The next day came upon them, and Kuroki and his party were just arriving at the guild. Since it was still early in the day, only about one or two people were drinking, but they didn't look drunk yet. Ozlo still look dissatisfied however, as he occasionally glared at them from the counter. From what Kuroki saw, shivers went down their spines each time, and it almost looked like it kept sobering them up.

Most adventurers had already taken requests and headed out for the day, so anyone left was either taking the day off, preparing for a quest, or some other reason Kuroki couldn't imagine. However, there was something that caught his eye in the corner. There was one person looking after a group of young kids, younger then any of them including Ryuu. The oldest might be five or even six, but on average they appeared to be between 0-4 year olds. A few adventurers were looking out for them as well, and unlike the ones drinking, they looked totally sober and committed.

In fact, they occasionally glared at the drinking group as well. It wasn't quite tense, but it was certainly a wary look.

Since it was otherwise sparse and not really filled, Kuroki was able to walk up to Ozlo's desk immediately.

"What is with the kids?"

"Ah, we lost our temporary daycare place, so we had to move it back here for the time being. Hopefully we can get the room in the back finally fixed up".

"The Guild has a daycare service?"

"Of course. We dont want to lose adventurers to the tolls of parenting after all. Just like how we have diapers for new adventurers who will undoubtly soil themselves the first few times they fight monsters, especially ones that are clearly very dangerous for them, we also have services to help experienced adventurers as well as new ones. For example, we have swordsmanship training classes that some of the local schools have their students sign up for, we have banking services in case adventurers are unfortunately around family who might steal their money for more booze or drugs, we have inn referrals and we always keep a few rooms booked in case someone needs an emergency sleeping place, we have a day care so parents can continue being adventurers, and much more".

Ozlo stopped it there so he didn't keep talking on so they could get to business, but Kuroki's interest was already peaked.

"Hold on, what do you mean much more?"

"Well, as you know, to keep your adventurer's card, you need to do a certain number of quests minimum or you risk demotion or it being revoked entirely. That said, if you get some sort of terrible disease or get petrified into a statue or such, naturally such matters would be taken into account".

"...so Anna is still an active member of the guild?"

"Yep. Rank B, but she was close to making A-Rank. Skill wasn't an issue, but we do need proper quest completion, and trap quests sadly do not count. I should note the higher your rank, the longer you have until the deadline, and the more flexible the guild will be with your circumstances. To help us keep and encourage the higher ranked adventurers. We don't have the budget to give everyone every service right from the start, and do keep in mind some of these services may still end up with you having to pay something".

"Right. What about these classes?"

"We have classes on camping, classes on how to safely take a bath in the wilds, classes on how to cook monster meat, classes on how to use weapons, classes to help people get used to the smell of dead bodies, classes to help teach basic reading and writing and math skills, classes on party tactics, classes on monsterology, and more".

"Huh, that is a lot".

"Of course. The Adventurer's Guild exists to help support and unite all Adventurers. We aren't just a middleman for monster materials and requests. We aren't like the various divided mercenary groups. People keep coming to us because the more they rank up with us, the more services we can give them. Adventurers get support, nobles get to be able to choose skilled adventurers based on their rank and how much they are willing to pay, and the guild gets to ensure that not only can our friends and family live in a world that gets safer by the day, but we even get paid and make more money the more successful we are. Some might claim that is monetizing good deeds, but tell me, is there anything better then paying people for those good deeds? For giving money to those who work hard every day and help keep people safe? No! It is something that should naturally happen, in fact our budget should be increased, and we should be paid more! More support, more services as well!"

"Erm, Ozlo, your true feelings are leaking out again" Kuroki mentioned.

Ozlo paused for a moment, and quickly gathered himself.

"Sorry about that...we have had a few budget meetings lately with headquarters, and they actually wanted to slash our budgets during this crisis! With a Demon King reawakened no less! What the hell are those idiots thinking?!"

Ozlo kicked his legs and seethed, his anger boiling over once more.

"They even wanted to cut some of our student loan forgiveness programs for promising young adventurers! That program helped me so much since my family needed to use a lot of money to retrain a lot of knights after a recent scandal! And I was on Scholarship to begin with! And if it was important for me, imagine how many others its absolutely vital for? What if they have to skimp out on armor and potions?! No, I won't let this slide. I will find out where they are trying to move that money. I am sure its some sort of embezzlement or money laundering or whatnot. Maybe even someone forcing them to hand over money, or maybe the coffers got stolen and they don't want to risk reporting it and having a loss of faith in them. Whatever stupid reason, I will dig it up and expose it!"

Kuroki went wide eyed. "Wow, even Valiance didn't piss you off this much".

"Well yeah, with Valiance, I was able to show him up and humiliate him in front of everyone there. It was straightforward. But do you know how much paperwork hell these budget issues create? Especially when investigating them? There are tens of thousands of documents to go through, tens of thousands! Waaaah! You know what, I should go find the nearest Demon Stronghold and raid it, and then sell everything off to make the budget. Yeah, that could work".

Ozlo began to get a dangerous look in his eye, when suddenly he got chopped on the head by a woman. No one noticed she had even walked up behind Ozlo, let alone delivered a chop to his head. Ozlo yelped in pain as he rubbed it, turning around to see who it was. She was wearing some sort of sleeved cloak jacket, and she was quite tall. She was over two meters tall easily, and looked like she could even be two whole Kurokis tall. She had two swords on her waist, a shortspear on her back, and she had two small hammers attached to her belt and hanging off. She also had pointed ears, revealing she was an Elf. Most Elves were shorter then humans on average though, with only rare exceptions. High Elves.

"Its rare for you to act up Ozlo, although I will admit as helpful as you are, it is refreshing to see you act your age".

"Sorry, VG. This budget bullshit is trying..."

"Didn't those Starfallen your grandfather have specialize in this stuff? Why not use them to help you?"

"Because they don't know our financial laws or norms yet. They are still getting used to our currency. Once they do, they will be a great help, but gramps probably plans to use them for his Knightly Order so he isn't stuck doing paperwork as much".

"Ah, I see. Well I am sure he will lend them to you sometimes when they are ready. In the meantime, send me a summary of the situation so far. Once I get back from this exam, I will look into it and help as well".

"Thanks. Can you make sure the E-Rank Exams get smoothed along?"

"I am not sure things will go so easily, but I will try my best. They offloaded quite a troublesome adventurer onto us".

Ozlo groaned. "Who is it? They had to send someone qualified after all. Wait, please don't tell me its Maysel. Please please. I don't have the time or patience to deal with...that individual".

"That individual?" Kuroki asked.

"Ozlo is pretty good and tolerant with almost everything, and respects peoples wishes and identity when it comes to who they are, who they desire to be, who they are interested in, all that. Except perhaps...when the person they are romantically interested in is him".

"Even then its normally fine, I do know how to deal with that to some extent. But he...she...is extra hard to deal with".

"Wait, is this person a boy or a girl?" Kuroki asked.

"Depends" was both of their responses.

"Now, that is fine and all on its own, no issues with that, swapping between genders on a whim is fine...but they are also incredibly affectionate with like, everyone. Furthermore, they can decide that someone is a love interest for them regardless of gender, age, race, height, weight...now all that is good and all. Just keep in mind its quite literally regardless all the way. Also regardless of the interest of the other person, even if they are totally non-interested, and regardless of ettiquette or if they have crushes on others. No, sometimes, Maysel might pursue them both. The only ones he...she...leaves alone are married couples and engaged couples. Apparently thats the sole strike zone there. Also they aren't a stalker, but they are annoying observant and pushy. Also, Maysel is a good two decades older then me, although she is a Half Dwarf supposedly..."

"She is indeed a half dwarf, known for having lifespans three times as long as humans at least. However, she is also taller than me" the female elf added.

"And she is really touchy feeling obsessive. What is worse is that he goes way too far without realizing it, somehow. Completely oblivious to social norms. And when they are interested in someone, its even moreso".

"The person has no boundaries" the elf added.

"Uhg, the fact she is coming is terrifying. That was one big reason I didn't remain in the capital".

"Oh, sorry, I should have mentioned this sooner. It's not Maysel".

Ozlo twitched a bit, giving her a look. "You should have told me that sooner!"

"Sorry, sorry".

"Umm, Ozlo, who is she by the way?" Kuroki finally asked.

"Ah, right, you haven't met you. This is our Vice Guildmaster, Venessia Thorn".

"I am also Ozlo's future wife" she teased.

The group seemed shocked by this revelation.

"Wait wait, really?!"

"No way, Ozlo has a fiancé?!"

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"Congrats!"

"Eh? Seriously? At fourteen?!"

Ozlo let out a sigh. a minor blush on his face. "You shouldn't confuse them like that with that old joke".

"Sorry sorry, it was so adorable I doubt I would ever forget. We aren't actually engaged, at least not yet considering noble politics could still have us get engaged".

"I wish you would just forget it. I was four years old you know?"

"But the way you just walked up to me and cooly proposed moved my heart you know? The fact that you just went 'Those guys are bothering you right? They will keep hassling a beautiful rose like you. I have been told ill eventually need to marry as well, so lets get engaged so no one will bother us about this again. I would love to have someone as wonderous as you anyways'. He even had a ring and everything, as well as a bushel of roses".

"...that was ten years ago, I didn't really know any better at the time".

Kuroki blinked. "No no, hold on, that seems like you were way more aware then a normal four-year-old. And what the hell was with those lines?"

"Ah, don't forget, it was a four year old that delivered them".

"Yeah, that's the part that seems the most implausible!"

"Even for Ozlo?"

Kuroki pondered Vanessia's words. "Actually, no, that sounds very on brand for a young Ozlo".

"Right right! Besides, I wouldn't mind it if its him. He is an actual hard working fellow who is cute, isn't a pervert, is very loyal, and has a good moral compass. Probably why since he was four, he has gotten marriage requests from noble women of all ages".

Ozlo burried his head in his paperwork and moaned. "Yet another reason I left the capital".

"Wait, when you say marriage requests, you mean with their daughters".

"No. There were those as well, but not just those. Plenty of widowers as well. And a few grandmothers".

Kuroki looked at Ozlo with sympathy. He understood the pain of getting hassled by a lot of people, even if the way they suffered was different in this situation.

"Well, in terms of grandmothers, they probably just wanted another grandson as well as connections to be fair" Venessia said. "After all, generally you want one to be of child bearing age to produce heirs and all that. And by having the bloodline of a great mage like Ozlo, who is the grandson of Riza, who is basically a legendary hero, would increase honors tremendously. Any connection, any excuse to put you in their family tree, will be taken advantage of completely".

"Oh gods, please no. I have no issue with large age gaps if there is true love, but for a political marriage? Spare me. In fact, spare me from them in general. Can we please move on?"

"Very well. It's a pleasure to finally meat you, Silver Storm. I have heard quite a bit about you".

"Ah, its nice to meet you as well!"

"A-ah, yes its very nice to meet you!"

"A pleasure to meet you!"

"Very nicsh to meesh you!"

Everyone in a fluster. Everyone, including Kaede, found the woman incredibly beautiful, but also something about her height and just her very nature caused them to revert momentairily to total formality. They bowed when they greeted her, and their words were about as polite and formal as one could expect from kids. Well, Ryuu bit his tongue accidentally which made his words come out strange, but that's besides the point.

Even Valiance with Compliance didn't ellicit this, it was just something natural that happened. Something about the elf seemed to have invoked this when they actually tried to speak with her, even if they held more respect for Ozlo due to how much they have seen him work so far. Ozlo even gave a slightly confused, slightly bemused look.

"I suppose its good you have improved manners a bit, but...I am feeling a bit hurt here you know?"

"Its probably because you still have a childish streak like your grandfather".

"I am way more mature then him!"

"Not with the way you run your mouth when you start complaining".

Ozlo didn't fire back, a sign that it was usually right. Indeed, although he held it in to avoid voicing such complaints when it would be problematic, he absolutely would let loose the moment the nobles or the administration were gone. He didn't even say anything particularly venomous, but all the same, the fire he had when he spoke of it was...notable.

Course, such a trait made him very well liked among adventurers who wished to voice similar complaints when unreasonable people asked for unreasonable things.

"Now then, Vanessia, who is actually the protctor for the exam?"

"Gavic Fisto".

Ozlo moaned audibly.

"Why!? Why does everyone hate me?!"

"Who is this Gavic, and why does Ozlo dislike him?" Kuroki asked.

"Because Gavic is the one that got away".

"No way, Ozlo confessed to this person?!"

"Ahh, I meant that litterally. He was believed to be heavily connected to the Dark Side of the Adventurer's guild here in this town. Ozlo was never able to find the proof for him specifically, but there was just enough that Ozlo more or less ran him out of town. Rumor has it he is the type of adventurer that gives others a bad name. He is greedy, petty, and is willing to do just about anything for a bribe. At least, according to Ozlo".

Ozlo had a dark aura around him as they turned to look at him. He was chuckling a bit as well.

"So he wants to go round two huh? Fine then, he wants to play? Lets play".

"Ah right, so, just letting you know now, Ozlo can hold a grudge for basically ever. At least if its serious enough. He wont hold them over everything".

"That is...very good to know".

"He has a lot more spite then one would expect".

"I feel like that might just be a side effect of being overworked".

"Woah! A real, visible dark aura!"

Kuroki, Riku, Kaede, and Ryuu all had their various reactions to this situation.

"So, I take it this person is a problem?"

"He is a B-Ranked adventurer who dishonors all adventurers, especially B-Ranked adventurers, just by breathing".

Vanessia then interjected. "There is no actual evidence he ever did anything wrong or bad though, to be clear. No indications he worked with slavers, sold out adventurers, assisted in the drug trade, murdered men and women, beat up shopkeeps, extorted merchants, and illegally stole the gains of other adventurers to rank up. Ozlo needs to avoid him too, considering what you did to his guildcard and how you got in trouble for it".

"Worth it" Ozlo nodded.

"What did Ozlo do?"

"Put 'Unproven Criminal' and 'Fishy Villainous Guy' in the titles section of his card, in a way that is impossible to remove apparently. They still want to know how you did that".

"Not telling~"

"Anyways, needless to say, he was probably chosen since he is the one person Ozlo absolutely cant interfere with due to their prior history".

"Yeah. Its very annoying. Still, I did a little scheme of my own".

Vanessia sighed. "What did you do?"

"Oh nothing much. Just fired my own warning shot is all. Don't worry, you will very much approve of it. I cant guarentee you will enjoy it, but you will approve of it".

"I see...well, I will look forward to it. Hopefully".

She then motioned the party to the side, so that Ozlo could continue dueling with his overwhelming supply of paperwork. She took them to what appeared to be a calmer side room of the guild, which appeared to be a sort of break room. The walls were thicker, and probably soundproofed, which made this area a more relaxing place to be. That said, it was also much smaller and a bit cramped, even for four kids alone. It was clearly more of a place for individuals, so they were kind of all stuffed in there.

"Sorry about the tight space. I put up a barrier against those who would use magic to eavesdrop on us, but that wouldn't stop people from physically eavesdropping, so I figured it would be best to do this conversation in here".

"Wait, it can't do that?"

"Well, some can, but you should avoid having barriers overlapping. Putting up both would be quite risky, and frankly, there are still ways one could get around either. Very few barriers are perfect, and those that are either involve Fortress Class Devices, or are the stuff of legends and gods".

"I see. So what is it you wanted to talk about?"

"Simply put, I think there might be a plot or two within this harassment plot. Ozlo is right that Valiance wouldn't normally think that far ahead, but its clear he is working with someone. And whoever it is, is incredibly capable. Ozlo knows this as well, but...well, he is overworked enough as it is. We do need to settle some things without him. I mean, I wouldn't be much of an adult if I had to rely on a fourteen year old for everything".

"So what is it you dont want to worry Ozlo about?"

"Well, a few things. See, the other reason we need to do this on our own is because I have to assign a lot of people to Ozlo's security detail. Whoever the Devil that attacked him is, she might be involved with Valiance. Of course, if Ozlo knew I put a security detail on him, he would probably throw a fit about me wasting resources...he isn't reckless, but he does hate it when people fuss over him like this. He is...not a solo lone wolf type, but he is very independent".

"Sounds complicated".

"Well, people are complicated generally. At least, the best ones are in my opinion. So anyways, be warned we will be without backup".

"Wasn't this supposed to be a normal E-Rank up exam?"

"Yes. Hopefully, that is all you will have to deal with. Just try and leave the complicated stuff to me, and whatever this surprise Ozlo arranged is. In any case, he might make up some excuse on being tardy and dock points on you, so let's get there early".

"...did you just mom voice us there?"

The way she spoke to them at the end sounded very momlike. She blushed a bit.

"Ah, sorry. I may have spent a bit too much time with my four year old lately. Only good thing my ex-husband left me with".

"Ex-husband?"

"Yep. Been married nine times. six of them political. It's been very annoying".

"Wait wait, nine times?!"

"Yes. Three are dead, three are in prison, one is missing, one is alive but banished to another continent, and the other is a lord of a nearby city. Used to be a whole region, but turns out not only did he force a poltiical marriage on me despite the fact I am engaged to Ozlo, but he tried to use it to curry favor with people he ended up oppressing. The crown did not like this, and well, they let me divoce him, get a huge chunk of his assets, and sole custody of my child".

"You had a child with him?"

"Its stupid noble bullshit. Iv had a child with all of my exes. I mean, you have met one of my children I heard".

"Eh?"

"A blacksmith in the market district?"

The group then remembered that Elven Blacksmith. But their confusion only grew.

"Wait, he was a noble?!"

"He is your son?!"

"Wait wait what?!"

"Huh?!?!"

"Yep, that's about the reactions I expected. Most elves aren't as long lived as I am, after all. My tribe has an...abnormally longer lifespan. In any case, don't bother asking me how old I am. I quite honestly cannot remember anymore".

"I see..."

She was being cryptic, and the group didn't think she would elaborate further. They ended up thanking her politely and bowing again.

"Thanks for all your help! Please lead the way!"

"Thank you very much for the insight!"

"We appreciate your insight! We hope you will please help us further on!"

"Thank you for the help!"

"Ah...no problem".

Is it me, or when they all speak, do they always go in the order of Kuroki, Riku, Kaede, then Ryuu?

She made a strange observation while taking them to the back courtyard. It was a fairly isolated place. There were places passerbys could look in on, but it was also wedged between two buildings with a few random pillars all over the place. There was also a few half walls here and there, although they were either shorter then Kuroki's neck or Kuroki's waist even, depending on the wall, and they looked like they had actually been broken.

And as they arrived, there were two people already there, waiting for them. One of them was in shiny armor that looked like silver, but seemed more durable and was also a bit worn. The other was wearing more of what a clerk in this world might wear. Some fancy robes and garments that are meant for working in, rather then extravagent ones nobles use for parties. However, it seemed padded and protected, and weirdly enough Riku felt like the man was far more dangerous, despite the fact Kuroki could not sense a whiff of magic from the man.

The moment she saw the two Vanessia groaned in a similar fashion to Ozlo.

"What is it, Vanessia?"

"Accept it my foot. Ozlo, yeah sure this works out fine, but did you honestly need to call him of all people?"

"Wait wait, who did Ozlo bring over?"

"He brought in the most irritating, annoying person possible. Someone who diligently checks everything, isn't afraid to point it out for you, and is punctual about every single rule. He is weirdly obsessed with rules and regulations, but as a result the Kingdom loves him since he is a high ranked Adventurer who doesn't give them various legal issues and isn't some sort of a freak. Well, honestly that last statement is debatable given his obsession, but you get the idea".

"Wait wait, he is a high ranked adventurer?"

"Yes. Riku, you seem able to sense it?"

"The moment I stepped onto this field, I got the feeling I was within his guaranteed kill range, and he was at a position to guarantee a kill on me from".

Riku's senses were hightened as a beastkin, so those words were not just for show. If he felt that, then whoever it was over there was stronger then them. At the very minimum, they were B-Rank. But they might even be A-Rank like Ozlo.

It seemed the two people waiting for them were arguing however, so they just decided to listen in for now.

"I was the one assigned to this, not you!"

"But your past history with Ozlo raises some concerns about your objectivity. You are claiming Ozlo favors them too much, and yet they bring in you, someone who has on record threatened to 'stuff Ozlo's underwear down his throat and choke him to death on his own shit', and that is just the least vulger thing on here. Furthermore, you have been at the center of no less then seventeen guild investigations and twenty four criminal ones. Your credibility and objectivity are both in question. Thus, under Examination Rule 44, if there is a conflict of interest or possible cause for animosity between two parties, then Guild Staff is allowed to appoint a second examiner who has been given the title of Trusted Unbiased Official or higher. And as I possess the highest rank of all for that title, that makes me the best suited for this".

The man looked like he was going to seeth. But more importantly, the Guild had a rulebook? This was the first that Kuroki heard about this. He felt like he would need to read this at some point to make sure they didn't accidentally get in trouble or anything. He would have to ask Ozlo about that later.

Either way, this man, Gavic Fisto, was not thrilled that this other guy.

"Argux Baxter, you annoying little weasel!"

"If anyone is the weasel, it is you".

"Fine, but you may only observe".

"Of course, I will observe and make sure you grade them fairly and properly. These promotion exams need to be held properly to ensure the intergrity of the guild. Anyone who messes with them will need to be dealt with, quickly and properly".

At those words, the other parties began to arrive. And thus, the E-Rank exam officially began.