I gratefully received two decorations on this occasion.
The first is theăCrown Medal.ă
This is presented to those who have performed great achievements for the nation of Spada. It can be granted to anyone regardless of their social standing, so itâs the decoration that is most commonly awarded in Spada.
Even so, the citizens of Spada praise those awarded with this decoration more than those given decorations that are awarded only to noblemen for trivial things. In other words, this decoration is proof that I did a great thing.
Well, not that anyone gave me any praise.
The other decoration I was awarded was theăAdventurer Services Decoration.ă
This is given to adventurers who make great efforts in things like the completion of emergency quests. Each nation in Pandora has a similar decoration, though their names might differ from country to country. Of course, itâs not the nation that authorizes the awarding of this decoration, but the Adventurersâ Guild.
In Spada, certain privileges are granted to those awarded thisăAdventurer Services Decoration.ă
ăTo think that Iâd suddenly become a Rank 5 adventurerâŚă(Kurono)
In my hand, next to the medal that has a design with a sword and a staff crossing each other, is a silver-colored Guild Card that possesses the sublime radiance unique to Mythril.
In short, Iâve been given the privilege of skipping an adventurer Rank.
ăLook, look! Lily is a Rank 5 adventurer too!ă(Lily)
ăI am now also Rank 5.ă(Fiona)
Lily is excitedly showing me her new Guild Card, while the witch Fiona is wearing her usual sleepy, uninterested expression. These two also received theăAdventurer Services Decoration.ă
The two of them bravely came to the aid of Iskia Village, which was on the verge of falling to the monster armyâs fierce attack, turning the tables in the blink of an eye. Apparently the only work that the Knightsâ Order of Spada had to do when they arrived was cleaning up the remaining monsters.\nGustav, the red Orc adventurer that I spoke to briefly in Iskia Village, was also awarded theăAdventurer Services Decoration.ăJust as Nell told me, his party, theăIron Demon Brigadeă, are famous in Spada and their actions in this battle were treated as something that was to be expected of them. Since they already reached Rank 5 a long time ago, weâre the only ones that were granted the privilege of skipping a Rank.
Oh yeah, speaking of Nell, she was supposed to receive theăAdventurer Services Decorationăas well, butâŚ
Anyway, the ones who performed meritorious deeds in Iskia have been awarded magnificent decorations like this.
Nevertheless, as I acted solo and played a conspicuous role, Iâm the only one who was awarded theăCrown Medal.ăSince quite a lot of the rescued students are high-class people such as noblemenâs children who are training as cadets, that probably contributed to how well my actions were received.
Anyway, our actions have earned us Mythril plates and theăElement Mastersăhave finally been acknowledged as a Rank 5 party.
However, for some reason, the class name engraved on my Guild Card isăNightmare Berserker.ă
Thatâs strange; my class should definitely have been recorded asăBlack Magic user.ăIt shouldnât have changed since I had it recorded by Nyarko in Irz Village.
Damn it, those damn people at the Adventurersâ Guild, tampering with peopleâs personal information as they like⌠now this embarrassing class name has become official, hasnât it?
ăWell, Ranking-up was one of our objectives, so thatâs good. I didnât think weâd become Rank 5 so quickly, though.ă
ăThat reminds me, we apparently set the record for the fastest Ranking-up in Spadaâs history.ă
Fiona informs me of this in a cold tone, as if sheâs not particularly happy about this.
ăIs that so? What about Wing Road?ă
ăIt took them half a year. The Element Masters party was formally registered when we came to Spada, so if we count from that day, letâs see, it is about three months.ă\nIf I recall, I registered theăElement Mastersăparty with Erina at the academy district branch of the Adventurersâ Guild around the middle of the Month of First Flame (Hatsubi). Right after we registered, I went to hunt Punpuns and Goblins, Lily went to hunt Slimes and Fiona went to hunt Dagger Raptors and Windwolves. Uwah, how nostalgicâŚ
And so time passed, and now itâs the 6th of the Month of Blue Moon (Sougetsu). Mhmm, itâs been about three and a half months, I suppose. If Wing Road took half a year then that means we Ranked-up at double their speed.
ăWe skipped a Rank, so we were just lucky, right?ă
ăNo, it is because of our ability as well as luck. And the Rank-skipping system is not that much of a special event. It is only appropriate to acknowledge capable adventurers.ă
Come to think of it, I remember hearing in one of Nyarkoâs lectures that when people like knights who have certain backgrounds register as adventurers, they start off at Rank 3 right after passing the examination.
That means that skipping a Rank is actually something that we can be really proud of. Considering that we were even awarded these decorations, being humble about it might be seen as sarcasm instead.
ăBut to follow up on the ceremony with an extravagant party, they really donât know how to relax, do theyâŚă
I somehow made it through the ceremony without making some kind of mistake in front of the king, but apparently a congratulatory party was planned as well. That is to say, itâs already started.
Weâve moved from the throne room to the castleâs banquet hall. Since this room was made for these kinds of events, itâs also decorated resplendently.
Being held in a place like this, itâs more like castle ball that you might see in a fairy tale than a party.\nThere are real chandeliers hanging down from the ceiling thatâs so high that I have to look up to see it. The light that brightly illuminates each corner of this hall might have some kind of magic behind it.
This hall, which is larger than the throne room, is crowded with the students that were rescued at Iskia Fortress, as well as their relatives and other academy students that are here to celebrate their safely. Itâs quite a lot of people; the banquet hall can barely fit them all in here.
I can see them everywhere, enjoying the food and drinks that have been laid out on the long, spacious tables while rejoicing in the studentsâ safety and telling tales of heroism from the events of Iskia.
Hey, the one speaking fervently with a bottle of alcohol in one hand is the Orc teacher that I knocked out with a wooden sword, isnât it? I heard the teachers suffered many casualties and that more than half of those who were seriously injured are teachers, but damn are they tenacious.
Of course, Simon, who wasnât seriously wounded but is recuperating in his own home nonetheless, isnât here. Iâll have to find an opportunity to visit him sometime.
Come to think of it, I donât see Will here, either. He was among the students attending the ceremony, so I thought heâd be at this party. Well, itâs really packed in here and everyoneâs in uniform, so itâs pretty difficult for us to spot each other.
ăStill, you two donât get nervous even in an atmosphere like this, do you?ă
ăEh, are you nervous, Kurono-san?ă
ăKurono, are you okay~?ă
ăIâm fine, itâs just my first time experiencing something like this, you see.ă
Itâs not as bad as during the ceremony, but I really canât feel calm. I pat Lilyâs head, partially in an attempt to conceal my nervousness. Her silky blonde hair is incredibly comforting to touch. It heals me.\năHaah, that is how it is, is it? I am simply happy that I can eat so many delicious things.ă
ăThatâs good for you.ă
ăYes, I am thinking of beginning my second round.ă
ăThatâs⌠good for youâŚă
Before the three of us isolated ourselves in this corner of the banquet hall and started chatting, Fiona got ahead of everyone and searched through the food that had been prepared. She got an extra-large serving for herself, so Iâd thought she would be satisfied with that, but to think that it would only be the preliminary battle. I wonder how many rounds sheâs going to go for. And will she have a separate stomach for dessert?
ăNow that I think about it, I havenât eaten much yet. Do you want to eat together, Lily?ă
ăYeah, Iâll eat! Iâll make you say âaa~ah!âă
ăWell then, I think Iâll do the same to you, Lily.ă
Having this silly-sounding conversation, we follow Fionaâs lead to the tables that have food spread out across them.
And once again, this phenomenon occurs where the students clamor and move aside for us, as if Iâm Moses parting the sea.
I say âonce againâ because after we were awarded these decorations and made the main part of the event, so to speak, nobody dared approach us. The students have been reacting to us in this exact way ever since.
ăIt is convenient that they are making way for us, isnât it, Kurono-san?ă
Is that the extent of your impression of this, Fiona-san? Itâs actually considerably shocking to me.
I canât help but think that theyâre scared of us, no, scared of me.
As I cautiously observe a little, I see that Lily and Fiona are receiving a lot of hints and looks from people that clearly want to get to know them, but all I can see in the glances towards me is,ăUwah, that person is scary.ă\nDamn it, thatâs how everyone looks at me even after Iâm awarded with those decorations? Iâm an idiot for holding onto the hope that people might have gotten better impressions of me after my actions in Iskia.
ăWell, thereâs no helping itâŚă
As I whisper quietly to myself in resignation, since Iâm the Nightmare Berserker, after all â
ăYo, hero of Iskia.ă
At the end of the path to the table that has been opened for us is a man with black hair and red eyes, wearing the glorious red cape that shows that heâs a cadet. Nero Julius Elroad.
The swordsman Kai and the Necromancer Safiel are standing on either side of him. Nell and Charlotte arenât there.
Iâm particularly intrigued by Nellâs absence.
I havenât seen her since we parted on the walls of Iskia Fortress when I went to meet up with Lily and Fiona.
Apparently she collapsed from fatigue, but because of the circumstances and our social positions, I couldnât go to see her. She was isolated in a carriage prepared by the Knightsâ Order on the way back from Iskia, and she was still like that even during the parade.
Never mind visiting her; right now, I donât even have any detailed information on whatâs happening with her. She didnât attend the ceremony, either, and the reason given for that was because she is in poor health.
But Nero, her older brother, should definitely know about her current condition. I want to take this opportunity to ask him, but no matter how I look at it, it seems that this prince is really angry, doesnât itâŚ\n