Translator: Haruto.

Afterward, we slept in the same bed, and I spent a bit of a restless night as a result. I didn’t mind, though, since Lulune and Mia appeared to sleep more soundly than ever.

The very next day, we decided to leave the tourist town of Varcharia. After all, our main objective has always been the sky castle, where we hope to reunite with the rest of the heroes. I want to make a quick stop in the capital of Nysalis first, but I really can’t wait to see the other girls.

And so, we hop back on Kamia’s back and run through the fields until…

“Uuuurk… I still can’t get used to riding on your back, Kamia…” I say, jumping off his back as soon as we arrive at a forest near the capital.

Lulune and Mia look as white as a ghost, just like me.

“Um… could you please remind me why we’ve come to the capital?” Mia asks, and I take out the letter of recommendation that Baran-san, Archaia’s Guild Master, gave me.

“Someone wrote me a letter of recommendation to help me reach S-rank, so I figured I should at least apply and see what happens, you know?”

Lulune nods approvingly and declares, “Right, it certainly makes no sense that you’re still an A-rank adventurer, Alize-san. You have to rise to S-rank as soon as possible!”

“Well, I’m not even sure I’ve got what it takes to be an S-rank adventurer, but seeing how Baran-san went through the trouble of writing this letter for me, it’d be a waste not to use it.”

Both Mia and Lulune let out an exasperated sigh.

“Honestly, Alize-san, your self-esteem has always been far too low…”

“Mia’s right. You need to be more confident in yourself!”

I don’t know what to tell them. I do have some confidence in myself, but I guess it’s not enough in their eyes.

“…Anyway, you girls really don’t mind if I make a quick visit to the Guild’s headquarters?”  

“Far from it! We encourage it!” Mia exclaims, and Lulune nods in agreement.

And so, we make our way to the capital.

***

The capital of Nysalis didn’t have any ramparts around it either, but the guards stationed at the entrance did ask to see our papers. While things are rather peaceful around here, it’s not like they can let just anyone enter the city.

“Let’s see, your names are… Mia-sama?! And Lulune-sama?!” The guard’s eyes widen in shock the instant he sees their papers.

He then rushes to check mine. “And this old gentleman here is Alize-sama?!”

“Hey! Who’re you calling old?!!”

“M-My apologies, my lord! It slipped out without thinking…”

It slipped out, he says… Does he think he can blurt out whatever he pleases just because he calls me his lord?

“A-Anyway, you’re allowed to enter, of course… however, could you please wait here for a moment?” the guard requests before running off somewhere.

He probably went to let his boss know we’ve arrived. Thankfully, we only had to wait ten minutes or so this time, unlike back in Archaia.

“As today is the first princess’s birthday, everyone at the castle is busy organizing the party, which means that, unfortunately, no one will be available to come pick you up and offer you a proper welcome for a while. What do you wish to do…?”

I see, that actually works perfectly for me. I don’t want to stand out so if we can enter the city discreetly, all the better.

“That’s fine, we don’t need someone to pick us up. We’ll just enter the town by ourselves,” I tell him.

“U-Understood… I hope you enjoy your time in the capital of Nysalis.”

And so, we step into the city. Things are quite lively inside, probably because it’s their princess’s birthday. There are plenty of food stalls around and everyone seems to be having a great time.

“I’m glad we managed to enter without causing a commotion,” Mia says.

“Yeah, I really don’t like being the center of attention,” I respond while nodding.

Walking in front of us, Lulune turns around and asks, “So, do you want to go to the Guild’s headquarters right away?”

“Yeah, I want to hand in my S-rank application as soon as possible.”

“Okay, I remember where it is so I’ll guide you there.”

I resume walking, letting Lulune show me the way.

We’re all wearing hoods again, so no one’s noticed that two of the Great Heroes are here. Although, I honestly doubt anyone would recognize them even if that wasn’t the case, considering that the townsfolk are all distracted with the festivities.

After a ten-minute walk, we arrive at a huge and marvelous red brick building with the Adventurers’ Guild’s emblem up front.  

“We’ve arrived. These are the Adventurers’ Guild’s headquarters.”

“Thanks, Lulune.”

We open the door and walk in. The place is crowded, but that’s not surprising since these are the Guild’s headquarters. You can see adventurers clad in both expensive and cheap armor hanging around. There are just all kinds of people here.

“This place is bustling with energy… So, these are the Guild’s headquarters…” I say.

“Yes, there are even some famous people in the crowd,” Lulune remarks.

“Huh, I don’t know many famous adventurers so I hadn’t noticed…”

But I can somehow tell at a glance who’s famous here; their equipment and movements make them stand out.

We join the long line in front of the reception desk and wait for our turn, which finally comes about twenty minutes later.

“Welcome to the Adventurers’ Guild’s headquarters. What can I do for you today?” the receptionist asks.

I take out the recommendation letter and my guild card.

“Um, I’d like to apply to become an S-rank adventurer…”

The girl’s eyes widen slightly for a second before she takes the recommendation letter in her hands and inquires, “Would you mind if I check the authenticity of this letter?”

“That’s fine.”

“Thank you. Now then…”

The receptionist begins reading Baran-san’s letter of recommendation. Once she’s done, she nods and says, “There’s no doubt this letter was written by Baran-sama, Archaia’s Guild Master.”

“Alright, does that mean I can apply to—”

However, before I can finish my sentence, a troubled look appears on the receptionist’s face and she tells me, “The problem is that to even apply to become an S-rank adventurer, you need the endorsement of at least two high-ranked adventurers.”

Um, what the heck, Baran-san?! Why didn’t you tell me that?!

While I’m still trying to figure out what to do, Lulune and Mia nod to each other for some reason and approach the reception desk. They slide their adventurer cards over it and declare, “He has our endorsement.”

Seeing their adventurer cards, the receptionist cries out in surprise, “Lulune-sama?! Mia-sama?! Wait, then is he the real Alize-sama…?!”

Mia puffs her chest out proudly and answers, “Correct! He is our master, our former guardian, and the man we’ve been searching for all this time—the one and only Alize-san!!”

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