Allrounders!! - Chapter 29: Day of the C-Rank Exam (I got Picked on Again)! - Part 1

On the day of the exam I went to the designated meeting place. For some reason, Sword accompanied me as well. He argued that he has to supervise me since I'll start some kind of trouble otherwise.

As we waited, four other parties showed up, and immediately got startled.

"...How did you come all the way here?"

"I walked, obviously. No, I suppose it'd be more accurate to say I ran."

When I answered while looking at Sword, he was yawning, completely disregarding the other adventurers.

"Hey, are you okay? Recently you've been drinking every day, haven't you? You should also drink some water for a change."

"It'll be fine since I've taken the antidote."

Alcohol counts as poison for you then!?

Looking my way, Sword grinned broadly, "As expected, even you can't compound medicine, huh?"

"My parent...the other one...has been a doctor, so it's not like I can't as I've learned it from watching."

Sword's mouth gaped in surprise.

"But, unfortunately the medicinal plants around here are way too different. I've found several I know, though... Still, it’s something I can't handle as long as I don't hear about which effects what plants have by becoming the apprentice of a doctor. ...Or rather, in this world you can heal everything by just taking a healing potion, and you can detoxify yourself by taking an antidote, can't you? Based on my knowledge, medicine doesn't actually work that way. In the first place, medicine has the task of boosting one's own healing powers..."

"Yeah, yeah. Least you've realized that you've got some limits in what you can do." He roughly stroked my head around.

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...Feeling gazes on me, I spotted two parties glaring at me.

One was the party of the scarlet-haired girl who picked a fight with me a few days ago. It looks like her adventurer license hasn't been revoked.

...I wonder, what's the difference between her and the guy who had his license revoked after picking a fight with me?

The other party consisted of men. I'd say they are kinda similar to Sword. They started to bicker all of a sudden.

"Shit! So it's gonna be a rigged exam, eh!? That little bitch sure takes it easy, seein' how she's set to pass anyway thanks to her connections."

......

"Does it look like that to you?"

When I looked up to Sword, I was surprised to see him pull a cold face I've never seen on him before.

"Rigged exam, eh? I s'pose it makes sense for folk who don't get why your my partner. Well, you just need to show 'em that your good enough to get through the dungeon without havin' to rely on my connections anyway, right? Though I hope that their spirit doesn't break from the difference in ability afterwards."

......?

"In other words, you're telling me that it'd be better for me to not go with my self-imposed restrictions?"

"Clear the dungeon the fastest with Ryoku."

"I got it! So basically a clearing with the restriction of not stopping at all!"

Kind of like a sidescroller game, I guess.

...Suddenly the scarlet-haired girl planted herself in front of me.

"It's nice to see that they didn't take your license away."

"Obviously they wouldn't!? I only 『came to the rescue』!"

...Eh? Our conversation isn't meshing again?

Placing a finger on my temple, I brood deeply.

"So you interpreted the 『I'll wallop you a good one』 as 『came to the rescue』? I was forced to master how to put adults to shame as a child at a very young age, but...is there a different way to interpret that when you're a commoner?" I asked Sword.

"Nah. Ain't no way that I'm gonna finish you off passes as comin' to the rescue or anythin' like that."

Figures.

"...S-Shut up! Listen, okay!? We definitely won't lose to someone like you! Mark my words! I'll laugh at you after beating you!"

Watching this scene, Sword casually commented, "That's impossible for you."

"!!"

The girl became bright red.

"Now, now, it might be impossible, but aren't you slightly mean to her when you're so blunt about it? It's the statement of a determined girl at an age where she'd want to push herself to the limits. Just be tolerant and listen to her in silence."

As I consoled and soothed Sword, the girl scowled at me with tears in her eyes.

Why?

"...Once again your natural agitation skill's rearin' its head. Haah... Oh well, whatever. Still, I gotta say, sometimes your more of an old man than me, you know?"

"I'd like you to at least change that part into an old woman."

Why make a guy out of me?

Sword shrugged his shoulders.

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