Selection of Guards
After the meeting with Alizée, we proceeded to have interviews with the candidate adventurers for the bodyguard role.
All of the adventurers were from the Red Rank, so they seemed quite capable.
In other words, it was inevitable that most of them were a year or more older than me.
Adventurer registration becomes possible at the age of 15, and to progress from the Green Rank to the Blue Rank requires at least a year of experience, making the minimum age for the Blue Rank 16.
To achieve the Red Rank, various factors including experience are taken into account, and adventurers who attain the Red Rank before their early 20s are apparently quite rare.
Moreover, such adventurers often tend to overestimate their own abilities and end up failing.
Yes, experience is indeed crucial.
“Alizée, which party do you think is the best?”
“Well, let me think. What do you seek in your bodyguards, Lady Lily?”
“Um, for short-term arrangements, I wouldn’t mind anything, but if it’s a longer commitment, I believe it should be a relationship based on mutual respect. I don’t think a one-sided relationship would last long.”
“I see. In that case, it’s probably best to exclude the first party, ‘Brilliant Fang.'”
“Why is that?”
“They might underestimate you due to your age. It could lead to complications in a long-term arrangement.”
“How did you come to that conclusion?”
“I can tell from their expressions and tone.”
Uwah, Alizée is truly capable.
She’s the kind you wouldn’t want to make an enemy of.
As we went through my preferences and narrowed down the choices, we ended up with two parties.
However, there didn’t seem to be a significant difference between these two parties, and even Alizée was having trouble deciding.
So, she suggested that I make the final decision myself.
“Hmm… in terms of experience, it’s Waterfowl Swords,’ and in terms of youth, it’s ‘Wildcat Claws,’ I suppose.”
“Yes, that’s right. ‘Waterfowl Swords’ consists of three members, all 27 years old and from the same village. There are two frontliners and one spellcaster, and the spells the caster can use are high-level. ‘Wildcat Claws’ is a party formed by merging two original parties, consisting of only females. They have one member who is 24 years old, two who are 23, and one who is 22. There are two frontliners, one archer, and one spellcaster who can use spells up to mid-level. However, they are still in their growing phase as adventurers.”
“Is that so? I thought younger adventurers would show more growth.”
“In terms of adventurer experience, those who are in their 7th to 8th year tend to be around 23 years old. Adventurer mortality rates are high until the 5th year, but they drop significantly after the 6th year. Financially, they start having more resources around that time, allowing them to invest in better equipment, training, and magic books.”
“I see…”
Wait a minute.
If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be even more efficient if I train them using the knowledge from the Goddess’s book?
I’m the only one who can read the book, but I can teach them its contents.
That way, we could gather magic stones more efficiently, and it would be beneficial for them as well.
Plus, it’s convenient that it’s an all-female party.
Yeah, let’s go with ‘Wildcat Claws.’
When I conveyed my final decision, Alizée seemed satisfied.
She had clearly considered that an all-female party might help me feel more at ease, given that I am also a woman.
The only drawback was that the “Waterfowl Swords” were stronger at the moment, but that would not be a problem, knowing that they would get better with experience.
I asked Alizée to communicate the decision, and I started thinking about what I could teach them.
Hmm, I can teach them magic, but martial arts are a different story…
The Goddess’s book contains various martial arts, but only I can read it.
However, translating the book and giving it to them doesn’t seem right either.
The three other members aside from the spellcaster will have to work hard on their own, I guess.
Alright, I’ll work hard to get along with them from now on!
After all, I didn’t have many friends in my past life…