―――Pars City, Temporary Hall
The Ascension Ceremony was about to begin. The VIP seats were filled with representatives from various countries and famous adventurers, while the spectator seats surrounding them were packed with ordinary people, filling the venue.
“This Ascension Ceremony is being held safely. I thought it would be difficult last time with the main character, Silvia, absent. I’ve never even seen her before.”
“So you say. It seems Lord Silvia will be the opponent in the mock battle held this afternoon. This means we can witness the battles of both the new S-Rank Adventurer and Lord Silvia at once. The events of last year will be forgotten.”
In the VIP seats, mock battles were already becoming a topic of conversation. Many of these conversations were among nobles. Some were hoping to scout new talent, while others were investigating potential threats. Their motives varied, but at their core was the power of S-Rank Adventurers. Since the Adventurer Guild announced the Ascension Ceremony, dignitaries from various countries quickly made arrangements and traveled to Pars. This ceremony held that much value.
(It’s as lively as ever! I have to engrave my Uncle Gerard’s valiant figure in my memory too!)
There were some with impure intentions, but they were exceptions.
“Everyone, please be quiet.”
It was Rio’s voice echoing through the venue. The杂乱 chatter immediately ceased, and people’s attention turned to Rio, who was ascending the stage.
“We’ve kept you waiting. The Ascension Ceremony will now commence. This time, the one who will proudly ascend to S-Rank is Kelvin, belonging to the Pars Adventurer Guild.”
Whispers could be heard from various places.
“Kelvin only became an adventurer three months ago. However, in this short period, he has achieved numerous accomplishments. He defeated a high-ranking demon that suddenly appeared around Pars. He cooperated with the hero Delamis to annihilate the notoriously wicked bandit group ‘Kokufu.’ In the Water Country Traase, he accepted a request from the king and defeated an evil dragon equivalent to an S-Rank. Most recently, he successfully repelled the ‘Mixed Beast Corps’ from the Trisen army, which had unjustly invaded the Gaun Territory, and saved the Elf Village. We, the Adventurer Guild, have judged that Kelvin possesses the appropriate strength and therefore approve his promotion to an S-Rank Adventurer.”
As Rio finished speaking, spotlights illuminated the sides of the stage. There stood the national flags of Traase and Gaun, along with a crystal.
“I am Tsubaki Fujiwara, King of the Gaun Country. I acknowledge that Adventurer Kelvin possesses the necessary power.”
“I am Leonhart Gaun, Beast King of the Gaun Country. Likewise, I acknowledge Kelvin.”
The voices of the two kings emanated from the crystal. This crystal appeared to be a Magic Item.
“Approval has been granted by the kings of two countries on the Eastern Continent. With this, Kelvin’s promotion is formalized. As a supplementary note, this promotion to S-Rank is the fastest since the founding of the Adventurer Guild!”
Cheers erupted from the outer spectator seats. Most of the audience here were people from Pars. The birth of Pars’ first S-Rank Adventurer was a huge piece of news that no one could fail to be excited about. The nobles in the VIP seats were slightly taken aback, but they couldn’t afford to dwell on such trivial matters.
“Now, let us call forth today’s protagonist. Kelvin, to the stage.”
From the rear of the central aisle, five figures began to walk forward. Leading the way was Kelvin, dressed in a black formal suit. Surrounding him walked Efil, clad in a green dress, Sera in a crimson dress, and Rion in a pure white dress, walking close together. Gerard brought up the rear. Though he wasn’t wearing the outer attire he’d been given, his original armor lent him a sufficiently imposing presence. His valiant stance, protecting his lord’s back, proclaimed his nobility.
“How beautiful…”
“Are those people also allies!?”
“No no, they must be hired performers for the show. –What, they’re not!?”
“Uncle Gerard… So cool!”
What drew the most attention were probably the three women dressed up. Efil and the others usually wore no makeup, but today they had a formal, light makeup applied by Ange. These already incredibly beautiful women exuded a more mature aura, and on top of that, they were adorned in custom-made dresses that guild staff had painstakingly created. Even the eyes of nobles, honed by social events, couldn’t look away. They unconsciously let out sighs of admiration.
“Hmph, hmph, it was worth all the effort to get to this day…”
“Yeah… Our judgment was not wrong…”
The guild staff, who had directed their efforts in slightly misguided directions, exchanged high-fives.
“Seniors, what are you doing? Well, it’s certainly good work… Huh, Senior!?”
Later, they would collapse from exhaustion due to days of all-nighters, but Ange recalled that their expressions were very satisfied.
Kelvin walked through the aisle, where all eyes were on him, and stood on the stage with Rio. Efil and the others remained below the stage. Naturally, the attention then shifted entirely to Kelvin.
“So this is Kelvin, the fastest in history. Hey, report this to the home country later. Burn it into your memory. We want to establish a connection with him.”
“He’s still young. He looks like an ordinary, good-looking young man…”
“Oh, I like him. Isn’t his demeanor graceful?”
The nobles’ evaluations were mixed. Some were disappointed comparing him to the dignified appearance of Sera and the others, while others tried to gauge his potential abilities. Conversely, the cheers from the spectator seats were even louder.
(Sigh, I feel like they’re thinking a lot of things. I wish it would be afternoon already.)
Feeling the intense gazes on his back, Kelvin sighed inwardly. Nevertheless, his face remained constantly cheerful, and he paid attention to not making any mistakes in etiquette, so he didn’t seem to leave a bad impression. No one would have guessed that his mind was entirely focused on the match.
Standing beside Rio, he turned to face the audience. Here and now, a new S-Rank Adventurer was born.
～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～
―――Temporary Hall, Cafeteria After the Ascension Ceremony concluded and during the break before the afternoon mock battle, Kelvin finally had time for lunch after seeing off his entourage of guests.
“Munch, good work.”
“You seemed to have a lot on your plate.”
Food stalls and eateries were set up throughout the venue. As Kelvin was deciding where to eat, he happened to spot Silvia and Emma. They decided to eat together. There were already several empty plates piled up, but for Kelvin, who had been trained by Melfina, it was not a problem at all. He still felt a sense of incompleteness.
“What about the others?”
“Koku is on separate business. Probably somewhere in the venue.”
“Nagua can’t move yet, and Ariel is looking after her.”
“Hmm, perhaps I should give it another go?”
“Now, now.”
“It’s on the borderline of being okay, but maybe not? It might be quite dangerous. I’ll train a bit more to endure it.”
Kelvin skillfully dodged Silvia’s standard Devil Joke and responded with a gag of his own. This girl was quite a warrior herself.
At that moment, a waiter approached, and they casually placed their order. For some reason, the waiter was extremely nervous. What could it be? Was it his first day on the job?
“Sylwie. How are you feeling about the match with Older Kel later?”
Rion, as usual, makes friends quickly. They were already using nicknames.
“I feel great today. I’ll go all out, just like I promised.”
Oh, she was brimming with fighting spirit, to the point where a kind of aura could be seen around her.
“Um, I’ve been like this since last night… Silvia, did you eat something strange?”
“I only ate the same thing as Emma. …Ah, Efil’s cooking yesterday was really delicious. I was so moved. I’ll cherish the autograph.”
Silvia bowed her head.
“Thank you. Please let me treat you to a meal again.”
Efil also bowed her head in return. Seeing the two interact made Kelvin feel pleasantly at ease.
“Eating Efil’s cooking means you’ve received a buff.”
“Ah, that’s right.”
Come to think of it, Silvia had also eaten Efil’s cooking yesterday. Silvia, take a look at your Status. You’ve got a nice buff! Well, I have it too, so the condition is the same. Silvia, let’s have a good match this afternoon.
We have surpassed 60,000 total evaluation points and entered the cumulative ranking.
We appreciate your continued support.
