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The Social Gathering had a period of one month, which felt both long and short. During this time, we mingled casually at the Adventurer’s Guild.

In the process, we also gathered various bits of information, like details about the Dwarf Country and the conditions required to advance to S-Rank.

First off, the country where the Dwarves live is called Marquina, and I learned that Dwarves, who naturally possess little magical power, showcase a technique known as magical engineering. However, that was the extent of my knowledge.

And then there was the most crucial piece of information: how to become an S-Rank Adventurer.

“Hmm… honestly, we never really thought there would be more S-Rank Adventurers. Especially not through recommendations.”

“So, how do we do it? Should we prove our strength by destroying the Empire?”

“Let’s not go that far; just get the remaining recommendation letters from the other S-Rank Adventurers. If you manage to collect them all, there shouldn’t be any reason for them to refuse.”

“Eh? You want me to get them all? How troublesome.”

“Well, there are only two left, right?”

That was the gist of our conversation. Ultimately, to be promoted, I had to gather recommendation letters from every single S-Rank Adventurer. Lucia was in the Empire, so it would be easy to get hers whenever. The real issue was the Alchemist.

The Alchemist was more elusive than Gideon, who wandered around here and there. Being young, he seemed eager to explore the world, but honestly, it was doubtful I’d get to see an Alchemist even once before I caught the Demon God.

Well, whatever happens in the uncertain future can be left to my future self. We prepared to leave the lodging. The reason being, there was a Social Gathering in the Royal Palace tonight. Though, to be honest, everyone just wore what they usually did.

Asking adventurers to dress formally was a ridiculous request. The Imperial side probably knew this too, which is why there were no dress restrictions, but there was a warning not to roll around in the dirt.

“Are we leaving now?”

“Yes.”

“Yep~”

Just when we were about to depart, there was still one person among us who wasn’t ready.

“……”

This wasn’t anything sudden. This had been going on since a month before today. With each passing day, Riche’s expression grew darker.

Honestly, I didn’t understand why she was acting like this. If she didn’t want to go, she didn’t have to; she was the one insisting on going while sitting there all troubled.

“Have you still not made up your mind?”

“No way I could do something like that…”

I had once suggested a way to overcome her trauma. Since Riche was the subject of her trauma, I told her to just kill the person causing it; however, she said she couldn’t do that. I guess she had some family affection despite all that.

Well, no matter. She insisted on going, so she’d figure it out herself.

“Then let’s hurry up.”

Once we left the lodging, the sky had already darkened. There was no set time for the Social Gathering; we just had to arrive before midnight. However, since we planned to have dinner at the gathering, we set out around the time for dinner.

The streets were just like usual. However, perhaps due to the Social Gathering at the Royal Palace, there were plenty of nobles among the crowd.

“Luke-kun?”

On the way, we unexpectedly ran into someone we knew at a fork in the road.

“Dean…?”

It was Lucia, the Dean of the Academy. She was walking in our direction, wearing a shimmering blue dress. She might not be the Dean anymore, but once a title sticks, it’s hard to shake off.

“Riche-chan, you’re with him? Did you quit and start hanging out with Luke-kun?”

“Ah… yes. Are you on your way to the Royal Palace, Dean?”

“Yes. I received an invitation too.”

“Do you have a particular reason to attend?”

“Running an Academy doesn’t come cheap, you know.”

It seemed she was going to look for sponsors as Adela had mentioned before. Supporting Lucia would be like supporting the Academy itself. Since she had retired as an adventurer, she was probably attending in her capacity as Dean.

“Where are you headed, Luke-kun?”

“We’re also heading to the Royal Palace.”

“So you’ve already been promoted to A-Rank?”

“Yep.”

“To become an A-Rank so soon after returning to adventuring… it seems there might be a new S-Rank Adventurer after all.”

Speaking of S-Rank Adventurers, something suddenly occurred to me.

“Oh right, Lucia. Could you write me a recommendation letter?”

“Huh? A recommendation letter for what?”

“For an S-Rank Adventurer.”

“What’s that…?”

If Lucia didn’t know about it, then it must not be a common practice. Now I understood why Argo was at a loss and said to get all the recommendation letters.

“Well, I got a recommendation for being an S-Rank Adventurer from Gideon. Then Argo said if I wanted to be S-Rank, I needed to get the remaining letters too.”

“Gideon? Are you talking about the Weapon Master Gideon I know?”

“Yep.”

Lucia seemed curious about where I had met him and what had happened, but explaining everything from my trip to Alvheim was a hassle. Thankfully, I had Luna to help out.

When I asked Luna to explain on my behalf, she summarized it all neatly in three lines, hitting only the necessary points. Thanks, speedy meddler Luna!

“I see… I didn’t expect you to approach it through recommendations. Alright, I’ll write it, so just come pick it up later.”

“Yep.”

That secured two letters. If the last one wasn’t from the Alchemist, I might have shouted ‘S-Rank Adventurer, easy’!

Speaking of which, if they’re all S-Rank, wouldn’t there be some way to contact them?

“Lucia. Do you have any means to contact the Alchemist?”

“Ah… do you mean that one?”

So she seemed to know him.

“Unfortunately, I don’t. Gideon could predict his movements, but he’s so unpredictable that I can’t say for sure.”

Well… it was classic for an Alchemist to be all over the place. Moments like this made me regret not being reincarnated into modern fantasy; then, I could’ve just sent a message.

We chatted as we walked, and before we knew it, we had arrived at the Royal Palace. I hadn’t been here before, so I didn’t know, but the Royal Palace looked even grander up close than from a distance. It struck me just how real it was that we were actually at the Royal Palace.

In front of the entrance, several nobles held letters that were presumably invitations, while a knight in full armor was checking the invites. The knights verified the noble’s family and announced their entry in loud voices.

“Do they really have to go through all that trouble?”

I understood this was a formality, but it felt like they were doing anything for genuine attention. It reminded me of the time in school when I would walk in through the back door during class, drawing all those gazes. The people here probably found this normal, but for shut-ins like Yui and me, it felt like a sin.

We also presented our invites to the knight, showing our A-Rank Adventurer badges, and were similarly announced.

“A-Rank Adventurer Luke and his companions are entering!”

At least it was fortunate that Lucia was next in line, so the attention was diverted from us.

Entering the Royal Palace, we were in awe. Indeed, this was a Royal Palace; gold, the symbol of wealth, glittered everywhere, and there were chandeliers like I had never seen before hanging from the ceiling.

Leading the amazed group was Riche.

“Let’s go. This way.”

“You know your way around?”

“I’ve been here a few times.”

True, if she was from a duke’s family, it wouldn’t be her first time at the Royal Palace. Guided by Riche, who moved with the familiarity of someone well-acquainted, we arrived at a large space bustling with adventurers and nobles.

However, the number of people was so substantial that if it were anywhere else, it wouldn’t be able to accommodate them all.

Nobles were bringing their sons and daughters along to establish connections with other families.

Moreover, those who were confident in their combat abilities appeared alone, whereas the portly nobles who didn’t feel so confident brought along their guard knights.

“Luke. I’m going to roam around for a bit.”

“Alright.”

I let Riche go, recognizing that she likely needed some personal time. I could guess what she intended to do. I, on the other hand, surveyed the area to pursue my objective.

Around us, tables were laden with various delicious-looking dishes, and palace staff were circulating with wine.

“Wow… it’s been ages since I’ve had a buffet. Yui, eat as much as you want. If you want to grab more, just come to me.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. We came here to eat, after all.”

Today, I planned to feast and clear out all the food here. Such exquisite dishes would be stored in my Inventory for future camping or trips, where I could pull them out one by one.

Panting, Yui darted off like a puppy chasing after a thrown bone. She headed straight for the dessert table.

Though she didn’t eat sweets that often, I wondered why she acted this way—she might be suffering from severe snack addiction.

Luna, not being my guard, didn’t feel the need to stick by my side and acted separately too. Watching her, I moved and picked up a plate, making my way toward the food.

On my way, staff offered me wine, but regrettably, I had a low tolerance for alcohol and easily got dizzy, so I declined.

As I piled food onto my plate, someone suddenly interrupted.

“Ahem. Pardon me.”

A rather portly nobleman approached, flanked by four guards.

“I am Rivers Forkland, head of the Forkland family. You seem like someone I haven’t seen before. Are you perhaps the newly promoted A-Rank Adventurer?”

“Um…”

He laughed heartily at my response. Meanwhile, his guards chimed in, “Indeed, Lord Rivers has a keen eye!” They were eagerly flattering him, which made it feel like I was watching the extremes of the service industry.

“I’d like to offer my support to this new talent. What’s your name?”

“Uh… you really don’t need—”

“Excuse me? Did I hear you wrong?”

He frowned at my reply, unsure if he had misheard or wanted clarification.

Swallowing what I had in my mouth, I responded, “I don’t need it.”

“Did I catch that wrong…? I meant to say I wish to sponsor you!”

Why does this greedy pig keep bothering me while I’m trying to eat? Nobles like him don’t give support out of pure goodwill.

He was likely thinking about some way to manipulate me behind the scenes after providing ‘support.’ I never intended to accept any sponsorship to begin with.

“I said no, get lost.”

“W-what crudely spoken…!”

His surprise at my coarse language was something I had never seen before. The guards glared at me, hands hovering near their swords.

But that’s as far as they could go. No matter how noble their owner was, their guards couldn’t pull their swords in the Royal Palace without cause.

“Fool. You can’t even draw your sword but still try to act tough. Scared, huh? You can’t do a thing, can you?”

How does that sound? Quite offensive, right? This is what you call K-speak. I taunted those guards, shoveling food into my mouth while I did so.

What could they do about it? How dare they think they could draw their swords in the Royal Palace? Even if their owner commanded it, it was impossible.

“Know your place. You should only show off like that in front of girls, not in front of men. From now on, you are Homo sapiens, the progenitors of the gay community. Don’t worry! It might hard now, but in the distant future, there will be more accepting people, and they will embrace you.”

“Kill him!!”

*

Meanwhile, while Luke was entangled in a scuffle with a nobleman…

“…Father.”

“What brings you here?”

 

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