Daskar climbed onto the platform prepared in front of the stage.
Though it was called a platform, it was by no means a simple wooden crate hauled over from some nearby shop.
Since Daskar would be standing on it, it was naturally built to an appropriate standard.
Moreover, it served a dual purpose: a ceremony to announce Rei's successful Promotion Exam, and a venue for publicly displaying the Crystal Dragon corpse that Rei had defeated.
It was a fairly large platform with plenty of room to stand.
...And since Rei would be standing alongside Daskar, that was only natural.
"Now then, everyone. Thank you for gathering despite your busy schedules. ...Though I imagine many of you are wondering why I am standing here."
Daskar's voice rang out across the area as he stood on the platform.
The number of people gathered had already reached the hundreds by now—no, it wouldn't be strange if it exceeded a thousand.
And yet, without relying on any kind of Magic Item, Daskar projected his voice so that it reached the ears of everyone assembled.
The crowd around the stage—no, they had already become an audience—listened attentively to Daskar's words.
Even among them, a few individuals were making suspicious movements, but Egg's subordinates were already casually stationed nearby.
Though they were Egg's subordinates, they were not particularly skilled fighters.
Their primary role was to blend in among the general public, so those making suspicious movements paid them no special heed.
Even so, a handful of the suspicious individuals did show vigilance—a clear sign that those particular ones were competent.
"Some of you may already know, but Rei, a B-Rank Adventurer bearing the alias of Crimson, was granted a special exemption to take the Promotion Exam based on his track record of completed requests. ...However, this exemption by no means signified an easier exam. As many of you are aware, it is an extremely dangerous test requiring a two-night, three-day stay in the Forest of Magic and the slaying of at least two A-Rank Monsters."
Just how dangerous this Promotion Exam was—many could understand precisely because this was Gilm, home to a large number of adventurers.
Even those who were not adventurers but lived in Gilm would not find it strange to have heard at least something about the Forest of Magic.
Since most of those people were ordinary citizens, they couldn't grasp specifically how dangerous the Forest of Magic was, but they at least understood that it was a dangerous place.
"And... Rei has successfully passed that exam!"
"Oooooooooh!"
Surprised voices rose from the audience at Daskar's words.
Since Rei had already returned to Gilm and the festival preparations had been underway to coincide with his return, many had already guessed that Rei had passed the Promotion Exam.
...However, among them, a small number who had bet on Rei's failure—and who, even in this situation, had not given up on winning their wagers—let out frustrated groans upon hearing Daskar announce Rei's success.
"Now, allow me to introduce him. As of today, an A-Rank Adventurer—Crimson Rei!"
"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Prompted by Daskar's words, Rei climbed onto the platform alongside Worker.
From a short distance away, Marina watched Rei with a smile... and once on the platform, Rei spotted Vihera among the audience, and in a spot slightly set apart from the spectators, he found a familiar carriage.
Vihera was one thing, but for a moment Rei even wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him—yet given that it was a first-class Magic Item, and the horse pulling it was visibly well-trained with an almost imposing presence... there was only one carriage like that: Elena's.
Above all, seeing Ara sitting on the coachman's seat made it unmistakable.
If that was the case, then Byune was undoubtedly somewhere beside Vihera.
In other words, all of Rei's companions had come to watch this ceremony.
That made Rei happy, but at the same time, he felt a slight flush of embarrassment.
Even so, he had no intention of letting that happiness or embarrassment show on his face right now.
Beside Rei, who stood on the platform, Worker spoke.
"Some of you may know me already, but I am Worker, serving as the Guild Master of Gilm. And in the name of the Guild Master, I hereby declare that Rei has passed his Promotion Exam and become an A-Rank Adventurer."
"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
At Worker's declaration, the audience erupted in cheers once more.
Daskar's words had already been a significant shock, but this was a direct declaration from the Guild Master himself.
...Normally speaking, a lord held higher status than a Guild Master.
However, in this case, it was Rei—a Guild-affiliated adventurer—who had been promoted, so having the Guild Master make the declaration was more than enough to drive home to the audience that Rei had indeed been promoted.
"Now then, let us... hear a few words from Rei, shall we?"
Eh? Rei's face showed surprise at Worker's words.
According to the original plan, there was never any mention of him giving a speech.
And yet, Worker showed no hesitation whatsoever in asking Rei to say a few words—in other words, to give a greeting.
For Rei, this was a completely unexpected turn of events.
(I'd say the Crystal Dragon corpse alone is surprise enough...)
Even so, since a ceremony was being held to declare his promotion to A-Rank Adventurer, it wasn't unreasonable for Worker to ask him to give a greeting.
That said, Rei was by no means good at speeches on occasions like this.
He hesitated over what to say... and decided that something off the cuff would be fine.
"I'm Rei, as of today an A-Rank Adventurer. Many of you probably already know me, but I operate out of Gilm as my base. Because of that, I have a strong attachment to this place. Gilm is an extremely comfortable place for me to live, too. I'll continue working as an adventurer here in Gilm, so I'd appreciate your warm support."
Since he hadn't prepared any particular words for a speech, what came out of Rei's mouth was improvised on the spot.
But precisely because it was improvised, it carried Rei's honest feelings without a doubt.
For Rei, it was somewhat embarrassing... but at his words, the audience began to clap one by one, and soon that number grew at an accelerating pace.
Most of this audience were residents of Gilm.
Or rather, many had come seeking work during the Expansion Construction, but even for those people, Rei's words were apparently moving enough.
"Thank you. That was a wonderful speech that expressed Rei's feelings honestly."
So saying, Worker held something out toward Rei.
Rei took it, wondering what it was... and upon realizing it was a Guild Card, he nodded in acceptance.
This was no ordinary Guild Card.
A Guild Card for an A-Rank Adventurer.
Up until now, he would hand in his current Guild Card at the Guild and receive the next rank's card as a renewal.
But an A-Rank Adventurer's Guild Card was naturally different from those of B-Rank and below.
"I'll collect your B-Rank Guild Card later."
He said those words quietly enough that only Rei could hear.
Rei had no objection, so he simply nodded.
"Now then... I believe we've covered enough regarding Rei's promotion. Let us move on to the next topic."
Daskar had been watching the exchange between Worker and Rei, and once it reached a lull, he spoke again.
"Many of you are probably also curious about the stage behind me... and whatever it is that is covering it."
With Daskar's new announcement, the audience's gazes shifted to whatever lay behind him.
Thanks to Marina's Spirit Magic, the Crystal Dragon corpse displayed on the stage was hidden from view.
Naturally, many in the audience had been eyeing the stage behind Daskar and the others with deep interest.
However, given the situation, most had initially focused their curiosity on Rei's promotion... so now that Daskar was explicitly drawing attention to it again, it was only natural that more and more people grew curious about what lay behind him.
Daskar was undoubtedly aware of this when he chose to say those words.
"Rei has slain many monsters in the Forest of Magic. But... even if I say so now, there are likely some who cannot take it at face value."
Listening to this, Rei wore a subtle expression.
He felt something slightly off about the fact that Daskar, who normally used the first-person pronoun ore, was now using watashi.
Of course, it was only natural when speaking before a crowd, but knowing how Daskar usually carried himself, Rei couldn't help but feel a sense of incongruity.
Then again, it seemed Rei was the only one who felt that way. Worker listened to Daskar's words without any change in his expression.
"Therefore, on this stage rests the corpse of but one of the monsters Rei defeated in the Forest of Magic. Seeing this... and knowing that Rei slew this monster—there should be no one left doubting that Rei possesses the befitting strength of an A-Rank Adventurer."
At Daskar's declaration—no, his assertion—the crowd's expectations swelled.
If Daskar was going this far, what kind of monster corpse could possibly be on that stage?
Under those expectant gazes, Daskar continued.
"However, I must warn you. The corpse on this stage carries an overwhelming presence. Those of faint heart may choose to leave now without viewing it, and no one here will hold it against you."
What came from Daskar's mouth was a kind of warning.
But it was simultaneously something that fanned the audience's anticipation.
Living in Gilm as they did, most people would not be easily startled by the sights they encountered.
Lord Daskar surely knew that as a matter of course.
And yet, he chose to say such things anyway.
It was essentially the same as telling them that something extraordinary awaited.
Because of that, not a single person left after hearing Daskar's words.
The fact that Rei's promotion had just been publicly announced, lifting everyone's spirits, probably played a part as well.
Unless you were an adventurer yourself, it was not so easy to know who was an A-Rank Adventurer.
But since Daskar and Worker had just publicly presented Rei, he was without a doubt an A-Rank Adventurer.
...Though in Rei's case, the matter of his Promotion Exam had already spread quite widely, so it was somewhat old news.
Even so, the residents of Gilm had a fairly long and deep relationship with Rei.
In particular, Rei frequented eateries and stalls regularly, and he also made bulk purchases at various other shops, so he was widely known in that sense as well.
Or perhaps he was famous as the owner of Seto, who had become something of a Gilm mascot.
Seeing that no one was leaving, Daskar put on a show of astonishment. ...Naturally, it was an act.
"Well, this is a surprise. I never expected everyone to remain. But understand this—I have already issued my warning. By choosing to stay here knowing that, whatever happens is your own responsibility. ...Are you certain you accept that? I will say it once more: if you consider yourself faint of heart, you would be better off leaving."
Daskar announced this once more, and upon confirming that still no one was leaving, he gave a firm nod.
"Then watch carefully, and see to it that you have no regrets!"
So saying, Daskar waved his hand dramatically and directed his gaze toward Marina.
Receiving that signal, Marina dispelled whatever had been covering the stage with Spirit Magic.
Had Marina not released the Spirit Magic at that point, Daskar would have been made a fool of... but Marina didn't particularly dislike Daskar, so she had no intention of doing such a thing.
And so, the stage was revealed... and what lay there was the corpse of the Crystal Dragon.
Nor was it simply a corpse placed on display. Through Marina's Spirit Magic, even the severed parts appeared firmly attached, radiating a sense of dynamism.
It was a sight so striking that everyone could be forgiven for thinking the Crystal Dragon's corpse might start moving at any moment.
In fact, several audience members were about to scream upon seeing it... but as if to cut them off, Daskar spoke.
"What Rei slew in the Forest of Magic—an S-Rank Monster, the Crystal Dragon! A new species of Dragon never before discovered!"
At Daskar's words, those about to scream instinctively fell silent... and in the next moment, cheers erupted from the audience—cheers so thunderous they seemed capable of echoing not just across the surrounding area, but through all of Gilm.