Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The next day after cleaning up, <Running Wolves> and Emily decided to live in a party house.
The first time they all lived together was fun, and a few days passed quickly… until the day of the upper-intermediate exam.
Emily sent them off to the Adventurer’s Guild, saying, “Good luck, everyone!”. When they arrived at the guild, they were taken to a separate room designated by the guild staff.
The guild staff took them to another room, where Gildeo, the head of the adventurer’s guild in the <Medio> city, was sitting in a chair waiting for them.
Gildeo is a human man in his late fifties.
He was nominated as the head of the guild after retiring for his achievements in leading a particularly outstanding party of upper-ranking members. He was well known as a strict branch leader who knew the scene well and did not tolerate injustice.
”Oh, you have come… have a seat”
Alvin and the others all sat down on the chairs as they were asked.
”Well, let’s get started”
””We’ll do our best””
The four of them bowed their heads at the branch manager’s words.
Gildeo nodded lightly at the polite attitude of the four.
”Hmm…. I’ve checked your party achievements. Your party have a good record of defeating monsters. The reputation of the party is good… although there was some trouble, your party are on the victim side. Your party have no dark past as far as I can found. I will allow your party to take the promotion test”
Gildeo paused and opened his mouth again.
”Your party may receive requests from the government, aristocracy, temples, and other organizations. Of course, there will be times when information is learned that should not be divulged. Competence is necessary, but honesty must not be lacking. Only those who can be trusted can rise above the upper-intermediate rank”
The heavy words continued as if to question his resolve.
”I hope you all are not blinded by wealth and fame… Now, for the test, you all will be the temporary become upper-intermediate party, and will be asked to solve one request from the guild. Since it is temporary, the number of special magic you can use will remain at one. As for the details, there is a person in charge at the temple. You will hear from the person there. So, what do you have in mind?”
”Do you mean that we have to go to the temple to find out about the details, the reward, and the length of time of the request?”
Shinji immediately asked a question to Gildeo’s words.
Gildeo made eye contact again with Shinji, who was undaunted by the pressure he was exerting.
Most of the adventurers taking the test leave the room without asking any questions. The only ones who speak are the ones who can’t read the air or the ones with a big heart.
Eye to eye, Gildeo sensed that Shinji was the latter.
”Yes. Of course, the guild also has checked the details. If we determine that the content is not appropriate, we will not accept the appointment request”
”I understand. Thank you very much”
When Shinji closes his mouth after a light bow, Gildeo makes eye contact with Alvin and the others who remain. After confirming that there are no doubts in everyone’s mind, he opened his mouth.
”And that’s all I have to say. Good luck”
””Thank you very much””
Alvin and the others greeted each other politely until the end and left the room.
(They all have good eyes…. It’s a promising party)
In addition to the strictness in Gildeo’s eyes as he watched them go, there was also a hint of anticipation for his younger colleagues.
* * *
”He was very powerful…”
”It’s no wonder he was an adventurer with a long history of fighting”
After leaving the guild, Alvin and the others were heading for the temple.
”But he was so cool! He was so dignified… He looked like a true branch chief”
”Fufufu, that’s right. He used to be a great adventurer, didn’t he?”
”He was the leader of a party called the <White Dragon Corps>. He was the leader of a top-notch party that has conquered many high-level dungeons” (*Note: Hakuryu -> White Dragon)
Shinji answered Renka’s question without hesitation.
He recognizes that his personality is definitely not the type of person to be compatible with him. He’s not good at using magic tricks, but he can never be too careful.
For Shinji, he is one of the most important people to watch out for in this city.
(Anyway, if he finds out about the charm hypnosis and the lewd crest, I’m definitely get caught)
The higher the rank of adventurer, the better the intuition, Shinji thinks.
Shinji decided to avoid getting involved with him as much as possible.
”We’ll eventually become like that…! Right, Mil?”
”Yes! Let’s work hard, Al-kun”
As they walked along, listening to the conversation between Alvin and Milis, Shinji and the others eventually arrived at the temple.
* * *
There is only one religion in this country.
It’s called <Goddess Sect>, and it worships the goddess [Arian], who is considered the mother of all.
The place called the Temple is under the jurisdiction of <Goddess Religion>, and is an independent institution of the country.
The influence of <Goddess Religion> is so great that even the king believes in it, and it’s important to avoid any trouble with the temple as much as possible.
The authority of the temple is great. However, only serious people can serve as priests of the <Goddess Religion>.
The existence of oracles and divine punishment imposed by the Goddess.
And there are those who can be called Goddess’s agents.
The agent of the Goddess is a being with pure white wings.
They are winged beings called Goddess’s Miko.
”Miko-sama will see you now. Do not be rude”
After being told that, Alvin and the others arrived at the temple and were led to the far end of the temple, to a section that ordinary people and ordinary priests were not allowed to enter.
At that point, everyone was nervous, but Milis, the priest, was especially nervous.
She knew what kind of place she was visiting now.
”Mil, are you okay…?”
”Al-kun… be quiet, okay? It’s a place where you shouldn’t be rude…”
Milis cautioned him not to speak with a straight face as she whispered worriedly to Alvin.
Alvin gulped down a little bit of saliva and then shut up.
They walked quietly down the corridor until they reached the farthest room of the temple.
”I’ve brought them here, Miko-sama”
”Please come in…”
They heard a woman’s voice from inside the room.
The priestess bowed in front of the door and slowly opened the double doors.
”Please enter…”
The priestess urged them on, and Alvin and the others slowly walked into the room.
The luxurious room was enveloped in a mysterious atmosphere.
They all felt that it was a very clear place, different from ordinary spaces.
In this space, there was a woman dressed in white robes, with pure white wings growing from her back and beautiful white hair that reached her waist.
She was mysteriously beautiful. Even though she was wearing a robe that exposed a lot of her skin, she didn’t make them feel uncomfortable at all.
The swelling of her large breasts and the white legs peeking out of the large slit gave them a warm feeling of motherhood.
”My name is Arian, and I am a Miko of this generation…”
In front of the Miko, who gave a relaxed and elegant bow, Alvin and the others hurriedly kneeled and bowed.
”We’re <Running Wolves> And we’re here to take the test!”
”I understand…. Regarding the test… Ask the priest who will guide you later… But there is another reason why I asked you to come here…. I have been given an oracle…”
It was Shinji who reacted to the word oracle.
He lowered his head and remained immobile, but he remembered the incident with Minato.
(Did I involve Alvin and the others in this? I thought it would be personal contact if it happened… but it’s also very quick respond. It didn’t seem like that guy could be trusted with such an important role, but…)
Because of the location, rampaging was not an option for Shinji.
He had to be quiet and wait for the Miko’s words.
Meanwhile, Alvin and the rest, who had no idea why they were being ordained, were in a state of confusion.
What will she say?… They don’t know
All four of them were sweating profusely on their backs.
”The target of this subjugation. For some reason, you are not able to kill it. It is said that the target has such a cause and effect… I will give the necessary knowledge to the wizard… Because this knowledge is highly confidential… Please leave him alone in the room and wait for the priest to confirm the details…”
””…Understood…””
Alvin and the others had no choice but to comply.
They stood up and left the room, leaving Shinji behind.
Renka looked back at him once, looking worried. Shinji kept his head down, feeling her gaze on his back.
The door of the room slammed shut, leaving Shinji alone.
__________________________________________
The guild leader and the Goddess’s Miko appeared.
Most of the retired upper ranks adventurers work for the guild.
It’s a win-win situation: the guild gets someone they can trust, and the retired adventurer gets a solid job that pays well.
The winged race is basically a very secluded race that lives on floating islands.
They are rarely seen on the streets, except as Miko. There are only a few of them and the total population is less than 100…
The oracle of the Goddess can only be received by the winged species. If a winged race falsifies the oracle, they will be directly punished by the goddess, so they work very seriously.