How to Survive in a Good Small Guild - Chapter 67

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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How to Survive in a Small-Scale Guild
Chapter 67
“Sedrian, I’ve been scheduled to take my Intermediate Priest Promotion Exam next week.”
When I delivered the news to Sedrian, who had come to the Guild, his eyes widened.
“An Intermediate Priest exam…?”
“Yes, so I should be able to obtain much more information.”
“Well, that would be good for me, but… isn’t it too dangerous?”
“To gain great reward, one must accept great risk. That’s how the world works.”
“…Sigh.”
Sedrian let out a sigh and asked, “So how is the Intermediate Priest Promotion Exam conducted?”
“Oh, it’s nothing special.”
I spoke in a casual tone.
“It’s a 1:1 Death Match.”
“Cough!”
Sedrian suddenly broke into a violent fit of coughing, as if something had gone down the wrong way. I watched him with worried eyes.
“Are you alright?”
“No… I think that’s a question I should be asking you.”
“Ah, I’m fine, really.”
“What do you mean ‘fine’? You just said it’s a 1:1 Death Match!”
Sedrian gave me an exasperated look, but I answered brazenly.
“It’s not literally about wagering your life. It just means fighting one-on-one until one side concedes.”
“Even so, the name is a bit much…”
I hadn’t thought much of it, honestly. In my past life, I’d always considered it about as dangerous as those survival music shows.
“Of course, according to those who’ve already taken the exam, you might experience pain, fear, and shame—but it’s nothing serious.”
“That’s very serious.”
It seemed Sedrian’s trust in me had wavered slightly.
“Don’t worry, Sedrian. Please believe in me.”
But I truly was confident.
Whatever form this Promotion Exam took, I knew one crucial thing: this world’s Temple treated Park Geo-seong’s essays as Sacred Scripture and called him a prophet. It was a thoroughly ridiculous world.
And I, Odret, knew Park Geo-seong better than anyone else in this world. There was no reason to worry.
“I’m confident I can win the 1:1 Death Match. I promise I’ll crush my opponent and return victorious.”
……
Sedrian, who had been watching me with an uncertain gaze, muttered under his breath.
“Whether I should let her go like this… but I can’t suppress her either, and Odret deserves her freedom… but can you even call something like this freedom…? Of course, I trust in Odret’s competence…”
Finally, after wrestling with his thoughts in silence, Sedrian spoke.
“Then listen, Odret. You can fail the Intermediate Priest Promotion Exam. If it gets dangerous, withdraw whenever you need to.”
“Understood. But then the information and cooperation agreement we promised…”
“I don’t care about such things anymore.”
Sedrian’s ash-grey eyes fixed on me directly.
“There’s something else that matters more to me. I’m not so foolish as to fail at such basic judgment.”
“Of course, Sedrian must place the lives of the Empire’s people above all else. You are righteous, after all.”
Suddenly, I remembered Sedrick’s manner of speaking, and I quoted him. At that, Sedrian’s expression became distant and wistful.
“Yes, you’re right. It seems you and I think alike, Odret…”
I always felt it, but Sedrian was truly an inscrutable person.
“In any case, Odret, promise me this. If things become dangerous, you’ll slip away from there immediately and ask me for help.”
He extended his pinky finger, as if asking me to link mine with his.
“When danger comes, I will help you anytime. This is a vow I make to myself.”
The moment I linked my pinky with his, bewildered, a brilliant light burst forth.
He had invoked the Oath Ability.
“Why use an oath here…!”
I already understood how this ability worked.
From what I had witnessed so far, the Royal Family’s Oath could be used to make people swear or to discern truth.
But at the climax of the novel, Sedrian displays the Oath Ability’s greatest power.
It was the act of swearing to oneself.
When one invoked an oath upon oneself, they could draw forth even the deepest strength within.
For example, there was an incident decades ago when the Norian Kingdom invaded the Beneti Empire. At that time, the border fortresses fell one by one, and a single strategic fortress remained.
That fortress had been granted to the Imperial Palace’s youngest prince, and the prince did not evacuate. Instead, he remained and defended the fortress.
He swore to himself that he would protect the fortress.
As a result, he drew upon all his strength to evacuate the people and single-handedly defended the fortress. It became a legend of the Empire.

But the fact that Sedrian had sworn an oath to himself to protect me….
“Are you really sure about this?”
It meant that I had become someone important to him, but at the same time, it would be quite a burden for Sedrian.
Wait—shouldn’t he be doing this for the original heroine instead?
As I gazed up at him with worry written all over my face, Sedrian answered as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
“There’s no reason it shouldn’t be fine. I’m simply doing what I ought to do.”
…….
“I swore an oath to protect you. That’s all there is to it.”
I stared at Sedrian, startled.
Did Sedrian treat his allies so well in the original story? I don’t think so…. And he only used that kind of sworn oath with the original heroine….
***
At last, the day of the Intermediate Priest Promotion Exam arrived.
I waited nervously in the Temple’s exam hall for the High Priest to arrive.
Other Intermediate Priests who wished to observe the promotion exam had also gathered.
“Odret, Junior Priest—do your best.”
“Thank you.”
After exchanging greetings with Olson, an Intermediate Priest I’d become acquainted with thanks to Aria, I took my seat and waited quietly.
Then, a familiar face appeared in the exam hall and plopped down beside me.
“Stella?”
It was Stella, the High Priest’s daughter.
“How did you get in here?”
“Today’s the weekend! There’s nowhere I can’t go.”
Stella spoke with complete confidence.
“I love watching this exam!”
“…I see. Then perhaps….”
I asked Stella carefully.
“Do you happen to have any hints about the exam?”
“Hints? Oh, come on.”
Stella laughed out loud, as though she’d heard something absurd.
“How could I possibly give you hints? That would be against the rules!”
“…I suppose you’re right.”
“Besides, the exam changes every time!”
Stella swung her legs from where she sat in her chair and continued.
“But there is one thing I can tell you. Etienne really loves interesting things!”
By Etienne, she must mean Etienne the High Priest.
“By the way, Etienne is quite fond of funny things,” Aria had said the same.
I decided to keep that in mind.
“All right, is everyone here?”
Soon, a man appeared along with a cheerful voice.
A man with pale blue earrings near his ears—Etienne.
His features were delicate and soft, giving him more the impression of a beautiful woman than a handsome man.
Etienne looked around at us, then shrugged and spoke.
“You all know what’s going on, so there’s no need to drag this out! Let’s get straight to business. Shall we begin the Intermediate Priest Promotion Exam?”
…….
“First, I will announce the two people who will compete in a 1:1 Death Match.”
Names flowed from Etienne’s lips.
“Ans, Junior Priest. And Odret, Junior Priest.”
……!
It was my name. Damn it—of all the luck, I had to go first.
I walked out to the center of the exam hall.
The exam hall had a circular open space in the middle with chairs arranged around it in a coliseum formation. And in the center, an Antique Clock sat on a pedestal.
It must be some kind of sacred artifact that the High Priest had blessed with a miracle.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes, I’m ready.”
“I’m ready as well.”
As Ans and I answered in turn, Etienne smiled and reached toward the clock.
As he turned the clock’s hands, a brilliant light burst forth from it.
“All right, the exam begins now!”
The intense light stabbed at my eyes, so I instinctively squeezed them shut.
And as I slowly opened them again….
“……?”
By the time I looked around, the Examination Hall had transformed. The Intermediate Priests who’d been watching us were gone, leaving only me, Ans, and Etienne.
We stood in an ordinary office—the kind you’d see anywhere in this world.
But before Ans and me lay a Telephone Receiver each.
The moment we exchanged bewildered glances, both receivers rang simultaneously. We lunged for them almost in competition.
And then…
—Why did you make it so impossible to reach customer service?! Ugh, I’m losing my mind! How many hours are you keeping me on hold?!
The instant I heard that voice, I understood exactly what this examination was.
A furious customer service showdown.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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