外伝：ダンジョンに憧れを持つのは間違っているだろうか？ (Part2)
"Well, there are more people studying for this lately, which I appreciate. Teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic from scratch is quite a chore. If you don't pass this exam, the work provided by the training center is very limited. Now, your seat is over there. Do you see that clock on the wall? When the long hand hits the bottom—the thirty-minute mark—the exam begins. I wish you luck in passing."
"Yes. Thank you very much."
I offered my thanks, took my seat, and tried to calm my racing heart.
It’s okay.
I can read and write, and as long as I take my time, I can handle the addition and subtraction.
And then, the time for the exam arrived...
"Stop. The results will be posted on the bulletin board in this classroom building tomorrow. Those who passed, please go to the administration office to update your identification. Dismissed."
The exam ended, and everyone began to file out of the room.
Come to think of it, where am I supposed to go now that the exam is over?
As I pondered this, a woman who had taken the exam alongside me spoke to the examiner.
"Um, I just arrived here today. What should I do from here on out?"
"Ah, you were one of the ones exempt from the basic training exam, weren't you? Let's see... ah, you over there, you were the same, right?"
"Yes."
"Hold on a moment. I’ll go call someone to guide you."
With that, the examiner left the room.
I was left alone with the woman. She looked to be about my age, shorter than me, and had a gentle air about her.
"I'm Cloche," I said.
"H-hi. I... I mean, I'm Ryun."
It seemed she was from the countryside like me; a bit of a local accent had slipped out.
"I'm from the countryside too. Nice to meet you."
"Oh, yes. N-nice to meet you, too. Um, Cloche-san, are you looking for work as well?"
"Yeah. I heard that in Weed, you can do more than just farm work."
"Me too. I was hoping to work at a nice little shop or something."
Like me, Ryun had left her village because she didn't want to spend her whole life tilling the soil. It wasn't that she disliked her family, but she hoped that if she earned enough money, she could send some back home.
As we were chatting, the hallway outside suddenly grew noisy.
"...Please, wait. ...For you to come all this way..."
"Too bad! I'm not... the one in charge, you know."
I heard the voice of the examiner and another person—likely a guide—who sounded very young. One voice sounded frantic, while the other was incredibly laid-back. What was going on?
Just then, the door opened, and the examiner walked in with a woman of the Cat Beastman tribe. She looked younger than the examiner, roughly my age.
"But still..."
"No 'buts' about it. You were trained by me, weren't you? It’s fine. This place is under my jurisdiction, too. I’ve been leaving everything to everyone else lately, so I should do some work once in a while."
"Sigh. Understood. But please contact us if anything happens. You’re a busy person."
"It’s fine, I’m off today. Now, sorry to keep you waiting. You two are the ones exempt from the basic exam, right?"
"Yes."
"Y-y-yes!!"
Huh? Why was Ryun so nervous?
"Whoa there? You don't have to be that stiff."
"No... Vice-Director. That’s impossible..."
Vice-Director?
"Like I said, I’m not the Vice-Director anymore; that’s Tori. And the Director is Poni. I’m Special Duty."
"My apologies. However, even if you are Special Duty, it’s hard to be casual with the person who built Weed."
The person who built Weed?
Wait, what does that mean?
Could they be... someone incredibly important!?
I finally realized the magnitude of the person in front of me and stiffened up just like Ryun. The person who had been called Vice-Director—or was it Special Duty?—looked at us and smiled.
"You don't need to worry about that. I'm Riel. You’re going to be living in Weed from now on. Let’s get along."
"Y-y-yes!!" Ryun and I replied in unison.
"Hmm. Still stiff, I see. Well, that’ll change. Come on, I’ll show you around. After that, let’s go get something delicious to eat. A celebration for coming to Weed. My treat."
W-what? What is happening!?
"Sigh. You two, I’m sure you saw it in the pamphlet, but this is Riel-sama, one of the ten people who built Weed. As you can see, she’s a friendly person. I know you’re not used to it, but please bear with her. If you treat her coldly, she’ll sulk."
"I do not! Now, let’s go."
"Eh?"
"A-ahhh!? Riel-sama!?"
And so, my life in Weed began. Filled with longing for the future, I followed Riel-sama as we dashed through the streets of the city.
"Uuuugh... I can't eat another bite..."
"...I'm stuffed."
"Hahaha! You have to eat until you drop at least once when you come to Weed!"
I-is that so? Is that a local custom...?
"...Riel, lass. If you keep pushing the newcomers too hard, I’ll have to report you to Yuki-sama or Tori-sama, you know?"
"Hey, don't you dare!! Besides, I’m just throwing them a welcome party!!"
An old man calling Riel-sama "lass"... the city is a terrifying place.