Chapter 24
“Well, do you have any more objections?”
Arms folded, her gaze sharp.
Having finished the spar, Surena quietly asked Meigen.
“Got any?”
Lucy was looking smug too, for good measure.
You can go home already.
Meigen, meanwhile, stood there gaping in a daze.
But Surena's voice brought him back to his senses, and he began speaking apologetically.
“...No. That was an impressive display of skill. Gardenant-san, I'm sorry for doubting you.”
“No, no, Meigen-san. Your concerns were perfectly reasonable. Please, raise your head.”
Seeing Meigen bow in apology, including to me, I hurried to speak up.
Even if he was apologizing, it didn't seem he'd harbored any ill will toward me. I figured he'd simply been concerned in his capacity as the guild's administrator.
It would be a problem if some random middle-aged guy suddenly barged in declaring, “I'll train the rookies!” In that respect, his attitude was right.
Still, I had no idea what had made me pass muster.
All I'd done was block.
“Ho ho. Then it's settled. I'll be counting on you.”
“...Understood.”
Nidas's words settled the matter.
...I still couldn't say, “Actually, never mind,” could I? I wanted to.
“While we're at it, I should introduce you to the ones you'll be looking after. Meigen, please bring them over.”
“Yes, understood.”
Apparently, they were going to introduce me to the rookie adventurers right here.
Well, this was a training ground, so it wouldn't be strange for rookies to be here. Since I'd be accompanying them anyway, it was better to at least learn their faces and names beforehand.
There were so many more adventurers than knights, so finding them without any information would probably be a struggle.
“...I'm sorry. Meigen is capable, but he's rather stubborn.”
“...Ah, no, please don't worry about it.”
Taking advantage of Meigen's absence, Nidas offered a quiet word in my defense.
I'd thought this many times, but Meigen's concern was perfectly reasonable, so it wasn't my place to object. I understood that.
If anything, I wished they'd show a little more consideration for me, the one who'd be saddled with this burden from here on. No? Doesn't look like it.
“...Surena, do all adventurers work alone like you?”
After accepting Nidas's quiet apology, I felt a little at loose ends, so I brought up a topic with Surena just to make conversation.
Now that I thought about it, I knew little about adventurers, just as I did about the Knights. I ought to learn the basics.
“No. Most of us form teams of around three to six people. If there are too many, conflicts can arise over coordination or dividing the rewards, so teams usually stay around that size. I mostly work solo, too, but sometimes I join a team.”
Surena spoke fluently, almost like a teacher.
I see. So teams are the norm. That made sense. There was only so much you could do alone, and having companions was better than having fewer, right? The work was dangerous, too.
“Call me when you go dungeon diving. I'll help you out.”
“I don't think that opportunity will ever come.”
“Why not?!”
I cut Lucy's comment off.
Who in their right mind would eagerly throw themselves into a dungeon? It wasn't like I was chasing a windfall or fame.
All I wanted was to live a peaceful life as a swordsmanship instructor.
Besides, what was this woman even doing here? Go home.
“You'd be on the front line and I'd be in the back, right? I think we'd make a good team...”
“I won't deny that, but I don't think I'd survive it.”
Lucy muttered as she spun up an entirely imaginary plan.
As she said, a swordsman and a mage were a terrible matchup against each other, but they could work quite well together as a team. Whether it would actually happen was another matter.
“Thank you all for waiting.”
A little while later, Meigen returned with three young people, two men and a woman.
I casually gauged their reactions and, as expected, they were so tense it was obvious.
Rookies didn't often get the chance to talk to a Black-Rank adventurer. It was only natural they'd be nervous.
“All right, everyone, introduce yourselves.”
“Y-yes!”
At Meigen's prompting, all three blurted out their words.
“I-I'm Porta! I'm a swordsman!”
“I-I'm Nidly... I'm a swordsman too...”
“...Salikatz...”
Wow, they were stiff as boards.
Were they going to be all right on an actual dungeon run? I was already worried about them.
It looked like they were a team of two men and one woman.
From their plates, Porta and Nidly were Bronze, while only Salikatz was Silver. Though at this level, there wasn't much difference between them.
“I'm Beryl Gardenant. It's nice to meet you.”
“I'm Surena Lisandera. I'll be supervising your team this time alongside Sensei—Mr. Beryl Gardenant. By the way, does your team have a dedicated Seeker, or does everyone share that role?”
I greeted them along with Surena.
But what exactly was a Seeker? That was the first time I'd heard the term.
“Ah... I am...”
At Surena's question, Salikatz timidly raised a hand.
“This team was originally just Porta and Nidly. Salikatz joined them afterward.”
Meigen added an explanation as Salikatz raised a hand.
I see, they were originally a duo. Were they childhood friends or something? Judging by their appearances, it was hard to tell whether any of the three were adults, but Salikatz looked a little older.
It was hard to judge the age of children who hadn't reached adulthood at a glance, but I'd seen plenty of children at my dojo, so I could make a rough estimate.
“Surena, sorry, but what does a Seeker do?”
In any case, I wanted to clear up my question first.
Even if I was only acting as a supervisor, it seemed a little problematic not to know the first thing about adventurers.
“A Seeker's role is to find monsters and traps based on the situation and any traces they leave, and sometimes to disarm traps. Some teams don't have one, but quite a few assign someone to the role full-time.”
“I see. So Salikatz-kun is the key to this team.”
At my offhand remark, Salikatz-kun's shoulders gave a little jump.
I wasn't trying to scare you. Please forgive me.
“And, Meigen, which dungeon are we going to this time?”
After the introductions, the conversation shifted to the upcoming dungeon run.
“Let's see... It's a dungeon in the southern part of the Azalamia Forest.”
“I see, that one. It's perfect for rookies.”
Surena and Meigen continued their discussion.
As for me, I didn't need to butt in and had no reason to, so I just listened to their conversation vaguely. Do they really need this old guy? I don't think they do.
Incidentally, the Azalamia Forest was a wooded area a little southeast of the capital, Baltrain.
There were lots of wild animals and monsters, but apparently few large species had been spotted. I hadn't been there myself, so I didn't know the details, but overall the region's danger level wasn't very high.
“Then let's meet tomorrow morning at the carriage stop in the Central District.”
“Yes, that works. Sensei, is that all right with you?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, that's fine.”
The sudden question caught me off guard, and I stammered a little.
I'd completely checked out and left it to the others.
“W-we look forward to working with you!”
“Yeah, likewise. I look forward to working with you.”
Porta gave me an energetic greeting.
Yes, he seemed inexperienced, but he was a good kid with a strong core. I was reminded of the students I'd left behind at the dojo.
I wondered how Landidrid was doing. I'd like to check on him when I had time, though the old man would probably kick me out...
Oops, there I go getting distracted again.
Since the area wasn't considered highly dangerous, even someone like me should be able to manage. I had to do my best as an elder and make sure these young talents weren't snuffed out by some unforeseen accident.