The most effective way to recruit party mbers was to place a recruitnt advertisent on the bulletin board in the central square. Another thod was to publish it in the advertisent column of the newspapers.
Seekers who were looking for a party could examine the recruiter information, Job requisites, and working conditions from there, and head to the interview if they were happy with the terms stated.
The interview location that I had specified was the Orcs Club.
It wasnt because I wanted to enjoy eating and drinking while I was doing the interviews, but because Seeker bars had entry restrictions based on the Seekers achievents. It was a common way to filter the interviewees, and the implication was that having the qualifications to enter the specified bar was the minimum requirent.
It was 11 am. There were already many custors, but it wasnt too noisy, so it shouldnt be a problem to hold interviews. All that was left, was to wait for applicants to appear, but
Nobodys going co anyways
The person who had sat down at my table without permission, and was running his mouth arbitrarily, was Wolf, the leader of Lightning Bite.
Youve been making a lot of noise from a while ago. Youre interfering with the interview
What interview? Like I said, no ones going to co. In the first place, everyone who is at the level where they can enter this bar, is already in a party or clan
Thats only among those you know, right?
Well, while the chances of a hidden talent appearing isnt zero, its low, am I right? Even if one did appear, theres definitely so sort of trouble involved. Typically, Seekers that work solo are mostly people like that. Can you form a decent party with those kinds of people?
Its not sothing you have to worry about. Its fine, so hurry up and get lost
Dont say such cold-hearted things. Arent you lonely, being all by yourself, Noel?
Wolf gave a friendly smile as he put his hand over-familiarly around my shoulders.
In that case, co over and join us. Well welco you, you know?
Haaa~
How many tis have I sighed like this already, I wonder?
In the end, the reason why Wolf kept interfering with the interview was because he wanted to headhunt over to Lightning Bite. It had been like this ever since I ca into the bar, and he had been persistently going at it despite my constant rejections.
I was sick and tired of it. I couldnt even summon the will to brush off the hand that he had put around my shoulders.
Thats enough, Wolf. Youre troubling Noel
An exasperated voice ca from the next table.
The owner of the voice was an elven woman. She, who had elf-like dignified features and blonde hair in a signature two-side-up hairstyle, was Wolfs ally.
Perhaps she was very confident in her dodging ability, but she was lightly equipped, wearing only a sleeveless blouse and skirt, with a leather chest protector, which was the only piece of her outfit resembling armor of any kind. Leisha the Archer was a Seeker that was well known in the Orcs Club.
Voices that agreed with Leisha popped up, one after another.
Leave it to , he said, so we left it to him, but isnt he just harassing him rather than headhunting him? No ones gonna join if you invite them like that
Its because Wolf has a pitiful brain The only strategy he knows is to push through with force, isnt it?
Noel, you poor thing~. Wolf, youre gross~
Its because hes like that, that he got rejected by that girl working in the flower store
They were all Wolfs allies and mbers of Lightning Bite. It seed like they had sat at the next table and had been watching over the process, but it appeared that they had realized that it was useless to leave it to Wolf any further. If possible, I wished that they had realized it much faster.
Hey, you guys are too noisy! And, dont expose the fact that I got rejected! The true power of my negotiating techniques only starts now!
Eeh, its going to continue? Please spare
Wolf
Oh, what is it? Are you gonna join us?
Ive changed my mind. I dont mind becoming allies if you agree to my conditions
Ooh, are you serious!? Look, did you hear that, you guys! This is the power of my negotiating techniques!
Leisha gave Wolf, who had stood up and was rejoicing, a swift kick.
Ouch! What was that for!?
Wolf, youre a hindrance, so sit over there
After treating Wolf coldly, Leisha turned to .
So, what are your conditions? We really want Noel to join, so well do our best to et them. Well have nothing to fear if we add a capable control tower to our current mbers
Its not a particularly difficult condition to et. Its a simple thing
What is it? Tell , tell
Leisha bent at her waist and put her face close to mine.
Why are you putting your face so close? Is this so form of elven communication? Hey, youre too close. Not only are you breathing on , youre so close that I can count your eyelashes.
There is only one condition
Uh-huh
That is for to be the leader of Lightning Bite
Eh, thats okay, you know? Everyone, thats fine, right?
Everyone nodded at Leishas words.
Im fine with it
Im okay too
too~
as well
Wolf jumped up in a panic at everyones instant reply.
Whats with the instant reply, you guys!? Wait, what about my opinion!? Im the leader, are I!? Dont make decisions as you all please!
I an, Noel is smarter than Wolf. And we dont particularly care who our leader is. See, theres no problem, right?
Wolf got pulled along by Leishas assertion and nodded.
Now that you ntion it youre right. Wait, thats not the problem! Im the leader! The one who created Lightning Bite was !
At his retort, laughter erupted and Wolf got made fun of even more.
His allies werent making fun of Wolf because they looked down on him. If anything, they were made fun of him precisely because they trusted him. Not a single one of them was serious about replacing their leader.
But, to , it wasnt a joke, but an earnest condition.
However, I should have successfully conveyed to Wolf my intention of not being under anyone. As proof, Wolf didnt co over to ss with anymore, and was drinking and joking with his allies instead.
What a sha. I really wanted to go adventuring with Noel
Leisha, who had not returned to her seat at the next table, pouted while resting her chin on my table.
But what are you going to do if you cant gather any allies?
Ill cross that bridge when I co to it. Ill just change from recruiting to headhunting
Headhunting? Do you have soone in mind?
Yeah, sort of
There were problems that needed to be settled before I could recruit him, but if the headhunt was successful, he would be an enormous force. After all, he had strength that could only be called unprecedented and was strong enough to surpass Blue Beyond, even in its heyday, all by himself.
The Puppeteer Hugo Coppelius
Even though I would have to leave him till later, he was a man I wanted no matter what.
Hmm, what kind of person is it? Is it soone I know?
Trade secret
Ehhh~! Whats up with that! Isnt it fine to tell , you stingy man!
It was not to Wolfs level, but it appeared that this woman was also the type to annoyingly involve herself with people
As I was thinking of ways to chase her away, there was an unexpected whisper-like voice.
Are you Noel Stollen?
Woah!Hyaaa!
The voice had been so unexpected that Leisha and lifted off our seats a few inches in shock. We had felt no presence at all. It was as if the short person in a hooded robe standing before us had just appeared out of thin air together with the voice.
No, putting aside, for even an Archer with presence sensing Skills like Leisha to not be able to notice her, she might have really appeared from another dinsion.
Im Noel. And you are?
Im (Boku is used by this person, which is a male pronoun)
When the hood was pull back, purple-tinted silver hair could be seen.
It was a woman. Glossy silver hair trimd at the shoulder. Skin that was tanned brown by the sun. Orderly features like a Bisque doll. Heterochromia or odd eye with her left eye a sapphire color and her right eye an athyst color.
Although she was not as short as a Halfling, she was short enough that she looked like a child at first glance. However, if you looked closely, she had the scent of an adult woman. The sharpness of her cheeks and her beautifully shaped nose were characteristics that wouldnt be seen in children who had not yet grown up.
Alma. I ca after seeing the recruitnt ad in the central square
As expected, she was an applicant. Based on the situation, I thought that would be the case.
But, a woman, huh Considering the previous incident, its not what I would have preferred. It would be troubling if problems caused by love happened yet again because a woman joined.
If possible, I would have liked to build the partys foundation with n only. I had thought that it would only be after the party was already functioning properly that I would let won join, but to think my very first applicant is a woman.
I should have limited the recruitnt requirents to only n. I had thought it unlikely that any won were going to apply because the low percentage of female Seekers, so I hadnt put much thought into it.
Well, theres nothing I could do now that she had co. It would also be a problem to turn her away now just because she is a woman. I probably ought to accept even won as new allies as long as both sides could co to mutually-agreeable terms.
In addition, not limiting it to n might conversely have been the right thing to do. I couldnt confirm it yet, but whether it was how she appeared suddenly out of nowhere or her appearance itself, the air of a strong person wafted from this woman.
Alma, thank you for coming today. Please take a seat
Got it
At my urging, Alma sat across from .
Huh, youre gonna start the interview?
Leisha tilted her head and whispered into my ear.
Isnt she just a child? Children cant be Seekers, right?
No, that is
Youre mistaken. Im not a child. Im a proper adult
Alma, who had heard Leishas whispers, shook her head to show denial. Then she raised two fingers in her right hand and one in her left.
21 years old. A legitimate adult
Five years older, huh
I knew she was an adult, but I wasnt expecting to hear that she was five years older. What could I say, this woman was full of surprises.
Hey, at what age do humans beco adults? Is it really true that youre an adult at 21?
I brushed aside Leishas very elf-like question.
Is it okay if I ask you a few questions?
I dont mind
Then, first of all
Whats your favorite food?
Strawberries
Wolf! Dont butt in for no good reason!
I really couldnt let my guard down. When I tried to ask a question, Wolf, who was supposed to be at the next table, had co back and had started asking questions over for so reason.
Arent you the leader of a different party? Why on earth are you asking questions? Besides, what exactly are you trying to accomplish by asking about her favorite food?
Now, now, dont be so block-headed. Isnt she an interesting applicant?
Were not here to play gas! Kennel! Wolf, go kennel!
Do you have a favorite book?
100 techniques to make tough guys into girlsby Elizabeth Greze
While I was busy chasing Wolf away, it was Leisha who asked her a question this ti. Or rather, all the mbers of Lightning Bite had already joined in.
Now that things had turned out this way, I could only raise my hands in defeat
Your hobbies?
Gathering herbs
Are you the type who can save up money?
Moderately so
Three sizes?
90, 53, 82
Why were they only asking such random questions Alma too, she didnt have to answer all of them so conscientiously. It was going to a pain to stop it, so I just went with the flow and asked my questions too.
Whats your Job and Rank?
Scout. C Rank
So she was a Scout. Not bad. For scouting Abysses, Scouts and Archers, who were skilled at detecting danger, were very useful. It was ironic that talent that we were missing back then, only ca now.
Are you interested in fashion?
As much as the next person
How much experience do you have? Have you been in other parties before?
No. Ive only just finished registering as a Seeker. I had been receiving training from Grandpa in the mountains up until recently
Zero experience as a Seeker, she said? It was troubling that she was a total beginner. But what I was intrigued about, was the fact that she had been training until recently. What kind of training was it, that you would need to train until you were 21 years old?
Whats your motto?
What can be done tomorrow, shall be done tomorrow
Final question. Why do you aspire to be a Seeker?
I have no interest in being a Seeker. What Im interested in is
Almas finger pointed straight at .
only you, Over Deaths grandson
Were you involved with my grandfather in so way?
While Grandfather was famous as a hero, it was strange that soone who was not only not a Seeker, but had been secluded in the mountains, to have known of him. In that case, it was probably reasonable to think that either Alma herself, or one of her relatives had been involved with Grandfather.
Not , but my Grandpa said he had fought him in the past
Hmm
Grandpa doesnt have a right arm. It was cut off by Over Death
Trying not to let Alma notice, I secretly put my hand on Silver-chan.
Surely, youre not going to say that your real goal is to take revenge for that, right?
But it seed like my worries were unfounded.
Youre mistaken. Im not going to do sothing so unproductive. Im rely interested in what kind of Seeker that heros grandson is
I, I see Well, Ill apologize on behalf of Grandfather. Im sorry. Grandfather has already passed away so I hope that youll accept my apology as his own
Grandpa passed away peacefully last month, so there is nobody left who is holding a grudge. Whats past is past. No need to apologize
Alma spoke as if she really didnt mind at all.
But, a man who had fought Over Death, huh There were too many that I couldnt narrow it down. Grandfather was quite a rowdy person when he was young after all.
By the way, what was your grandfathers na?
Alcor Iudikaray
I felt goosebumps the instant I heard that na. The mbers of Lightning Bite also had their eyes wide with shock.
Alcor Iudikaray, the na that couldnt be uttered without absolute terror.
In the dark underbelly of society that was dominated by the Yakuza, a certain secret society existed. Assassin Order, as its na suggested, an organization that earned its living working as assassins.
They were thought to be even worse and more evil than the Yakuza because they ruthlessly killed anyone, even babies, as long as it was requested, and everyone feared going against them.
And the legendary assassin who created and served as the founding leader of the Order, was Alcor Iudikaray.
The story of how he single-handedly completed the request by the Pope at the ti to eliminate all opposing religious organizations, was much too infamous. In all likelihood, the number of lives that he took at the ti easily surpassed a thousand
He was an untouchable existence in all aspects, and people feared to even utter his na in public. And yet, Alma claid to be his granddaughter.
Is she really the granddaughter of that Alcor?
I also had the experience where I couldnt quite get people to believe I was the grandson of Over Death because of how I looked, but even taking that into account, I couldnt just believe her offhand.
But if her words were true, she was a talent that was hard to co by. I definitely wanted her as an ally.
I an, what was Grandpa doing, picking a fight with the Assassin Order? Its the first Id heard of it. What the heck was he doing? Whats more, isnt it far too ridiculous to have cut off the right arm of that Alcor?
Oh no, I went on a tangent because the unexpected information was far too interesting.
The granddaughter of that Alcor? For a joke, it isnt funny
In a deep voice, a big man with a crew cut stood up from the opposite table.
Here we go! The start of the next arc! wkwkwk
Yet sohow, I found myself googling for hairstyles surprisingly could not find an English equivalent for two side up. And before anything else
Two side up =/= Twin tails. A classic example of a two side up heroine would be Rin from the Fate series. Her hair is tied into tails on each side but the back of her hair still flows down. There, totally useless info rant over. (*`*) (edit: and after all that effort, Leisha ended up a twin tails in the end lol)
What did you guys think of the interaction with Lightning Bite as well as Alma, the legends successor?
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