In front of Walter's group was the receptionist. If he's correct, he was also the same receptionist he met the first time he came here; wearing the same mix-colored black and white suit like a butler's and a face laced with a smile he couldn't tell if was actually forced or not.
He starts off ahead of them, and together with Gerald, they lead the way awhile talking with voices he and the three women behind could not hear at all.
And after a minute of following, they took them to a certain room surrounded by four tough walls and a ceiling that stood higher than the previous room.
Inside, there can be seen many varieties of weapons, armor, and training equipment - most of them hung on the walls, but there are also those which are standing in the middle, most particularly, the dummies for sword training. Though it looked messy, it wasn't much different from the room Walter trained in when he was still a kid, so he didn't feel uncomfortable or out of place at all.
[ Walter-san, since Gerald-san insisted that you should skip the basics, we won't use any of the stuff in here anymore to examine you. ] facing his direction, the receptionist spoke, baffling Walter to what he just said.
[ Isn't it a bit unfair? ]
[ No, it isn't... If you will be able to easily complete them, then it would only be a waste of time... of course, Gerald-san guaranteed it and I trust him. ] and just as he told him that, Gerald also nodded in agreement, confirming that he was the one who told him he's capable enough and that the two of them are close enough for the receptionist to trust his judgment.
Walter doesn't really like these treatments he's getting because of Gerald as he doesn't really like to stand out, but he can't really do anything about it as he is only doing it out of goodwill.
[ Fine... That will also save me time, then, where should I start? ] with a sigh, Walter said, brushing off the receptionist as he went ahead of him and Gerald, suddenly walking towards the middle of the room. He's already familiar with rooms such as this so he was more than confident to lead the way, all that the receptionist or any other examiners should do is to throw him everything they have.
[ U-Umm... Walter-san... The examiner is not here yet... ]
[ Is that so? Then, I guess I should warm myself up first... ]
Stretching his arms, he so prepares himself. He always does this daily routine of starting off his day preparing his body, but because he needed to do something more important, he was forced to skip it, and now that he was given this chance, he just couldn't help but do it - continuing as the spectators quietly watch over.
Some time has past and Walter was able to move all of his muscles enough to have a complete warm-up, but since there was still time, he reaches for his sword, thinking of doing a few swings, but just as he was about to take hold of its hilt, he was suddenly interrupted -
[ What a hasty lad we have here... ] the voice that entered his ears was perhaps the deepest voice he had heard in this world so far.
[ It's been a while since I've been called to do this work... I'm sorry if I'm a bit late, we just never really had anyone who's confident enough to skip ranks for quite some time that it surprised me and I thought I should prepare myself first. ] there, suddenly appearing, coming from another entrance of the room was an old-looking man who's wearing full gear of armor and a very large sword, fit for the enormous size of his body. There are many knights and adventurers who have bodies that show off 'toughness', but probably, this is the largest person he has seen in this world so far. And walking towards him, he continues to speak -
[ So this is the lad, huh? You're not looking tough at all! Hahaha! ] he laughs as he places his hands on his waist to show that he's not being wary of him at all.
[ It seems my preparation was a waste... Haah~ anyway, my name is Guro, I'll be the one to test your skills out. ] throwing a hand at him, he introduces himself with a weak sigh.
[ The name's Walter, it's nice to meet you. ] despite the attitude the person in front of him was showing, Walter still did his best to shake his hand and properly introduce himself.
[ Hmm... I've seen many people who wanted to become adventurers all the time... All of them have their own reasons. Nobles and commoners, I can easily tell which is which just by looking at them; tell me, noble, why are you trying to become an adventurer? ] with his stern, wrinkled face, it was obvious that's he's trying to scare Walter off, but all the people who knew Walter's personality knows that something like that is not enough to even make him tense his expression up.
[ Nothing in particular, I just thought that it would be necessary; my family has a history of becoming adventurers. ] he replies, unfazed by the aura Guro was showing.
[ 'Necessary'... Of course... 'Family and stuff'... ] with a surprised look on his face, he repeated what Walter had said, trying to process what he meant, but giving up, he decided to brush it off.
[ Y'know, most nobles have at least one aptitude for magic; it's a common fact... I'm sure you have one too, right? That's why you're so confident. ]
[ You can say that, but we will be fighting, it would be stupid to reveal it if that is the case. ]
[ I see... At least you're not that stupid... I just hope you're also capable enough to pass this examination, too. ] he said as he circles around him, caressing the blade of the sword that he just took from his back.
[ It seems that you don't want to waste any time... Don't worry, it's the same for me. ]
[ Let me guess, you'll say that you'll finish this as fast as possible? ] with a jesting tone mixed with a bit of intimidation, Walter guesses.
[ You've read my mind... Hmph! That's right, I'll finish this as fast as possible, I have more important stuff to do than this... But don't worry, you don't really need to defeat me to pass, let's see... A hit or two would be enough. ]
[ You underestimate your opponent too much; is this what you adventurers usually do? ]
[ No, it's only for me... I've been an adventurer for a very long time that I can easily tell how strong an opponent would be just by looking at them... And looking at you... You're not tough at all! ] again, he laughs.
[ I see... So even with adventurers, there're still many delusional people like you. ]
[ Well, at least I could tell that you're not a coward. ]
[ I will be if the opponent is stronger than myself. ]
[ Hmph... ]
With the exchange of words, both of them took a distance and hold the hilt of their swords.
Both of them know that a part of their insults is just to hype the battle up, but even if it's a bit, the intimidation was real, making both of them aware of what kind of personality their opponent will show off in the battle. And just as what he had intended to do, to gauge out his opponent mindset, Guro immediately realized that his opponent is not reckless and will first try to measure his strength while also trying to deal blows at him, just like the arrogant yet observant attitude he had shown him.
What he told Walter earlier wasn't a lie but just exaggerated too much. He really is able to know the opponent, but not their strength, but their mindset towards the battle. But the case was the same for Walter, he was also able to know what kind of fight he will be having by also observing his enemy.
The battle is not just a battle of physical attributes, but also a battle of sharp wits.