#918 Those Who Responded to the Exam Part 2  

The name’s Beliard.

I am a proud elite soldier of the glorious Demon King’s Army...

...Well, was.

Introducing myself as such with pride now feels like a distant memory.

Nowadays, I’ve been unceremoniously discharged from the army and somehow ended up as something called an “adventurer.”

It was quite a shock when I heard the news.

The Demon King’s Army was downsizing, laying off many soldiers.

After all those years of fighting our archenemy, the Human Kingdom, and finally securing victory for the demon race, why on earth did our positions become precarious?

It seems backwards, right?

With no enemies left to fight, it only makes sense that soldiers like us would be rendered obsolete, doesn't it?

...Or so the chatter went around me, but none of it made sense to me.

First off, let’s get something straight.

I, Beliard, am connected to both the Malicious and Wild-Holy Swords’ lineages, and I am blessed with talent and skill in abundance.

I was perfectly positioned to aim for a spot among the next Heavenly Four.

But because I was slightly lower in the pecking order, I got overtaken by the likes of Aeshma and Leviasa　and ended up having to serve under them.

“People say to become the next Heavenly Four, learning to assist them would be beneficial.” What a load of hogwash.

Why should I, clearly superior, have to follow those two?

And it’s not like there’s much of an age difference between me, Aeshma, and Leviasa.

By the time they retire from their positions, I’ll be past my prime, and any chance of ruling would be but a brief flicker.

With no more wars against humans, the chance of dying in battle has all but vanished, too...

So, the likelihood of them suddenly dropping dead and vacating a spot among the Heavenly Four is practically nil!!!

Despairing at this conclusion, I quit all my positions and took to drinking and loafing about during the day.

We’ve defeated the humans, after all; I might as well enjoy the peace, right?

“Shouldn’t the demon soldiers who fought and brought peace be rewarded?” I thought, until one day...

I was summoned by HR and told I was being discharged.

They said that with the war over, the army is downsizing, and they can’t afford to keep those who don’t work.

Who are they calling ‘those who don’t work’?!

Sure, I’ve been a bit of a drinker, but I fought harder than anyone on the front lines during the war!

Talk about ungrateful, tossing me aside the moment I’m no longer needed.

Of course, I protested, but my long-standing refusal to work had apparently made a poor impression, and I was swiftly discharged.

After dedicating my life to military service, being kicked out of the Demon King’s Army left me wondering how I was supposed to survive.

Years of heavy drinking means even my family won’t support me, either...

Driven to desperation, I find myself taking on a new job out of sheer necessity.

And that is being an adventurer.

It’s a newly emerging profession involving managing dungeons instead of the Demon King’s Army.

Also, it’s something initially established in the Human Kingdom. When I learned that, I was livid.

Adopting the culture of our archenemy, the Human Kingdom?!

As victors, we demons adopting the ways of the defeated humans seem utterly weak and pathetic.

Normally, it’s the other way around!

The defeated should follow the victor in all things!

Everything the defeated do is wrong! Inferior!

Hence, the defeated’s traditions should be discarded, and the victor’s correct ways followed!

Isn’t that the iron rule of conflict?!

Yet, here we are, the victors learning from the losers as if we demons have no pride at all!!!

I must advise the Demon King to correct this mistake at once!

...But, having been discharged from the army, I have no way to arrange an audience with him.

Talk about a fall from grace.

Above all, having lost my job, the only profession that seems like a viable option for survival is, quite frankly, becoming an adventurer.

Being forcefully retired from the army and in dire need of a wage to live, I have no other choice but to take up adventuring.

After all, what adventurers do is pretty much the same as what I did in the army.

Heading into dungeons to slay monsters.

I’ve done that countless times as a soldier.

Managing dungeons within the Demon Kingdom was our job, after all. We made sure monsters didn’t overflow by periodically thinning them out...

And the materials from the monsters I have slain, like their hides or fangs, could be taken to this Adventurers’ Guild place, where they’d buy them off me for a fair price.

Once upon a time, the Demon King’s Army would hoard all the loot, but ever since the Adventurer’s Guild started compensating us instead, our pockets have been jingling with many more coins.

Back in the day, no matter how much you hunted, you’d only get a fixed salary in the army. But as an adventurer, the more formidable monsters you defeat, the more rewards you rake in.

As a former heavy hitter in the military forces, used to hunting powerful monsters day and night, it felt like the rewards just started pouring in for the same amount of work.

I wasn’t too keen on switching to the adventurer gig at first, but it turned out to fit me like a glove the more I got into it.

Because it’s all about merit!!!

Everything depends on your strength! Your rewards, your status, your lifestyle!

Compared to the pure meritocracy of adventuring, even the Demon King’s Army feels a bit chaotic, what with all the bloodline elitism from those holy sword families.

And let’s not forget the seniority pecking order.

Thanks to slightly more senior demons like Aeshma and Leviasa, my rise through the military ranks was blocked.

But as an adventurer, I could aim for the topppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp!!!

With that thought, I continued to swing my sword in dungeons day and night until one day...

***

That day, I was raising a toast at the tavern after breezing through a dungeon fight, celebrating another lucrative loot.

Considering how I’ve been culling monsters left and right, I figured I might need to start looking for new dungeons soon to keep my earnings up.

Then, suddenly, the Guild Branch Manager walks into the tavern...

“Adventurers of the Demon Kingdom, listen up. We’ve got news from the main Adventurer’s Guild.”

Main, huh? He must mean the Human Kingdom... It’s like saying, “When it comes to adventurers, the Human Kingdom is still very much the heart of it all,” and that rubs me the wrong way.

The Guild Branch Manager, unfazed, continues, “Silver Wolf, an S-class adventurer, has announced his retirement! He’s also the current Guild Master and is retiring to focus on his duties!”

Huh.

S-class, huh? I don’t know him, but retiring must mean he’s quite the big shot.

...Wait, what?

S-class is above A-class?

No way!

I’m still B-class despite hunting monsters daily, and there’s a rank above A-class I didn’t know about?!

Hey! Bump me up to S-class already!

Unaware of my brewing discontent, the Guild Branch Manager keeps going.

“Well, the retirement of an S-class adventurer might not seem like much to you folks here, but that’s not the main point. With Silver Wolf’s retirement, the S-class spot has opened up. We’ve decided to hold a selection for new S-class adventurers!”

Hm?

Could it be...?!

“That’s right. All of you here have the chance to try for S-class promotion! A-class members are required to participate, and B-class or lower can join the selection if they wish. If you think you’ve got what it takes, step right up!!!”

What a turn of events.

Does this mean I, too, could become S-class?

Hah, give me a chance, and there’s no way Beliard the Great, arguably the strongest demon, could fail.

While in the Demon King’s Army, a slight difference in the timing of my birth prevented me from reaching the esteemed ranks of the Heavenly Four.

But as an adventurer!

It’s different in the world of adventurers!

In this world, age, duels, race, nothing matters but your strength!

What a wonderful world this is!!!

Though I initially had my reservations, I’m now fully immersed in the adventuring life, and I wouldn’t go back to the army even if you paid me.

But now, I must focus on the task at hand!

The S-class promotion exam?!

This is precisely the challenge that Beliard the Great should undertake!

Very well, I shall accept this challenge and become the first demon S-class adventurer!!!