Called out loudly multiple times, there was no choice but to come out. If my name was called any more, everyone would remember it. If I left now, I could be forgotten as just another graduate.
Thinking this, Myle reluctantly returned to the arena, where Glen loudly said to her,
"You, I'll let you join our group. Once you've packed your things, come to our home!"
"Eh..."
The crowd erupted at the sound of Glen's voice.
For a new graduate to be scouted by the 'Roar of Mithril' was the stuff of dreams for aspiring hunters. There were only a handful of S-rank hunters, and thus, no S-rank parties existed. In practice, the highest rank of any party was A. For a new hunter to be scouted by the 'Roar of Mithril,' who were nearly A-rank, was extraordinary.
Perhaps they were witnessing the beginning of a future hero's legend. Many thought this.
"I decline."
"Wh-what...?"
Everyone was in disbelief.
Glen, the audience, the king, the treasurer, Lord Christopher, Elbert, and even the guild representatives from various regions—all of them...
"I have prior commitments."
With that, Myle snapped her fingers, and Reina, Maevi, and Pauline rushed out from the waiting area, surrounding her.
"We, though born in different places and times!"
"Though not blood-related!"
"Are comrades who have walked together!"
"Even if our paths diverge in the future,"
"As long as red blood flows through our veins,"
"Our friendship is eternal!"
"We, four comrades bound by soul! Our name is—"
"Red Oath!!"
Boom!
Behind the four, who had struck their poses, Myle's magic caused an explosion and four-colored smoke to rise.
They had practiced their poses and lines for just such an occasion, thanks to Maevi's strong insistence on Myle's hero stories, which she had become obsessed with. Myle had never expected it to actually come to this.
"O-oh..."
Glen was stunned.
What other reaction could he have?
"That's why I decline. If we ever meet again, I hope we can work together then."
With those words, the four retreated to the waiting area.
Myle and her group left the arena to avoid the nobles' scouting and the crowd, but in the arena they had left behind, several students were setting up chairs and tables in front of a large amount of luggage.
On the hastily prepared table, samples were placed, and a banner was raised.
'Precise Red Oath Statues: 3 silver coins each, 1 small gold coin for a set of 4'
The crowd that gathered to see what was happening saw numerous 20-centimeter-tall, intricately detailed statues of Myle and her three companions, inspired by Earth-style figurines. There were 1,000 in total, in hunter gear and civilian versions.
"Come on, come on! Precise Red Oath statues, 3 silver coins each, or a set of 4 for a small gold coin! How about one as a good luck charm!"
"Give me one! It's Myle!"
"Reina, both versions!"
"Two of each of Maevi!"
"I want to be scolded by Pauline!"
"The set of four!"
They sold out in no time.
Three days earlier.
In the evening after Elbert had asked Myle to "make a splash," she was tidying up her room in preparation for graduation, checking the contents of her storage and item box. She had to return the school-issued items.
"Huh? This is..."
As Myle looked at what she had taken out of her item box, the other three approached.
"What is that?"
"It's cute..."
"Did Myle make it?"
Indeed, it was the wooden figurine Myle had made to pass the time on the carriage ride from her hometown to Exland Academy.
"Quite an innovative way of expression. It stands out from existing dolls."
"Definitely, it's interesting and could sell well."
"..."
Maevi and Reina were quite impressed, while Pauline...
"Myle, can I take charge of this?"
"Wh-what?"
Pauline, given full authority, moved quickly.
She recruited volunteers among the twenty-two who were not taking the graduation exam that day, and they used earth magic to mass-produce and color the figurines based on Myle's prototype. The actual production was handled by mages, with those who had artistic talent assisting, and the final touches and packaging were done by the twelve participants, working through the night. To avoid affecting the exam, they did not recruit those taking the exam, but a few exam-takers, including mages, joined in after hearing about it.
"Pauline, is this really okay?"
"We decided to make a splash, right? For the graduation exam. So it's fine, absolutely fine!
After graduation, we'll need money for various things. Equipment, bridging funds until we get steady jobs, and preparing for injuries or illnesses...
Besides, it's even harder for those graduating at D-rank. A little capital would help them a lot... For their sake, we can't miss this chance to make money!"
"Well, since I've entrusted everything to you, I won't complain. Just make sure we're not exploiting everyone..."
In the end, all 1,000 figurines sold out, netting 2,800 silver coins. They distributed 100 silver coins each to the 18 participants, and Myle and her three companions received 1,000 silver coins each.
In Japanese yen, that was equivalent to 1 million yen. A substantial amount.
For the other participants, 100 silver coins was also a significant sum. They all thanked Myle, and those who had declined to participate regretted it, but it was too late.
And it didn't take long for the culture of "magical modifications" to take root in this world.
"So, Treasurer, can we maintain the current budget for the school...?"
After Myle and her group left, Elbert, who was usually very confident, brought up the topic in the VIP room of the arena, where he was talking with the king and others. However, in front of the nobles and royalty, and especially when it came to money, he showed none of his usual assertiveness.
"Huh? Maintain the budget? What are you dreaming about?"
"Please, just a little..."
"There's no way we can maintain it. We need an increase, a substantial increase! Is that acceptable, Your Majesty?"
"Of course. And, didn't you submit a proposal a few months ago to transition the training school from a trial to a full-scale program? Please review and resubmit it. We may also need to request a guild conference with other countries soon. I'd like to discuss the agenda and proposals.
Lord Christopher, can I count on you again?"
"Of course, gladly!"
Beside the delighted Lord Christopher, Elbert was stunned.
"To think such talents are hidden among the common people. If we can uncover them, a little budget is a small price to pay."
Elbert began to worry.
"Um, they are a bit special... We can't expect to find such talents every time..."
"I understand that! If we can avoid missing a genius every ten years, that's fine. Besides, even if they're not as outstanding, the graduates are doing well, right? It takes time to cultivate talent, so don't rush it."
"Of course, Your Majesty, I understand!"
It seemed they had a good king.
"And, since we let them attend the school for free, they have an obligation to serve our country for at least a few years, right? During that time, we should ensure they form enough ties to prevent them from leaving for other countries!"
It seemed they also had a shrewd king.
In the audience seats after everyone had left, a man sat in a daze, while a woman shook his shoulder.
The guild master from a distant city, who had traveled for eight days one way, and his receptionist, Laura, were there.
They hadn't come just to watch the graduation exam; they had adjusted their regular business trip to coincide with the event.
"..."
"Master, let's go now!"
"..."
"Master!"
It would take some time for the guild master to recover.
Some time after the graduation exam.
Bail was hesitant.
He was supposed to start his hunter life at the bottom of D-rank, but the girl had given him a spectacular debut at C-rank.
The name value of "The Man Who Defeated Glen" was immense.
In reality, he had only taken advantage of the overconfident and worn-out Glen, but as the rumor spread, Bail had become a legendary figure.
The key figures from the country and the guild were present, so they knew the girl was the truly impressive one, but those who only heard the rumors naturally thought the boy who defeated Glen in a short time was more impressive than the girl who fought well but lost.
As a result, even though he couldn't join a full-time party, many parties invited Bail to join as a temporary member. They needed him for support when a member was injured or when they were short on manpower. These requests were quite lucrative, and Bail's performance met expectations, gradually building his reputation and trust. With more experience, he might be able to form a low-rank party with the orphans, starting with F-rank and moving up to E-rank and D-rank.
This opened up many possibilities for the future.
And the girl who had given him the starting point for these dreams was energetic, bright, honest, cute, strong, and kind to him.
He wanted to see her.
But what would he say?
Thank you? He had already said that at graduation.
They lived in the same capital, so they might run into each other someday, or they might not. He knew where they were staying, so he could visit anytime. But...
(Too soon, maybe...)
Yes, it was too soon. For now...
A few days after the graduation exam, in a room at a certain inn.
"Let's use this inn as our base, okay?
A slightly larger four-person room, meals not included, one month's rent at a discounted rate of 3 gold coins. This cheap inn is our starting point, the place where our legend begins!"
The other three nodded.
"Minimum food expenses are 2 gold coins per month. If you want to splurge, it's 3 gold coins. Just for that, more than half of the 10 gold coins we earned from the figurines will be gone. The rest will go towards replacing Maevi's sword, which is reaching its limit, and as a reserve for emergencies. We never know when someone might get injured or sick. Of course, we have Pauline's healing magic, but it's better to be prepared.
With this, our budget is maxed out. That means we need to earn at least 5 gold coins for next month's living expenses within a month. More if you want new clothes or anything else.
In reality, we also need to save for the next equipment upgrade and treat ourselves on birthdays. So, our goal is 10 gold coins or more.
Once we earn more, we'll move to an inn with a bath. I can't tolerate girls only being able to wash with a basin of water!"
Maevi and Pauline nodded again.
As for Myle...
"Actually, we can use warming magic to wash when we go hunting, and we can use cleansing magic to remove sweat, dirt, and waste from our bodies and clothes, which is quite convenient."
"A, ah..."
"A?"
"You! If you have such convenient magic, teach it to us right now! I rarely saw you wiping yourself in the dorm, so you were doing this all along!"
And so, the new C-rank party 'Red Oath' began.
This marked the start of Myle's 'ordinary C-rank hunter life.'
However, those students were amazing... Our country should consider adopting a similar system or finding a way to allow talented individuals to advance quickly...
A guild master from a certain country's capital branch, riding in a carriage back to his own capital, thought to himself.
In the carriage, there was a set of four cute girl figurines.
The carriage continued on its way to the capital of a country that had two academies, Exland and Ardley.
Today is my birthday. (^^)
And on this birthday, I have an announcement to make.
I have received an offer from a publisher to publish this work, and I have happily accepted it.
I was hesitant to announce it, worried that the project might fall through, but the publisher assured me, "Don't worry, it will be published!" "The illustrator has agreed!" "We'll put up a publication announcement on our website by the end of this week!" and I finally felt it was real.
The publisher is Earth Star Entertainment, a company that handles a wide range of media including anime and comics, and the book will be published under their new label, Earth Star Novels, which was launched about a year ago and publishes 3-4 books per month from sites like "Syosetu.com."
The publication date is tentatively set for May 15th.
Achieving my childhood dream of becoming a published author is all thanks to everyone who bookmarked, rated, and read this work. Thank you.
I hope to continue to have your support in the future.