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Chapter 321 Part 2

The knight hangar of the merchant guild that located near the east gate of the royal capital.
There, I was enjoying afternoon tea with the Herbivore mechanic. The current topic of our conversation was the upcoming regular practical exam at the pilot school.

「And she said she managed to stay in the advanced class.」

I’m so glad when I hear that. The slender young man with a thin frame smiled happily.
The red-haired, freckled girl from a lower-class brothel who was the favorite of Herbivore mechanic. She, too, was attending pilot school on my recommendation.

(For now, it’s certain that she can take the exam. Corneal-san said so.)

Corneal and I watched the golem horse race on the second-floor balcony of Catherbell’s recently.
After the race, I had a chance to get whipped as a horse myself, and afterward, we had a review meeting while having dinner at a nearby food stall.
And this was one of our topics of conversation.

(I heard she wasn’t performing well for a while, but managed to rise in the ranks. I guess Herbivore mechanic’s advice must have worked.)

Apparently, she became quite strong and had a consistent record of above-average results in the advanced class.
So I was not worried at all and told Herbivore mechanic as much. However, the man who was in love with her was different, and he couldn’t help but worry.

「Last night, I was given a lot of services as a thank you for the advice. Now I’m exhausted as a result.」

That’s hard to believe from his dazzling smile that is full of energy. Well, I’m glad to see him happy.

「You’re going to see her today too, right?」

I looked around and asked him. From the look of the hangar, there was no time-consuming work left to be done.
He is a good worker, so he must have made a schedule so that he didn’t have to work overtime.

「Yes, she said she couldn’t feel at ease until the exam. She told me to come every day.」

He shrugs his shoulders as if troubled by it, but his expression and voice betray him. The Herbivore mechanic must be eager to spend time together with her.
It’s very different from the days when he worked seventy-two consecutive hours with dark circles under his eyes.

(The tournament is available to watch for the public on the second day, isn’t it? I want to invite him.)

The first day of the exam will be a group league and will not be open to the public. If it is the same as mine, the number of participants will be reduced from 32 to half.
The next day, there will be a tournament for 16 players in front of the spectators. If you place in the top four here, you will be able to participate in the Kingdom knight order training.
The problem here was that although the event on the second day was open to the public, the spectators were all invited guests. And the merchant guild also gets only two seats.

(Maybe I’ll ask the guild master to add one more person.)

I think of the small old man who looks like a goblin and slightly nodded my head. By the way, I have no intention of giving up my seat.
Although I am the only member, I’m still the knight commander of the Merchant Guild Knights.
With a surplus of C-class Knights and a need to hire a new pilot, it would be impossible for the guild master to not be present there to assess the pilot.
And more than anything else, I would like to see Cool-san and Light Cruiser-sensei in their pilot uniforms.

(Still, the guild master was very bold to add more Knights. Well, there are indeed many jobs that can be done with C-class Knights, but…)

I think about what I was told the other day.
Maybe it’s because of the World Tree on fire, but recently the magic beasts have been restless. If there is a C-class Knight, I can leave the smaller monsters to them and defeat the medium or large ones.

(Because I’m going to leave for an extended period, we need to make sure we pick someone we can trust to take care of the job while I’m gone.)

After I had finished the rest of my coffee, I said goodbye and got up from my seat.
I then started walking westward along the main street leading to the shopping district toward the merchant guild that stood in the central plaza.

「Sure, you can both go there.」

In an instant, the place changed, and here I was in the office on the third floor of the merchant guild.
When I entered, the guild master was buried in his oversized chair, running a quill over papers on his desk.

「He should have better eyes to judge their abilities than me or the vice-guild master. Go observe the match carefully and pick out the best ones.」

By him, he must have meant Herbivore mechanic. The request was easily granted.
Then Goblin Jii-chan continued, 『If it’s possible, I’d like beauty around 50 years old』, but we can ignore this.

(I didn’t think he would give up his seat.)

And here I thought he would increase the representative to three people or reject my request entirely.
There’s no way this old goblin with good ears wouldn’t know Light Cruiser-sensei and Cool-san are going to be on the exam.

(It’s a chance to see the glorious thighs wrapped in a tight mini skirt, we’re talking about here.)

Moreover, they sit in the simulation cockpit set up on the floor and fight in visual synchronization with miniature Knights. The defense of what lies inside the skirt is inevitably lax.

『Unintended Panties Show in a public place.』

This is a chance that would be a shame to miss out on.
It’s a different experience from simply getting naked and feeling each other’s skin in the brothel.

(I guess he must be so busy that he had to miss out on this opportunity.)

It is easy to forget that he is the guild master of the merchant guild in one of the largest countries, the Kingdom.
It would be unwise to poke around in the bushes and have him withdraw his permission. I should thank him without saying anything unnecessary.

「Thank you very much. In the name of Dr. Slime, I’ll be sure to pick the right people!」

The little old man reacted when I said my nickname. He raises his eyes, which had dropped to his papers.

「Since you mention your name as Dr. Slime, does that mean there’s a possibility you’ll pick gurun gurun?」

「Yes, actually, gurun gurun is one of the candidates.」

He must’ve meant Cool-san, who specializes in rotational moves. He knew she was going to compete. as I thought.
With a smile on the edge of his mouth, the guild master asked again.

「Then, the Guillotine too?」

「But of course! That technique really got me. If you don’t have a firm grip on the reins of your consciousness, it would feel as if your soul is going to fly away.」

This one I can say for sure he’s referring to Light Cruiser-sensei.

(As expected of him, I guess. To think that he even knew her special move.)

The web of information in the merchant guild is wider than I had expected, and apparently, they have a very discerning eye.
The goblin-like old man’s grin turned into a full smile, then his expression changed as he continued.

「I know you’re close with both of them. But please do not force them to join us.」

I heard him, but what he meant by 『Forcing』? I honestly don’t know what he meant.
I made a puzzled expression, thinking that was a strange thing to say. Seeing this, the guild master folded his hands in front of his face and continued.

「From what I’ve heard, both of them are quite skillful. They also have good character, so if they come, we will be overjoyed to welcome them with open arms.」

What is the problem, then?
As I silently urged him to continue, the old man narrowed his eyes and began to speak in a low tone.

「However, I don’t think someone with their capabilities would be appropriate for C-class Knights. I don’t want to put pressure on the path they’re choosing to take.」

In other words, he is concerned about wasting their talents by coming to the merchant guild because of their connection to me.
Certainly, in the merchant guild, the only Knight above C-class is the Old Lady. Not only that, it has an unfriendly specification with zero assistance support since they have removed most of the auxiliary magic circle in it to make it more user-friendly for me.

「Well, that said, a woman’s heart is a complicated thing. They might get offended if you didn’t ask them at all.」

“Good luck with that matter”, he said, but I don’t have such advanced skills.
Finally understanding what he meant, I nodded my head several times. But the real shock came after that.

「They might even say that they choose not to be a pilot even after passing the exam. However, that is fine too.」

“Of course, I do think that it would be a shame”, Goblin Jii-chan added.
What a surprise, the old man had even seen that such a possibility was not unlikely. I was speechless because I thought I was the only one who thought of this possibility, and I only turned my wide eyes to the guild master.

(What an insight. It’s so hard to believe he’s the same person.)

That is how high the social status of pilots is in this world.
In my previous life, it would have been like saying, 『I qualified as a doctor, but I choose not to become one』. If I had a relative like that, I would have said, 『What a waste』.

(Cool-san and I have been working together as boss and subordinate of 『Doom Squad』.)

And with Light Cruiser-sensei, through 『 100-day shrine visit. 10.000 times gratitude.』, I’ve visited her so much now that when our body touches, we both will melt and won’t be able to tell the boundary of our skin.

(I thought I understood these girls better than most.)

I was feeling a little proud and superior. But when I looked to the side, I saw Goblin Jii-chan standing there.
It was natural that I was surprised.

「….I will do that. Thank you very much.」

I bowed deeply from the bottom of my heart and the guild master who plastered a satisfied smile on his face, turned his attention back to the documents again.