Chapter 4

"Hurry, to the princess!"

The guard urged the bald doctor.

The doctors, upon seeing the princess, hurriedly carried her into the hospital.

The injuries should not have been serious.

However, since she was a princess, a person of high nobility, the doctors were probably worried that something major might happen, so they were in a panic.

Seeing the guards enter the hospital with her, I decided to slip away quietly.

I headed for the guild with its blue roof, making my way through the bustling streets of Elphen.

"Phew... What a day."

I hadn't done anything major, but after fifteen years of a farmer's life, I was out of practice with fighting, so I felt tired.

And why were the goblins speaking the empire's language?

They attack people because they have always been hostile to humans, both in the past and now.

But now, I could finally become an adventurer... No, first, I need to find Rune.

I changed my destination, thinking she would probably be near Elphen's city gates.

However, a woman with long blonde hair, who looked familiar, approached me.

"C-Cecil?"

Cecil... She was my classmate when I attended the magic academy in my previous life.

The daughter of the Duke of Etruria, she was quite skilled in magic.

I remember she was kind enough to greet me, even though I was the type to stay holed up in the Great Library.

She had bright blue eyes and a well-proportioned figure.

Cecil was constantly being courted by men throughout the empire. Of course, I was infatuated with her too.

However, we only ever talked about trivial matters, and we never really became close.

Why Cecil? And why in her young appearance from the magic academy, dressed like a common farmer?

Cecil looked about fifteen, the same age as me.

Was she just a lookalike, a complete stranger? No, that wasn't it.

Cecil stopped in front of me and knelt down.

"Lord Rudis, I have kept you waiting."

Her grand greeting drew the attention of the Elphen citizens passing by.

This girl looked like Cecil, but she wasn't Cecil. I was certain of that.

"...Rune. Stop that here."

"Huh? Ah!"

Cecil stood up after saying that.

At first, the citizens who had been looking at us curiously just continued on their way.

"Rune, I'm just a commoner here. Stop with such formal greetings."

"I apologize, Lord Rudis. I didn't think it through."

"Try to be more careful from now on. By the way, why did you take the form of Cecil?"

"I thought about taking the form of a local resident, but I thought it might be inconvenient."

"So, you decided to take the form of someone who shouldn't be alive anymore, huh?"

I was curious why she chose to transform into "Cecil" among the empire's people...

Rune, like me, could use some high-level magic.

She had mastered the slime's unique magic, "Mimicry."

Unlike ordinary slimes, she could remain in her "Mimicry" form indefinitely.

Moreover, she could even cast basic magic.

Most importantly, the level of her "Mimicry" was remarkable.

Rune, who copied not only the voice but also the body structure, was a perfect replica.

Thanks to this magic, I had successfully carried out many plots in various wars.

"So, Lord Rudis, what should I do now?"

"Oh, right. We'll say we're from the same hometown and become adventurers... Right, you don't have an adventurer application form."

To become an adventurer, you need an adventurer application form issued by the town or village chief.

Since Rune had no official records, it would be difficult for her to obtain one.

"You need documents, right! Then, let's do that!"

Rune smiled, her face resembling Cecil's.

She seemed happy to use magic with me again after a long time.

"That... Well, no one will be harmed by it."

"That" refers to forging documents.

Rune could also "Mimicry" objects by consuming part of her body.

The duration of this effect was remarkable, lasting longer the more magic power she infused.

I didn't plan to use magic today. I would consume all my magic power to forge the document.

There was a slight sense of guilt about forging, but no one would be harmed.

Moreover, without official records, Rune couldn't become an adventurer.

"Alright, let's do it. I'll send you the memory of the adventurer application form through 'Telepathy.'"

"Understood!"

Rune received the memory of the adventurer application form through "Telepathy."

She then separated a part of her body into slime jelly and "Mimicry" the form of the application.

I also sent magic power to the adventurer application form.

"This should last for two weeks. Let's go."

"Yes, Lord Rudis!"

We headed for the adventurer guild.

"So, I've brought this one for Rune as well."

I divided the slime jelly into two bags and handed them to the receptionist.

The receptionist took the forged adventurer application form from Rune but didn't seem suspicious.

"Understood. Let me check it, then."

The receptionist started to take the slime jelly out of the burlap bag.

However, she broke into a sweat when she saw it.

"Is this...?"

"It's slime jelly. I'm embarrassed to say, but I could only defeat blue slimes."

Slimes are generally considered weak among monsters.

Among slime species, blue slimes are the weakest.

Rune and I had trained together for over ten years.

As a result, she could cast magic on par with many mages.

"...Blue slimes? I've never seen one... I didn't know such monsters still existed."

I understood why the receptionist was surprised.

Blue slimes were probably rare in this era, possibly extinct or endangered.

"Y-Yes. I went deep into the forest to find a weak monster... It was quite a struggle!"

"I see. ...Well, good job finding one. Both of you have passed the test."

The receptionist regained her composure and handed us bronze badges.

"Congratulations, you are now bronze-ranked adventurers. Good luck!"

"Thank you, we'll do our best!"

I responded with the enthusiasm of a new recruit.

Rune also answered energetically.

Afterward, the receptionist explained the current state of the adventurer profession.

First, the benefits:

Adventurers can use all adventurer guilds on the continent.

This means they can move freely without worrying about borders.

Many guilds have free lodging for adventurers.

Next, the drawbacks:

If an adventurer does not accept any quests for more than three months without a reason, their adventurer status will be revoked.

If a lord requests assistance in a battle against monsters, adventurers are obligated to help. Refusing without a special reason will result in a rank demotion or revocation of adventurer status.

The adventurer ranks, from lowest to highest, are Bronze, Silver, Gold, Mithril, and Orichalcum. The rank determines the types of quests they can accept.

Adventurers also have classes.

These are determined by the guild's aptitude test, and there are limits to the classes one can claim.

Rune and I decided to take the aptitude test tomorrow.

For now, we headed to the guild's attached inn.