Only a few hours had passed since the event where I was condemned.
Walking down the main street in the early afternoon, I cut a particularly conspicuous figure.
A fine black jacket. A collar embroidered with gold thread. Perfectly polished leather shoes and formal white gloves. No matter how you looked at it, I was a nobleman… no, a recently exiled former nobleman.
…And yet, I was heading for the Adventurer's Guild. Did I stick out? Was I the center of attention?
Right now, nothing could stop me.
Things like maintaining my noble appearance were trivial in the face of the thrill of combat. Besides, I wasn't a nobleman anymore, so it didn't matter.
That's right. I'd been set free. From the cage of an otome game, or perhaps, from the cage of nobility.
(...Still, I can't seem to calm down.)
My own heartbeat was awfully loud. My pace naturally quickened. I already knew what this fluttering in my chest was.
It was because I wanted to get my hands on the Combat System as soon as possible.
Back when I was a nobleman, I had no such desires. After all, I didn't know this world was a game, and I was probably the original Alphons Klishal.
But things were different now. The Combat System, Skills, statuses, growth elements… I had regained memories that made being able to savor all of it as much as I wanted, without caring what anyone thought, more than worth it.
Yes, for me, the game was only just beginning. And the only place to satisfy this surging desire was the Guild.
(I knew there was a building in this city that looked like an Adventurer's Guild. On the game's field map, it was right around here, I think, there it is.)
Standing there was a gray, stone-built structure. It was that same building depicted as part of the background long ago.
(In the game, it didn't even have a sign, and the dialogue only vaguely mentioned that there's a guild. But... I always thought it had the vibe of a guild!)
A smile crept onto my lips, pleased that my guess had been correct.
---
I opened the door to the Adventurer's Guild.
The faint smell of iron and leather hit my nose. Wooden counters were lined up, and adventurers with swords and spears on their backs were chatting freely amongst themselves.
(...This is more realistic than I imagined.)
Just as I was taking it all in, the atmosphere in the room seemed to freeze, as if someone had noticed my presence.
"...Huh?"
"Wh-What? a nobleman...?"
The adventurers who had been chatting in front of the reception desk all turned their gazes toward me at once.
Of course they did; my appearance was out of place to an extreme degree. But I paid them no mind and walked straight to the counter.
"I'd like to register as an adventurer."
For a moment, the receptionist froze, her mouth agape.
"...H-Huh? Ah, y-yes, sir!? Um, d-do you have a letter of introduction or...?"
"I do not. I can still register without one, can't I?"
"W-Well, yes, but... w-we don't generally anticipate noblemen walking in off the street, so..."
Her eyes darted all over the place; she was clearly flustered.
"...Isn't that the exiled son from the rumors?"
"Seriously? The one from that news?"
I overheard a veteran-looking adventurer behind me mutter. It seemed the condemnation was already the talk of the town. But, well, more importantly than that,
I want to fight, and soon.
I want to fight
that was the only thing on my mind.
"What's with that guy..."
"He's got a handsome face, but is he the crazy type...?"
"What's a nobleman spouting on about..."
Amid the murmurs, the receptionist, as if resigning herself to the situation, offered me a registration form and a Status Crystal, her face twitching.
"Th-Then please place your hand here... Your current status will be automatically recorded..."
I touched the crystal. A pale blue light gathered in the center of the once-transparent sphere, and faintly glowing text floated to the surface.
[Name]: Alphons
[Race]: Human
[Age]: 15
[Title]: None
[Skills]
・Obsession: Lv. 1
・Etiquette and Manners: Lv. 1
・Academics: Lv. 3
・Dancing: Lv. 2
・Household Management: Lv. 2
・Languages: Lv. 2
・Swordsmanship: Lv. 1
・Magic: Lv. 1
(...Obsession, huh. My Skills never came up in the main game, but I never expected to see them in this form.)
I couldn't help but give a wry smile. In the game, I was in a position where I was neither an ally nor an enemy. If anything, I was closer to being an enemy, since I was a villainous young lord, but there was no combat in my events to begin with.
That's why my status had remained a mystery, and no one had ever bothered to speculate about it.
(And this is what it is, Obsession: Lv. 1. After acting so outrageously, it's only Level 1? What kind of merciful game developer is this?)
I shrugged, a sarcastic thought crossing my mind.
(Well, whatever. I'm not here to pay for my past mistakes, as long as I have the power to fight, that's all that matters.)
I skimmed past the Skills that didn't interest me and turned my eyes to the next ones.
Within the Skill list, I focused only on those that would be useful in combat, that was the rational decision for me.
(Yeah, about half of these are useless.)
It sounds nice to call them the fruits of my noble education. In reality, these are Skills one would naturally acquire through a nobleman's schooling.
...However, they're completely useless in a fight.
In this game, the Combat System only comes into play a handful of times.
What's the point of delving deep into something that only happens a few times? How would etiquette and manners and all that nonsense help in a life-or-death battle? If anything, it makes me think that with Etiquette and Manners: Lv. 1, I was doomed to be condemned either way.
That's precisely why I was so drawn to this Combat System. I was dying to explore it.
And now, I could finally reach out and touch it.
(It's a relief that Swordsmanship and Magic are at Lv. 1!)
If they had been Lv. 0... or more accurately, not listed at all, I would have had to start from the basics... but being on the starting line already is nothing but good luck. I guess my noble education wasn't all bad.
"Young … Lord Alphons...?"
"Alphons is fine. The young lord title no longer suits me."
At that, the receptionist gave a wry smile and timidly held out a registration card. As I took it, I felt the cool touch of metal.
"This is my Adventurer's Registration Card..."
A smile naturally spread across my face as I held the card. A part of my soul had been starving for this. I had finally obtained it.
I turned to the receptionist,
"Are there any quests where I can fight?"
I knew everything about this world's Combat System. But that was from a player's perspective. I had never actually fought before.
To have my first battle, in this body, I was looking forward to it from the bottom of my heart.
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Thank you so much for reading this far!!
I'll keep doing my best, so I hope you'll continue to support me