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Chapter 2: The Strongest Onmyoji Gets a Rank (Part two)
When I looked up, the three of them were silent with vague expressions.
After a while, Ifa spoke in an indescribable tone.
“Um, Seika-kun is different… There’s no way he’s with us.”
“eh”
“What do you think you did?”
“huh?”
“right”
Saying that, Mabel, who was sitting on the other side of Ifa, held out a small wooden box.
“I’ve  got one for Seika.”
“Mine…? Is this my certificate?”
I pull the wooden box.
When I held it in her hand, it seemed to be quite well made.
I remove the metal clasp and open the lid. Then, as expected, there was one certification tag fitted in a wooden frame.
However, its appearance is quite different from that of Amiyu and the others.
It’s still a yellowish metal, but its shine is much stronger, and the stamped numbers are different.
What’s this?
“What’s this, a first-class certificate!?”
I wondered who it really belonged to, but even if I didn’t look closely, the letters Seika were clearly stamped on it.
It didn’t even have the family name, but it was clearly mine.
“No, wait, this one’s color is different from yours…is it made of pure gold?”
“that’s right”
Amiyu nodded with a somewhat frightened face.
“Certification cards are usually made of brass, but the second grade is made of silver, and the first grade is made of gold.”
“Do they want me to go on an adventure with such an expensive thing around my neck? ……”
“I heard that active adventurers don’t actually receive much.”
If it’s an honorary grade, it’s certainly true, but…
Amiyu continued.
“Well, the chain isn’t gold, and even if you melt it down and sell it, it won’t even be worth a single gold coin. It’s not expensive enough to kill someone.”
“It’s true that it’s not that big…or rather, why am I the only one who’s first class?”
“Yeah…why are you…”
“It’s strange that Seika-kun is wondering…”
“You put down the stampede by yourself, so it’s only natural.”
Mabel hit with the right argument, and I couldn’t say anything.
“As I thought, I was overdoing it…”
With a confused expression on his face, he picks up the golden certificate.
“It doesn’t matter, but aren’t these things usually handed to you by the guild’s branch chief? 　No matter how much you are a party member, don’t entrust it to someone…”
“Aren’t they busy? 　Because you forced the guild to do the work of making the strategy guide.”
“ah……”
As Amiyu said.
For the past six months or so, I’ve been working hard to create a book that contains useful information for dungeon capture, but when the first edition was completed after a lot of hard work, I handed over all the work after that to the guild.
I thought I had returned the work to the place where it should have been done, but recently the monsters have been returning to the dungeon little by little, so all the staff seemed to be busy.
That’s why I can’t help but feel a little resentful.
When I look sour, Amiyu says troublesomely.
“What? You wanted an award ceremony or something?”
“No, not at all, but…”
“Then why not?”
“… recently, I feel like the people in the town are treating me casually, They seem to be getting more and more familiar with me,……is that what you mean by getting used to this place?”
“Isn’t it better than school, you didn’t have any friends?”
“Goh…”
Ignoring my groaning, Amiyu continued.
“Surprisingly, but… you’re more liked by people who are rough and strange than by well-behaved aristocrats. You don’t look like that at all, but it’s strange.”
“…”
Now that you mention it… it might have been the same in my previous life.
While he didn’t get along well with the nobles around him when he was an official of the Onmyoryo, after returning from the West, he became attached to strange samurai warriors, sorcerers, yamabushi, and merchants, and only such relationships increased.
It’s true that in my previous life, I wasn’t originally born and raised well, but…Is this kind of temperament still the same after reincarnation?
“But… I think everyone is really grateful to Seika-kun.”
At that time, Ifa said quietly.
“Before the stampede, there were many rumors… but now, no one is saying bad things about Seika-kun. I’m sure they gave it to you because they were grateful.”
“You mean the certificate?”
“Yeah. Seika-kun, you turned down the idea of building a statue, didn’t you? 　That’s why they wanted to give you something in return. Not only the people in the guild, but everyone in the council also felt the same way, so Seika-kun. I think that’s why you’re being recognized as first class.”
I involuntarily lowered my gaze to the gold certificate.
Well, I really wanted them to give the statue a break, so of course I turned it down …… instead.
Originally, it would have been second class at most.
Besides me, the mayor Cyrus is the only first-class adventurer.  No matter how great my achievements are, recognizing the respected chief of the city and a young adventurer on the same level could strain the relationship with the city.
I’m sure the guild would have hesitated.
In spite of this, the fact that I was able to become a first-class adventurer at the same time as the other adventurers…normally, there must have been support from the council and Mayor Silas.
I smile suddenly.
In that case, …… I’ll take it gratefully.
I’m sure it was worth it to save Lakana at the risk of being noticed by the government.
The adventurer’s grade will surely come in handy in the future.
I pick up the certificate with my name on it and look at it.
“But they don’t put your family name in this.”
“That’s what certification cards are for. Few adventurers have a family name, and even if they do, they often want to hide it. Also, there’s no space.”
“surely”
“Well, whatever it is, it’s all good, Seika.”
Amiyu said with a grin.
“A first-class certificate is amazing, isn’t it? 　The guild recognizes you, so no matter where you go, you’ll be treated like a boss.”
“Yeah, I’d rather they didn’t do that kind of …… thing.”
But it was very likely.
The people who get these things usually have money and status.
I am sure there are many people who would be humbled by the title of first class, even though I am only sixteen years old this year.
However, as I put the certificate away in my pocket.
“Well, I guess I won’t have any use for it for a while.”
Even if you have a title, if you don’t have anyone to show it to, it’s no use.
Thanks to the many things that had happened in Lakana, most of the residents already knew who I was, and I had no plans to go to another city in the foreseeable future.
However, Amiyu looked at me with a puzzled look on his face.
“We can make good use of it if we want to, I believe the guild here has a bulletin board.”
“What do you mean?”
“It means we’re taking quests.”
“Quests?”
“You don’t know?　There are many adventurers who specialize in this area in other cities, not to mention Lakana, which has many dungeons nearby.”
Amiyu stood up after saying that.
“Since we’re here, why don’t we go take a look?”