Krisha POV 

  

  

I did not expect things to turn out this way. 

After the meeting of adventurers who will be participating in the upcoming raid tomorrow. 

It seemed that there had been a problem with one of the participants. 

Mizusawa Kazue, the adventurer that I recommended to the guild master is getting tested by one of the adventurers for the upcoming raid. 

They seemed to have doubts about her skills. 

  

  

Just like in any other adventurer guilds, it had been a custom for adventurers to conduct a duel as a test method. 

During the test, they would head out of the adventurer guild and have them tested in the plaza. 

This is also the case when adventurers wanted to duel other adventurers. 

It seems that the reason for this is to have a fair evaluation with the help of the common people who will be watching the duel. 

This creates a spectacle for the townspeople and also a form of entertainment. 

  

  

“Sorry miss Kazue, I did not expect things to turn out like this.” <Krisha> 

“Nah, it’s okay. I know you only wanted to help me. The fact that you created an opportunity for me to gain lots of money is already a huge help. This time I just need to prove to them that I deserve this opportunity you gave me, right?” <Kazue> 

“Still, I did not expect things to end up like this.” <Krisha> 

“Don’t worry. I had a feeling that things would end up like this so there’s no reason for me to blame you.” <Kazue> 

“But still…” <Krisha> 

“Still.. what? Do you also think that I am not good enough to participate in the raid too? I remember you saying that you are confident with seeing through people, or something… was that a lie?” <Kazue> 

Kazue sulkily asked if I have doubts about her skills. 

 
 

 
 

I do remember saying that I had confidence in my ability to see through people and my evaluation of Miss Kazue was very high. 

I hurriedly answered her to ease her and show my confidence in her capabilities. 

“No! I think miss Kazue can do it!” <Krisha> 

As if expecting my answer, she showed me a smug look before she replied. 

I realized that she was acting just a moment ago. 

“Then, All I need to do is to prove it right? Don’t worry, it’s okay. It’s not as if this is the first time I’ll duel someone in front of a crowd” <Kazue> 

  

  

Miss Kazue pats my shoulder and proceeds into the middle of the plaza. 

I took a break for a moment to watch the duel by asking for permission from the guild master. 

He gave me an OK since I was the one who recommended miss Kazue to participate in the raid in the first place. 

  

  

People started to gather in the plaza. 

“What’s happening.” <Spectator A> 

“It’s a duel, it seems that an E-rank adventurer wanted to join the raid tomorrow. As a result, they will have a duel to test out her skills.” <Spectator B> 

“Ehh? E-rank? Joining the raid? Is she trying to commit suicide?” <Spectator C> 

“I know right?!” <Spectator B> 

  

  

I was annoyed by the conversation I heard just now. 

“Just wait. I know that miss Kazue will shut you up later.” <Krisha> 

I silently whispered in annoyance. 

  

  

After some time, the duel was about to start. 

After proclaiming the reason for the duel to the crowd, the guild master walked toward my location. 

He wears his usual proud face as he walked slowly next to me. 

When he was next to me, he whispered to me. 

It was a soft and almost inaudible whisper to the point that I was the only one to hear his voice. 

“Well, let’s see if miss Krisha’s decision to recommend this girl for the raid is justified or not.” <Belgarath> 

He said with a face that looks to be entertained. 

I could only reply with a single word. 

“Yes” <Krisha> 

But I said this word with confidence. 

It might be just my imagination but I think I saw the guild master having a satisfied grin. 

  

  

The guild master turned around and face the adventurer standing in the middle of the plaza. 

“Adventurers! I assume that you’re ready?” <Belgarath> 

He asked the adventurers participating in the duel. 

Miss Kazue pulled out her sword. 

  

  

"A sword? Wait... is that girl a swordsman?" <Spectator D> 

“Eh?! That girl is not a tamer but a swordsman?!” <Spectator E> 

“You got to be kidding me? I thought she was a tamer.” <Spectator F> 

“I’ve heard it before but she was a swordsman.” <Spectator G> 

  

  

Hearing the bewildered adventurers who thought of miss Kazue as an average E-rank adventurer made a smile form on my face. 

[Just watch… I never saw her fight before but judging from the results of the quest she managed to finish in the four days I’ve observed her I know she will show them just how right I was to recommend her.] 

  

  

The guild master, sir Belgarath confirmed that the two parties are ready. 

He nods and lets out a loud voice. 

He raised his cane and swung it down signaling the start of the duel. 

“START.” <Belgarath> 

  

  

Miss Kazue pulled up her hood and moved forward to attack. 

The duel started. 

I did expect Kazue to have skills equal to C-ranks but to fight against Mr. Andrew who was considered to be the most skilled C-rank adventurer in the city was nothing but amazing. 

  

  

Right away the two exchanged blows. 

Miss Kazue moved with her sword at a speed that I could barely recognize each of her slashes. 

But as expected of Sir Andrew, none of Miss Kazue’s attack was able to pass through his guard. 

  

  

“Andrew made a mistake there…” <Belgarath> 

The guild master said as he watched miss Kazue continuously attack Andrew. 

I just noticed that three notable adventurers were standing beside the guild master. 

I knew all three of them. 

A tall man wearing a green striped bandana and a shabby-looking cape that covers his face nose down. 

He wears leather armor that seems to be lightweight equipment. 

He had red hair and a fair-looking face that one can say was handsome. 

He is known to have a wild personality and a high ego. 

This person’s name is Mr. Vred, a Spearman and the leader of the Party “Closed Valley”. 

He’s one of this city’s B-rank adventurers. 

  

  

Standing next to Mr. Vred was a man wearing full plate armor. 

His armor had an elaborate design and looks very sturdy. 

He was a huge middle-aged man with a large muscular frame. 

He also has a large scar across his face running from the bridge of his nose, going diagonally to his right cheeks and neck. 

The scar makes him look intimidating but he is surprisingly a nice guy. 

In terms of appearance, he has that “reliable uncle” feel to his appearance, if I may describe it. 

He is considered to be Mr. Vred's rival, both as an individual and as a leader of a different party. 

His name is Mr. Rozos, a knight and the leader of the “Rising Brigade”. 

Just like Mr. Vred, Mr. Rozos is also a B-rank adventurer. 

  

  

Last but not least. 

It was a long-haired lady with red hair and eyes. 

She wears a sexy-looking armor that reveals much of her skin. 

The red, white, and gold combinations of shades in her revealing metal armor were eye-catching. 

She has a nice-looking body and a beautiful face. 

[Also, she has a huge chest… TSK…] 

Anyway, she is considered to be the strongest B-rank adventurer in the city, no other B-rank in the city can be compared to her. 

The guild master once said that her abilities can rival an A-rank adventurer. 

The only reason why she’s still in B-rank was her lack of achievements to be considered as an A-rank. 

She also has one of the rarest job classes “Magic Knight” as her job class. 

This only makes her more special. 

Also, I’ve talked to her several times and I knew from those times that this person has a nice personality. 

This person’s name is Ms. Lavi. the leader of the party “Rubyguards” the strongest party station here in Luron. 

  

  

Out of the 4 B-rank adventurers joining the raid, 3 of them are watching the duel next to the guild master. 

  

  

“Andrew is freekin’ losing to an E-rank. Hahaha.” <Vred> 

Mr. Vred was looking at Andrew and Kazue duel in the middle of the plaza. 

“He must have tried to gauge the little miss’s ability with a lazy attack but got countered instead. This is a miss on his part. Now, he could not cease the initiative to counter.” <Rozos> 

  

  

The guild master together with the 3 prominent adventurers of the city is watching the battle. 

[Oh, so miss Kazue is pushing Mr. Andrew back! As expected of miss Kazue! that is what you get from looking down at her!] 

The fight continued. 

“IS THAT MISS REALLY AN E-RANK? SHE’S PUSHING BACK A C-RANK ADVENTURER WITH JUST HERSELF” <Random Spector A> 

“WHAT’S UP WITH THOSE FAMILIARS? AT FIRST, I THOUGHT THEY WERE JUST BLUE-EYED WOLVES BUT THAT SPEED IS NOTHING LIKE A BLUE-EYED WOLF.” <Random Spector B> 

I was surprised to see the Wolves of miss Kazue use Skill. 

It was not uncommon to see monsters using skill but to see a blue-eyed wolf use skill is very intriguing to see. 

The people who were looking down at miss Kazue a while ago are now mesmerized by her abilities. 

  

  

“Isamu, Megamorph!” <Kazue> 

Miss Kazue screamed. 

I could not believe my eyes as I saw the large wolf of miss Kazue become even larger. 

“Huge!” <Krisha> 

I said in amazement. 

“WHOAH!” <Random Spector A> 

“IT BECAME LARGER THAN BEFORE!” <Random Spector A> 

“WHAT THE HELL THAT WOLF CAN GROW EVEN BIGGER?!” <Random Spector C> 

The people watching on the sideline were as surprised as I was. 

After seeing that one of the wolves became gigantic, we all gasped in amazement. 

 
 

  

“Fufufu, that girl… I like how she fights…” <Lavi> 

Ms. Lavi said with a laugh. 

“Oh, as expected of miss Lavi, you noticed?” <Belgarath> 

“huh? What are you talking about Ms. Lavi?” <Krisha> 

I asked 

“well… it seems that she deceived most of the people here with that skill but the only thing that changed about that wolf is its size. I could not sense the wolf’s power raising even by a bit. But… I don’t think this will end here…” <Lavi> 

“What do you mean by deceiving? Ms. Lavi?” <Krisha> 

“It means that she’s only using the wolf to intimidate her foes. A bluff.” <Lavi> 

“I see.” <Krisha> 

[Frankly, I could not tell. But since Ms. Lavi said that it was the case then it must be true.] 

  

  

I continued to watch the duel. 

The next moment a gust of wind burst into the battlefield. 

“What’s happening?!” <Krisha> 

I could see a whirlwind enveloping Miss Kazue and Andrew’s party. 

  

  

“WHERE IS THIS WIND COMING FROM?!” <Random Spector A> 

“ARE YOU BLIND LOOK CLOSELY. IT’S THE WOLF, THE WOLF DID THIS. LOOK! THAT ONE OVER THERE!” <Random Spector B> 

Outside the whirlwind was one of Miss Kazue’s Wolves. 

It was glowing, a sign that it was using magic. 

“EH? A MONSTER WHO CAN USE MAGIC?!” <Random Spector C> 

  

  

Even amongst the strongest monsters. 

There are only a few monsters in this world who could wield magic. 

Usually, only Bosses and Mid-boss monsters could use magic. 

Finding monsters who can use magic are so rare that seeing one right now feels like a joke. 

Just like me, the adventurers around the area were also astonished by the fact that one of the wolves used magic. 

“DID YOU SEE THAT?!” <Random Spector D> 

“WHOAH! THAT’S UNEXPECTED!” <Random Spector E> 

  

  

“Tsk, look how amazed those people are. They don't see that the magic that the wolf used is non-lethal magic.” <Vred> 

“Still the fact that you could see a familiar who could use magic is very interesting, isn’t it miss Lavi?” <Rozos> 

“It sure is very interesting.” <Lavi> 

  

  

The whirlwind disappeared and one of the party members of Mr. Andrew was defeated by one of miss Kazue’s familiars. 

“The mage is down!” <Random Spector F> 

“But one of the wolves is shot by an arrow too!” <Random Spector G> 

“Ahhh… it looks like that mage and that wolf is out of the fight.” <Random Spector H> 

  

  

 

 

 

  

  

Ms. Lavi turned around and walked away from the plaza. 

“Miss Lavi? are you leaving?” <Krisha> 

“It was a good fight… I had fun watching it.” <Lavi> 

“But the duel is still not over. Are you not watching till the end?” <Krisha> 

Ms. Lavi only shook her head and walked past the crowd who got excited from the turn of events. 

She mended and disappeared into the crowd. 

  

  

Later, 

The match started to shift in Mr. Andrew and his party’s favor. 

Miss Kazue and the remaining familiar struggled for a while but one by one her familiar fell. 

After struggling against 3 adventurers by herself Miss Kazue was defeated. 

The guild master announced the winner of the duel. 

Miss Kazue lost, but there’s no doubt in my mind that even despite losing the duel she proved to everyone that she was a capable adventurer and deserves her spot in joining the upcoming raid. 

Although I was sorry that Kazue was defeated, I could only feel proud about what Miss Kazue showed us today. 

  

 
 

************ 

Kazue POV 

  

  

Applause from the circle of spectators erupted after the Guild master announce the winner of the duel. 

Cheers exploded from the crowd who watched the duel. 

  

  

“Aa~” I got defeated.” <Kazue> 

I helplessly let my body rest on the ground accepting my defeat. 

I looked around and saw Isamu, Hayate, and Kaori weakly came to me. 

They were limping and were hurt in a way or two. 

[Mother sorry we were defeated.] <Isamu, Kaori, and Hayate> 

I hugged the three wolf who was feeling down from getting defeated. 

“No worries! You guys did well. The opponent this time was just too strong for you guys.” <Kazue> 

The wolf whimpers trying to say sorry. 

  

  

Andrew walked toward me who was sitting with my wolves on the ground. 

“Nice fight.” <Andrew> 

He reached out his hand toward me. 

“Haha, I got defeated though. But yeah… it was fun.” <Kazue> 

I reached out my hands toward Andrew-san. 

He then pulled me up and made me stand up. 

  

  

“That was a great fight.” <Belgarath> 

The guild master walked toward me and Andrew while clapping his hand softly. 

He clears his throat and started speaking. 

“So, Mr. Andrew… do you think miss Kazue can participate in the upcoming raid after this duel?” <Belgarath> 

  

  

The guild master asked Andrew. 

“I…” <Andrew> 

[Oi, oi, oi, I made you work hard don’t tell me that unless I defeat you, you won’t accept me, right?] 

“I think that we should let miss Kazue join the raid. Her abilities as an individual are equal to the most skilled C-rank adventurers. Her familiars are powerful. I think if John was not with me, we would have lost this one.” <Andrew> 

“Well, that is true, Mr. John is also a C-rank adventurer. Asking an E-rank adventurer to defeat 2 C-rank adventurers is unprecedented.” <Belgarath> 

“Yeah, but miss Kazue almost made it possible. I Andrew Wills, the leader of Tremblecloud party vouching for miss Kazue to join the Raid.” <Andrew> 

The guild master satisfyingly nods at Andrew's decision. 

He looked around and looked at the other adventurers watching the match. 

“Does anyone of you think that miss Kazue is not capable of participating in the raid, if so, please raise your hand?” <Belgarath> 

  

  

  

The guild master looked around but none of the adventurers reacted. 

Some of them even chuckled as if finding this question ridiculous. 

Even the guild master was not expecting anyone to disagree. 

“There seems no one is against it? I Belgarath Gwydion, approve of miss Mizusawa Kazue as the result of the test. We will let her participate in the upcoming Kobold Dungeon Raid.” <Belgarath> 

  

  

I pumped my fist in celebration. 

“Alright!” <Kazue> 

  

  

“Damn, missy, so you were amazing… no wonder you got recommended. But well, I won’t ask for an apology for wanting you to drop from this raid. After all, an E-rank adventurer should not be allowed here in the first place. But after seeing your skills firsthand, I would love you to join the raid more than anyone else. Congrats… you’ve earned my respect.” <Andrew> 

“I don’t care about your respect but thanks for acknowledging me.” <Kazue> 

It seems that Andrew-san was not expecting to get a cold treatment from me. 

“Now that’s an adventurer.” <Andrew> 

  

  

“You can consider this as proof of friendship but would you allow us to heal your companion?” <Andrew> 

Andrew said offering his hands to heal my familiars who sustained some injuries during the battle. 

“Ugh, it’s your fault, to begin with. I would be bothered if they remained injured like this… I do have some potions but I prefer to not use them.” <Kazue> 

“Hahaha, ok, I get it. Mirva can I ask you to heal those little ones over there.” <Andrew> 

Andrew ordered the individual Mirva who seems to be a member of their party. 

Mirva puts forward his arms with an open palm facing my familiars. 

A green light emerged in his arms after saying the name of the spell he was using. 

“Heal” <Mirva> 

I’ve seen this spell many times before. 

I’ve seen Amy and April use this spell several times before. 

To be precise it was during the time I was in Altus, during the battle with the undead. 

Slowly but surely the injuries of my familiars were healed. 

  

  

“Thank you.” <Kazue> 

I thanked the healer for healing Isamu, Kaori, and Hayate. 

They were as good as healthy and started running around as if nothing had happened. 

“Well, I am looking forward to working with you tomorrow, missy.” <Andrew> 

“Me too. Knowing that someone as strong as you will be joining us in the dungeon, I feel that those Kobold will not stand a chance!” <Kazue> 

“Hahaha, you’re getting high on your head… but well… knowing that you’re there means that this raid will be easier than expected.” <Andrew> 

  

  

It seems that during the time Andrew’s party member was healing my familiar. 

The crowd started to dissipate from the plaza. 

There were still some who were curious about me and my familiars. 

I bet they were also surprised by the things they could do. 

I bet it was the first time they saw a Blue-eyed wolf use skills like (Stealth), (Megamorph), and magic. 

And just like that, the duel ended. 

  

  

  

  

  

  

Author Note: 

There you go! 

I'll also enjoy my holidays, my oh my I'll have to diet after the new year XD. 

 

 

I'll post the next chapter on or before the new year.
Although I'm actually done writing it I just wanted to include the finished version of this greeting artwork as a bonus!