Promotion And What Comes Next

It was a guild card I had grown attached to after using it for several years, but apparently it was a rule that guild cards were collected upon promotion, so I handed it to the female staff member with a feeling of sadness.

Guild cards followed a set rule: Fifth Rank and Fourth Rank used wooden cards, Third Rank used copper, Second Rank used silver, and First Rank used gold. Furthermore, from Third Rank onward, the Adventurer Guild’s crest was engraved on the card as protection against forgery.

From now on, mine would be a gold card with the crest. The thought made my cheeks loosen with a smile, and as the woman placed the guild card she received into a box, she took out another beautiful box that radiated luxury.

“Your new cards have already been completed, so I will now present them to you.”

“…Really?”

I had expected to wait several days, so the pleasant surprise made me lean forward, and the woman nodded with a gentle smile.

“The promotion was decided quite early. Since then, we had already requested a blacksmith to make them.”

Edmond-san added that explanation from the side, letting me understand why it had been completed so quickly. The fact that the finished items were already here probably meant they had begun making them around the evening of the day we eliminated the Stampede.

When the woman opened the box… the adventurer cards inside reflected the light and sparkled brilliantly, making me hesitate to reach out and take them.

“Please, go ahead and accept them.”

Rebecca and I both stared at them without reaching out, and the woman urged us on with a wry smile.

“Thank you very much.”

When I finally gathered my resolve and picked up the gold card, it was thin but carried a solid weight in my hand. It was completely different from the wooden card.

“Wow, it really feels like we’ve been recognized. I’m so happy.”

Rebecca had also taken her copper card and was holding it to her chest with both hands wrapped around it.

“Do you like it?”

“Yes. Thank you very much.”

“Then accept one more thing. This one is a party card.”

After Edmond-san said that, the woman once again took out another luxurious-looking box. I opened it on behalf of both of us… and inside was a card that appeared to be made of iron.

However, the part worth noting was not its material. It was the party name engraved on the card.

I had heard that when someone achieved great accomplishments, an important person might grant them a party name, but I never imagined that would happen to me.

“Heroes Who Saved the Nation… that’s quite a name.”

Rebecca peered at the card and read the name aloud. It felt like too much of a burden, or rather, the party name was far too grand.

“His Majesty the King named it. Treasure it.”

The King himself!? There was absolutely no way I could say anything negative about it. Not that I thought it was bad… if anything, it felt almost too cool.

“I’m grateful for it.”

“Once you have a party name, you’ll probably receive more nomination requests, so be prepared for that. Furthermore, now that Luca is a First Rank adventurer, he will likely receive nomination requests personally as well.”

“Nomination requests…”

It was a system that had nothing to do with me until recently. I still couldn’t quite grasp the idea that requests would come directly to me.

“Are nomination requests something we can refuse?”

“Of course they can be refused. However, it can be difficult depending on your relationship with the person making the request. …The guild provides support in such matters, so if any issues arise, you should consult the guild.”

“I understand. Thank you very much.”

After that, Edmond-san explained many things about the effects of our promotions, and when the discussion ended we were resting in the office with warm tea when an official from the royal palace arrived.

“Excuse me.”

The man who entered the office wore glasses and appeared very serious. After politely bowing to us and Edmond-san, he delivered a greeting so perfect it seemed like an example straight out of a book on etiquette.

After being encouraged by Edmond-san to sit on the sofa, he immediately moved to the main topic.

“Luca-san and Rebecca-san, we would like you to come to the royal palace immediately. His Majesty wishes to grant you an audience as soon as possible, so preparations will begin at the palace from now, and we hope to hold the audience tomorrow. Would that schedule be acceptable for you?”

Tomorrow… wasn’t that far too soon?

However, we had no particular plans, and aside from the difficulty of mentally preparing ourselves, there was no reason to refuse. When I glanced at Rebecca, she also seemed to have no other obligations.

“…We have no problem with that.”

“Understood. Then we will proceed with that schedule, so we would appreciate it if you could come to the palace as soon as possible. Have you finished your business at the Adventurer Guild?”

“Yes. We’re already done.”

“Then let us go. Edmond-sama, my apologies for the suddenness.”

At the man’s apology, Edmond-san waved his hand with a wry smile, and about five minutes after the man arrived, we ended up leaving the guild.