With that said, we safely arrived at the guild and decided to register as adventurers.

Incidentally, I’m the only one registering. Kaya, of course, won’t be registering, and Ray mentioned he already registered secretly. Once I complete my registration, it’ll be done.

“Huh, those people over there…”
“Isn’t that Lady Raymira and Kaya? And the other one is the Sword Saint’s son…?”

Even in a remote village, the adventurer network seems to be quite extensive. It seems they instantly recognized my origins. Well, Leon Macba, the Silver Sword Saint, is someone any swordsman would idolize.

“Excuse me, I’d like to register as an adventurer.”

“Yes, of course—oh!”
The female receptionist widened her eyes.
“Kaya and Ray! What’s the occasion with the two of you here?”

“Elisa! It’s been a while!”
Ray greeted her and proudly pushed me forward.
“We’re here to register Arios as an adventurer today! So, can he do it?”

“Huh? Uh, yes, I think it’s possible… but he’ll have to take the test, of course. Is that okay?”

“Yeah! No problem!”

“I see… if you say so…”

Compared to the optimistic Ray, the receptionist—Elisa—looked concerned. She must be worried about me, a “Holder of a Worthless Skill”.

But still, a test, huh. That’s intriguing.

“Um… Elisa-san?”

“Yes?”

“How difficult is the test?”

“Not too bad. You’ll need to be recognized by defeating an adventurer of C-rank or higher, but depending on the person—”

“Hey! You! You’re not that Arios with the “Worthless Skill”, are you!?”

Suddenly, a man barged into the conversation. He was a big, burly man with a greatsword on his back.

Unfortunately, his attitude didn’t seem friendly at all. As a new adventurer, I decided to take the humble route.

“Yes, I am Arios.”

“Gyahaha! I knew it! That clueless face—I thought I’d seen it before!”

“……”

Sigh. Even in a remote village, it seems that those with “Worthless Skills” can’t live peacefully. I never expected to be insulted right off the bat.

“Hey, you. What do you think you’re saying to my Arios?”
Raymira snapped.
“The way you lack basic human decency in your tone… could it be that you’re a pathetic old man whose intelligence has eroded with age?”

Raymira was livid.
But the man wasn’t fazed.

“Huh? What did you say, you brat? You looking to die?”

Does he not recognize Raymira?
If that’s the case, he’s probably a new adventurer who recently came to this village. He doesn’t seem to be acquainted with the other adventurers either, so he’s likely from another town.

“Hey, kid.”
The man gave me a nasty grin.
“You’re taking the test now, aren’t you? Turns out, I’m actually the strongest swordsman around here. That makes me above you.”

“Ah, I see.”

“So here’s an order: defeat me.”

What an unreasonable demand.
I turned back to the receptionist.

“…Elisa-san, is this man an acceptable test opponent?”

“F-Formally speaking, yes, but, um, well…”

“It’s fine, Arios-san. There’s no issue,” Kaya interjected, supporting Elisa, though she wore a slightly mischievous smile.
“That said, he really is the so-called ‘strongest swordsman’ (lol). You’d better fight seriously.”

“…I see. Understood.”

Honestly, he doesn’t look like much of a fighter, but if Kaya says so, it must be true.

“Then, let me guide you to the testing grounds. Please follow me,” Elisa said.

Led by Elisa, I prepared to face the test.