Chapter 37: I Was Already the Center of Attention Before the Exam Even Started

The venue for the status examination was at the castle gate in the opposite direction from where I had arrived.

Rafiria guided me there. She said she was in charge of treating any injured people. With her blonde hair, droopy eyes, huge breasts, and pure white priestess robes, she really is a natural airhead character. So of course she can use healing magic. One day I’ll have to press my erect cock against her and say, "It’s swollen, so please heal it for me."

Since we were already there, I decided to have Iferasky take the status exam together with me.

There were quite a few young men in the wilderness, but overall around 200 people of all ages and genders had gathered. It reminded me of the whole second-year assembly before a school trip, and the place gradually started feeling like a sports field.

Fully armed soldiers in spiked armor fit the scene, but I was surprised to see ordinary civilians who clearly had nothing to do with combat also participating.

While I was wondering about that, I caught a voice amid the surrounding chatter.

"Just participants who came out of curiosity to measure their status, huh? You’re only going to serve as my stepping stones, but thanks for the effort."

"Hey, don’t say that. Even if you don’t join the knight order, getting good results will help with finding a job, right? Depending on your skills, you might even get scouted by certain guilds. Taking the exam is a citizen’s right."

I see. So that’s how it is.

This exam is basically like the National Center Test or a university entrance exam. There’s meaning in just recording your scores. It also seems to double as a qualification test.

I continued listening to the conversations around me to gather more information.

"Hey, did you hear? They say the Southern Twin Blade user, Jarda, is here."

"What?! Jarda?! I heard he doesn’t bother with the status exam because he’s not interested, but he’s supposed to be incredibly strong."

Oh? There’s a celebrity here?

I want a cool nickname too.

"Apparently the vice-leader of the mercenary band ’Three Spears of Light,’ Marvela, is also participating."

"Even a vice-leader class is joining? That’s crazy..."

Hmm. As expected, I have no idea who any of these people are.

"Don’t be shocked yet. That’s not all. Ace is participating too."

"Ace?! You mean... the vice-captain of Monvahn’s defense unit, Ace?"

"Yeah, that Ace."

Ah, I know Ace.

I’m literally wearing the long robe I borrowed from him right now.

Is that guy really famous enough to be the subject of rumors?

"Last month a ground dragon appeared on the highway, right? Ace was the one who chopped off its head and delivered the finishing blow."

"No way... Even a B-rank powerhouse is participating... Guess standing out in this exam is impossible? I wanted to make a strong impression on the examiners..."

"Speaking of examiners! I saw crimson armor earlier. It’s Ana, the leader of the Red Iron Corps!"

"What?! Leader Ana is an examiner?! Why would someone like her come to a status exam in a remote city like this...? Is she here to scout the Southern Twin Blade Jarda or Vice-leader Marvela from ’Three Spears of Light’?"

"No. I think she came to see the growth of Ace, the rising star of her own corps."

"That’s possible. News of the ground dragon subjugation must have reached the leader."

Hey hey. My acquaintance’s reputation is skyrocketing?

Even I feel proud.

That Ace guy is my buddy, you know?

While I was thinking that, I heard footsteps approaching.

A new person joined the conversation of the strangers.

"No. The leader’s target isn’t me."

"Who are you? Ah! You’re Ace from the Red Iron Corps!"

"Eh?! Ah, you’re the Dragon Slayer!"

"No, no. I’m not that big a deal. Let me tell you why the leader really came."

"W-why did she?"

"There’s someone here who’s on a completely different level from me, Jarda, or Marvela."

"N-no way... Someone greater than this lineup... That would have to be at least an A-rank leader class..."

"Wait. I overheard something strange at the bar yesterday and thought it was just a rumor, but... I heard the King of a Destroyed Nation is participating. Apparently he’s from a far eastern country called Ouma... and single-handedly annihilated an entire armed group of orcs."

"That’s obviously just a scary story to intimidate the other participants."

"No. That rumor is true."

"It’s true, Ace-san?!"

"Yeah. Not only that, the King of Ouma is a disciple who learned swordsmanship from *that* Iria."

"Iria?! You mean the genius Silver Flash Princess Iria, who became A-rank at the youngest age ever?! They say her slashes are so fast that the sword’s trajectory looks like it’s tearing through space itself..."

"Exactly. Leader Ana came to see the genius swordsman who was taught everything by Iria — the prince of the fallen nation of Ouma."

"No way... Someone that insane is really participating in this exam...?"

"You haven’t noticed? He’s right over there."

"Eh?"

Eh?

The two men who had been chatting turned around in shock and stared at me.

"Y-you?! With that average height, average build, average face, hair covering your eyebrows, eyes with no strong will, and that half-open mouth — *you*?!"

"You’ve got to be kidding. This guy who looks like he’d eat rice with beef and cheese on top, a dish from some southern region?!"

They’re being pretty rude about my appearance.

Also, the mob on the left... did he reincarnate from modern Japan too?

Ace stepped forward from between the two shocked mob characters and approached me.

"Sahar. Today I’m going to challenge you."

"Eh... yeah..."

It’s not Sahar, it’s Masaharu. Also, you’re the one who randomly started calling me the Prince of Ouma, but now everyone’s treating it like fact?

*Buzz buzz.*

The surroundings began to stir noisily. What else is going to happen now?

[A/N: Hey everyone, thank you for reading and supporting this novel so far.

This novel is planned to be long-term, so the pacing will sometimes be slower to properly build the world, characters, relationships, and future conflicts instead of rushing everything. Small details that may seem unimportant now could become relevant much later.

If you enjoy the story, please consider supporting it with Power Stones, reviews, comments, and adding it to your library. It really helps more than you think.]