The Principle of a Philosopher by Eternal Fool “Asley”

“Hey hey hey, what should we do now?! I’m sure as hell gonna be disqualified if I’m late!”

“In times like this, you ought to remember the usefulness of my nose, sir!”

“Oh, nice!”

“Now, pass me that paper that says where we need to be!”

And so Pochi took a sniff before we ran full speed ahead. It was fortunate for me that, on the way, I realized one point while we still had time…

The place that this sheet of paper had originated from was not the examination grounds, but rather…

“…The Adventurers’ Guild.”

“…The Adventurers’ Guild, indeed.”

“How much time left?!”

Almost immediately as we entered the Guild Hall, I asked for the exact location in the north-eastern district where my Evaluation would be held.

By then, we had already lost fifteen minutes.

Pochi and I, now outside, shuddered as we hurled insults at each other.

“Good God, that was the worst beginning ever! It shows how much of a fool you are, Master!”

“Shut up! If you were a Familiar worth your salt, you would’ve gone to check up the spot beforehand!”

“Well, technically I’m not a Familiar anymore!”

“Yeah, you only say that when it’s convenient for you! I swear, you’re the worst Familiar ever!”

“Ahahaha, says the guy who’s trying to defeat the Devil King! Since you think you’re hot stuff, how about

we skip this test and go straight to the boss?!”

“Just hurry it up, you idiot!”

“Well you better do your part too!”

“Rise, A-rise! All Up: Count 2 & Remote Control!”

“Hmph!”

Right in front of the Adventurers’ Guild, I had Pochi gigantify herself, and then jumped on her back. The instant I was in place, Pochi leapt onto the building’s roof, then hopped across to another, and then another.

Most people were not particularly distracted by the scene. It surprised me at first, but considering this was Regalia, the Royal Capital, I suppose it was not inconceivable.

Perhaps I ought to think of some excuse in case we get arrested for breaking whatever traffic laws here-

“-like I was kidnapped by Pochi or something…”

“You’re thinking out loud, you foolish Master! That’s not a good attitude to have! At all!”

“Hey, I was just kidding!”

“I’ll tell them that you’ve been controlling me!”

Yeah, that’d probably get us both arrested.

Pochi must’ve imagined me getting hauled away by the town security… as was apparent from her giggling and grinning. I poked her head, and in retaliation, she slapped my back with her tail.

Mmm, her tail’s as fluffy as ever.

Our exchange of blows escalated further and further, culminating in me shouting into her ear, and her tickling my nose to hell with her tail. By that time, we were in the north-eastern district and facing our presumed destination, an ancient-looking Cathedral.

“-WOOHOO! Whoa! There’s our place, Pochi!”

“WHAT?! MY EARS ARE STILL RINGING, SO I DIDN’T HEAR THAT! SAY IT AGAIN!”

“THAT CATHEDRAL, DAMMIT! Three minutes left! We made it!”

By the time Pochi jumped down from the last roof and landed in front of the Cathedral, we had two minutes left on the clock.

Man, that really was dangerous.

Anyways, the Cathedral… doesn’t look like it’s seen any traffic recently?

Aha – that’s it. There aren’t any followers of God around, so of course it wouldn’t be in use.

Without maintenance or repair, the Cathedral had ended up in a state more fitting to be called an ancient ruin.

Hmm…?

“Is something the matter, Master?”

“…It’s as I’d feared. The place is old, but most of the destruction is man-made. Magic, blunt force… whoa, there are some deep slash marks around here too. In stone. That figures.”

“Sounds like you know your stuff, my man.”

The unfamiliar voice of a young man entered our ears.

I mean, Pochi and I had already realized that there was someone around. Then again, that someone hadn’t been hiding his presence, so it shouldn’t come off as a surprise.

It’s just that… I realized that his abilities were more than qualified to be the supervisor of my S-ranked Rank-up Evaluation.

We took a few steps inside, and were welcomed by the silhouette of a young man in an old half-height couch.

He wore a short-sleeved shirt, rolled-up shorts, and a scarf around his neck… again, he looked VERY young… could he be a boy?

“A-ahem… I am is Asley, A-ranked adventurer. I am here for the Rank-up Evaluation to S Rank-“

“Oh, I’m already familiar with you, so let’s just skip the formalities. I’m Barun, appointed as one of the Six

Braves just a month ago. I’ll be your examiner for today.”

“W-well, nice to meet you, then.”

Barun of the Six Braves – he had been the next candidate in line after Blazer, who had declined his seat in the Six Braves.

I’d thought that either Dallas or Bruce would have been called first, but… well, on second thought, Bruce’s personality wouldn’t have been a very good fit. And Dallas would turn up in Beilanea only once a month or less, so he probably would have been a difficult candidate to select as well. That reminds me, Duncan told me that Dallas had come to visit me once back when I was off in the wasteland. To this day, I still hadn’t gotten to meet him again, so I’ll make sure to ask him what he wanted the next chance I got.

Anyways… what did Barun mean when he said he already knew me? I don’t think we’ve ever met before. Has he been observing me ever since I arrived in Regalia or something?

As I pondered, I noticed an unexpected newcomer in the form of a critter jumping up from behind Barun.

A red-faced and red-furred monkey… a Spicy Monkey. Now that’s something I don’t see very often. As the name suggests, it’s a type of monkey with a peculiar preference for spicy food.

That’s… definitely a Familiar. It’s got a human-like feel in how it emoted, and I could feel a certain level of arcane energy fluctuation.

“You’re Asley, one of the former Student Council Clerks… and you’re Pochi, right? We’ve seen you both once at the University.”

Said it – the high-pitched voice was a dead giveaway. And a male, from what I could see.

But wait… the University? Did I hear that right? I don’t remember ever meeting them though? Oh, wait, he only said ‘seen,’ so…

Oh, wait, is that it? A Familiar? Now I just remembered Irene saying that I was the ‘second candidate with a Familiar’ …could that mean Barun here was the first one that year?

While Pochi and I searched our memories, Barun chuckled and gave us the answer.

“Hahahaha, of course you wouldn’t remember. I dropped out of the Magic University almost immediately after I got in, you see. Besides, the time we saw you was during the Friendly Match, so…”

Oh, so that’s it, huh.

“But why would you drop out… and how did you get to be one of the Six Braves?”

“Hmm, well… I did graduate from the Warrior University, so I’m plenty qualified, of course. Looks like they just didn’t care much for appearances when they made the selection. Hahahaha!”

Barun shrugged and laughed. Now wait a second…?

“…You took the Magic University’s entrance examination after you graduated from the Warrior University?”

“That’s right. I did teach myself some magic beforehand, but the most I could do was the Familiar Contract, you see.”

“Hear that, Master?! Now THAT’s what you call a mass of talent, sir! UNLIKE YOU! HAH!”

Prepare thyself for punishment, doggo. Hah.

I swear, I won’t hold anything back…

Anyways, back to Barun – again, he’s young. Most likely still in his early twenties. Assuming that he had enrolled into the Warrior University right when he was fifteen and graduated within the minimum four years, and then immediately enrolled into the Magic University – and immediately dropped out – yeah, this guy, he’s dreadfully talented.

He hasn’t told me why he had dropped out of the Magic University yet, but I reckon he’d weighed the efficiencies of studying magic or continuing his training as a warrior, and had decided in favor of the latter.

If he’s got some support and recovery magic, and also access to the Familiar Contract, then it was reasonable that he would have chosen this path. Even if he didn’t, it would still be more efficient for him to form a party instead.

But above all else, he’s got crazy talent.

Right, right – perhaps he’s got more than enough talent to blast his way into the ranks of the Six Braves.

Let’s see here…

――――――――――――――――――――

• NAME: BARUN
• TITLES: Warrior University Graduate, Mage, Battle Mage, Rank S, Six Braves, Dragon Slayer, New Generations Brave, The Scale Tipper
• LV: 92

• • HP: 2,850
  • MP: 1,003
  • EXP: 8,192,281

• SPECIAL SKILLS:

• • Fortify Strength
  • Fortify Resilience
  • Tempest
  • High-frequency Blade
  • Attack Magic (Elementary)
  • Support Magic (Intermediate)
  • Recovery Magic (Intermediate)

――――――――――――――――――――

He’s… pretty good.

Perhaps he’d been chosen based on his potential for future improvement rather than his current level. That, or the extent of his strength that was not tied to his numbers.

“Boss, these guys look pretty good at their jobs.”

“Mm-hm, of course, Ricky. They’re ones who once stirred quite a fuss among the Duodecad Conference, after all. Now then, we’ve gone off quite a tangent there, so I say it’s time we got down to business!”

“Ah, yes. I’ll be in your care… I suppose.”

“First off, I’d like to see what you’re capable of…”

Right to the chase.

But I suppose this was simply how S-ranked adventurers ought to do things. Of course one would at least need to be strong to fit in…

At any rate… how did I even stir that big of a fuss among the Duodecad Conference? I’m only closely acquainted with two Archmages, namely Gaston and Irene… and Dragan wouldn’t talk much about me, what with us having met only a few times, I guess? Oh yeah – I might have heard from Gaston that Charlie of the Six Braves had taken quite an interest in me. Maybe it was him, what with him being such a loudmouth. Oh, how troublesome.

I readied my staff and stood opposite to Barun. But then,

“All right, let’s get started, Pochi.”

…What?

“… I see, so that’s how we’ll do this? I understand! Bring it on!”

“By ‘that,’ you mean you’re evaluating my Familiar’s abilities… is that it?”

“It’s because I’ve heard that Pochi here is a combat-focused Familiar, you see. I figured I wouldn’t be able to tally a comprehensive score unless I get a read on her power first. Oh, I mean, the criteria for reaching Rank S is already set in stone, but examiners are more or less free to set their scoring standard, so…”

Would Pochi be fine without me?

I’m quite worried – but then again, she’d served quite some time as Melchi’s sparring partner and assistant. She’ll put up a good fight. Probably. Hopefully.

“Boss. Pochi. I’ll be giving you the sign to go.”

Pochi and Barun stood opposite to and kept their eyes on each other.

Pochi’s gaze was sharp and serious… but Barun, on the other hand, looked as if he was making fun of his opponent.

So much for agreeing with Ricky’s compliments just minutes ago, man…

“And now, begin.”

Ricky’s announcement, lacking in enthusiasm and devoid of interest, echoed through the Cathedral’s semi-basement.

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