Volume 2 Chapter 2 Trust
By the way, isn't the promotion exam coming up soon? I still remember watching Rose take it before, and how she breezed through to pass.
Since it's basically held every month, it's been about that long since then.
Time really flies.
"I heard it's happening next week at noon. If you want, why don't you take it with me? You'd probably pass with no problem. By the way, I've been wondering, why are you still a rank 5 adventurer like me?"
"Th-that's..."
I get a puzzled look, and I can't help but hesitate.
I realize I haven't explained to Cosmos yet.
That I was a member of the former hero party and was active as a rank 1 adventurer.
I just haven't mentioned it because I don't want her to know I'm Trainer Aroze.
"I hate to say this, but with your skills, you should be at least rank 2, right? So I've always thought it was strange..."
"Don't say 'strange'!"
She could have just complimented me instead.
"Is there some reason you have to stay at rank 5? Are you being threatened by someone?"
"No, it's not that complicated."
"Then you should take the next promotion exam with me. If you reach rank 4, the range of requests you can take on will expand a lot. Even if things don't go well with the Nurturer business, at worst, you can take on subjugation requests yourself and earn some money."
That's true.
The Nurturer business isn't thriving, so to be honest, I'm worried about my finances.
I want to establish a solid foundation now, since I don't know when I might face a big expense again.
I really don't want to go on subjugation requests myself, though.
"More than anything, if you raise your adventurer rank, won't it also have benefits as a Nurturer?"
"Benefits as a Nurturer? What kind of benefits are there to raising my adventurer rank?"
"Right now, the reason there are so few customers is probably because Nurturer is being looked at with suspicion. If that's the case, why don't you rank up as an adventurer yourself and build a solid track record to gain trust?"
"Wh-what...?"
Now that I think about it, when Cosmos first came here, she really doubted my abilities.
She must have wondered if she could really get stronger by trusting someone like me.
It's true that without that kind of trust, customers won't come.
On the flip side, if I have achievements, I could use them as promotional material to attract customers.
Like saying an active top-rank adventurer will help you grow step by step.
"When I first saw the promotional flyer for Nurturer at the adventurer guild, I was intrigued, but it seemed suspicious, so I didn't feel like relying on it. I wondered what kind of person would be helping me grow."
"Now that you mention it, I don't think it specifically mentioned me..."
"So, if you write about what kind of person Nurturer is and what kind of achievements they have, that alone would increase trust, right? The adventurer rank is perfect for that promotional material."
Right now, there aren't any significant promotional elements, so leveling up my adventurer rank to use as material might be a smart move.
I'm a bit hesitant about standing out too much, but since I'm not trying to make a name for myself as Trainer Aroze of the hero party, I don't feel too resistant about it.
Plus, if a customer comes and asks me to show my abilities like Cosmos did, it might be more effective to show my adventurer's notebook rather than Divine Revelation or skills.
"Taking the promotion exam for the sake of promoting Nurturer, huh..."
"Yeah. Even if it doesn't end up being promotional, when you're in a tight spot financially, you could take on high-difficulty subjugation quests, right? It wouldn't hurt to level up, I think."
"..."
Cosmos is right.
Come to think of it, I've been avoiding ranking up because I didn't want to deal with troublesome monster subjugations.
I opened Nurturer to make money easily.
However, if I'm going to seriously continue as a Nurturer, it might be safer to raise my adventurer rank to gain trust from those around me.
"...I might be able to form a party with you."
"Hm? Did you say something, Cosmos?"
"N-Nothing at all! Anyway, I'll join you for the promotion exam in a week. Let's become rank 4 adventurers together."
For some reason, Cosmos blushed and stuffed her cheeks with snacks, as if trying to hide something.
After finishing most of the food on the table, she stood up and said, "Thank you for the meal." Then she placed a pouch with money on the table and headed toward the entrance.
"Well then, I'm off. I have to go on a subjugation quest today too."
"You've been looking busy lately, but are you okay? You shouldn't overdo it..."
"I know that much. It's my body, after all."
With a pout, Cosmos placed her hand on the front door.
She swung it open with a clatter and turned back to look at me as she dashed outside.
The scowl on her face was gone, replaced by a bright smile as she said.
"Plus, thanks to you making me stronger, I've been having fun with my adventures lately!"
Leaving behind a line that was both scary and reassuring, Cosmos walked away.
The image of the self-deprecating magician, who could only kick stones and often felt down, was completely gone now.
A week later, just as Cosmos had said, the promotion exam was set to take place.
I had submitted my application the day before, and the receptionist, Ms. Terra, was really surprised when I did.
She was happy that I finally seemed motivated to work.
It's not like I hadn't been working before, but I had just been trying to take it easy, which made it look like I was holed up at home a lot.
Besides, it was Ms. Terra who suggested I try being a Nurturer in the first place.
I swallowed down all those complaints and made my way to the forest west of town for the promotion exam.
Other candidates were also gathered in front of the forest, wrapped in a tense atmosphere.
"Good luck, Mr. Roezé! Ms. Cosmos!"
"Thanks for coming to cheer us on, Rose."
In the midst of that, we had what felt like a rather carefree exchange.
When I told Rose that Cosmos and I were participating in the promotion exam, she rushed over to support us.
That said, since this exam seems to be taking place in the forest, she probably won't be able to stay by our side the whole time.
Last time, it was held at the training ground in the West District of town, so I could see how Rose was doing up close.
But well...
"I'm glad this exam isn't happening near town."
"Huh, why's that?"
"Well, why don't you put your hand on your chest and ask yourself 'why'?"
Cosmos shot back with a serious expression, and I couldn't help but feel exasperated.
Then, just as I said, she gently placed her left hand, which wasn't holding her staff, over her "chest." That's not what I meant, though.
In that moment, she suddenly noticed something and narrowed her eyes at me like a slit.
"You just thought, 'that nonexistent chest,' didn't you?"
"I did not! You're being overly paranoid!"
How little confidence does she have in her own chest? And what kind of impression does she have of me? Feeling frustrated, I decided to be straightforward.
"With the magic Cosmos has right now, you could easily change the surrounding terrain. If the promotion exam were held near town and something went wrong..."
"Well, Hyamars' town might just disappear."
Don't say it so casually, like eggs might sell out soon.
That's not something to take lightly.
With Cosmos's current magic, it really could change the terrain, and a small mistake could blow the town away.
It's not the kind of magic that can be easily controlled, so it could have resulted in multiple casualties.
I wish she'd be a bit more aware of her own strength and take care.
"Don't worry. I don't plan to use any large-scale magic for this exam, so it's all good. For now, I'll manage with just 'Rigel (speed-specialized smaller meteor magic)' and 'Altair (Auto-counter with meteor magic)'."
"J-Just please, really..."
Just because something's bothering her a little, she shouldn't end up using 'Meteor' or ' (barrage of meteor)' or any other high-level magic.
I might get caught up in it too, you know.
While I secretly worry about that...
"Alright, then let's get started with the promotion exam~."
From somewhere, a drowsy, drawn-out voice echoed, lulling me into a sense of sleepiness.
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