Chapter 21
"Hmm... It doesn't seem to be a forgery."
"Of course not. Forging documents is a serious crime."
Allucia scrutinized the letter Surena had taken out.
I had no idea whether it was genuine, but according to Allucia, it wasn't a fake.
"...So, what's it say?"
I could read, too, but I wasn't about to peek.
From what I'd heard, this was a letter from the Adventurers' Guild addressed to the Leberio Knights, so it felt a little wrong for me to look.
Though I held a position called Special Instructor, my standing within the Knights was rather ambiguous.
I didn't have any authority to command the Knights.
My role was simply to train the knights; I wasn't in a position to meddle in internal affairs or troop deployment.
Naturally, I was now affiliated with the Leberio Knights, so deciding how to assign its members was Allucia's domain as commander. Or perhaps Vice-Commander Henblitz-kun's.
The guild wanting to borrow me was mysterious enough, but if it was true, the decision was Allucia's. The Adventurers' Guild probably didn't have that kind of authority.
"They say they'd like to enlist Sensei's help in training rookie and younger adventurers. The Knights have no particular reason to oppose it, but no reason to support it either."
"Training new recruits, huh..."
Hmm, training new recruits, is it?
I wasn't uninterested, but as Allucia said, there was no reason to go to the trouble of sending me, a Knights instructor.
Besides, for rookie and younger adventurers, wouldn't survival skills and the like matter more than swordsmanship? It felt like the need didn't quite align with what I ought to teach.
More to the point, it was strange that the Adventurers' Guildmaster would specifically ask to borrow me.
I had no connection with the guild.
"...Don't tell me... Surena?"
"Of course. I recommended you."
"No, that isn't 'of course.'"
It wasn't 'of course.'
Why the smug look? I get more than enough of that from Allucia. And what exactly am I supposed to teach adventurers? That's asking the impossible.
"Citrus, don't you think this could be a good opportunity to strengthen ties between the Adventurers' Guild and the Leberio Knights? I don't think it's a bad idea."
"I see. That's one way of looking at it."
Allucia's expression fully shifted from former pupil to knight commander.
She was probably considering the organizational pros and cons of dispatching me.
"Still, being asked to train adventurers... I don't know what I'd do. It's a tough one."
"Of course, if you don't want to, Sensei, I'll refuse. Immediately."
"...You don't have to say it quite so emphatically."
Personally, I wasn't completely uninterested. Since I'd come all the way to the capital, Baltrain, I was genuinely curious to get involved in something like that.
But honestly, I had no idea what to do when it came to training new recruits. It'd be different from teaching swordsmanship at a dojo, and I couldn't imagine what exactly I should do.
Also, since they were only borrowing me temporarily, I probably wouldn't be teaching them continuously. This wasn't some trial lesson; if I taught them, I'd want to provide proper instruction over a decent period. But from the way they'd put it, that didn't seem to be the case.
"What would I actually be doing?"
"Primarily accompanying them on dungeon runs. You'd check whether they've properly learned how to fight and survive, and serve as backup in case of emergency."
"Dungeon runs, huh..."
My expression clouded a little before I knew it.
I don't have many good memories of those.
Dungeon runs.
As the name suggests, it refers to the general act of entering ruins, labyrinths, caves, and other such places found all over the world.
On the continent of Galea, where the Reberis Kingdom is located, there are dungeons of all shapes and sizes.
They might be remnants of ancient ruins, strange spaces affected by magical forces, or simply natural caves claimed as territory by monsters. There are all sorts.
Whatever their form or name, they're all lumped together under the term 'dungeon.'
And the dream shared by most people who become adventurers.
Dungeon runs.
Monster materials fetch good prices, and unexplored ruins can hold tremendous treasure. If you succeed, you might gain great wealth and fame in a single lifetime.
Dungeons are exactly the sort of thing to stake everything on for a chance at a sudden reversal of fortune.
"Are they going to be all right? When you say new and young, I assume White or Bronze... Silver at most?"
But, of course, dungeon runs come with great danger.
It's not uncommon to be killed by monsters, or to get trapped in a ruin's traps and die there, unable to move.
Your own abilities and the dungeon's danger level.
Those who misjudge them are the ones who die.
"It's fine. The dungeons under the guild's jurisdiction have been thoroughly explored, and we know what monsters inhabit them. With a suitable guide, there shouldn't be a problem."
"I don't think I'm suitable to be that 'guide,' though..."
Why did both Allucia and Surena have such an absurdly high opinion of me?
"With your abilities, Sensei, there shouldn't be any problem at all... Hmm."
"No, there are nothing but problems."
I'm just some middle-aged guy.
I'm barely able to protect myself, so taking care of rookies while running a dungeon is way too much.
Hmm. It might be safest to turn this down.
I hadn't minded the idea if it was just training, but I couldn't take responsibility for their lives. It'd be a different story if I were strong enough to accept without hesitation, though.
"Surena, I'm sorry, but this is a bit too much for me—"
"Oh, there you are."
Just as I was about to refuse, someone's voice cut me off.
"Hello, Miss Lucy. This is unusual. You don't come here often."
"Indeed. I was just talking with the Adventurers' Guildmaster."
A young-looking girl with dazzling golden hair approached.
It was Lucy herself, commander of the Mage Corps.
"Talking with the guildmaster? Could it have something to do with this?"
As she spoke, Surena showed her the letter the guildmaster had apparently written.
"Hm? ...Oh, yes, this is it."
Lucy studied the letter, read its contents, then nodded grandly.
And of course, the three of them were talking like old acquaintances.
I suppose the knight commander, the commander of the Mage Corps, and a top-ranked adventurer would naturally know one another.
"The name sounded familiar, so I recommended him too."
"Huh?"
Lucy-yyy!!
"A recommendation from the Adventurers' Guildmaster, a Black-Rank adventurer, and the commander of the Mage Corps? It would be difficult to turn that down."
"Uh, wait..."
Hold on. Allucia, do something.
The lives at stake are mainly mine and those of the rookie adventurers who'd be entrusting theirs to me.
"It's settled, then. In that case, we'll keep Sensei with us for a while."
"Very well. I'll explain it to everyone in the Knights."
That's not what I meant by 'very well'~~~~!