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“Merc, we’re going to visit the Guild. Are you coming with us?” After they had settled at the Esteemed Sword Saint Inn, Jonahim went to Merc’s room and asked.

For the record, the rooms were divided as follows: Jonahim had his own room, while Luka and Elea shared one. Despite the fact that they were at the same party, they did not appear to sleep together. Merc got her own room as well, as she wasn’t even a party member.

“The Guild huh. I’ll accompany you. I have a few questions about the exam that I’d want to ask.”
“I had a feeling you’d say that. That’s why I’ve already got this ready for you.”

Jonahim said, handing Merc an envelope. Inside the envelope, Merc discovered a piece of paper with a big sentence written on it with a brush.

It said “This girl has the potential to become Grade 1. I guarantee it.”

“What is this?”
“Your recommendation of course. Didn’t I say I’d write one for you?”
“You did, but is this really okay? They won’t turn me back when they see it, right?”
“You don’t need to worry about that. It’s fine as long as it feels like a recommendation and is written by a Grade 4 or higher adventurer. And with that sentence, there’s no way they’ll think it’s anything else.”

Merc wasn’t quite sure where that confidence of his was coming from. After all, she had assumed that the recommendation would be more formal.

“How will I prove that you’ve written this, Jonahim? I mean, can’t everyone write a sentence like this?”
“I’ve imbued that ink with my Mana. They’ll be able to identify the recommender instantly as long as they’ve registered their Mana at the Guild.”
“That’s quite useful.”

During Merc’s time as Estert, there hadn’t been such useful procedures. It was only natural, given that there hadn’t been a test to begin with. Merc found the current age to be quite unpleasant, despite its utility.

“Why do adventurers even have to take an exam?”
“Well, it’s in order to reduce the number of adventurers, of course. Back in the day, it seems like everyone could become an adventurer by just paying a silver coin.”
“I find no problem with that method.”

During Merc’s time as Estert, only a handful had paid the one silver coin, and those who had were generally misfits. Despite the fact that the opportunity to acquire a fortune existed, Lady Luck only smiled on a select few. Most individuals would either lose their life by accepting requests beyond their capabilities, or they would slave away doing simple requests on a daily basis until they died quietly.

During that period, the only people who became adventurers were those who were pushed into it, those who couldn’t find a place for themselves, or utter oddballs. It hadn’t been a desired profession.

“Since then, the adventurers’ status has risen dramatically. Those who pass the exam are regarded favorably, and even newcomers are given special treatment. Many people, I’ve heard, would rather be an adventurer than a noble or a knight, much alone a commoner or a farmer.
“What? Why would they do that?”
“Because of the four heroes.”
“The four heroes?”

Merc was perplexed as to why members of her former party were being brought up at this point in the dialogue; Jonahim, on the other hand, crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

Seeing that he was preparing to give a lengthy story, Merc tucked away the envelope she had received.

“Until recently, only major nation’s knights or a country’s whole military power had been capable of conquering the Falgaro. It is also said that chosen ones have been summoned with the might of the gods at times, although whether or not this is real is still questioned, so I will leave it aside. This means the only ones left are the party Gust of Wind.”
“What are you getting at?”

“They are the only ones who have been able to take down a Falgaro with a small group of people. Before that, it was widely assumed that adventurers were treated harshly and that it was not a desirable profession. However, thanks to their efforts to save the world from impending disaster, the four of them were able to reverse those assumptions. After which numerous people began to flock to the Adventurers’ Guild.”
“Weren’t they just looking for quick bucks?”

“I believe so too. However, it might equally be claimed that it was due to the outstanding accomplishments of those four. Whatever the reason, the number of people who wanted to be adventurers because they admired those four grew, and the Guild was compelled to find a way to cope with them. Due to a slew of issues, including people taking on difficult requests and losing their life, people posing as adventurers only to brag, and other issues that arose as a result of the increased population, the Guild was forced to take a certain measure.”

Merc was finally able to put the pieces together after hearing so much of the story.

“And I presume that measure came in the form of the Adventurer Exam?”
“That’s right. The exam made it much more difficult to become an adventurer. If one passed the exam, however, it signified they were exceedingly powerful… If you were to compare them to former adventures, they’d be around Grade 4.”
“That’s interesting. However, there must have been a backlash as well?”

The profession that had previously required merely one silver coin to enter had abruptly changed and now demanded an exam. Even if it had been a necessary decision, it couldn’t have been without backlash.

“The Guild made improvements to adventurers’ circumstances primarily to combat the backlash. Those who could testify as adventurers were able to enter countries without paying tolls, and they also benefited from cheaper accommodation costs in guild-certified inns. They received other benefits as well.”
“How in the world was the Guild able to do that?”
“Easily. It merely provided money to several countries’ inns beforehand. After all, the Guild has always had branches across the continent. It was conceivable for them to do it with the money they were receiving.”
“How generous of the Guild.”

Merc didn’t know how many adventurers were currently on the continent, but she estimated that there were at least 50,000. It would have been unimaginable in her time for the Guild to shoulder a portion of the adventurers’ tolls and lodging charges.
　
Naturally, there had been locations that accommodated explorers during Merc’s time as Estert, so it’s not as if she had been wholly deprived of the perks, but it hadn’t been on this magnitude.

“Needless to say, despite all of these advantages, some people still despise the exam. However, the Guild has declared that no one can become an adventurer unless they first pass the exam.”
“That’s only normal. Only those who were unable to pass the exam in the first place would complain about it. To the Guild, they are the same as useless. People who do not even deserve to be heard.”

By saying that, Merc realized that the Adventurers’ Guild had developed into a sizable organization. Only 15 years had passed since her death. Merc found it hard to believe that so much could change in such a short amount of time. Or maybe those 15 years weren’t such a short stretch of time as she had originally assumed.

“People who don’t pass the exam are useless to the Guild, huh. I agree with that statement as well.” Jonahim nodded, agreeing with Merc. He then smiled sweetly and continued to speak.

“However, you don’t need to worry?”
“What do you mean?”
“You will undoubtedly pass the exam, no matter what it is. I can assure you of that.”

The only thing that came to Merc’s mind when she saw Jonahim overflowing with confidence like that was, It’s not you who’s taking it…

However, she was able to push such thoughts aside and simply answered, “Thank you.”