Chapter 54
"Did you two come to have your Jobs measured?"
"Yes. Lady Rana wants to acquire her Job as soon as possible, so she uses the measurement room after class every day."
"W-Wait, Estelle!?"
The princess began to panic at Estelle's words, but it was too late.
"So the princess still hasn't acquired her Job, then?"
"Ugh. Y-Yes. The Job I'm aiming for is incredibly difficult. It's not like I can fulfill its requirements that easily."
"Well, I figured as much."
Recruiting someone of the "Royalty" Race requires 200 Fame. That's the highest Recruitment value there is. In terms of guild rank, you can't reach that level without being at least A-rank.
That just shows how excellent the Jobs available to those of the "Royalty" Race are.
But that also means their acquisition requirements are extremely difficult.
"It's not 【Princess】, then? What Job are you aiming for?"
【Princess】 is an excellent Job ranked high-mid among lower-tier Jobs, but it has only one requirement: 〈① Be of the "Royalty" and "Princess" Race categories〉. In other words, a princess can acquire this excellent Job from birth.
By the way, this is called a 〈Standard Job〉. It's a group of Jobs you can take from the start without fulfilling any active manifestation requirements.
Since she wasn't acquiring that one, I guessed she must be aiming for an even higher-ranked Job—high-top or above.
"It's a Job you'll never be able to reach!"
"Oh. Could it be 【Holy Maiden】?"
"Huh!?"
Oh, I got it right. The "you're a man" part gave it away.
【Holy Maiden】... I see. So that's what this is.
So that's why she'd been picking fights with me, a 【Hero】.
As I made sense of the princess's past behavior, her face turned redder and redder.
Her reaction told me my guess was right.
"If a 【Hero】 and a 【Holy Maiden】 showed up in the same generation, that'd be pretty romantic, huh?"
"Wha—! Y-You, y-y-y-you idiot! I-I wasn't thinking anything like that! Don't get full of yourself!"
Whatever she'd imagined when she heard me say that, the princess's flustered reaction was amusing.
"Lady Rana, was that perhaps an indirect confession? Could it be that you, of all people, have fallen in love with a man?"
"Wha!? Estelle, that's not it! I mean, I did kind of admire the idea that a 【Hero】 and a 【Holy Maiden】 would make a good match, but the 【Hero】 in question is like this! L-L-Love? That's impossible!"
Unaware that Estelle's masterful leading questions had made her reveal her true feelings (though whether she'd actually denied anything was debatable), the princess continued protesting.
Such a pure, innocent reaction.
"Lord Zephyrus, Lady Rana is... as you can see, rather a handful, but she's a fine young woman. And she's not a bad person. I hope you'll give her some consideration..."
"Consideration for what!? Estelle, be quiet already! And you, too—it's not like that at all!"
The princess barked, then jabbed a finger straight at me.
Yeah. I figured if I pushed any further, she'd either sulk or explode, so I calmed the princess, who was red-faced and huffing at me like an angry cat.
"All right, calm down. I'll believe you, so take a deep breath."
"Ugh, h-huff, huff..."
It'd be a disaster if she dug in her heels and chose 【Princess】.
That's because 【Holy Maiden】 is an extremely powerful Job, second only to 【Hero】 among excellent Jobs.
Second only to 【Hero】. That's the important part.
It requires 〈① Be of the "Royalty" and "Princess" Race categories〉 and sits at the very peak of the 〈Princess Jobs〉. It's a true top-tier Job, available only to the most powerful characters with the highest Fame (Recruitment value) of 200.
To be honest, 【Holy Maiden】 was a recruit I absolutely wanted. There was nothing to gain by making her angry here. The princess's personality was, well, rather endearing, and her looks were excellent. She was around average height for a girl, with beautifully proportioned features. Her shining short silver hair and vivid, ocean-blue, spirited eyes were gorgeous. A flawless beauty.
She fit my recruitment criteria perfectly.
In my mind, the princess was already recruited. I'd completely set my sights on her.
All right, now that that's settled, on to the next.
After calming the princess down, I turned toward the knight named Estelle.
"Would it be all right if I called you Estelle, too?"
"Of course. Call me whatever you like."
"Then, Estelle. When I asked, 'Did you two come to have your Jobs measured?' you said, 'Lady Rana.' Does that mean you've already acquired your Job?"
"No. But I've reached my goal. I plan to acquire my Job after my liege, Lady Rana, has acquired hers."
I see, she hadn't acquired it yet. That worked out nicely.
"What are you aiming for? 【Royal Guard Knight】, perhaps?"
【Royal Guard Knight】 is a high-tier Job among the lower-tier Jobs, and it has a unique Skill that grants a major boost to your stats when acting alongside someone of the "Royalty" Race. That's what sets it apart from other Knight Jobs.
It's a pretty powerful Job that, while only when with someone of the "Royalty" Race, reaches the high-mid rank. By the way, men can acquire it, so it's not a 〈Princess Job〉.
"You have remarkably extensive knowledge, Lord Zephyrus."
Estelle said, looking impressed as her eyes widened for a moment.
So I was right.
Well, the "Knight" Job line only manifests for children of "Knight Barons," after all. She was probably wondering how someone like me, who wasn't even a noble, knew about it.
In particular, there are an absurd number of "Knight" Jobs, and 【Royal Guard Knight】 is about as far removed from a villager like me as a Job can get.
Just knowing about it must be surprising.
"Are you satisfied with that Job?"
"...I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean."
"I see. To put it bluntly, I want you, too."
"Whaaa!?"
The princess shouted nearby. Don't interrupt my conversation.
"If you join my guild, I'll tell you the requirements for 【Princess Knight】."
When I said that, Estelle's eyes darted away.