Chapter 40

And then we arrived at the Kingdom of Rubrum.

Rubrum is a country located to the south of the Centakiran Kingdom, where we originally lived.

The climate is mild, and since it faces the sea, it has multiple port towns, and apparently, maritime trade is thriving.

The capital of Rubrum is one of these port towns. From our perspective, having come from the inland, the vast blue sea stretching beyond the cityscape was incredibly blue.

"Wow! It's so blue!"

Noem couldn't hide her excitement at the blue sea.

Who would have thought that she, who was also one of those challenging the promotion exam, could be so easily impressed by the sea's appearance?

"I've never seen the sea before! I've only heard about it, but there really is such a large pond!"

Well, actually, it's my first time seeing the sea too.

I've lived in the capital of Centakiran all my life, and a significant portion of that time was spent training in the forest with the Azure Dragon.

I've never had any business at the edge of the continent until today.

But now, I can finally see the sea with my own eyes.

This is the sea!

The sea is blue and vast. Standing before such a vast expanse of blue, one can't help but feel a sense of grandeur.

"The sea!"

"The sea!"

Both Noem and I let out a shout from the hill along the road.

'My lord is so noisy. What are you so excited about just because of the sea?'

Abinion, who said this, had a somewhat embarrassed expression.

It's like the reaction of a city dweller accompanying a country bumpkin.

"Abinion, have you seen the sea before!?"

'Of course. Do you think I've existed as a demon spirit for just a few thousand years? I've explored the bottom of the sea as well.'

What!

Abinion, as expected, knows far more than we do due to her long years of existence.

"What did you go to the bottom of the sea for? Was it just a whim?"

'Do I always act on a whim? There are demon spirits living in the sea, and I've visited them a few times on business.'

There are demon spirits living at the bottom of the sea?

Looking at Abinion's relaxed demeanor, I sometimes forget that she is a terrifying being with abilities far surpassing humans.

If she so desired, she could cause natural disasters and slaughter tens of thousands of people in an instant.

How many demon spirits with powers equal to hers still exist in the world?

That's information too significant to regret not knowing.

"Do you go to visit your friends? Are the demon spirits all friendly with each other?"

'Only with those who get along. Some demon spirits start fighting the moment they meet, even without any reason, so it's all about chemistry.'

...

I feel like I've learned something I didn't need to know.

'Rather than that, we should first take care of the business that brought us to this waterside. What was it again? The E-kyu promotion exam? The permanent promotion exam?'

Such an endless and exitless exam is not something I want to take.

'The goal of this trip is to pass that A-rank promotion exam, right? We shouldn't be chatting here, you fool.'

"Getting such an accurate criticism from you...!"

I feel like I've been completely outdone.

But what she says is correct.

We came to the Kingdom of Rubrum to take the exam, pass it, and become A-rank adventurers.

It's not to be moved by the blue sea!

"That's right! We should work hard to pass the exam and both become A-rank adventurers!"

Noem, who also has the qualifications to take the exam, is full of determination.

The time to be moved by the sea is over.

'How do we take this exam?'

"We can only follow the instructions given by Rondait."

According to what Rondait, the guild master, told us, we should visit the local adventurer guild as soon as we arrive.

The Kingdom of Rubrum has its own adventurer guild, which is like a branch.

There is a master who oversees the Rubrum adventurer guild, and we need to speak to him first before anything can start.

"I have the documents from Rondait. Two copies, one for me and one for Noem. These are the letters of introduction for the A-rank promotion exam."

"We'll show these to get the qualifications to take the exam!"

These documents contain the trust we have earned from our hometown, the Kingdom of Centakiran.

Submitting them should allow us to gain trust even in an unfamiliar place.

◆

"Oh, right, Abinion, make sure to make yourself invisible when we enter the city. If you're seen, it will definitely cause a panic."

'I almost forgot we're in unfamiliar territory. In our hometown, everyone is used to my appearance.'

The formidable capital of Centakiran.

We were already under the influence of normalcy bias.

◆

"Unqualified."

... And at the Rubrum Kingdom guild...

We were rejected outright without any consideration of our trust or anything!

After wandering around the city a bit, we finally discovered the adventurer guild in the capital of Rubrum and burst in.

We went through the reception and faced the guild master of this region.

We handed over the documents and requested to participate in the exam, but received this harsh response.

"Excuse me, why? We have the letters of introduction from our guild, and there are no issues with them."

I couldn't just back down with a "Well, that's that" and decided to push further.

If we returned without success, I wouldn't be able to face Reslaser and Rondait back home.

"What do you mean? Rather, there are plenty of reasons why you shouldn't be allowed."

Across the table, we faced the guild master of the Rubrum Kingdom guild.

He was a greasy-faced man in his early fifties.

Compared to our guild's thick-petaled flower, Rondait, he was a completely different type of master.

"You're a 'Skill-less,' right? Making a 'Skill-less' an A-rank adventurer is unprecedented and impossible."

The greasy guild master slapped the documents.

They probably contained some of my personal data.

"The world of adventurers is a meritocracy. And in a meritocracy, it's also a skillocracy. A weakling without skills is not welcome."

I never thought my 'Skill-less' status would affect me here.

I thought my numerous achievements as an adventurer had already erased that stigma, but this is a different place.

Does changing the location reset one's achievements?

And the 'Skill-less' label follows me wherever I go.

"Listen, 'Skill-less.' I don't know how you managed to get the letter of introduction, but it's your bad luck that I'm in charge of this exam. I don't tolerate cheating, never."

"I haven't cheated."

"You couldn't have gotten the letter of introduction without cheating! ... Tch, the guild master of Centakiran is a young woman. Giving such a responsibility to someone who's clearly empty-headed leads to mistakes like this!"

My fists clenched.

How dare he insult Rondait. I replied with a heavier voice.

"Even without skills, the numerous achievements I've earned in my hometown guild are recorded in that letter of introduction. They should prove my capabilities."

"That's a lie! Destroying a demon? All by yourself? Even if it's a fabrication, you could have come up with something better!"

Demons are the mortal enemies of humans, capable of bringing about the downfall of a country with just one individual.

It's understandable that he wouldn't believe it at first, but to outright dismiss it like this...

"You'll be going to jail for the crime of forging official documents! This country is stricter with criminals than Centakiran! I'll also petition for the dismissal of the Centakiran guild master who created such a ridiculous document!"

There's no room for negotiation here.

I was about to stand up to take a different approach...

Splash...

The sound of liquid splashing.

"Ah!"

The greasy guild master, drenched in water from head to toe.

The one who threw the water was...

Noem, who had been sitting quietly next to me the whole time.