Ch. 99: Auction at Exam Site

“Thank you so much. I was worried that you would keep complaining and eventually say that you wouldn’t do it.”

Ivy, a receptionist girl at the guild, said with a smile on her face.

After talking with Lapis and deciding to take the exam the night before, when he told Ivy that, she let out a sigh of relief and smiled brightly.

Wanting to strike the iron while it was hot, Ivy took Loren and Lapis to a training ground near the guild where the exam was to take place.

“I’m also thankful that you responded so quickly. I thought it would take a bit more time.”

What Ivy was worried about were things that would’ve happened if Loren let Lapis do all the negotiating.

In that point, Ivy’s decision to approach Loren when he was alone was the best one, and Loren was impressed, thinking that she was indeed someone who had dealt with many kinds of adventurers through her job, but he guessed that it wouldn’t make her happy even if he told her that.

It would mean that her prediction that things could’ve been a lot messier was correct, after all.

“What would the exam be like?”

Lapis asked Ivy casually, not mentioning that she was thinking about doing everything Ivy was worried about.

Loren was about to wonder why a priestess of the Knowledge god like Lapis didn’t know that, but he immediately stopped himself, realizing that his image of priests of the Knowledge god was being poisoned by her.

There was no way a priest of the Knowledge god would know everything, and Lapis was just abnormal, so he knew that this natural expectation wasn’t a good thing.

“Let’s see. There’s no written exam. If there was, most people wouldn’t be able to leave copper rank.”

Unable to write.

Or read, or in some cases, there were adventurers who couldn’t do either, and that was a lot of people.

If there was a written exam for such adventurers, even getting to iron rank would be a difficult challenge.

For the higher ranks, there were written exams, but that was because to become a high ranking adventurer, you would need knowledge and intelligence as well as skill.

“So the exam is practical. You would be doing a practice match with a proctor that the guild provides.”

“Would Lapis be doing the same?”

To Ivy, it sounded like Loren was worried that priests, who weren’t really meant for combat, would have to take the same type of exam.

But in fact, Loren was worried about the proctor who would be going against Lapis, since she was a demon and was easily more powerful than he was.

If Lapis went overboard and twisted off parts of her opponent, it would be apparent that she was skilled enough, but the proctor would be in a pitiful state.

“It’s waived for priests and magicians. Instead, we have them show us a spell.”

The guild’s training ground was a large one-story building near it.

Inside was bare ground, and adventurers could go there to practice combat and magic.

Almost anyone could use it if they were a part of the guild, so it was used to train new adventurers or practice moving with new members, as well as experienced adventurers training novices.

Hot blooded adventurers didn’t use the facility much, so it was mostly used for rank-up exams.

“That’s going to be easy, but what about Loren’s opponent?”

Lapis looked slightly disappointed.

A short time before during their last two jobs, Lapis had regained both her arms out of her limbs and eyes that her parents had taken from her and replaced with prosthetics.

After that, she didn’t have a chance to test them out in combat, so she had been hoping to do so, but Loren was relieved that the opportunity didn’t present itself.

“Of course, we have information that Loren is a skilled swordsman, so we’ve prepared someone good.”

In a comical fashion, Ivy pointed to a person waiting in the training ground.

The man with a slime yet trained figure and red hair, opened his eyes wide in surprise when he saw Loren, and started looking between him and Ivy repeatedly.

“It’s new ace among the iron rank adventurers, Klaus!”

“Wait a second! My opponent for the mock battle is Loren!?”

As Klaus started panicking, a wondering face appeared on Ivy’s face.

As Loren guessed that she had somehow tricked Klaus into becoming a proctor without explaining everything, the conversation between the two proved that he was right.

“You didn’t tell me about this! I would’ve declined if I knew he was my opponent!”

“But I promised you that I’ll spend a night with you if you agreed to become a proctor and beat your opponent, didn’t I?”

“That’s what you said!”

“You’re the one who said that a copper rank adventurer was no match for you so I should wait with the key to my room, right?”

“Ugh…”

As Klaus was at a loss for words, Loren and Lapis’ cold glares pierced into him.

“Klaus, you’re the leader of a harm party including Ange as well as a knight and a magician, but have you been hitting on guild girls as well?”

“It’s one’s personal preference so it’s not something I can say about. But women will be the death of you, you know that?”

“T-that’s my private life, so it’s none of your business.”

Klaus responded to their cold words without hesitation.

Giving up, knowing that he probably wouldn’t change his ways unless he experienced a life-threatening experience, Loren asked Ivy.

“In any case, I just need to fight him and beat him to a pulp, right?”

“Yes, please destroy him so that he can’t move his legs and waist properly.”

“What!? Wait a second! Lying isn’t good!”

As Ivy said something quite violent with a smile on her face, Klaus quickly stopped her.

When Loren nudged him to explain, Klaus started explaining the rules to the exam, glancing at Ivy to keep her mouth shut.

“Winning or losing doesn’t matter in general. If you lose badly, you would lose points, but if you manage to fight decently, there’s no problem. If the exam was based on victory or defeat, since it’s against a copper rank and an iron rank, most adventurers won’t be able to pass.”

There weren’t many adventurers that were skilled swordsmen like Loren was, so a copper rank adventurer with more skill and experience than iron adventurers were very rare.

Then it would’ve been obvious after a bit of thought that the mock battle wouldn’t be based on victory, but for some reason, Ivy seemed to want Loren to crush Klaus.

“Can I ask what the circumstances are?”

“Well, that person over there has been hitting on every guild girl that caught his eye.”

As Lapis put her arm around Ivy’s shoulder and leaned in towards her and asked her in a small voice, Ivy replied in a hushed voice as well.

“No matter how many times we warn him he doesn’t show signs of improving, and sometimes new girls that don’t know about him almost fall for him, so we’ve decided that this can’t keep going on.”

“So, you ended up becoming the bait and luring Klaus out here, am I correct?”

“Yes. I used the condition I mentioned before to do so.”

At Ivy’s clear confession that she tricked Klaus, Loren started to feel sorry for him.

Klaus’ attitude was indeed a problem, but he couldn’t help but feel that there would’ve been a better way without having to trick him.

“But no matter how you tricked him, a promise is still effective as a promise, am I correct?”

“Well, yes, but with Loren’s skill…”

“If victory or loss doesn’t matter, he can lose on purpose if he wants to.”

At the words Lapis said with a smile, Klaus and Ivy’s expressions froze.

Realizing what was going to happen, Loren dropped his shoulders and sighed.

“So, the two of you. Let’s start the bidding, shall we? The good will be the right to decide if Loren will fight seriously or go easy and lose at a good time.”

“Wait a minute Lapis! That’s cheating, isn’t it!?”

As Ivy started panicking, Lapis said calmly.

“Cheating? What do you mean? Winning doesn’t matter, and the progress is what’s important, right? And it’s not like I’ve asked you to pass Loren unfairly. It’s about whether he beats up the proctor to a pulp or give up at a good time. That’s it.”

“Your pride as a swordsman won’t let you lose on purpose, right?”

“Strictly speaking, I’m a mercenary, not a swordsman, so I don’t care as long as it’s going to mean money in my pocket.”

If it were a fight to the death, it would be a different story, but what they were about to do was a mock battle, which victory or loss didn’t matter.

So, Loren thought that going on board with Lapis’ plan to get a bit of pocket money wouldn’t be bad.

His answer was unexpected to both Klaus and Ivy, as Klaus’ face loosened while Ivy, still stiff, looked at Lapis’ face awkwardly.

“So, now that we’ve gotten Loren’s approval. How much can you pay?”

At Lapis straightforward question, Klaus and Ivy quickly took out their wallets from their pockets and started looking through them.

Loren whispered to Lapis, humming as she looked on with a smile.

“Are you serious about this?”

“I’m not sure. I’m pretty interested in seeing Ivy cry after getting her room key taken though.”

“What’s my share?”

“How about seven to three, with Loren getting seven?”

“Not bad. Count me in.”

Loren wasn’t going to go with it if Lapis took the larger share or if it was exactly half.

But since she immediately responded with him getting the large share, it meant that Lapis was interested in where this would go and didn’t care about the money.

Loren didn’t have a reason to miss a three-way opportunity to satisfy Lapis’ curiosity, rake Klaus over some coals, and show Ivy what happens when she tries to use someone conveniently.

“Alright, the two of you. Let’s start piling up what’s in your wallets, shall we?”

Seeing Ivy and Klaus making bids in front of Lapis, who had an innocent yet crooked smile on her face, which made it hard to believe she was actually a priestess, Loren stifled a yawn, thinking that it would be a while before the exam would start.