a base for adventurers challenging the Infinite Wastelands.
As such, it offered everything a traveler might need: not just lodging, but a dining hall, item shop, and even a dismantling station. There was a buyback counter, of course, and blacksmiths on hand to maintain weapons and armor.
“Hmm… how many are taking the exam?”
“Well, two more people signed up at the last minute, so this time there are slightly more candidates than usual—a total of twelve. I must admit, I never expected that after being granted your exam qualifications just a few hours ago in Vegaltia, you’d have already arrived. You came by that… flying ship, didn’t you?”
“You know about that, ojiichan?”
Well, I had reported the magical airship to the guild once before.
“There’s a place to sleep on that ship, so tonight I’ll stay there instead of using the free accommodations here.”
“Ah, even such a thing exists? I’d very much like the opportunity to ride it myself someday.”
Huh? There’s no way I’d let some old geezer ride with me.
『Master, you are a geezer too, though.』
(I’m a cute, adorable baby! Ba-bu, ba-bu!)
“I just came on the ship, so I’m not tired or anything.”
“Yeah, more importantly—let’s hear about the exam already.”
We also told him that we didn’t need to rest, so he went straight into explaining the exam.
Apparently, even those of us not taking the exam—like me and Karen—were allowed to listen in.
We were guided into a spacious conference room that could easily fit fifty people.
One by one, the candidates for this session began to gather. Of the twelve candidates, eight were men and four were women—Orion counted among the women. Most seemed to be in their late twenties to early thirties.
Teenagers Fana and Anje were by far the youngest, and it showed when they entered the room—earning a few surprised glances.
Of course, no one was stupid enough to get angry and shout, “What’s a brat doing here!?”
When it comes to an A-rank adventurer with abilities close to S-rank, it’s possible to understand to some extent the other person’s skill just by looking at them.
“…What’s a brat doing here!?”
Ah… I’m wrong. There is one here.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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