"Go brother! Show him what you got!"

 

my sister innocently cheered for me as a giant man stood waiting for me to attack him. There are a couple of problems with this scenario that I can think of right out of my head. Firstly, why are they acting as if I willfully chose to do the test? Secondly, I'm totally not prepared for a fight right now since all I have is a small pouch of null dust. Lastly, that man is giving me a dangerous look, almost as if he wants to kill me.

 

"Hey boy, don't just stand there. I'm giving you the first move, but I might change my mind!"

 

Dammit, should I just surrender? No, doing that would make me look pathetic in front of Alice which might make her think that anti-magic is bad. Alright, in this case, I'll take a gamble; anti-magic can disrupt the coordination of individuals with high Soul Depth so it might give me a chance to… I don't know, kick him in the crotch?

 

After forming an unreliable plan, I covered my fingers with null dust and carefully walked forward while crouching to be in close contact with the floor. I probably looked like a crab and Caster didn't hide his confusion with a hint of anger.

 

"Kid, please take this seriously. I'll actually fight without holding back so don't mess around!"

 

The large man took my advance as a taunt then charged at me like a truck. Ok, don't panic now. I touched the ground causing a small zap that quickly travelled to Caster's legs. I instinctively dodged to the side without checking if my plan worked, which was the correct move since a giant body barely missed me before smashing into a metal wall.

 

There was a clear dent made that made me start to sweat. Wouldn't my bones be pulverized if that attack hit me? I doubt that his boxing gloves would cushion the blow even slightly.

 

"Ugh, what did you do to me!? My legs didn't feel right for a second."

 

I ignored his question as I desperately tried to think of another way to attack. He'll definitely act more careful now that he knows what I can do so using the same move would be useless now.

 

"Look out, brother!"

 

Alice's warning broke my line of thought then I took a defensive stance. Caster started to glow yellow, a sign of using reinforcement magic. This is my chance; he can't move while casting, so I quickly rushed towards him and directly grabbed his left arm.

 

Consequently, the reinforcement's magic formula shattered before it was complete. Caster looked panicked as he didn't expect my ability to nullify his spell. I proceeded to give him my most powerful punch and knock him out. However-

 

"Bahahaha! Is that what you call a punch? I was worried for a moment there, but it turned out you're just capable of using cheap tricks!"

 

"You're the one who uses cheap tric-"

 

*Bam*

 

"Brother!"

 

My… stomach… that bastard…

 

"This is a real punch. Just as I have expected, there is no way that you are qualified for this test."

 

… I'll… make you… pay…

 

"Brother, just surrender now, please. You are heavily injured!"

 

Over the diaphragm… behind the sternum… between the lungs…

 

"Seems like I hit you so hard that you can't even speak! Just raise your hand up to surrender, I don't want to bully a duke's son any furth- Ack"

 

Caster suddenly went quiet before dropping on the floor without warning. A loud thud followed, and the door opened revealing Violet who looked distressed.

 

"What happened here! Caster, are you alright?"

 

The receptionist bolted next to the man then tried to hold his wrist to check his pulse. Caster started to move the moment she touched him and slowly stood up. Looks like he's still alive.

 

"Caster, can you tell me why were you on the floor unconscious?"

 

"I… I don't know. All I remember was trying to make the boy surrender, then I blacked out."

 

"Umm… Does that mean my brother won?"

 

The receptionist turned towards Caster, who closed his eyes and remained silent. Violet then gave a wide smile and answered.

 

"Yes, Mister Max has passed the test and is now qualified to become a D-rank adventurer."

 

So, the test makes me skip F and E ranks completely. Convenient. Now I'd like to go back to the villa cause I'm not feeling ok.

 

"Brother? Brother! Excuse me, Miss receptionist, but my brother is heavily injured and needs immediate medical attention, please!"

 

I couldn't keep up with what was being said after that. Must be internal bleeding. I close my eyes…

 

Then I open them again, only to find myself back in the villa with dull pain in my abdomen.

 

"You are finally awake, young master. Congratulations on becoming a D-rank adventurer. Do not worry, the young madam also passed the test and is currently out on a quest. She will return later in the afternoon."

 

"Thanks Sisley. I'm a little curious, but how long have I been out for?"

 

Sisley took out a piece of paper from her pocket then handed it to me.

 

"57 hours, or approximately 3 days, have passed since the moment you lost consciousness. This record shows the treatment administered and the timing of doctor visits. You should stay resting for at least 2 more days before going out."

 

Three days!? You are telling me that I was in a coma for so long that Alice decided to go out and do her own thing? That aside, how was I fed? No, forget that. How did I pee and where?

 

I eyed Sisley with suspicion, yet she didn't seem to be flustered even a bit. Someone must've nursed me during the three days, and it's most likely her. How embarrassing!

 

"Young master, could I ask you a question?"

 

Huh? Her tone seems a little cold, almost as if she's about to interrogate me.

 

"I'm a bit tired, so nothing too long."

 

"Why did you let him hit you?"

 

?

 

"Can you clarify your question? I am a little confused."

 

"Apologies. What I meant to ask is why have you, during the test, allowed your examiner to give a punch strong enough to heavily injure you."

 

I'm still confused. Who told Sisley that I willfully let Caster almost rupture my stomach? Her eyes don't seem to be of someone that's making a joke.

 

"Look here Sisley, I'm not a superhuman so it is only obvious that I couldn't stop the punch. Look at me, do I seem like someone capable of such a feat?"

 

Sisley looked troubled after I said that and started to think about something. Moments later, she raised her head up with enlightenment.

 

"I see. Yes, I understand what you mean, young master. It'd be unbelievable for you to easily win with your circumstances."

 

I have an eerie feeling that she didn't actually understand, but my stomach hurts just from talking so I'll leave Sisley to think what she wants for now. Shouldn't she bring me breakfast right now? I'm starving.

 

Time passed; I can now see the sunset from my room's window while still bedridden. At least I got time to think about what to do now that I have become an adventurer, albeit in an unexpected and painful manner. With this, I definitely have a good reason to frequently visit the adventurer's guild without causing suspicion. Now I just need to know who's the right person to ask for clues in finding Jack.

 

"Oh brother! I'm so glad that you woke up. Your injury was so bad, yet I couldn't do a thing because healing magic doesn't work with your condition. I felt so helpless!"

 

For someone who pushed me to fight the giant man who caused me to be in such a state, you seemed almost sorry about it. Almost.

 

"Ok calm down Alice. Stop crying. It's not your fault that Caster took it a step too far for a test."

 

That's right, it's that meathead's fault for pushing me into a corner.

 

"I still am partially responsible for making you go first. By the way, what did you do to incapacitate Caster while injured? Not that I think about it, why didn't you do it sooner?"

 

"That's a secret, Alice. I might tell you later."

 

"No! I want to know it now, so please tell me. Please?"

 

Those pleading eyes… No! I have to stay firm! I can't possibly tell my 10-year-old sister that I interrupted the magic flow in the man's heart causing a transient state of arrhythmia which could've killed him. This is dangerous knowledge that must remain hidden for as long as possible.

 

"The answer remains the same, sorry."

 

"Tsk. I still got to go and collect my reward for a quest I finished, so I have to leave for now. Bye brother!"

 

Did my sister just click her tongue at me? No, of course not! Purely my silly imagination. In fact, the door probably was moved by the wind and made that sound. The windows may be closed, but you never know as someone might've used evil magic to trick me. Damn those clowns, trying to make me think that Alice isn't a pure angel who loves her brother more than anything else in the world!

 

Let's go to bed for now. My body is probably still tired trying to recover from the punch. Sweet dreams, me!

 

Two days later, I felt like the pain mostly subsided, so it was time to go do some detective work. I headed towards the adventurer's guild and started my hunt for clues.

 

My best bet is to ask a staff member about the current whereabouts of Jack. However, that went…

 

"I am sorry, but it is not possible to reveal sensitive information about our members, even if you are his brother. Instead, would you like to take a quest? The sewers can always use a cleanup."

 

"No thanks."

 

Guild staff have a rule which doesn't allow them to divulge information about adventurers. Alright, I'll just ask an adventurer instead.

 

"Huh? Jack? Beat it, newbie. You're wasting my time. Go slay goblins or something."

 

Such a hostile tone. Maybe he's having a bad day, let's ask that female adventurer over there.

 

"Jack? The A-rank adventurer with the Blue Carps? No one knows where he is right now. Why do you even want that information in the first place? If you are his brother, then you should know more than I do."

 

Seriously? You're telling me that the whereabouts of an active adventurer is completely unknown? I'm not some sort of idiot who'd believe that! At least I now know that he is in an adventuring group called 'Blue Carps'. Now what am I supposed to do with this information?

 

Seeing that I won't learn anything else from this place, I decided to return back to the villa before Sisley starts to worry. She told me not to stay out for too long since my wound hasn't fully recovered, after all.

 

"Welcome back, young master. There is a guest waiting for you in the guest room."

 

"A guest? Alright, I'll meet them right now."

 

I won't be surprised if it's Jack, who might've been in this city the whole time, and he decided to meet me after learning that I'm looking for him. It's a bit sudden, though, so I'm not really prepared to ask him for dragon blood. That stuff is really rare, after all.

 

I opened a door leading to the guest room with a fake smile on my face, only to stagger back as a knife hit the wall close to my neck. Is it an assassin!?

 

"You should put more effort into your reflexes. That knife could've been deep in your throat if I aimed for it."

 

A girl wearing a cloak talked as if her words were mere passing remarks. A brat who threw a deadly weapon at me, in my house, who's definitely not Jack. Does she have a loose screw in her head?

 

"Listen here! You can't just bring a weapon into someone's-"

 

"Kneel down."

 

… Ok, she's definitely mentally ill. I should probably get the guards to deal with this nutcase.

 

"You aren't kneeling? Did you already forget who you pledged your loyalty to? Disappointing."

 

The girl pulled down her hood to reveal silver-white hair, which is the same as royalty… Oh…

 

"Did you remember now? Thank goodness, I thought that my vassal is completely incompetent. Having said that, you still made quite a lot of progress with your knight order and even passed the special adventurer's guild test, so you can't be that bad."

 

Astatine continued her cold evaluation of my value as a pawn without paying mind to my mood at the slightest. I fail to understand why this girl is here and treating me as an inferior. Is all royalty like that?

 

"Max Phoenix, as my vassal, I order you to prove your worth by slaying a skeletal high mage and bringing back its magic core. I'll come back here in a week to collect it. I sincerely hope you have it by then or you'll receive punishment."

 

Before I could answer, Astatine put her hood up and… jumped out through a window… I should've never agreed to becoming some princess's vassal/toy in the first place.

 

This life is pure torture.