Kousuke watched with a puzzled expression as the man was carried out, knocked unconscious after having a rock created by Noel slammed into his head.
“What’s wrong? You look like you don’t agree with something?”
Gazeran looked at Kousuke with an expression as if he had found something fascinating.
“Ah, no. It’s not that I don’t agree, more like I don’t quite understand?”
“Oh? Understand what?”
“Well. People like that usually exist everywhere, but what do they do after defeating someone like me?”
Gazeran tilted his head at Kousuke’s reasoning.
“No, I mean, Cecil and Arisa have their own wills, so defeating me wouldn’t accomplish anything, would it?”
Kousuke tilted his head, his expression genuinely puzzled.
Seeing Kousuke like this, Gazeran chuckled.
“If they had the brains to think like that in the first place, they wouldn’t bother picking fights with people, you know?”
“…Is that so?”
“Yeah, probably. And half the people here are like that, you know?”
At Gazeran’s words, the crowd that had been watching the two’s battle erupted in boos.
They had only just been overwhelmed by the fairy Kousuke summoned, but their recovery was swift.
Perhaps that was the trick to surviving as an adventurer.
Kousuke, pondering such trivial matters, let out a sigh.
“Right. Well, that’s fine. We’re done here, aren’t we?”
“Ah, wait a moment.”
Gazeran stopped Kousuke, who was about to leave as if their business was concluded.
“? Is there something else?”
“Since we’re here, why don’t you take the Rank Up Exam? You’ll be C Rank by Department Head’s prerogative.”
Kousuke was surprised by the offer.
After all, he had only been active as “Kou” for a short time.
His achievements were limited to the monster parts he had just brought back.
To suddenly make such a rookie a C Rank adventurer was simply unthinkable.
As expected, boos arose from the surrounding crowd, different from before.
“Quiet down, all of you! We’re short on skilled adventurers! If you want, anyone who can defeat this guy can be granted C Rank!”
“Whoa, wait…!”
At Gazeran’s words, the clamoring crowd stopped dead.
Kousuke hurriedly tried to intervene, but it was too late.
Several people were already motivated.
“Are you serious about that, Department Head?”
One of them stepped forward and asked.
Gazeran grinned at the man.
“You bet. I’m the Department Head. Handling that kind of procedure is easy for me!”
Hearing this, Kousuke inwardly despaired.
He didn’t think a Department Head should bend the rules like this, but Kousuke wasn’t in a position to argue with Gazeran right now.
“You seem to be misunderstanding, but the Department Head’s prerogative is real!”
Gazeran suddenly said.
“Huh? Really?”
“Yep. It’s written in the regulations. Check it later?”
It seemed he wasn’t lying.
Cecil and Arisa, who had been watching the commotion, nodded.
“Well, that’s fine, but… no, it’s not! Why do we have to go through such a hassle? I’ll rank up normally, so I don’t need special treatment!”
“No, no. Don’t say that. Besides, it’s already too late?”
Gazeran said, looking at the entrance to the training ground.
Both entrances were blocked by adventurers grinning broadly.
They weren’t trying to trap Kousuke, but rather to witness this interesting spectacle unfold properly.
Seeing this, Kousuke’s shoulders slumped.
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To put it simply, Kousuke managed to become C Rank as “Kou.”
He mowed down all the adventurers who came at him. Much like Noel, he ended up having to show off his abilities to Sara.
By the end, it seemed less about the Rank Up Exam and more about defeating Kousuke.
Some of them were already C Rank, so their feelings were quite accurate.
“Oh, splendid, splendid. With this, no one will have any complaints about Kou becoming C Rank.”
Gazeran said, appearing thoroughly satisfied.
In fact, he seemed relieved after witnessing Kousuke’s fighting prowess.
Indeed, with a display like that, most obstacles could be overcome.
Gazeran had never seen Kousuke fight before, only felt his intimidation, so he had wanted to know his true strength.
“Well, fine… So? Are you going to promote me?”
Kousuke, looking exhausted, confirmed with Gazeran.
He was, in fact, exhausted.
“You bet! Leave it to me! Alright?”
Gazeran said, calling out to the staff who had been observing the proceedings.
However, the staff member shook his head.
“No. That’s not possible.”
“What!? What do you mean?”
“Just as the Department Head said earlier. Since it’s an exception, we staff can’t process it. The Department Head must handle it personally.”
“Oh? Oh!? Is that so?”
Gazeran said in surprise, while Kousuke gave him a deadpan stare.
“Alright. That’s the end of it, folks?”
“Why is that a question?”
Gazeran handed over Kou’s Crown Card, tilting his head. Kousuke asked.
“Gahahha. It’s my first time granting an exception, you know. I don’t know if I did it right!”
“Don’t brag about it.”
He muttered the words, but they didn’t reach Gazeran.
No, he was deliberately ignoring them.
Seeing the receptionist, who had been watching, nod, Kousuke was convinced.
“Well, fine.”
As far as Kousuke could tell, the rank had indeed been properly revised to C Rank, with no apparent issues.
“Then, since we’re here, let’s take on a request before we go,”
Kousuke said to Cecil and Arisa, who had been watching.
They both nodded in agreement.
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After accepting a suitable request, the three headed towards the inn they had booked.
Cecil and Arisa, having already heard the explanation, didn’t find it strange that they were heading to an inn.
Normally, they would have returned directly to the Lily Shrine instead of going to an inn, but since Kousuke was going to an inn, they decided to stay as well.
They couldn’t leave Kousuke alone, after all.
Even with Nana, the strongest guard, by his side.
“Haa. I’m tired.”
Kousuke muttered, sinking onto the bed in the inn room.
Of course, he wasn’t sharing a room with the other two.
Nana was naturally by his side.
For Kousuke, the events after returning to Crown Headquarters were more tiring than the monster subjugation.
It was mentally exhausting rather than physically.
But thanks to it, he was able to become C Rank, so the result was good.
He knew Gazeran had been aiming for this.
Still, he was genuinely tired, so he decided to go to bed early.
It was an event that, in a way, followed the template.
