The Former Child Prodigy Applies For A Job At The Imperial Capital’s Largest Clan, Black Dragon’s Fang

And so, the next day, I visited the test venue for the imperial capital’s largest clan, Black Dragon’s Fang.

As expected of a recruitment drive for the largest clan in the imperial capital. Many adventurers had gathered there—warriors with swords at their hips, mages clad in robes, and scouts dressed in leather armor.

Just from the look in their eyes, they were burning with ambition. The kind of atmosphere that said, We’re the ones who’ll make a name for ourselves by getting into this clan!

I felt extremely out of place.

My equipment consisted of nothing but “cloth clothes.” Of course, I had not even brought a weapon.

Apparently, submitting an application form was required to take the exam. I headed over to the area for filling one out.

I filled in the form in order.

Hmm, hmm…

Name: Ilvis, sex: male, age: 20, occupation—

Occupation!?

That was a problem. I was not doing any job in particular… I had just been loafing around at home… so would that make me “NEET”? Yeah… a NEET…

I considered writing something cool and made-up, but decided against it.

After all, didn’t the job-hunting manual Naitei Musou say so too? That interviewers had the ears and eyes of hawks. That if you wrote a lie, they would see through it instantly and your evaluation would only go down.

So being honest here was probably the correct choice.

I wrote “NEET” in the occupation field.

Then I brought it over to the reception desk.

The moment the woman at reception looked at the paper I had submitted, she frowned.

“NEE…T?”

“Yes.”

“By NEET, do you mean the sort of feeling like working means losing?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“…Um, well, what we want written here is your profession as an adventurer. Something like warrior or thief.”

“I see.”

So that was what she meant. But it was the same thing. I had been nothing but a student, so I had no such profession.

So I stated it clearly and decisively.

“In that case, I’m still a NEET.”

The woman looked confused.

“…Are you perhaps someone who used to work as an adventurer, and for some reason is currently a NEET?”

“No, I’ve never been an adventurer before. I’m really just a plain NEET.”

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

“You’ve never worked as an adventurer? In that case, I’m sorry, but our clan does not hire people with no experience.”

Understood. Then I’ll go home.

For someone as unmotivated as me, my first thought was, Lucky! But then Arisa’s angry face suddenly floated into my mind, and a chill ran down my spine.

…I’d better try a little harder…

“Is that so?”

I pulled the flyer from my pocket.

“But it doesn’t say that anywhere, does it? If anything, it says, ‘We provide attentive and thorough guidance,’ right?”

At my rebuttal, the receptionist’s eyebrows twisted.

“What you say is certainly true, but it also says, ‘Even inexperienced adventurers are welcome,’ doesn’t it?”

“Welcoming inexperienced adventurers doesn’t mean rejecting people with no experience, does it?”

At my further rebuttal, the receptionist’s eyebrows twisted even more seriously.

Man, I’m kind of a pain, aren’t I… But I’ve got Arisa’s pressure on me. Sorry.

The woman thought for a moment and was just about to speak—

“The line has stopped moving. Has something happened?”

With those words, a man approached.

“Ah, sorry, Phonic-sama!”

The woman sprang to her feet and bowed her head to him.

He was a tall, handsome man with blue hair. He looked to be in his mid-twenties. He wore a light suit of armor over a lean body built with just the right amount of muscle, and a sword hung at his waist.

The examinees behind me burst into a stir.

“That’s Phonic of Black Dragon’s Fang!”

“Phonic the Meteor Swordsman!?”

…

…Who…?

He apparently was someone famous, but there was no way the brain of someone like me, who had decided on a whim to become an adventurer, contained information on famous adventurers.

After showing Phonic the form, the woman quickly explained the situation.

“Um, actually, this person—”

After hearing her out, Phonic turned his gaze to me.

“Sorry, but could I ask you to refrain from participating? This would be for your own good as well.”

“For my own good?”

“Yes. An adventurer’s test is—”

With a sharp ring, Phonic drew his sword.

Bathed in the brilliance of sunlight, the beautifully polished blade flashed brightly.

“—a rough business. If you are not prepared, you will get hurt. If an untrained person steps in—he’ll die.”

“I’m prepared to die.”

I said it without hesitation.

“This is the only path I have.”

For someone like me, who hated working, only freelance work would do. Earn money with the bare minimum of labor, then loaf around at home. Since adventurer was the only thing that came to mind, I had to be desperate.

Phonic’s eyes widened slightly.

“Oh? Even after I’ve said this much, you still won’t back down. It seems you have something… a burning passion for becoming an adventurer—a noble ideal. You’ve piqued my interest a little.”

A noble ideal…?

Loafing around at home?

Well, in the sense of pursuing a comfortable work-life balance, maybe so. I see—so that was the level he had read into me… As expected of a member of the largest clan, he was quick-witted.

In that case, I would answer proudly too.

“Yes, I do have something I refuse to yield on.”

“Hahahaha! Good!”

Phonic pointed the tip of his sword at me.

“But reality is not so kind. A person who speaks of ideals without making an effort is not pleasant to watch. Will you still say the same after seeing a single flash of my thoroughly trained blade?”

The adventurers around us burst into excitement.

“We’re going to get to see Phonic’s Meteor Sword!”

“A high-speed sword so fast you don’t even realize you’ve been cut!”

…Wait, was it really that amazing?

Had I made someone I really shouldn’t have angry?

Phonic took his stance.

“Well then, a little reward for making it this far. I shall show you my swordsmanship… and then you may lose your nerve and go home.”

“If I lose my nerve, wouldn’t I be unable to go home?”

“Silence!”

To answer “lose your nerve” with “Silence!”!

Wasn’t he sharp in ways beyond swordsmanship too!?

The moment I thought that—

A silver flash streaked forth.

The ultra-high-speed sword that, according to the adventurers around us, was “so fast you don’t even realize you’ve been cut,” came at me.

As I watched Phonic’s sword, I thought—

…

…

…Huh, this was supposed to be ultra-fast?

It was absurdly slow.

The blade came toward me little by little, slowly, very slowly.

How nostalgic—ah, right, I remembered. Swordsmanship class back in my school days. I had crossed blades with all sorts of students, but on the whole, they had all been like this.

Everyone’s swords had been so slow, so very slow—and I had easily exploited the openings and won.

Was this the same thing?

No… it wasn’t.

Hadn’t the job-hunting manual Naitei Musou said so?

Throw away the glory of your student days.

The level demanded of students and working adults was different—

My opponent was a famous adventurer belonging to the top clan in the city. There was no way he could be the same as a student. That was close… I had almost measured his ability based on the glory of my school days.

In that case, there could only be one possibility.

He was going easy on me.

Despite all the pressure he was putting on me, Phonic was still showing me compassion. If I could dodge the sword of Phonic, whom everyone held in such high regard,

then even I would be given a chance to take the exam.

It was as if I could feel Phonic’s intentions through that slow sword.

How about it? You can dodge this, right? Make use of this chance, okay? That was what it seemed to say.

I see—

I was truly grateful.

Now then, how should I dodge it… As I was thinking that, I noticed something.

…Huh? Wasn’t this trajectory not going to hit me in the first place?

Just as I expected, the trajectory of the sword released by the Meteor Swordsman traced a line slightly in front of my body.

A miss.

Into the suddenly hushed air, Phonic’s voice rang out.

“…I could hardly strike you with it. So I deliberately let it miss.”

At the same time—

Waaaah! The surrounding spectators erupted into cheers.

“Amaaaazing! As expected of the Meteor Sword!”

“That guy got scared stiff and couldn’t move!”

But Phonic seemed to see it differently.

“…No, did he? You did not fail to move—you chose not to move. Am I wrong?”

Phonic stared intently at me.

“Your eyes certainly reacted to my sword. If you had wanted to dodge it, you could have—no, that’s not it. You were sure it would not hit you. Wasn’t that so?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

At the same time, agitation spread among the surrounding spectators.

“N-no way! That guy read the Meteor Swordsman’s blade!?”

“Even we couldn’t see it!?”

…Couldn’t see it? No way. He had been going that easy on me.

This was what they called cognitive bias.

The belief that the Meteor Swordsman’s sword was fast must have made them see a super-high-speed sword.

“You’re an interesting man. Very well, I shall allow you to take the exam.”

Phonic smiled faintly. He sheathed his sword.

“In the swordsmanship test, I shall personally be your opponent. Whether what you showed just now was true skill or mere luck—I will judge your real worth.”

With that said, Phonic disappeared into the depths of the building.

In my heart, I offered a small word of thanks to his retreating back.

…Good grief… I’d been blessed with a kind person.

He had attacked me slowly so I would not lose my nerve—and on top of that, it had been a strike I had not even needed to dodge. He had even gone so far as to make an appeal to everyone around us that I was talented.

Just how much was that gentleman willing to indulge me? Was he a saint?

With Phonic’s permission granted, the receptionist, now much softer in attitude, gave me an examinee number. With that, the procedure was complete.

Alriiight!

Arisa, I’m going to do my best!

In high spirits, I headed into the test venue.