Chapter 553

The Ages of the Dark Green Sprout Members
Lana and the others came back in about a week.
Apparently, they had taken up two whole Lumite Grand Wing cargo wagons.
It must’ve been really tight.
Did they really carry all that massive load while walking around?

And as for Lana herself, she was getting a lecture from Modalfas.
The way she acted overly familiar with me had been overlooked since I didn’t care much about it, but after finishing the laboratory, she holed herself up for an entire day without eating and never came out.
Honestly, a guard being away from the one they’re supposed to be guarding isn’t right.
So now, she was getting chewed out by Modalfas.
There was no covering for her this time.

"… Well, for Lana this’ll be a good lesson. That girl’s just lacking the awareness she needs as a guard."

"I think so too, but… is Lana always like that?"

"Mostly. If it’s something she’s interested in, she dashes off before we’ve even prepared. If it’s something she doesn’t like, she drags her feet to follow along."

Fanny sighed as she said that, but really, is that okay?
Can someone like that really be fine as a Gold-rank adventurer?

"Oh, that. Juna and Lana rose to Gold-rank purely on strength. They’re different from the ones who get promoted through recommendations from others."

"Is it that different?"

"Juna and Lana both have somewhat difficult personalities, but they’ve got the strength to overturn the bad rumors. Lana’s still a kid, yet she’s stronger than me."

"… Wait. Lana’s still a kid?"

She is short, sure, but I didn’t think she was a child.
More than that, kids can’t even register with the Adventurers’ Guild.
Your identification card in this world has your age written clearly on it.
When you register with the Guild, they check it, and if you’re under the minimum age, they won’t let you in.
So what does it mean that Lana’s a kid?

"… Lana’s only 54. About 11 or 12 in human terms. Not just because she’s a Highlander, but even among them, she’s especially childlike."

Fifty-four, huh.
So she’s above the Guild’s regulation.
But by Highlander standards, still a kid.
The Adventurers’ Guild’s rules are based on humans, so they don’t really fit long-lived races like the Highlanders.
I was also told Highlander adulthood is at 80.
No wonder she’s still just a kid.

"By the way, Juna’s 129, which makes her around 16 in human terms. Struggling with polite speech is her personal issue, but her cheerfulness is something all Highlanders share."

So Juna’s 129.
That’s still young for a Highlander, apparently.
She was actually a noble daughter from one of the most distinguished Highlander families, but she was so tomboyish she left all the noble trappings behind.
… Kind of like Young Lady Kou?
Anyway, the two of them are still very young by Highlander standards, not yet mature.
That’s why their speech and behavior end up rough around the edges.
Maybe I should leave that part of their education to Modalfas.

"And you, Fanny? How old are you?"

"… Me? I’m 238. That’s about 20 in human terms. Well, elves don’t really change appearance after about 20, so it doesn’t mean much."

Highlanders age slowly and even grow old slowly.
Elves, on the other hand, grow at the same pace as humans while young, then stay unchanged for over a thousand years, before suddenly aging rapidly.
Even among long-lived races, there are such stark differences.
I didn’t know that. Good to learn.

What do you think about this chapter?