Lampail Family No.1
I headed from the workshop to the kitchen.
"Alright, alright, just passing through~"
I opened the kitchen door and called out.
"Heh, heh, Missy, that was quite the grandma-like greeting."
"Haha, what's the matter?"
Mr. Abe laughed at me, and Anny asked.
"Huh? Where are Arthur and Ben?"
"They're on break. Did you need something?"
"Yeah, my friends from the orphanage are coming over soon, and I wanted them to hear stories about adventurers. So I came to ask for that favor."
"Adventurer stories? Why all of a sudden?"
"My friends from the orphanage want to become adventurers. I'm interested too, and I’ve never really heard much about it properly."
"I see. If you're looking for them, they're probably at the training grounds. They said they were going to have a match."
"Got it! I'll go check it out~"
Saying that, I left the kitchen and looked around.
Alright! No one’s around… the corner of the training grounds, the corner of the training grounds… Teleport.
Poof…
Alright, I made it safely this time. Arthur and Ben were… ah, there they are.
Wow, the intensity is amazing. I’ve never seen them so serious before…
"Ugh…! Ah, crap!!"
Ben's sparring sword got deflected by Arthur and came flying straight toward me. I kicked the hilt away and caught it.
Whoa. Wasn't that amazing? Me?
My body moved on its own… Arthur and Ben were surprised, but honestly, I was the most surprised.
"Little Joan, I’m really sorry! Are you okay!?"
Arthur and Ben rush over.
"Y-Yeah, somehow. Ah… here you go."
"But wow, that was incredible. I never expected you to kick away and catch a sparring sword."
"Yeah, well, that’s what happens when you’re trained by the Old Madam."
Ben was astonished, while Arthur noded, acknowledging the results of my grandmother’s training.
Oh, I see. It must be thanks to Grandmother’s training.
That must be it. The part where she throws pebbles at me, and I have to dodge. They hurt when they hit, and she throws them really fast, so I have to dodge with everything I’ve got. But I guess that’s what trained my reflexes and dynamic vision.
"So, what brings you here?"
Ben asked.
"Oh, I had a favor to ask you guys. My friends from the orphanage are coming over soon, and they want to be adventurers. So I was hoping you could tell them about adventuring when they come."
"About adventuring? Sure, but it's not as exciting as you might think."
Arthur replied.
"Yeah, but wouldn’t it be better for them to hear that upfront rather than just hearing the fun parts and quitting when they realize it’s not what they expected?"
"That’s true… yeah, sure."
Ben agreed, and Arthur nodded along.
"Thanks! But wow, you two really had an intense aura. I guess that’s to be expected from A-rank adventurers."
I said, and they both scratched their heads, looking a little bashful.
"Nah, we’ve still got a long way to go."
Ben said.
"Really? But even as cooks, you guys keep up with training. Why is that?"
"Huh? You didn’t know? Everyone in this household trains regularly."
"What? Everyone? All the servants too?"
"Yep. Most of them train early in the morning or after work, so you’re probably asleep when it happens."
"Oh… wow."
The servants of the Lampail household are amazing…
Wait, don’t tell me even Old Tom—?
At this moment, I didn’t know that Old Tom was a former S-rank adventurer, now serving as a gardener and also managing the mansion's weapons. And that the workshop where I often had tea with him had a hidden door, behind which lay a vast collection of weapons and hidden blades, all meticulously maintained by him.
Nor did I know that his wife, Zara, was also a former S-rank adventurer and this pair was now running a flower shop while gathering information in town to report to my father as part of the Shadow network.
Their grandson, Mike, was a gardener and an active A-rank adventurer, also serving as a Shadow who gathered intelligence from fellow adventurers. Incidentally, Mike’s parents, like Mr. Taiki, were traveling merchants engaged in intelligence work as Shadows.
Most of the other maids and servants were also former or active adventurers, many specializing in combat, each possessing both a public and a secret role.
"Then, in the Lampail household, who’s the strongest?"
I asked out of curiosity.
"Hmm… depends on the situation, but for magic attacks, it’d be Madam. For physical combat, it’d be Master… ah, no, maybe Nancy."
Arthur said.
"Nancy? More than Father? Not Gray or Mr. Abe?"
"Head Chef and Nancy both have body enhancement skills, but Nancy is more agile. She’s probably the strongest."
Ben added.
"Huh… so Mother and Nancy are—"
"Ah, no, wait–! The strongest is still the Old Madam!!"
Ben interrupted me.
"Oh yeah, that’s true. The Old Madam is the strongest in the Lampail family."
Arthur agreed.
"Grandmother is that strong? I knew she was a former royal guard for the Queen, but…"
"That’s not all. The Great Madam is SS-rank in the Lampail Guild."
"Eh!? SS-rank?"
"Yep. The Lampail Guild is already at a higher level than other regional guilds, and she’s SS-rank there. We were S-rank in other regions, but here in the Lampail Guild, we’re only A-rank. So yeah, she’s on a whole different level."
"Oh… seriously?"
"”Dead serious!”"
Grandmother, you are amazing!!
I will follow you anywhere!!
Ahhh~ I want to register as an adventurer soon, too.
What do you think about this chapter?
