Boom!
A flash of lightning streaked across the sky as fierce winds whipped up sheets of rain, sending piles of fallen leaves scattering to the horizon, like lovers fated never to bear fruit, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Standing beneath the library’s outer corridor, Green gazed earnestly toward the end of the hallway at the Stairwell, hoping the mysteriously vanished Miss Examiner would return and resume the unfinished Assessment.
Yet Heaven had other plans.
Green waited and waited, his eyes nearly worn out from longing, but the beautiful ending he hoped for never came. Not only did Miss Sophie, whom he yearned for day and night, fail to appear—even a single passerby was nowhere to be seen.
“Well, in this downpour, what sane person would be walking around outside?”
Green couldn’t help but sigh helplessly as he turned around.
“Of course, my Examiner isn’t a normal person.”
With things as they were, Green no longer held out much hope for passing the Assessment.
“I really shouldn’t have told the truth. Should I have just cited Sophie’s views as the words of some authoritative figure?”
Green searched and searched his memory for what he might have done wrong during this Assessment. The only flaw he could think of was his inexplicable answer when asked about the source of his opinions.
“But I don’t regret it.”
A faint smile lifted Green’s lips.
Even though the second life simulation had been a series of twists and hardships, the experience itself was the greatest reward, far more satisfying to Green than any final prize.
“At worst, I’ll just register as an adventurer and work a few jobs for the Guild for free.”
Now that he had strength to rely on, Green found his confidence had grown.
Bang bang.
Yet just as Green was considering his next move, hurried footsteps sounded outside the corridor.
Had Miss Sophie returned to announce the Assessment results?
Green looked toward the end of the corridor, to the Stairwell.
Several figures—at once familiar and yet slightly unfamiliar—filed in.
“Huh, it’s you all.”
Green blinked, barely recognizing the newcomers.
Messy, tangled hair; what was once a delicate, respectable suit of armor now stained with blood and tattered beyond recognition; heavy and somewhat cumbersome packs…
These few, looking every bit the failed adventurers, were none other than the young ladies from Green’s former employer, the Star-Moon Adventuring Party.
What brought them here?
And what on earth had happened to them to leave them in such a state?
For a moment, Green couldn’t make sense of it.
Knowing these young ladies as well as he did, he was sure that being reduced to such a filthy, bedraggled state would pain them even more than being killed.
Could it be… the Hero Selection?
A light dawned on Green.
He’d already heard about this from Miss Betty, and he hadn’t had high hopes for this group of talented girls who, deep down, never truly treated adventurer commissions as matters of life and death—sometimes not even as anything more than a way to kill time and have fun.
Yet now, seeing the young ladies in person, Green felt little schadenfreude.
“Miss Freya, long time no see. How have you been?”
Before any of them could speak, Green stepped forward and offered a polite greeting.
“…”
Even with her delicate face streaked in mud, Freya radiated a captivating allure.
No wonder she behaved so proud and aloof—with her looks and her background as the Marshal’s daughter, she’d been adored and praised by all since childhood. It was only natural she developed such a temperament.
“Are you mocking me, Green?”
Instead of maintaining the composure befitting a duke’s daughter, Freya snapped, raising her head like a cat with ruffled fur and retorting with barely concealed annoyance.
“?”
A huge question mark appeared over Green’s head.
He’d only said a polite word or two. Was there really any need for Freya to react so strongly?
Ah, I see.
Green quickly realized what might have upset Freya.
With her temper, any displeasure would certainly be followed by dragging up old grievances.
And wasn’t he deeply in debt to Freya?
Hmm.
She surely wasn’t hurting for the money, but with her in a bad mood, using this as an excuse to get mad at him was perfectly reasonable.
So Green kept his smile, as if he hadn’t noticed the sarcasm in Freya’s tone, and replied with complete sincerity, “Of course not, Miss Freya. Please rest assured, I’ll never forget the kindness you showed by taking me in.”
Glancing at the library beside him, Green truthfully explained his current situation.
“I’m presently undergoing the Adventurer’s Guild’s Senior Advisor Assessment. I may not pass, but please don’t worry—I will certainly work hard to repay the wages I still owe you as soon as possible.”
Green declared with resolute righteousness.
“Phew…”
Yet for some reason, Green’s words not only failed to appease Freya, but in fact seemed to pour oil on the fire.
The duke’s daughter took a deep breath, and in her dazzling, jewel-like eyes, a hint of grievance flickered.
“So that’s all you have to say to me?”
Uh…
Seeing Freya’s relentless questioning, Green was at a loss. “Well, after all, I’ve already left the party, so… maybe it’s not convenient for me to ask about other matters?”
From what he knew of Freya and the others, they hated nothing more than someone “meddling in their business.” So of course, he kept his distance and avoided treading on their toes.
“You—you—truly ungrateful!” Freya glared at the Adventurer’s Guild library, snorted coldly, and said, “Do you really think a mere mortal like you could possibly pass the Guild’s Assessment? You ought to be more realistic.”
Seeing the confused look on Green’s face, Freya grew even angrier.
Was he doing this on purpose?
She’d made her meaning so obvious—was he really going to keep playing dumb?
The thought of their recent foray into the ruins left Freya simmering with anger.
That feeling, where she’d obviously had far superior strength, but due to certain “external factors”—trivial matters in logistics, Strategy, intelligence analysis, and so on—she’d ended up embarrassing herself in front of her idol, the Hero…!
Enough. As long as she could bring Green back to the team, everything would be fine.
Just like before.
Every time she got angry in the past, didn’t Green always apologize and make amends in the end?
This time, she’d even taken the trouble to seek him out in person—wasn’t that a huge favor?
Given Green’s lack of any real class or status, if not for their previous ties, Freya wouldn’t have come to find him no matter what.
The Star-Moon Adventuring Party was a five-star team, and if they needed an intelligence analyst, there were plenty of professionals willing to work for free just to join.
Yet even with her sincerity on display, how did Green respond?
Still being difficult, still pretending not to get it.
“Enough, Lucy, let’s go.”
Freya stomped her foot, turned, and prepared to leave.
“Hey, hey, wait!” The mage girl at her side, sensing things were going south, hurried over to Green, leaned close, and whispered, “Green, you know how Freya is—sharp tongue, soft heart. But…”
Lucy’s eyes sparkled with a pleading light.
“I’m sure you’ll forgive us, right? Sorry, Green, it was Freya’s fault before, so I’ll apologize on her behalf. But right now, we really need you.”
Lucy blurted out, “So, you’ll come back to our Star-Moon Adventuring Party, right?”
?
A bigger question mark hung over Green’s head.
Uh, return to the party?
Wait, no.
What was happening here?
Wasn’t she here to collect his debts?
Return to the party?
Recalling his hardships with the Star-Moon Adventuring Party, Green sighed.
Honestly, though it had been tough, Freya had once taken him in, and Green truly wanted to part with them on good terms.
So even though he was reluctant, he did his best to appear as though he’d thought it over carefully before declining. “About that, Miss Lucy, I’m truly honored by your invitation, but unfortunately, I’ve already agreed to take part in the Guild’s Assessment for Miss Betty…”
How could this be?
Lucy’s whole body stiffened at Green’s answer, which, while sounding regretful, was in truth a tactful rejection.
Wasn’t Green completely different before?
Wasn’t he once Freya’s most loyal lapdog, enduring everything, and as long as Freya so much as gave him a hint of kindness, he’d immediately fall in line?
Could it be… that this Adventurer’s Guild offer had given him confidence?
No, no…
A nameless sense of dread welled up in Lucy’s heart.
It seemed unfounded, but it ran deep.
Just the thought that Green might leave the Star-Moon Adventuring Party forever left her restless and frustrated.
“Green, you won’t come back—is it, is it because…”
Tears glimmered at the corners of Lucy’s eyes as she whispered through quiet sobs, “Is it because you’re still upset that when Freya dismissed you, I didn’t stand up for you?”
“If that’s it, then, I—I’ll apologize to you right now. Whatever you want, I’ll agree to it!”
Lucy’s flawless face was streaked with tears, so full of sorrow that no one could help but feel sympathy for her.
Yet Green’s heart was as calm as still water.
How many times had this happened before?
Back in the party, how many times had he witnessed Lucy’s flawless performance?
At first, he’d been deeply moved, but as time went on, Green wasn’t a fool.
He’d even begun to suspect that many of the rumors swirling around him had been started by this seemingly innocent girl right in front of him.
Green let out a weary sigh.
“I’m sorry…”
“Enough, Lucy.”
Just as Green was halfway through his reply, the last party member—who was always quiet and rarely joined the conversation—finally spoke up.
The girl in the Priestess’s robe, still exuding an air of sanctity despite being covered in mud, reached out and took the bowing Lucy’s hand.
His Holiness the Pope’s Adopted Daughter, the party’s healer—the Saintess Sophia.
“After all, he and us were never really from the same world.”
As always, Sophia’s voice was cold and utterly emotionless.
“Before, he just played the part for the sake of our family backgrounds. Now that he’s found a better branch to cling to, naturally he no longer needs to put up with us.”
Sophia’s sharp-eyed words immediately shattered the tangled atmosphere.
She hadn’t changed a bit.
Green quietly looked over at the Saintess, who, though her words were harsh, had in some sense spoken the truth.
“Still, for a mere mortal who isn’t even a professional, whether he can pass the Assessment…” Changing the subject, Sophia glanced at Green, her expression inscrutable.
Bang bang.
Before anyone could say more, another set of hurried footsteps echoed.
“Mr. Green?”
It was the branch president, Miss Betty. “Huff… The Assessment results, the Assessment results are out!”
Oh dear.
Looked like the Saintess’s prediction was about to come true.
My far-fetched answer must have angered Miss Examiner, right?
“Full Score!” Miss Betty, panting for breath and wide-eyed in astonishment, exclaimed, “Mr. Green, you are the first person in nearly a hundred years to pass the Guild’s Assessment with a Full Score!”
Miss Betty’s voice echoed through the long corridor.