Chapter 253: The Tin Knight and The Imperial Banquet (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 253: The Tin Knight and The Imperial Banquet (3)
After the proclamation was spread in the Empress’s name, the Empire’s citizens reacted with explosive enthusiasm.
“We can become soldiers of the Imperial Family, not some lord’s domain? And a direct corps that only takes orders from the new Emperor? I… I have to do this!”
“Hahaha! The chance for me to make a name for myself has finally come! This is the end of my tedious mercenary life!”
“I’m not aiming to be a commander. Just getting a spot as a common soldier is enough!”
It was a truth of the world that a well-fed dog in a great lord's house was better off than the king of beggars.
If one could become a soldier directly under the Emperor of the Empire, the strongest nation on the continent, and even a commander leading such soldiers, how sweet would that power be? How high would that honor and fame soar? And what of the wealth one would gain?
Normally, such ‘special’ positions would be carved up among the powerful, with only scraps left for those below. But this recruitment test was astonishingly free of such restrictions.
The son of a noble family and the youngest child of a mere farmer had to take the test under the same conditions—a policy so radical it was hard to believe.
Conversely, this meant it was an incredibly irksome event for the nobility.
“This is an army that serves His Majesty the Emperor! A common soldier might be one thing, but to give those ignoramuses a chance to become commanders? It’s absurd!”
“This is an act that will greatly tarnish the honor of the Empire! We must all unite and dissuade Her Majesty the Empress at once!”
But despite this backlash, the Empress remained unmoved.
In fact, not only the Empress but most of the high-ranking nobles with influence in central politics either kept their mouths shut or showed a suspiciously proactive and positive attitude toward the recruitment test.
The only ones complaining were the lower nobility or a portion of the pro-Lennart faction.
“Her Majesty the Empress has really drawn her sword this time.”
“So the groundwork has already been laid. She is a truly fearsome woman.”
A few quick-witted individuals realized this event was a massive political struggle for control of the Empire and were astounded by the Empress’s meticulous planning and boldness. However, not everyone was concerned with such behind-the-scenes affairs.
Just as the powerful had their own circumstances, so too did those below.
“You lot, go participate in that test or whatever it is.”
“…Senior. We can’t understand you when you just cut to the chase like that.”
“What’s with the act? With your wits, you’ve already figured it out.”
With the swagger of a neighborhood thug or a bar regular, the gold-rank adventurer, Peter, spoke. The trio of silver-rank adventurers—Kumara, Magia, and Sitar—let out a deep sigh.
This veteran of the industry, whose face and actual age were two different stories, seemed to be getting more flippant with each passing day.
One could take it as a sign of his fondness for Kumara’s party, but a senior’s familiarity isn’t always a welcome thing for a junior.
The three adventurers exchanged swift glances.
‘You say something.’
‘Shouldn’t the leader step up at times like this?’
‘Damn you all. I’m only the leader when it’s convenient.’
As the one chosen to take the heat by a strict and serious majority vote, Kumara carefully began to argue.
“Look, this is a test to recruit soldiers for the Imperial direct corps. What are we, as adventurers, supposed to do by participating?”
“It’s not like you have to enlist as a soldier just because you pass the test. I heard you can just take the prize money and bail. The sum is pretty big, too.”
“That might be the official line, but what if we actually do that and get on the bad side of the higher-ups?”
“That won’t happen, so don’t worry. I’ve looked into it before telling you.”
“So why, then?”
“Because it’s about time you all reached gold rank.”
At Peter’s words, the trio’s eyes widened.
“Are you serious?”
“In a straight fight, you’re already stronger than me. You’re experienced as adventurers, and your adaptability isn’t bad either. Honestly, you’re more skilled than most of the guys calling themselves gold rank right now. The only thing you’re missing is a decent track record.”
“Hey, I think that’s going a bit too far.”
Peter smirked at Kumara’s dismissive wave.
“Hey, let me ask you this then. Who’s scarier: that knight who beat you in the last tournament, or those Red Gold and Blue Gold guys?”
“…Well, that’s…”
Kumara trailed off, but the answer was as good as decided.
The overwhelming difference in skill he had felt fighting him directly.
And the divine prowess he had displayed in the final match, something that didn’t seem of this world.
Compared to that, even the top-tier adventurers seemed to lose some of their luster. This was especially true since Peter was the only one among the White, Red, and Blue Gold parties to have earned his rank solo; the others had achieved it as a party.
“The fact that your spirits weren’t broken after fighting that guy is why you’ve improved so much. You survived a fight with a lion. Why would you be scared of a few wolves?”
At a loss for words, Kumara tried to find another excuse.
“W-we’ve been getting hired so often by the Halder Company lately that we’re practically exclusive. We should probably check with our sponsor…”
“Already talked to Lorentz Halder. That guy’s got his eyes lit, looking to make a killing on this opportunity. He agreed to support you with equipment bearing his company’s brand, so wear it when you go.”
“B-but this time, all the hotshots from every corner of the Empire are jumping in, right? The scale is completely different from the martial arts tournament. They say the Lion Duke’s bloodline will be participating in droves, too.”
“Ah, those guys? Don’t worry, you’re skilled enough to handle them. There is one hopeless guy around my age, but he’s stuck in a border fortress, so you won’t be seeing him.”
Peter patted Kumara’s shoulder.
“You don’t even have to be the last one standing. Blue Gold, Red Gold… they’re participating too. If you can survive even a little longer than them, that’s all it takes. You’ll be gold-rank adventurers.”
Kumara turned his gaze to his companions.
It was a silent message that he had done all he could.
Magia and Sitar also let out deep sighs, as if to say there was no other choice.
*
The preliminary rounds of the recruitment test were held in various locations across the Empire.
It was only natural. No matter how large the imperial capital was, if it tried to accept all the applicants flocking from across the Empire, it would be quickly overwhelmed.
The problem was that even after splitting them up, there were still too many applicants.
A bustling, teeming crowd.
Facing a throng that easily numbered in the triple digits, Kumara grumbled.
“If we’re unlucky, this could be a pain right from the start.”
Sitar showed a look of confusion.
“What do you mean? We don’t even know what the test is yet.”
“We don’t, but I can guess. From the test administrators’ point of view, the most annoying situation is having a bunch of unskilled riffraff hanging around and wasting administrative resources. In other words, the first test will likely focus more on ‘weeding out the unskilled’ than ‘selecting the skilled.’”
“Then shouldn’t we be fine?”
“Hey, think about it. With this many people, do you think it’s easy to set a fair standard? In cases like this, they usually make you do some mindless, grueling run under the pretext of testing basic stamina, or the test will be heavily dependent on luck.”
Magia frowned.
“I hate running.”
Due to the nature of being an adventurer, even a mage needed a certain level of stamina, but Magia’s physical abilities were relatively inferior to Sitar, a warrior, and Kumara, a ranger.
Some familiars could carry their masters on their backs, but for Magia, who focused solely on her own skills without a separate familiar, that was a distant dream.
“Well, if it comes to it, Sitar and I can take turns carrying you.”
“Will that be allowed?”
“Unless they plan on failing all the mages, they’ll probably allow such accommodations. Or they’ll just separate the mages from the start.”
As they talked, Kumara scanned the faces of the participants.
‘…Since this test site is near the capital, there certainly seem to be a lot of nobles.’
They already stood out with their flashy, high-end equipment and attire, but they were impossible to miss, gathered in their own cliques and scowling as if disgusted to be mingling with commoners.
The most conspicuous among them was, of course, the group of about twenty people with golden hair and violet eyes.
‘The Lennart family. They split up their numbers, as expected.’
If they were thinking purely of combat strength, it would be best for the same bloodline to stick together as much as possible. But that could lead to a situation where their own numbers exceeded the passing quota, forcing them to fight amongst themselves. It seemed they had split into moderately sized groups and distributed them across various test sites.
The reputation of the Lion Duke’s bloodline was not to be ignored. Not only commoners but even other nobles were either warily keeping their distance or, conversely, trying to suck up to them.
‘Tsk, the senior said what he said, but it’s best to avoid them unless absolutely necessary. Nothing good comes from getting involved in politics.’
It was then that Magia nudged Kumara in the side.
“What?”
“Look over there.”
At Magia’s words, Kumara turned his head in the direction she was pointing and inadvertently blurted out.
“What in the world is that?”
A dog? A bear? A mouse?
A fluffy creature with an indescribable appearance was plopped right in the middle of the test site, its short limbs flailing in comparison to its body.
Even the other participants, who had been on edge with tension and excitement, engaging in silent power struggles, seemed to want to avoid getting involved with such a bizarre creature, keeping a wide berth.
“It’s not a magic beast, is it? Surely not.”
“I’ve never even seen a monster that grotesque in a book. Isn’t it a mascot costume? Though I have no idea why someone would wear something like that here.”
“Who knows. If the strategy is to make everyone around think, ‘I don’t want to get involved with that lunatic,’ I’d say it’s brilliant.”
“Both of you, that’s enough speculation. It looks like the test is about to start.”
On a temporary platform at the front of the test site, an examiner stood up, holding a magic tool for sound amplification, and made an announcement.
《Before we begin the First Test, I will give one final warning. As this test is to select a specially chosen elite from within the Empire, it is composed of extremely dangerous and harsh challenges. You may suffer permanent injury or even risk your life during participation. Those who lack the resolve, please step outside the line now.》
At first, the participants just murmured amongst themselves, reluctant to give up. But after the examiner repeated the same warning a persistent five times, some of them, seemingly losing their nerve, stepped outside the line.
After watching them leave, the examiner spoke again.
《Now, I will announce the details of the first test. If you fulfill even one of the conditions I am about to state, you will be considered to have passed.》
《First. The hill I am pointing to now. Please reach the tree at the top of that hill. The first 70 to arrive will pass.》
《Second. The forest next to the test site. Please secure a ‘token’ that looks exactly like the one I am showing you now from that forest and return. The first 20 to do so will pass.》
《Third. Fight another participant and render them unable to battle. The top 10 with the highest number of defeated opponents will pass.》
《Additionally, the final number of successful candidates may be less than 100.》
The moment they heard the rules, the participants’ expressions changed.
Most prepared to run, those with hunter or mage backgrounds stared into the forest, and those confident in their skills—especially the Lion Duke’s bloodline—scanned the surrounding participants like they were deciding what to pick at a buffet.
Kumara’s party quickly exchanged opinions.
“What should we do?”
“One of you just carry me and run. I’ll blow away the guys in front with wind magic.”
“I’m tempted to fight the famous Lion Duke’s bloodline, but it’ll be hard to take down nearly twenty of them gathered together, so that’s probably for the best.”
Just as everyone finished their preparations and the examiner finally blew the whistle to signal the start of the test…
THWACK!
The mascot costume, soaring through the air, delivered a dropkick that smashed into the face of a member of the Lion Duke’s bloodline who was just about to draw his sword.
Before the creature even hit the ground, it swung its short legs, landing a two-hit aerial kick on two other members of the bloodline standing nearby.
Everyone froze, staring at the bizarre creature that had crushed three members of the Lion Duke’s bloodline in an instant.
And then, the three adventurers demonstrated with their own bodies why adventurers outlive knights.
“Run!!”
“Uwaaah!”
“Please, please, please, don’t let us get involved!!”
As the three wise adventurers sprinted away at full speed without a single look back (even Magia was running on her own two feet), the masked figure in the costume…
No, the Tin Knight let out a roar that no one but himself could hear.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ proclaims that for the Hunter Exam, it’s an unwritten rule to start from the preliminaries without using seeded rights!]