The First Step Of A Journey That Would Someday Become Legend

“…It would be bad if someone saw me talking with you, but there was something I had to tell you no matter what.”

It would be bad if someone saw him talking with me?

I wondered what he meant, but I realized it right away.

Phonic had tried to do me a favor. In other words, it was a form of cheating. Since that was the case, he really should avoid contact with me.

Phonic opened his mouth.

“You are not satisfied with the result, are you? I cannot tell you the details, but—my apologies. I could not protect you.”

—!?

Th-that means…

I was moved. Failing was my mistake, and yet Phonic still apologized to me. He apologized that, even beyond that mistake, he had failed to guide me to passing!

As expected of a man important enough to serve as an examiner for the largest clan in the Imperial Capital. He was broad-minded.

“Please don’t worry about it. Your feelings alone are more than enough. There are things I should reflect on too. This result can’t be helped.”

“…!? You would—forgive our judgment!?”

Forgive their judgment?

Considering I had blown an examiner away with Magic Arrow, I thought that was only natural.

“Of course I forgive you. If I were in the same position, I would probably make the same judgment.”

“So you even understand our position… You truly are a man beyond measure… It is a shame we cannot fight together.”

Phonic held out his hand.

“I would like to meet you again someday, though in a different way.”

Oh? Was he going to do me another favor? Lucky. I had no reason to refuse.

I’m counting on you, seriously counting on you, okay?

“Yes. Someday again.”

We shook hands and parted ways.

When I got home, my little sister Arisa was waiting for me.

“Welcome back, big brother!”

“What about your job?”

“I took the day off! I would’ve been too restless to get any work done anyway!”

Arisa was looking at me with sparkling eyes.

When she looked at me like that, it was hard to say, I failed! Hmm… I had told her after the exam that I was probably out, though.

Could it be that family members still end up hoping, even if only a tiny bit?

Well, there was no point hiding it, so I might as well say it plainly!

“I failed.”

“I see.”

Arisa let it roll off her shoulders lightly. The bright expression on her face did not change.

“But, don’t let it get to you! I think you worked really hard, big brother!”

“You do?”

“I do. You actually tried to look for work, and you even took an employment exam. There’s no way you’re the same as before. You’re trying to move forward, big brother!”

Arisa’s thoughtfulness made me happy.

She probably had not been waiting there because she expected me to pass. She had been waiting so that I would not have to feel down all by myself after failing.

“Thanks, Arisa.”

I said it from the bottom of my heart.

I had thought it would not be that easy to pass, but even so, being told, We don’t need you, did not feel good. At a time like that, being able to talk to someone really helped.

“You know, big brother, I think this rejection was actually lucky in a way.”

“You think so? Why?”

“Big brother, there is no way at all you would fit in at Black Dragon’s Fang, you know?”

“Whaaaat? But you said being an adventurer suited me!”

“No, no! Being an adventurer is fine, but the clan is the problem. Since it’s the biggest one around, I heard it’s really strict and doesn’t leave much freedom.”

Oh! In that case, maybe it was a good thing I failed!

I’m not exactly big on teamwork, after all!

What, so adventurers are not all free? People become adventurers in search of freedom, so being bound by organizational constraints defeats the whole purpose.

“Arisa, where did you hear that?”

“Huh? From someone I know through work.”

Arisa’s job—I did not know the details myself, but apparently it involved dealings with the Adventurer’s Guild, so it was probably from one of those connections.

Incidentally, the reason I did not know much about my own sister’s job even though we were family was… well, um, because I was a NEET, and it felt awkward, so I avoided talking about work-related things… I had been avoiding that topic…

“And also, that person told me there was an amazing examinee.”

“An amazing examinee?”

“Yeah. Black Dragon’s Fang is famous for its Eight Stars, right?”

“That’s right.”

Even I knew that. They were the elite group Black Dragon’s Fang was proud of.

“I heard someone actually defeated one of the Eight Stars during the exam!”

“What!? One of the Eight Stars!?”

I was shocked to the core. There was an examinee like that!?

…I had blown Phonic and the others away too, but judging from how little resistance I felt, they were probably just ordinary members.

Even if both cases could be described as blowing someone away, one was just clan members, the other was one of the Eight Stars. There really were incredible people in this world.

“You’ve just got to keep improving too, big brother!”

“Hahahaha… I wonder how many years it’ll be before I can beat one of the Eight Stars…”

It felt like a road stretching endlessly into the distance.

But I thought that was not a bad goal. Aiming for that—having that resolve itself was what led people to greater heights.

All right, maybe I should make standing shoulder to shoulder with the Eight Stars my goal!

I had no idea how far in the future that would be, though…

“First I need to somehow get into the industry. I’m not even an adventurer yet. I’ll have to look for another clan.”

“I was thinking, why not become a freelance adventurer?”

“Freelance?”

“Yeah. An adventurer who doesn’t belong to any clan.”

So that existed. …That might suit me better. After all, I’m a man with zero teamwork and zero motivation. It would be better to take it easy on my own.

“Yeah. I’ll think about going that route.”

At least I might be able to graduate from being a NEET.

I was grateful that my next move had been decided. I had been feeling a little lost…

Starting tomorrow, I would look into registering as an adventurer.

Arisa took my right hand. Then, with a beaming smile on her face, she spoke, almost as if she were celebrating me.

“Big brother, congratulations on your first step!”

“…Thanks. But nothing has really started yet.”

“That’s true. But I think just choosing to start is admirable. Once you stop, it’s really hard to start moving again. But you decided to walk, big brother, and you truly did take that step. That makes me happy and proud!”

Every single one of Arisa’s words seeped into my heart.

Arisa was probably truly celebrating me from the bottom of her heart. My first step had made her that happy. Which, conversely, meant that she had been worrying all this time about me staying stuck where I was.

…I made her worry…

“It’s okay, Arisa. I’ll do this my own way.”

“Do your best, big brother. I’m cheering for you!”

“Yeah. I’ll do my best so I can live up to your expectations, Arisa.”

And so, the time that had stood still for me began to move again.

It was still only the very first step—and I did not even know whether I had landed that step properly—but at any rate, I had started walking. I had decided to walk.

So I would take my second step without losing heart.

I did not know where this journey would lead me—

But surely it would not be meaningless to my life.