Chapter 52

"What the hell...!?"

Upon receiving my gaze, the examiner Soaides' expression twisted, filled with anger and murderous intent.

"You think you can defeat me? Do you really think you can defeat me, a nobody without any skills...!?"

"You're probably the strongest among these weaklings, right?"

"You call me a weakling, you bastard...!!"

The other party's tension was rising rapidly. It seemed that a fight to the death was inevitable, just as I thought...

"Stop it!!"

A voice of restraint rang out. It was so forceful and authoritative that both of us stopped involuntarily.

"Who is it...?"

"This is the venue for the fair A-rank promotion exam. What are you trying to do by turning it into a lawless battlefield?"

The one speaking and descending was... an old man?

An elderly man with a bald head and a completely white beard, but despite his aged appearance, his back was straight, giving no impression of frailty. Rather, he was full of energy and dignity.

This elderly man approached from the steps of the Colosseum's spectator seats, coming closer to us. I wondered where he had come from.

"Councilor Bistemario...!?"

The examiner Soaides immediately knelt before the suddenly appearing old man. For someone who could reduce a proud A-rank adventurer to this, who could he be...!?

"Too much, you without any skills! Don't you show respect to a councilor!?"

"What...!?"

"This is a member of the council that oversees all adventurer guilds in the world! He is Councilor Bistemario!"

Who is this important person?

I didn't understand, but I decided to flatter authority and prostrate myself.

"There's no need to be so formal. After all, councilors are just parasites who slightly inconvenience regular adventurers to make a living."

Ah, he's being modest!?

If he's being modest, is he a good person? No, I shouldn't jump to conclusions; I should observe a bit more.

"Still, Soaides-kun, this is not good. No, it's very bad."

"I am deeply ashamed...!"

The examiner, who had been acting so arrogantly, suddenly shrank in the presence of the councilor.

"The disappearance of the dungeon is an unforeseen event. I understand that it will cause inconvenience to the council, and as an A-rank adventurer, I am ashamed."

"Hmm."

"In this situation, the only option is to immediately execute this skill-less person and show the guild's gratitude! I, an A-rank adventurer, can easily dispose of such an incompetent. It might be a bit unpleasant to watch, so Councilor Bistemario, please step aside...!"

"That's what I'm saying is not good, Soaides-kun."

The A-rank adventurer trembled.

"You are the examiner, and the responsibility for everything that happened in this exam lies with you. Why are you pushing all the blame onto a subordinate?"

"Well... the one who directly caused it was... him...!"

"Even if that's true, there is a point to what he says. If the exam was designed in such a way that destroying the dungeon was necessary to pass, isn't that a fault of the organizers?"

The important person is acknowledging my argument, yay.

In response, the examiner's argument was dismissed, and he started wiping sweat from his face. He truly looked ashamed.

"Of course, no one would ever think that someone could actually destroy a dungeon, especially a skill-less incompetent."

The councilor old man turned to me again...

"Let me confirm one more time. You really did destroy the dungeon, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"How did you do it?"

"I went to the deepest level and shattered the dungeon core. Like this... *Poom*"

I extended my fist into the air, making a gesture.

"If you don't believe me, that's fine. I don't feel the need to prove it either. You can interpret it however you like."

"No, no, don't take it the wrong way. I just wanted to confirm...!"

The councilor old man said, trying to smooth things over.

"Moreover, your argument that the responsibility lies with the person in charge, regardless of who directly caused it, is correct. The root of all problems lies with the examiners who set an impossible test without the council's permission."

"Ah...!"

The current A-rank adventurer shrank under the old man's glare.

"I didn't hear about a preliminary test for skill-less candidates, did I?"

"Ah, it was a judgment call on the spot...! To make the exam more efficient, I thought it would be better...!"

"Your thinking is as foolish as a fool's. I had already warned you not to bring discriminatory attitudes into the exam, hadn't I?"

Is that so?

"Of course, not just based on the presence or absence of skills, but also gender, origin, and ideology. I had strictly instructed to exclude all preconceptions and judge based solely on ability and character to select new A-rank adventurers. ...What happened?"

"I am deeply sorry...!"

"You probably thought you could do as you pleased without us being there. It was a good decision to visit incognito and observe from the shadows. I didn't want to confirm such a bad assumption."

So, this old man didn't originally plan to come here.

He had intended to leave the examiners in charge and let them do as they pleased, but feeling uneasy, he had secretly accompanied them.

The examiner, unaware of this, had acted as if it was his domain, causing a major accident, and now his superior had appeared.

There couldn't be a worse situation.

"Soaides-kun, I've heard that there are voices suggesting you as a new councilor candidate, but it seems to have been a hallucination. A clumsy person like you could never be a councilor."

"Wait! I...!!"

"Rest assured, I don't intend to push all the responsibility onto you. If his argument that the responsible party should take responsibility is correct, then the most responsible should be the council, the apex of the adventurer guild."

He glanced at me.

His argument refers to my argument.

"The council's mistake in not recognizing your recklessness and appointing you as an examiner cannot be overlooked. I will personally apologize to King Rubrum. If he forgives us, it will be a relief."

"Ha...!?"

"And to the candidates for the main exam. ...You must have put all your efforts into this once-in-a-few-years opportunity. I am sorry that you have been caught in this unforeseen situation."

The councilor old man bowed his head.

It's not like it's your personal fault...!

"Especially those who have passed the first exam must be worried about what will happen next. After making such good progress, you must be wondering if you will still become A-rank. ...Your concerns are valid."

Currently, only those who have the right to continue the exam remain in the venue.

About twenty candidates with skills who survived the first exam's melee, and all the skill-less candidates who passed the preliminary exam and returned.

We skill-less candidates are still unsure if we will be allowed to take the main exam.

"Rest assured. Whether you have skills or not, I guarantee that those who have not been declared 'unqualified' will continue to take the exam. We must temporarily suspend the exam to resolve the situation, but we will definitely resume it in the future."

A sigh of relief escaped from various places.

It seems that even in a confusing situation, people still want to become A-rank adventurers.

"Anyway, the exam is temporarily suspended for today. Candidates, please return to your lodgings and rest. ...Soaides."

"Y-Yes...!?"

"Before I apologize to King Rubrum, I want to hear from you in detail. Why did you alter the exam content against the council's wishes? Especially the process."

"Yes...!"

It seems that the examiner will be thoroughly interrogated.

I can't say I don't think 'serves him right,' but I'm more concerned about whether the exam will continue smoothly, so I hope it ends quickly.

"Ryuya."

"Noem. ...Let's return to our lodging, shall we?"

After the dungeon and reuniting with Noem, we have no more business here, so we'll leave quickly.

"Hyahahaha! Brother! We're saying goodbye to you here!"

"Adventuring with you was fun!"

"We also managed to stay in the exam thanks to you! I'll say thanks to you!"

Good work, Mohican-senpai and the others.

I hope we meet again at the exam venue in the future.

...However, I couldn't tell them about the method to restore the collapsed dungeon.

If that examiner Soaides continues to be in a difficult situation, it might be better to keep it a secret for a while, but should I secretly tell the seemingly good councilor?

As I was thinking this, I noticed something.

Outside the arena, in the spectator seats, there was one person, and a face I recognized.

Zemnant, the first prince of Centurian Kingdom.

He had made a grand entrance but had been almost invisible since then. However, he was now staring at us with a pale face.

Well, it's understandable that he would change his expression when shown the fact that the dungeon had collapsed.

But his intense expression suggested there might be another reason.

Something is bothering me...?