After a thorough half-hour examination, Dr. Chuck found nothing unusual with Midir. He ultimately concluded that Midir was not only healthy but actually stronger than an average person. The sudden fainting appeared to be nothing more than a rare incident triggered by some form of stimulus.
Rosal and Blake finally breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the results, seeing the little old man off with smiles on their faces.
Midir himself didn't have much of a reaction. In a sense, he actually hoped to be stimulated by something again so he could re-enter that consciousness space.
By the time they were ready to leave the room, Aila was already waiting for them outside. Her demeanor had returned to its usual cheerful and lighthearted state; it seemed she had managed to adjust her mood.
As the four of them left the Adventurers Guild together, night had already quietly fallen.
Blake originally intended to take everyone to a random restaurant for a meal to celebrate, but he was decisively rejected by the two girls.
Rosal stated that after seeing the battle between Aila and Midir today, she realized she still had a long way to go. She felt there was no need for him to spend money just because of an Intermediate Swordsman evaluation; a simple meal back home would suffice.
Aila, on the other hand, pointed at Midir, who was walking at the front, and said quite bluntly.
“He lost to me today and promised to cook for a month. It’d be a waste not to eat his food! Midir, you’re not going to back out, are you?” She then caught up and walked beside him to ask.
“Back out? Do you mean the cooking bet? I’m not that petty. Although that Soul Impact at the end was a bit of a trick, a loss is a loss. I’ll admit it.”
Midir glanced at Aila beside him and spoke calmly.
“Um... Mr. Midir, could you tell us why you suddenly wanted to spar with Miss Aila today? Also, that was under restricted conditions just now. If it were a real battle, what do you think the result would be?” Blake suddenly asked out of curiosity.
“Watching the two of you train these past few days gave me a feeling. I thought I should be able to borrow some of your swordsman combat methods and integrate them into my own style to minimize my weaknesses.”
“As for what would happen if the restrictions were removed for a life-or-death duel... it would probably be nine to one.”
Midir glanced at the smiling Aila and added, “Me nine, her one. And that’s assuming she masters that gold War God Battle Qi; then she might have a ten percent chance of winning.”
“Midir!! Would it kill you to be a little modest?! You clearly lost just now! How can you talk like you were the winner?”
Upon hearing the man’s answer, the smile on Aila’s face suddenly froze, and she shouted out in protest.
“I’m just stating facts. You saw that when you used Soul Impact on me again later, I didn't feel a thing.”
Midir’s matter-of-fact response made Aila stomp her feet in frustration, and Rosal’s quiet reminder from the side only added to her annoyance.
“Sister Aila, you have to remember that Mr. Midir is a mage! If it were outdoors without restrictions, it might not be so easy for you to get close to him, right?”
“Great! Even you’re taking his side! You know I still have plenty of moves I haven't used! Whatever, I’m the winner today anyway! It doesn't matter what you guys say!” Aila pouted and turned her head away in a huff.
“Ah, I completely forgot to register my swordsman qualification at the guild just now!”
Only then did Rosal suddenly remember that she hadn't gone to register the badge she had just received.
“How much will that badge increase your adventurer rank?” Midir asked, looking at the small sword-shaped badge in her hand.
“I’m not sure... I’m still Grade 2 right now... this... after getting the Intermediate Swordsman rank, it should bump me up to Grade 3? Other benefits aside, at least the number of available commissions will increase significantly. I won't have to spend every day dealing with those smelly rats and bugs anymore.” Rosal thought for a moment with her head tilted.
“Is that so? Then maybe I should go take a qualification test or something? My current Grade 1 Adventurer status is rather inconvenient.” Midir rubbed his chin and murmured.
“Mr. Midir hasn't been certified by the Magic Association yet?” Blake seemed very surprised to hear Midir’s quiet self-talk.
In this world, not everyone wanted to be an adventurer. Many people with high-level professional certifications didn't necessarily go to the Adventurers Guild to register.
People like Blake, the son of a Duke who lived without worries, were examples of this. But someone like Midir, who possessed extraordinary strength yet hadn't gone for a professional evaluation, was rare indeed.
“I’m not entirely sure. Didn't I tell you I have amnesia? I always felt like it didn't matter whether I did the evaluation or not since it didn't have any real impact, so I never asked about it.” Midir didn't voice his previous concerns, giving Blake a different explanation instead.
“Then do you want to go check out the Magic Association? Do you need me to pull some strings and introduce you?”
Aila still looked puffed up with annoyance, but the irritability was gone from her tone, making her look quite cute.
“Pull strings? Forget it. I don't need a particularly high rank anyway. And judging by Rosal’s evaluation today, passing an intermediate or high-level test should be simple enough.”
The group chatted about various things as they made their way back to the small villa that now belonged to Rosal.
Even though the young girl said she didn't need a celebration, Aila still insisted that Midir provide a sumptuous dinner as a celebratory feast.
With Blake around to act as an errand boy, the villa was well-stocked with ingredients, making it more than easy to prepare a simple celebration.
After a bit of effort, amidst the aroma filling the house, everyone enjoyed a pleasant dinner. At the end, Midir even came up with a creative idea to make a giant pudding ice cream using ice elements. Aila and Blake used various sauces to decorate it with a portrait of Rosal and her Thunderwing, moving the girl so much that she was almost in tears.
This was the first time Rosal had been so happy since her family passed away. Looking at Midir busy nearby, she felt an immense sense of security and whispered in her heart.
“It’s only because I met him that my life has changed so much. I must repay Mr. Midir properly in the future. And Sister Aila, too... well... I guess I’ll count Mr. Blake as well.”
Since Midir had decided to visit the Magic Association the next day, Aila and Blake said their goodbyes and left early after dinner so he could get some rest.
After seeing the two off, Midir returned to his room early. He took a detailed map of the continent from his storage space and spread it out on the table, beginning to plan.
“I should plan a trip to these two places I learned about from Aila today.”
“Whether it’s that intense sense of calling or that altar that shouldn't exist beneath the Tree of Life, there seem to be reasons why I must go there.”
Unlike the first time, the scenery he saw in the consciousness space this time was clearly more directional and specific. Moreover, they were iconic landmarks of the continent; Aila was unlikely to have misidentified them.
Judging by the markings on the map, the location of Crown Peak wasn't as far as he had imagined. It was situated right in the center of the Valley of Ice, a few thousand kilometers west of the Royal Capital—about the same distance as the journey from Tucker Village to the capital.
However, the Sing-Song Forest where the elves lived was much further away, located at the far southwestern corner of the vast continent. If an ordinary person were to set out from Lionheart City, it would take at least several months to cross the entire continent and reach the edge of the forest.
Reaching and exploring both locations would be no easy task even for Midir. After all, the Valley of Ice surrounding Crown Peak alone covered over a million square kilometers; searching through it bit by bit would take a significant amount of time.
“It looks like I’ll need to prepare well during this month. And since winter is approaching, I’m sure the journey won't be easy.”
Looking at the leaves already turning yellow on the trees along the street outside the window, Midir took a deep breath and put the map back into his space.
Rate on N.U.
