Adventurers

"Adventurers? Really?"

"This will be a more intuitive frame of reference for you. It'll be good."

"I...guess."

"This is the final ingredient to get us ready for this civil war. We need to get you more self-confidence."

We had arrived at the royal capital's adventurers' guild. This was the national headquarters—the building was huge compared to the rural guild I was used to, not to mention the sheer number of people and number of commissions being processed.

"Welcome to the— Oh! Are...? Are you really...?!" The young receptionist gasped as she looked at Ciel. "I-I'll summon the guildmaster right away, Your Highness..."

"There's no need for that," Ciel told her. "I'm just here for registration."

Ciel's words caused an immediate stir among the gathered adventurers.

"Yo, did you hear that? That's Princess Ciel!"

"I heard that she's got sage-level magic abilities, even apart from her Appraisal skill."

"Surprised that guy she's with is still alive. I'dda thought someone would've taken care of him already."

"I know, right? A shame for the princess to be stuck with him, don'tcha think?"

"You know it. Think we should just take care of him here and now?"

Well, that's not great. I couldn't decide if this Interception skill was a blessing or if it just gave me extra things to worry about. In any case, this was bad.

"Begging your pardon, Your Highness," the receptionist continued. "You wish to register...the two of you?"

"That's right. I am also hoping you'll make a bit of an exception for us. Seeing as how we don't have letters of referral, I would like for us to be tested right here."

"T-Tested? There's no need for such an exception, Your Highness; in your case I am sure that a suitable letter of referral can be prepared without delay..."

"And what would be the point of that?" Ciel said.

An exception... Normally when you registered with the guild, you'd start from F rank and gradually work your way up by completing official quests. The exception to that is that people who have demonstrated specific ability levels are given permission to begin from the corresponding rank. One common example is that if you attend Adventurer Prep School and earn high enough marks, you could be allowed to begin in E rank. Or, if you were to get a referral letter from royalty like Ciel or upper nobility, you could be placed in a higher rank. There were a few other ways to do it as well, but... "Ciel, when you say be tested here, do you mean—?"

"I mean just what I said. I'm hoping to obtain a referral from a practical exam."

That comment raised another commotion among the guild adventurers.

"You hear that? A practical exam means we could go up against them!"

"Yeah. I'd like to tear that weak little princess's pet a new one..."

"Plus it's a chance to show Princess Ciel what we can do!"

"It's the perfect opportunity!"

They were getting way too excited about this. As the name implied, the practical test involved being directly tested on your skill level and being assigned your starting rank based on the results. There were various methods, but the standard way to do it was to battle against adventurers who were on the premises, and if you could beat them, you'd attain their rank. It was an all-out, anything goes sort of fight.

Of course, since amateurs had basically no chance against well-trained adventurers, it was hardly ever actually done. And since ultimately participation was at the discretion of the professional adventurers, there were also cases where the test couldn't be given because there weren't any adventurers who felt like making time in their schedules to test new recruits.

This time, however, the waters were swarming with sharks hooked by the bait Ciel had dangled before them.

"Isn't this perfect?"

"Ummm, I... I guess..." I faltered in the face of Ciel's radiant smile.

"If you desire a practical exam, Your Highness, then of course... I will alert the adventurers on the premises. Is there a particular rank you would like to aim for?" the guild employee asked.

Typically the highest anyone would ever go for would be C rank, but of course...

"Let's go with B," Ciel said. "Since it seems none of the adventurers here have reached A rank."

"B?! But that's... Er, we can arrange for you to compete against B rank adventurers, if that's really..."

"Oh, I was right? Too bad. If there were any A rankers here, we'd be able to start right from A."

Ciel's words sent ripples of astonishment through the crowd.

"Um, well..." the staff member said. "The adventurers who are present—"

"Good idea," Ciel interrupted. "Whaddaya say, if we beat every single adventurer assembled here, would that earn A rank? That seems reasonable, right?"

"Ah, th-that's rather..."

"Yeah, you're right," Ciel said affably. "Well, that's okay. It sounds like there are some B rankers here at least. That will suffice. We'll take on as many as you can find."

A request for a B rank test didn't just mean finding one B rank adventurer to battle; it meant fighting everyone present at B rank or below who wanted to participate. The air buzzed as though an electric current ran through it.

And Ciel, having instigated that charged excitement, casually brought it crashing down entirely on my shoulders.

"Remille here will be the one doing the fighting. He was just telling me that he could take down any number of you weaklings without breaking a sweat."

"H-Hey!" I said nothing of the sort!

"Okey doke!" Ciel said. "Let's do this!"

The gathered adventurers reacted predictably.

"He's a dead man."

"Hell yeah, I'll kill 'im."

"Not if I kill him first..."

As the bloodthirsty adventurers readied themselves for battle, I felt panic start to surge through me.

"Okay, make me proud," Ciel said to me. "I've set the stage nicely for you."

"You call this nicely?!"

"What's the matter? You can use any tool at your disposal here—swordplay, magic, your behemoth, alchemy. This should be a cinch."

I couldn't argue against that smile of hers. All I could do was clutch tight to the potion we had prepared.

❖

"We will now commence the practical exam of adventurer applicant Remille."

We stood on the guild's training grounds. The guild employee who was officiating the test was a meek, anxious-looking man. He leaned over toward us and asked yet again, "Are...? Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"How many times do we need to say yes? We are sure."

"Uh, actually, I'm not sure..." Thanks to Ciel's machinations, I had been cast in the role of villain facing off against a horde of adventurers who could smell blood in the water. I looked over my competition once more. Three B rankers—two swordsmen and one sorcerer—plus five C rankers and about eighteen D rankers. To be honest, compared to Margus or Rui at their peak, these guys weren't that scary. It was just...facing that much naked hostility and venomous rage really heightened the pressure.

"The royal capital sure does attract a lot of adventurers, huh..." I said to Ciel.

"If you're just stressed about the numbers, don't be. This is perfect sparring practice for you. After all, in war you'll be facing scores of enemies."

"Right... Sparring practice."

"Listen. If you can't handle this many opponents at once, we're in big trouble when it comes to actually waging war."

That's what she meant by setting the stage, I guess. She was trying to look out for me, for better or worse. As I pondered her unique brand of thoughtfulness, the time for the battle fell upon us. The official signaled to me that he was ready, and I reluctantly nodded back.

No way out now. I just have to face it and prepare for the worst.

"Ready, and...begin!"

Before the words were out of his mouth, the sorcerers had begun to stir up a whirl of magic. Just like in a real war, standard tactics said to take out the rear guard first. Let's see, among the sorcerers, it looks like the ones to watch out for are... "One B rank and three C rank, huh?" I muttered to myself. At my current strength, I didn't think that even a direct hit from any of the lower-level sorcerers would be a real problem for me.

No, I take that back. There seemed to be one D rank girl who was brewing up a powerful spell. I need to watch out for her...

"Flame!" Three sorcerers chorused the spell in unison. It seemed the C rankers were teaming up.

"Water Ball!"

"Damn, he's too quick!"

I wasn't about to let them put me on the back foot. But before I broke through to the rear guard, the swordsmen made their move.

"Hey now, you think magic is the only thing you have to worry about? Hiyah!"

"Catra!"

"Meeep!"

"What the—?! A little kitten? W-Wait a sec, how is it that strong?!"

Catra fought against the two C rank swordsmen. At this point, there was no way that a C rank adventurer could land a scratch on her. I felt a sudden swell of magic and turned my attention back to the sorcerers.

"Let's see you handle this. Giga Flare!"

"No problem." I prepared my counterattack, but in that moment two of the swordsmen saw their opening and charged me. "Gah... Stay back, you'll get hit!" I cried.

"You will feel the wrath of my sword!"

"What the—?!"

Advanced magic often has a wide area of effect. Giga Flare was a difficult enough spell to cast at all, let alone control, but the sorcerer who cast it tried to curve the trajectory to avoid hitting their allies.

I had only two choices. Take the hit from the swords, or take the hit from the magic... The swords were scarier. However much my stats had increased, I couldn't survive a hit from B rank warriors. I had to fight back. With my Advanced Swordsmanship skill I moved to counter their blades, but...

"Unnngh..." The spell hit me.

The swordsmen withdrew as I went down. "Did we get him...?"

"That was a direct hit from a high-level spell—no way that didn't get him."

It was Ciel's voice that answered from the sidelines. "Don't be silly. It'd take more than that to kill this one."

Ciel's words reached my ears through the roar of the flames as my body was engulfed by the high-level magic. "Well... It's now or never." My opponents, not wanting to get too close to me as I burned, were simply keeping watch. Seizing that opportunity, I pulled the high-grade potion I had prepared out of my magic bag and gulped it down. "Huh... This is surprisingly effective." The instant I drank it, the flames vanished completely.

"He's... He's a demon!"

"Wow. Rude," I said, emerging completely unscathed from being hit with an advanced spell. The other adventurers gaped in shock.

After a moment one of them piped up. "Hey! C'mon, using items is cheating!"

The officiating guild employee, to whom that comment was addressed, only looked around anxiously. Finally Ciel stepped in. "Don't be ridiculous; items aren't cheating. Unless you would all like to agree to fight completely unarmed?"

"Er..."

"But fine," she continued. "Remille! From now on, use of such items is prohibited!"

"What?!"

"If even using items that you made yourself doesn't sit right with some of these people, it's best just to let it go, so they have no cause for complaint."

"Uh..." This was getting a bit extreme. Well, whatever. I just won't get hit next time. "Yeah, okay."

"That's settled, then. From now on, no more items. Sound good?"

The adventurers were at a loss for words. Several of them still seemed to be pondering Ciel's previous statement.

"Wait, did she say...he made that...?"

"No way... That high-grade potion?! Only a great healer or alchemist would be capable..."

"But Princess Ciel said..."

The reactions of the adventurers could be divided into two camps.

"We concede. It's frustrating to admit, but he's too strong."

"Yeah. If he can take on a B rank party and emerge unscathed, what chance do we C rankers have?"

"Humph... Now what? If the C rankers leave, how can the rest of us hope to take him on?"

It happened in an instant.

As the adventurers prepared to retreat, there was a lone fighter among them who hadn't given up. A blast of magic shot suddenly toward me. But...

"I can see you." As soon as I shot back my counterspell, the sorcerer who had attacked quickly relented.

"Gah, fine! I give up."

That spell had been light magic. It was rare to see light magic used offensively. In the right context, it could provide a powerful unexpected advantage. But since I was able to counter with dark magic, it wasn't very effective against me.

"Hey, did you see that?"

"What happened? I just saw a sudden flash..."

She was only in D rank now, but she would rise quickly from here. Her face was hidden by a hood, but I could still make out her short stature.

At that moment, the B rank party started to approach—but not to fight.

"You got us, man. We wouldn't have been prepared to counter that spell."

"We were totally outmatched. At this point, I'd be fine with you starting right from A rank."

"Honestly, we should have believed Princess Ciel from the beginning..."

One by one they laid down their arms.

"Well, what's the verdict?"

"Oh, ummm, right..." stammered the guild employee. "Victory goes to Remille! He is hereby accepted as a B rank adventurer."

It was over.

"So? Is it finally sinking in a bit?" Ciel asked.

I finally understood Ciel's scheme. In my past lives, I'd been a member of a party that eventually made it up to S rank, but in our first year as adventurers that was still a far-off dream. This time through, though, I was already strong enough to crush opposition that included B rankers, all by myself. "Yeah," I answered.

In this loop, I had truly become an entirely different person than I'd ever been before.

Later on, by the way, Ciel did explain to everyone that her whole big provocation speech had been just part of her "uncut gem" playbook, and the other adventurers came to accept me.

❖

"This card will serve as verification of your status as a B rank adventurer."

After the test, we returned to the reception area. The air of hostility that had greeted us when we first arrived had been replaced by deferential fear. I caught snippets of conversation here and there.

"Hey, uh... Did we just pick a fight with a B ranker?"

"But that's just how the test goes, we had to fight..."

"I don't think that guy'll be in B rank very long. He was crazy strong."

"Could they put us out of work? Will we be okay...?"

The higher-rank adventurers had quickly taken their leave after the test, but the D rankers and below had stuck around—maybe because there were so many of them they couldn't afford to take a break. The ones who were talking now were the same bunch who had wanted to take me out before Ciel even tried to provoke everyone. Well, hopefully after that show they would think twice about it.

There was no sign of the hooded girl who had shot the light magic blast.

While those adventurers were talking, the receptionist returned bearing a second card. "And here is your card, Your Highness."

"Yes, thank you."

"Huh?" Come to think of it, I was the only one who'd been tested. So why is she...?

"You look like you're wondering why I'm also being granted B rank."

"Ummm..."

"It was all explained earlier. Having a referral is sufficient."

"A referral?" That seemed a bit too convenient, but I guess if it worked, it worked. But to be referred straight into B rank, wouldn't the referral have to come from someone very highly ranked? "A referral from whom?"

"Crow is an S rank adventurer."

"Oh! Your...steward?" Crow was Ciel's personal attendant. Who knew he was such a badass? Although, to be fair, he did give off general badass vibes.

When Ciel was away from the castle she mostly looked after her own affairs, but from time to time she would reach out to Crow for help procuring some necessary supplies or making necessary arrangements. Crow would appear as though from thin air to answer her call. So I guess she must have contacted him at some point...

"Crow."

"Yes, Your Highness. At your service."

Sure enough, Crow somehow materialized at Ciel's side as soon as she beckoned.

"We've managed to make B rank, but I'd like to progress further. What sort of missions are best for raising our rank most efficiently?"

"Yes, ma'am. As I believe you are aware, Your Highness, Master Remille would be the one with the most insight into such questions."

"Hm, I guess that's true."

"Yes, ma'am. I fear my own knowledge on the subject is rather dated by this juncture."

He did have a point—I was the perfect person for that task. With my knowledge of the future, I should know exactly which missions would improve our rankings most easily.

"Well, that's fine. For now, could you find out where that hooded girl disappeared to?" Ciel said.

"Of course, Your Highness."

Ah, so Ciel was curious about that too.

"Although you being you," she continued, "I bet you already followed her."

Ciel knew her steward well. "Ha ha ha," Crow replied. "I am afraid I was unable to pursue her to her destination. Perhaps I need a larger staff..."

"No, no. No need for that. If it was impossible for you, it would be impossible for anyone."

"Your words honor me, Your Highness."

Huh?

"You really couldn't catch her?" Ciel seemed to share my surprise. "That alone makes it clear that she's a foe worth keeping an eye on."

"Do you mean...?" I asked.

"It's possible that she'll turn out to be connected to your date with destiny three years from now."

"That seems like a bit of a stretch..."

"I just said it's a possibility. It's also quite possible that she's just an entirely separate problem to deal with."

"Yeah..." That seemed most likely to me. Great, something else to add on top of my stress about the impending war. Well, no real choice but to just leave it to Crow for now.

Ciel's mood brightened suddenly. "Well, anyway! Remille, what yummy missions can we take on?"

As I stared at the application forms, I cast my mind back to my memories of this period of time. "Er, nothing especially impressive comes to mind..." Of course, in past lives at this point in time, we weren't in the market for higher-ranking quests. Plus, with the scent of war on the horizon, Margus was distracted by preparing for battle. But still, it was possible that the reason I couldn't remember any particularly appealing missions was that there just weren't any.

"Okay, no biggie, that just means this is the perfect chance to head back to the castle."

"The castle? Why?" I had a sudden vivid recollection of the last time I'd naively followed her and found myself in a duel with the commander of the Royal Order of Chivalry.

"Relax, I'm not going to rope you into another surprise battle."

"Well, that's good to know. So why do I get a feeling I'm being led into some sort of trap...?"

"Oooh, is m'lady perchance thinking the time has come...?"

"Astute as always, Crow. That's exactly what I'm thinking."

I hovered anxiously on the outside of their cryptic conversation. "The time for...what, exactly?"

"With your stats and the official designation as a B rank adventurer, you're eligible to receive an official royal medal of distinction and ceremony of blessing," Ciel explained.

"I... I am?"

"A medal of distinction is a great honor for the kingdom to bestow, but in your case, Master Remille, it will not just be symbolic recognition," said Crow.

"What do you mean?"

Crow raised an eyebrow at Ciel, who nodded in confirmation. "For you to receive such a medal," Crow explained, "would constitute official recognition of your status as a hero of the realm."

"Really? A distinction that grand...?"

"Any medal of distinction is quite grand in its own right," Ciel said. "You know it means that from now on you'd receive an annual payment from the royal treasury, large enough for you to live your whole life in luxury?"

I'd heard rumors to that effect. I guess they were true. But wait a sec... "A hero of the realm? Already? I know the role is vacant at the moment, but..."

"Yes. And two or three years from now, that scoundrel will come to be considered a hero candidate."

Margus.

"But more importantly for the short term," Ciel went on, "from what I've observed, I've realized that receiving such a distinction will actually make you stronger."

"What do you mean?" I wouldn't have thought that simply being recognized by the monarchy would have an actual effect on my stats or abilities.

"Right now your mental maturity hasn't caught up with your actual ability level. That was a miscalculation on my part. Someone with your experience would typically be at least twice your age, so it hadn't occurred to me as an issue."

"Ouch."

"It's not your fault. In all of your previous lives, there was a restriction on your ability to gain self-confidence."

A...restriction?

"Those three placed it on you, intentionally or not. Our goal in this loop is to lift that curse."

"Wait—curse?"

"Yeah. Think of it like a curse etched onto your soul. But it's not something you can free yourself from with just your own efforts. Only external validation and recognition can break this curse."

"And you'd leverage the official power of the monarchy just for that purpose?"

"Hehe. You know it." Ciel grinned. "A small price to pay to unlock your full powers."

When she smiled like that, all my words seemed to die on my lips. How is it that her smile has such...destructive power? "By the way," I finally said, "you mentioned some sort of blessing?"

"Oh, yeah. That's a little added bonus. The church is all entwined in political affairs, so it comes with the territory."

"There are some rare reports of people who undergo the ceremony who are favored by a god or a spirit of the dead," Crow added. "Some were said to display brilliance and resourcefulness that they had not previously possessed."

Oookay...

"Eh, that's mostly just church propaganda," Ciel said. "Although there are definitely cases of people being visited by ghosts."

"Really?"

"It's extremely rare. And in any case, your natural proclivity is for taming; I haven't seen any evidence of innate talent as a spiritual medium."

I suppose that made sense.

Crow smiled mischievously. "When you put it that way, you could say there's a possibility of being tamed by the gods."

"That's an extremely remote contingency. At any rate, even I can't predict such things."

So Ciel's Eye didn't give her insight into the whims of gods. In other words... "So there's no point in stressing about it for now, I guess."

"Exactly. Anyway, we should return to the castle. We should have a bit of free time while various formal arrangements are taken care of, so I'll do a full check of your current stats."

"Oh, thanks, that'd be great." I currently had no clear sense of exactly what skills I possessed.

"Okey doke, let's get going!"

"Shall we procure proper clothing for Master Remille before we begin the journey?" Crow asked.

"Oh yeah, good point. There's going to be a commendation ceremony. Wait, does that mean I'll also have to dress up?"

"Naturally, Your Highness."

"Come to think of it, let's just drop this whole medal thing."

Wow, that bad, huh...? "But don't you always wear a sort of dress?"

"This is designed for freedom of movement and uses minimal fabric. The ceremonial gown is, uh...rather stifling."

"The princess's dislike of dresses is quite legendary." Crow smiled indulgently, but his tone conveyed no intention of letting the matter go.

Perhaps sensing his stubbornness, Ciel sighed in resignation. "Fine. I'll leave my clothes to you. I'm gonna head back to the castle and start getting things ready."

"Yes, ma'am. Leave it all to me."

"Oh, uh, what about Catra?" I asked. "Will she be part of the ceremony?"

"Hmmm, yeah... We should get some made for her too."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Meep?"

Are they going to dress a cat up in ceremonial garb...? Well, whatever; Crow would know how to arrange it all properly.

"In that case, let us take our leave."

"Meep!"

And so the odd party composed of Crow, a little cat, and me set out to go shopping together. Catra still hadn't warmed up to Ciel, but she seemed to take immediately to Crow.

❖

"What have I gotten myself into...?" The clothing shop that Crow led us to was nothing like what I'd imagined. Instead of having clothing on display, it had reams and reams of fabric. In other words, this was the sort of super-ultra-high-class place that custom-made all the clothes to order.

"Meeeeep." Catra was calm and cooperative as her measurements were taken. If anything, she seemed to be enjoying the attention.

"Cheerful little kitten, aren't you...?"

"I wish that you would allow yourself to be similarly relaxed, Master Remille," said Crow.

"I just feel...like a fish out of water."

"Ah, but these waters are soon to be your natural habitat, Master Remille. And looking toward the future, it will be necessary to have several suitable outfits."

"Really, several?"

"Once you have accepted a medal of distinction, you will be expected to attend state functions in the capacity of a knight."

"Oh..." His tone said that this should have been obvious. Yup, definitely a fish out of water. "Um, where is the money to shop at a place like this coming from?"

"That is not something that you should concern yourself with. It is all accounted for in the budget. Compared to the value of the services you will render to the kingdom, this is pocket change."

I had no way of even estimating the cost at a place like this that was too fancy to have price tags. Better not to know...

Crow interrupted my anxious musings. "Master Remille, I would like to thank you."

"Huh?"

"Ever since you came into her life, the princess has been so lively and joyful."

"Oh...really? This is her being joyful?" She always seems all huffy and annoyed when she talks to me...

"Having had the honor of serving the princess for many years now, I can discern different underlying feelings behind superficially similar affects. I cannot remember the last time I have seen her this vibrant." Crow's whole face lit up with a fond smile as he spoke.

While we talked, the shop staff were expertly taking my measurements.

"The immense power that she wields also burdens her with a lack of personal freedom," Crow continued.

"Yeah... That makes sense." She was the treasure of the kingdom. A jewel in a crown. I could definitely see how that could become suffocating, especially for someone with Ciel's personality.

"I hope you will stay by her side and continue to look out for her."

"I hope so too." Without Ciel, I could never even have imagined this sort of life for myself. Compared to the excitement and growth I'd experienced in such a short time with her, the sum total of all seven of my previous lives seemed like nothing. And that was why I knew, no matter what...

This time I absolutely, positively, cannot fail.

My immediate concern was that fated encounter with some unspeakable horror three years from now. If I can just get through that... Well, to be honest, I had absolutely no idea what terrifying foes awaited me beyond, even if I could get through that fated moment.

"Master Remille, this is not a matter that you should dwell on for now."

"Huh? What's not?"

"I am familiar with the basic gist of your situation. What is to come is not something that can be predicted in advance."

Yeah... That's what scares me.

"At present, you are extremely powerful compared to others of your generation—nay, compared to the entirety of the kingdom."

"I...am?"

"Yes. Without question. You remain fixated on the tragedy that looms three years down the road. But that is too lofty a point of comparison."

"Too lofty?" Come to think of it, what was it like back in the very first loop, back when I had no idea what was coming? What was I thinking then?

"That incident that you have experienced three years in your future is not something that can be predicted or averted by human efforts. You could almost think of it as a sort of natural disaster."

"Huh. I never thought of it that way..."

"And thus, you should not be so hard on yourself. Rethink the standards you are holding yourself to."

"What do you mean?"

"You should not judge your worth solely in relation to a threat on the order of a calamity."

I could only stare in surprise at Crow's words.

"I do apologize for being so forward. It may not be my place to say such things, but I have a feeling that they may do you good to hear."

"Thank you..." When did my self-confidence desert me? I had always believed it was because I was constantly chasing after Margus and the others—but that was wrong. This time through, I had faced all three of them and won.

In her own way, Ciel had arranged that chance to set myself apart as a way to restore my confidence, not to mention the dungeon that we'd fought through with Catra, and the adventurer registration exam. Ciel had devised all of these opportunities to help me boost my self-confidence. It's not my abilities that are lacking... "If that's what I'm comparing myself to, no wonder I feel like I come up short."

"Precisely. The outcome of that battle was your own death. If that's the only standard you're measuring yourself against, no matter how strong you get, you won't have a clear view of where you stand."

He's right. I had never beaten any of those seven demons in any of my seven lives. I had no way to put their strength in perspective. And until the encounter actually occurred, I would be living in the shadow of that fear.

But even supposing I'd managed to defeat it in the third year... "I would have kept battling against that invisible enemy my whole life..."

"Your demeanor has downright transformed, Master Remille." Crow seemed to glow with smug satisfaction. And somehow I got the sense that Catra, too, wore a similar expression.

❖

As soon as we got back to the castle, we met up with Ciel.

"Oh, you wore the new clothes right out of the store," she observed.

I had assumed that the custom-made clothing would take time to complete, but it was ready before we'd finished paying—like magic. The artisans of the capital city really were incredible. I had been too scared to take a peek at the final price, but it had to have been the most stuff I'd ever bought in my life. Crow had gotten his way in the end, and I'd let him make all the final decisions about what we needed.

"Yeah," I replied. "Crow said if I was gonna be around the castle, I should look the part so people take me more seriously."

"Humph. Well, whatever." Ciel turned and flounced away with an air of indifference.

"What the princess means to say is that it looks good on you," Crow explained.

"I mean to say nothing of the kind!"

I had a feeling that Crow had deliberately whispered his comment loudly enough for Ciel to overhear. Of course she'd immediately denied it, but a moment later, her face still turned away from me, she added, "...Though I guess it doesn't look awful."

"Really?"

"Sheesh, can we get moving already?"

She is really not good at giving compliments, huh?

"I've begun making the arrangements," she went on. "You'll be summoned within the next few days. So in the meantime, you'll be given chambers here in the castle."

"Gotcha. Wait, wait—what?!"

"Hmmm?"

Did she say...I'll be living in the castle...?

"A hero is treated as a visiting general."

"Indeed," said Crow. "Even when hosting high-ranking adventurers, it is customary to provide palace chambers for them."

"But that seems—" I was worried about the security implications, but before I could complete my question Ciel anticipated my concerns.

"Of course they undergo strict background checks beforehand. And, of course, when it comes to security, the castle has its own monsters." She looked meaningfully at Crow as she spoke.

"Ah, good point." Crow was at the level of an S rank adventurer. And I bet he's not the only one in the castle.

"The royal order of chivalry is our main force, but there are also individual assets," Ciel elaborated, with uncharacteristic frankness. "Anyway, once your chambers are ready, you're free for the rest of the day. Tomorrow I'll check your current stats, and we'll think about what comes next."

"Gotcha."

"If you have need of anything, please do not hesitate to contact me," Crow added.

"Thank you."

I parted from them and entered the chambers I'd been led to.

"Wait a sec..." Crow had said to contact him if I needed anything, but...how was I supposed to do that?

Well, knowing him, if I just speak his name he'll probably materialize from somewhere.

I decided I was all set for the time being.