No Damage 17

Test

17. It's Okay

"This is the royal capital, Grand Adonis, huh?"

The first visit to the royal capital was more glamorous than imagined.

Indeed, this is the capital of the Adonis Kingdom.

The number of people and carriages bustling along the streets is no joke.

There must be about ten times more than in my hometown.

Looking around, along the streets neatly arranged like a checkerboard, a tremendous number of luxurious buildings stand in orderly rows.

Just looking at it is an overwhelming sight.

However, I can't just immerse myself in sightseeing.

The goal remains to become an adventurer.

To achieve that, I first need to pass the guild's admission exam.

The Adventurers Guild—

As the name suggests, it's a mutual assistance organization that gathers adventurers from around the world.

From exploring various ruins and dungeons to escorting caravans and important figures, it manages the work of adventurers for this international organization.

—That was the case until about a hundred years ago when battles with magical beasts and demons began to appear, and higher-ranked adventurers started achieving remarkable feats.

When they become powerful, magical beasts and demons are formidable opponents even for a country's army.

Many countries, fearing the depletion of their own armies, started relying on the Adventurers Guild for these matters.

Nowadays, the guild has become the de facto headquarters for combating magic.

"Uwaaaahhhhh...!"

I was suddenly brought back to consciousness by a scream.

A carriage was racing at breakneck speed down the street in front of me.

"H-Hey, stop! Stop!"

The coachman was desperately holding the reins, but instead of stopping, the horse accelerated even more.

It was in a state of complete excitement and runaway.

In its path was a child who couldn't get up from the ground.

At this rate, they'll be run over!

Screams echoed from the surrounding people.

"Haruto, please!"

"Haruto-san!"

"I got it."

Nodding to Lilith and Alice's voices, I immediately dashed out.

I stood in front of the child with all my might.

"Huh...!?"

"Don't worry. I'll protect you."

I grinned at the surprised child.

Right after, the carriage racing at full speed collided with me.

—No.

Just before that, I had activated a skill.

A dazzling light appeared before me, completely halting the carriage's momentum.

No pain, no impact.

The carriage, upon hitting me seemed to hit an invisible wall and couldn't move forward.

"W-What!?"

The child, the coachman, the surrounding people—everyone was astonished.

Only Lilith and Alice smiled and nodded.

[Armor Phase].

A sparkling light covered my entire body.

It's the basic form of the [Absolute No Damage] Skill.

I hadn't given a name to this skill originally, but I awakened another variation, the [Invincible Barrier Phase], in a recent battle.

To make it easier to imagine when activating the skill, I gave a name even to the basic form.

For a while, the horse huffed and tried to collide with me several times, realizing it couldn't affect me, it eventually calmed down.

Snorting heavily, the horse looked at me with a mix of awe and shock.

Patting the horse's neck lightly, I calmed it down a bit.

"I-I'm sorry, the horse suddenly went out of control..."

The coachman got off the carriage and bowed deeply to me and the child.

"Well, no one's hurt, so it's alright."

"T-Thank you, mister..."

The child, who had been lying down moments ago, stood up and thanked me.

Their mother, who was nearby, ran over to them.

"How can I thank you enough..."

I nodded to the mother, who kept bowing repeatedly and returned to Lilith and Alice.

We moved to the central district and arrived at the lodging facility.

We planned to stay here until the guild's admission exam in two days.

This seemed to be Lilith and Alice's regular lodging place when they visited the capital.

It get classified as high-end, and the cost was accordingly high.

But with the reward from the dragon subjugation, it wasn't a problem.

I could also collect the reward from the recent demon extermination.

After completing the check-in process, we entered a café in the lobby.

Time to take a break.

"By the way, is the guild's admission exam tough?"

"Being an adventurer is a popular occupation, so the competition rate is quite high," Lilith explained.

"In Adonis, there are about ten thousand applicants annually. Only about a hundred people pass."

"...That's a really narrow gate, isn't it!?"

Hmm, about a one-in-a-hundred pass rate on average.

"The admission exam is held monthly, so on average, about seven to eight people pass each time," Alice added.

"Once you become a high-ranking adventurer, the pay is great. Everyone aims to pass with envy in their eyes," Lilith said.

"So, Lilith, Alice, and Salome all passed that exam and became adventurers. That's impressive..."

"Haruto, you'll be fine. The main part of the exam is practical combat, and your defensive magic should be unbeatable by the examiners."

"Yeah, just relax."

They encouraged me energetically.

Lilith and Alice are really kind.

"Alright, I'll give it my best shot."

"The exam venue is at the guild headquarters. It's about a ten-minute walk from here," Lilith explained.

"That's pretty close."

"That's one of the reasons we chose this as our regular lodging. Of course, we also love the atmosphere and food here," Alice said.

"Yeah, the food here is delicious."

"Right?"

"Yeah."

"Ah, tonight, I think I'll go for the 'Head Chef's Whimsical Spaghetti.' I've been craving it for a while."

"I've set my heart on the 'Luxurious Seafood Set' tonight."

"Onee-san, you always choose that."

"I'm looking forward to it."

They happily discussed their choices.

They get along so well; it warms my heart.

"We'll come to cheer you on on the exam day," Lilith smiled.

"Sarome-san was disappointed she couldn't come along," Alice added.

—By the way, Salome got off the magical carriage in another city on the way here.

She went to report to the branch that requested the D-Eater's extermination we fought last time.

So, it's just the three of us here.

The reason they came along is twofold.

One is to accompany me.

Honestly, it's a bit nerve-wracking alone, so having Lilith and Alice here is reassuring.

The other reason is that Lilith's father is staying here, and she wants to visit him.

—So, Lilith eventually went to her father's place.

"Doesn't Alice need to go?"

"Well, I'm actually going to meet the steward, not my father."

"The steward?"

She's like a noblewoman.

"Speaking of which, I haven't mentioned this before. Our father is Count Raphiel of Lafiel."

"Wait, is she really a noblewoman!?"

I was surprised, but somewhere deep down, I understood a bit.

There were guys at the Adventurers Guild saying things like 'my father's authority—' before.

I had imagined their fathers to be somewhat high-ranking.

But why would a nobleman's daughter choose such a dangerous job as an adventurer?

"There are... various complicated reasons."

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

I hurriedly apologized to Alice, whose expression had suddenly turned dark.

"Thank you for your concern, Haruto-san."

Alice smiled.

"Oh, right. How about we go scout the guild headquarters now? It would be a disaster if you got lost and were late on exam day."

"Good point, since it's the exam venue."

I nodded.

"Then I'll guide you!"

"Thanks, that helps."

"We're rooting for you!"

Alice's smile was warm and encouraging.

"Let's go, Haruto-san."

We left the inn and started walking down the main street.