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DING!
"Time's up, everyone," Alfrion announced as he walked around collecting the test papers. "It will only take a minute now."
While Alfrion reviewed the tests manually without relying on any technology, the candidates around the room began chatting among themselves.
"Hey, what was the answer for question three?"
"I had no idea. I left it blank!"
"Are you kidding me?!"
"I think I got everything correct, but I'm not sure…"
"Does anyone even know what the sixth question was about? Haha."
"Can't wait for the combat test. That's where I'm going to shine!"
"Did you see that kid over there?"
"Oh yeah, what's with her? It's weird, right?"
"I've never seen a child registering as an adventurer before. Unless she's from a small race like a dwarf?"
"I'm a dwarf, and that's clearly a human child. She doesn't look anything like our women! Don't say such stupid things, beard cutter!"
"S-Sorry, my bad."
"That kid probably just answered randomly. I doubt she got anything right!"
"Hey, you're going to make her cry, haha."
"Aw, gonna cry?"
"…Huh?" Elizabeth, who had been quietly browsing her smartwatch, looked up. "Yes? Did you say something?"
"Damn brat wasn't even listening."
"Tsk tsk. What do they teach kids these days?!"
"Oi."
The group bothering her fell silent as a deep voice rumbled behind them.
"Leave her alone."
It was Archivald.
The entire room grew quiet the moment his powerful voice echoed. No one else was large enough to challenge the massive half-orc, making him the most imposing figure present.
Although she didn't particularly need the help, Elizabeth felt grateful.
"Thank you, Sir Archivald."
"Hm."
He gave only a short grunt in response and turned his gaze away. He was clearly a man of few words. Elizabeth chuckled softly to herself, enjoying the refreshing feeling of being out in the world among so many strangers. She was experiencing real life as others lived it.
She realized just how sheltered her existence in the castle had been. It was comfortable but boring, and it had protected her from people she would rather not interact with. Yet this very experience also made the world feel more vibrant and alive. It was a strange but pleasant sensation she couldn't quite put into words.
"The test results are ready. Please remain silent," Alfrion spoke, his voice calm and authoritative. "I will now announce your scores…"
One by one, he began calling out the results.
"Azure, 50 points. You failed. Better luck next time."
"Jerman, 70 points. You pass. Well done."
"Anistia, 60 points. Almost, but you fail."
"Sebastian, 40 points. You fail."
"Reinhardt…"
The punk grew visibly nervous, sweat dripping down his face.
"70 points. You pass. Barely."
"Phew!"
Reinhardt let out a heavy sigh of relief, then smiled arrogantly and crossed his arms, kicking his legs up onto the table with cocky confidence.
Many other young candidates failed as well. Most barely reached 60 points, and among those who passed, only one had scored above 70 so far.
"Archivald, 80 points. You pass. Well done."
Archivald stayed silent but allowed a small, satisfied smile to appear on his face.
"And finally, I saved this one for last to show you all what a true perfect score looks like," Alfrion said as he stood up. "Elizabeth, 100 points. Perfect score!"
"Ah!" Elizabeth's eyes widened with joy. "Nice! I did it!" She leaped up happily from her seat.
The entire class stared in stunned silence, mouths hanging open as they glared at her with envy and disbelief.
"HAH?!"
"W-What?!"
"The kid got a perfect score?!"
"No way…!"
"Gahahaha! Well, maybe she really is a dwarf in disguise!"
"Excuse me, sir, this must be a mistake!"
"She has to have cheated. She's just some brat…"
"Just a little girl got a perfect score while so many experienced candidates failed?!"
The ice elf laughed lightly. "Hahaha. There are several devices in this room that can detect any form of cheating through relics, skills, or magic based on Fantasium signatures. So no, she did not cheat. And if you didn't want to take the test, why hide your status? It's quite easy to become an adventurer after revealing your status. You only need to complete some beginner quests."
"Ugh…"
"Nah, I'm not sharing my personal information…"
"Me neither. Who knows what they'll use it for?"
"Hmm…"
Many candidates fell silent after the elf's explanation. Elizabeth wore a content smile, though she felt a small sting of disappointment that so many distrusted the government.
"Um, the Adventurer's Guild doesn't work for the government, so why are you all so worried about it…" she sighed softly. "And even if that were the case, the government would never misuse that information anyway! King Louis and Queen Mirai are kindhearted and thoughtful people."
"What?!"
"Is she some kind of nationalist?"
"Well, the girl is just repeating what her parents told her."
"Whatever."
"It's not that I distrust the government. Sometimes we just want to keep our private matters secret."
"Hm…" Elizabeth sighed again and nodded, choosing to stay quiet until the next test began.
Alfrion chuckled playfully, clearly finding Elizabeth's sincere words adorable.
"Hahaha. Well, that's about it. Those who failed, please leave the room. As stated in the contract, you will receive 50% of the system points you spent on the test refunded. Please collect half of your points outside. Study harder next time!"
As Alfrion waved his hand in a gentlemanly manner, the failed candidates groaned in anger and shot resentful glares at both him and Elizabeth.
"Tsk, damn elf."
"Must've cheated, I bet!"
"She's probably a noble. That's why she loves the government so much. She bought the perfect score!"
"Tsk, fuck this. I'm just going to hunt monsters and sell them at the Merchant Guild!"
"How did that silent-looking guy even get 80 points? Archivald, was it?"
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. They were indeed a rough and unpleasant bunch, but they were still her citizens. She couldn't truly hate them. They were simply frustrated, and she knew she would probably feel the same in their position.
"Alright! The second test will begin shortly. Please follow me," Alfrion announced. "We will move to the underground specialized arena where you can demonstrate your combat abilities."
Elizabeth nodded eagerly and walked alongside Alfrion with the other successful candidates. The original large group had been reduced from nearly thirty people down to just thirteen. It was surprising how many had failed. Many had assumed that hunting a few monsters or clearing one or two dungeons meant they knew everything.
Elizabeth quietly observed the remaining candidates. Aside from the annoying half-elf punk and the silent, gentlemanly half-orc, there was a friendly dwarf man with a long brown beard and bright emerald eyes. He carried a sharp, intelligent expression and had earned the third highest score with 75 points. Apparently, it was possible to get an answer "half right."
"Hey girl, don't mind those insults from the ones who failed. They've got nothing better to do than pick on children! Back in my hometown, they would've gotten a good wallop from the community, bahahaha!"
"T-Thank you, sir. What's your name?"
"Huh? I'm Borfus of Khuzdul! First son of a respected mining family from the Southern Mountains. Know that place? There's a large village that's almost a small city now. It started as a dwarven settlement."
"Oh! Yes, Everstone City! I know of it. I've heard about it from my father. I've always wanted to visit."
"Well! You're more than welcome anytime. The people there can be rough around the edges, but they all have a soft spot for kids—especially smart ones like you."
"Hehe, thank you so much, sir!"
"Nah, don't worry about it."
Elizabeth felt genuinely happy to have found someone friendly in the group. Borfus seemed like a warm, fatherly figure. Although she didn't ask his exact age, he didn't have many wrinkles or white hairs, so he was likely still in his prime. With dwarves naturally living up to 300 years or more, he was still quite young. He also carried a lively, youthful energy that made her guess he might be in his forties or fifties.
"So what made you want to become an adventurer, sir?"
"Just call me Borfus."
"Borfus."
"Well, what made me want to become an adventurer? Hah, I just got bored."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Spending my whole life in those mountains…" He shook his head. "Tsk, nah. That wasn't for me. I knew from the start I didn't want to live and die in that place like the others. There's no Adventurer Guild back home, so I used my savings from mining and trading to move to the capital. Monsters are common in the mountains, and dungeons appear from time to time. We see adventurers from other towns passing through constantly… and that's about it."
"I see… Me too! I was bored back home. My parents are way too overprotective… But I'm strong, so I wanted to explore the world, see what this kingdom is truly like, and meet its people."
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