On the morning of the third day since learning that House Walt's generations-old family motto had actually started from a misunderstanding, Novem and I were on the third floor of the adventurer's guild, meeting the female adventurer who would serve as our instructor.
The adventurer Hawkins had brought us was named Zelphy.
She had short, wavy purple hair and appeared in the conference room in casual attire. The exposed parts of her skin bore the traces of old scars.
Her gaze was sharp, and she carried the aura of a capable adventurer.
"Zelphy, these are the two novice adventurers I introduced."
"Nice to meet you."
"N-nice to meet you too."
After our greetings, Zelphy looked us over and nodded several times.
"……When I heard that newcomers wanted to hire me, I thought it was a joke, but I guess you're some noble or other?"
That surprised me slightly.
Today's attendant was Third Generation, and even she seemed a bit taken aback.
'The type you shouldn't underestimate just because she's a woman, huh? Come to think of it, are there a lot of female adventurers these days? Must be the changing times… Still, it's a strange feeling.'
(Strange?)
I almost tilted my head at Third Generation's words but stopped myself.
Hawkins, however, noticed the issue.
"Zelphy, prying too deeply into people's backgrounds is—"
"I know, I know. I won't cause trouble for you, Hawkins. But on my end, I'm going to lay down a few rules before I agree to teach. Especially since you're nobles. You can't half-ass this. If you don't like that, I'll step down as your instructor. I can't take on responsibility I'm not prepared for."
I looked at Novem.
She nodded, so I asked to hear the rules.
"Understood. As long as they're reasonable."
"Good. First rule: no complaints about my teaching methods. That means you listen when I tell you to do something. Second: I'm going to hammer the basics into you in three months. No whining about whether you like the work or not. Third—"
Up to that point, it was all standard. We waited to hear what the third rule would be.
"Third: you're to bring in at least one more companion. Temporary is fine, but you need to be able to work as a group of at least three."
We exchanged glances at Zelphy's rule.
Hawkins shared a similar opinion.
"That's true. With three people, it's much easier for us to assign work as well."
I hadn't thought about companions. I figured we could recruit after learning the basics.
'Well, she has her reasons, I'm sure. We're novices when it comes to adventuring, so we should probably go along with it.'
It wasn't because Third Generation said so, but I agreed to the three conditions.
"I understand the conditions. We have no objections."
When I said that, Zelphy broke into a smile.
She was far more attractive smiling than wearing that intimidating expression.
"Great! Then I'll take this job. Honestly, I was a little surprised that newcomers wanted to hire me, but you're surprisingly straightforward about it."
Novem asked Zelphy a question.
"Is it really that unusual?"
"Pretty much. Normally, people don't have money, so they start by saving up and hiring mid-tier instructors like me. They pool two to three gold coins each and put in a request at the guild. If they're ambitious, most people go for it."
Hawkins added to Zelphy's explanation.
"This particular branch has quite a lot of work, making it a good place for novice adventurers. The Darion adventurer's guild has adopted this instructor system."
"Once people reach a certain level, they tend to hit a wall and push themselves too hard. The system lets them learn basics from lower-ranked adventurers first, then get instruction from mid-tier folks like me."
Apparently, this system existed in only a few branches, Darion among them.
You could say it was a branch that put real effort into training newcomers.
"Well, she may not be the usual type, but Zelphy has been an adventurer for twelve years—a true veteran. She's experienced, her record is clean, and I highly recommend her as a role model… except for her manner of speaking."
When Hawkins said that, Zelphy protested.
"I'm still in my twenties! Cut it out with the veteran stuff, old man!"
"Now then, spend today in this room planning your future. I expect you to learn the knowledge and experience needed of an adventurer from a veteran and grow into fine adventurers."
We watched Hawkins leave the room with a smile, and Novem and I began receiving instruction from Zelphy.
In the guild's conference room, Zelphy drilled us on what we needed to know as adventurers.
"——Right, I've covered the basics, but what really matters is companions. If you don't understand that, even the most talented person will fail, so keep it in mind."
The basics she'd taught were: how to take on requests at the guild, what to be careful of when bringing in monsters, and so on.
If you took on a request and failed to complete it, it was recorded on your Guild Card. From there, a record of your personal or party's completion rate and problematic behavior would accumulate.
Be mindful of your appearance.
Don't do things you can't do.
Adventurers must not go adventuring.
These were among the things she taught us.
And finally, she began to explain the importance of companions.
"Simply put, numbers mean strength. The reason misfits band together is that doing so inherently makes them stronger. Understand that."
Novem then asked a question.
"Um… what about quality? Don't you care about that?"
Zelphy shook her head.
"Quality depends on what you prioritize. Would you want someone strong but with a terrible track record as your companion?"
I couldn't agree with that, so I denied it.
"I would not."
But from inside the Jewel, Third Generation spoke up.
'People and things are both tools to be used as needed.'
(This person's a little dark…)
"Right? Even if someone's a bit lacking in strength, there are times when an honest, dependable person is better suited to the job, depending on the request."
Zelphy added that it also depended on what they were aiming for.
"Going out and defeating monsters to sell the materials. Taking on requests and completing them. Delving into dungeons in search of treasure. These are all things adventurers do, but very few individuals or parties can do everything. Think carefully about how you're going to earn your living, and find companions who fit that goal."
She added that knowing what you're aiming for and what you're lacking is equally important.
Even if you have the right skills, if acquiring them takes too much time, you should hire someone or recruit a person who already possesses them.
"A person can only do so much on their own. Aiming for the top is fine, but if you get confused about what you can and can't do, you'll make a big mistake someday."
Hearing Zelphy's advice, both Novem and I nodded.
"Good! Then let's talk about the actual work. Nothing teaches faster than hands-on experience, after all."
Saying that, she placed some documents in front of us.
"Um… Zelphy?"
Novem looked troubled.
I did too.
"What's wrong?"
Zelphy asked with a smile.
"This request form says 'gutter cleaning' for the town…"
"Yep, that's right! People who refuse jobs like this will never take them, so I figured I'd get you some experience while you're at it."
She was smiling, but she added with a grin:
"Surely you're not going to break the rules I set right from the start? Trust is important for adventurers."
And so Novem and I were assigned gutter cleaning as our first job as adventurers.
Inside the Jewel's meeting room.
When they woke up, Sixth Generation and Seventh Generation were leading the opposition to my first job.
"Wh, at, I'm telling you! You can't let Lyle do gutter cleaning! Listen, he may be a foundling, but he's the heir to House Walt! Fifth Generation, talk some sense into these people!"
Sixth Generation had a wild appearance, but her historical reputation wasn't the best—words like "scheming" and "black-hearted" came up often.
Seventh Generation, my grandfather, agreed with her.
"You lot, how can you be fine with making Lyle do something like this?!"
However, from First Generation through Fourth Generation, no one seemed interested. Or rather…
"Does it matter? As long as Novem doesn't get dirty, there's no problem."
What First Generation cared about was whether Novem would get dirty doing gutter cleaning. Being a man myself, I understood.
Given how filthy the job would be, I decided to ask Novem to help only indirectly. Zelphy had also said that a man who could be considerate of a woman scored high marks.
Of course, these were my ancestors' opinions.
"Well, realistically, this is a good chance to have Lyle learn a bit about the world. That adventurer Zelphy seems like a good pick."
Second Generation had a positive view of Zelphy.
But Sixth Generation disagreed.
"I told you, he's a foundling but he's still a noble! Unlike you lot, Lyle is the real deal! A genuine noble!"
Third Generation spoke to the agitated Sixth Generation.
"That's a harsh way to treat a 'fake.' But what exactly is the difference between the real and the fake one?"
Fourth Generation was of the same mind.
Only Fifth Generation seemed uninterested. Then again, Fifth Generation was basically neutral about everything at this point.
Seventh Generation began explaining my birth.
"Lyle carries the blood of my wife, who was from a marquis family! Listen—simply put, he's a child descended from the royal bloodline that predates even the Centras Kingdom!"
"……That's quite the bombshell."
Third Generation dubbed the bloodline a bombshell.
"Huh? I've never heard anything like that before."
Even I didn't know this fact, and the room buzzed with a brief stir.
Third Generation looked at me and turned to Sixth Generation.
"……Even Lyle himself doesn't seem to know about this?"
At that, I nodded.
"Father never told me anything like that."
Of course, I'd been treated coldly since I was ten. Maybe he simply hadn't passed on important information.
"There are facts that can't be brought to light! In our era, the old royal faction schemed to restore their power and used the corrupt government as a pretext to start a civil war!"
Third Generation had fought in a war against another nation and died in battle.
But even after that, the heads of House Walt continued to march onto the battlefield in skirmishes and conflicts.
Among them, Sixth Generation and Seventh Generation had participated in skirmishes, civil disturbances, and wars with foreign nations.
Though things had calmed down now, I'd heard that even my father had taken part in a war in his youth.
Seventh Generation explained about my grandmother.
"The old royal family—the Centras royal bloodline—was, of course, also passed down to the current royal family. However, they couldn't openly bring them in. After all, the surviving branch was descended from Agrissa, who had triggered the civil war."
Agrissa—the last queen of the Centras Kingdom, whom First Generation had mentioned, a beauty capable of toppling a nation.
"Huh? Then Grandma… Grandma Xenoa would be…"
Being called a villain and a nation-toppling beauty meant she had monopolized the king's affections. In other words, Agrissa's descendant meant direct lineage from the old royal family.
"Wow… Ceres being a monster now seems even more natural."
When First Generation made that comment, Second Generation was exasperated.
"You're still on that?"
Seventh Generation continued his explanation.
"Banseim is distantly related to the royal family, but the noble bloodlines still remaining are few and far between. Lyle is one of them… Do you understand now?"
Sixth Generation explained why the old royal family couldn't be completely eradicated.
On the surface, the civil war had been declared a success, and all the conspirators were supposedly purged. He'd heard that the only survivors were a branch family that had been exiled from the royal house.
"Um, I was told that the survivors of the old royal family were only distant relatives. I was told everyone else was purged."
"Are you an idiot?! The royal bloodline that was polished over centuries of history—you think you can just wipe it out that easily? On the surface, they carried out the punishments, but they quietly sheltered the survivors."
Magic users being nobles was because the royal blood had been connected between those with mana. From mana-endowed humans, magic users emerged.
As a result, the royal family was born.
It was blood that had survived destruction and been reborn again and again.
"The king of my generation had planned, if nothing went wrong, to have Xenoa adopted into some noble family and welcomed into the royal house. But the relatives, fed up with the corrupt politics, revolted… and after that, other nations began taking advantage of the chaos too!"
From there, Seventh Generation launched into his hardships.
Everyone listened—or rather, tuned it out. I'd heard it countless times myself, so I ignored it and talked with other ancestors.
"What were we talking about again?"
Fourth Generation pushed his glasses up with his index finger and adjusted them as he spoke.
"Gutter cleaning. But we've gone from gutter cleaning to quite the grand story. For House Walt to carry royal blood—that's quite a surprise."
Third Generation agreed.
"Absolutely. And yet, why does Lyle have so little mana?"
"It's because you're all being so noisy! I'll have you know, this is actually above average for someone my age! And yet, the Jewel keeps draining my mana…"
When the conversation veered off course, Fifth Generation sighed and joined in.
She seemed exasperated by everyone's reactions.
"Don't get so worked up over gutter cleaning."
"B-but, Fifth Generation…"
Perhaps because she was his father, Sixth Generation couldn't push back too hard against Fifth Generation. It was the complete opposite of First and Second Generation's dynamic.
"Whether it's royal blood or not, right now he's been kicked out of the house and become an adventurer. An adventurer's instructor? If she wants Lyle to clean gutters, then that's fine. At least he's not being told to commit crimes—so there's nothing to complain about."
Seventh Generation objected.
"B-but Lyle's standing—"
"His standing right now is that of an adventurer, I said. It's a good experience. It'll be a plus for Lyle and no minus."
Hearing that, First Generation and the others nodded as well.
Second Generation, however, seemed unable to keep up with the shift in the conversation.
"Descendants carrying royal blood—I never would have imagined it. And from this barbarian, no less, comes a descendant with royal blood…"
"What?"
Second Generation looked toward the barbarian clad in beast hides, then shook his head.
And with that, Fourth Generation declared the meeting adjourned.
"So, Lyle's gutter cleaning will proceed as planned."
(Why did gutter cleaning turn into such an elaborate discussion?)
Sixth Generation and Seventh Generation grumbled, unable to accept it.
"Do you know how hard we worked…"
"Xenoa, I'm sorry…"
The rest seemed uninterested. More important to them was the fact that their own bloodline included royal blood.
The next day.
I spent the morning cleaning Darion's gutters.
It was filthy, plain and simple. Trash was thrown in, and at its worst, there was even excrement—
"T-this is rough…"
I wrapped a cloth around my mouth and wore rubber work clothes.
"Lord Lyle, it's already noon. Let me take over."
"……Your concern is enough."
Novem worried about me and offered to take my place. But I couldn't let Novem do this kind of work.
More importantly, there was another problem—
'Hey, hey! Is that royal blood in your veins or not?! Put more effort into it!'
First Generation was making an unreasonable racket.
"House Walt carrying royal blood… Being made a baron was already beyond our station…"
Second Generation muttered to herself, thinking it over.
"By the way, Seventh Generation—why did that Xenoa woman marry into the family? It seems like there was no necessity for it."
Third Generation apparently wanted to know the circumstances behind how royal blood entered the family.
"Ah, I was thinking the same thing. She could've just married into the current royal family. Extending our reach like that can only lead to trouble, if you ask me."
Fourth Generation showed no interest in me either. All four of them seemed perfectly fine as long as Novem wasn't getting dirty from the work.
"Circumstances in your era were different from mine. The bigger things get, the more trouble finds you whether you want it or not."
Fifth Generation, with her somewhat detached perspective, drew agreement from Sixth Generation as well.
"Political corruption was terrible back then. If you didn't have a certain amount of power and kept to yourself, they could easily fabricate a reason to have you executed. That was the era we lived in."
The conditions had clearly been harsh, and Sixth Generation grumbled about it.
"The plan was for Lyle's child or grandchild to marry into the royal family, or to bring in a royal daughter and elevate the family to marquis rank, shielding us from interference…"
Seventh Generation had harbored those kinds of ambitions too.
Come to think of it, Grandma Xenoa was also someone who had fulfilled House Walt's family motto.
During the civil unrest, she'd been on the verge of being purged, but Seventh Generation had taken her in and swept the matter under the rug.
When I thought about it that way, being on the frontier did have its conveniences.
(That said… you guys, keep it down! My breathing was getting heavier.)
Physically, I was fine, but the mental fatigue was really showing.
That was because the Jewel kept draining my mana!
Zelphy, our instructor, watched me with a look of mild disbelief.
"You've got less stamina than I expected. At this rate, going out to slay monsters is still a long way off. Why don't you keep doing these kinds of requests for a while and train on the side?"
"Huh, no… If possible, I'd like to go out and fight monsters right away…"
I objected to Zelphy's proposal, but Novem seemed to agree.
"That's right. We shouldn't push ourselves, and above all, Lord Lyle's safety comes first. This kind of work is experience too, and I'll do my best as well."
When Novem announced her participation, the ancestors inside the Jewel erupted.
"Stop! Novem doesn't need to do anything like that!"
"Lyle, come on, work harder! You'll worry Novem!"
"As expected of my sister's descendant. Well done. But still, we can't let her do this kind of work, right?"
"Show some backbone! In front of a girl, a real man pushes through no matter what!"
First Generation, Second Generation, Third Generation, Fourth Generation—
(It's because you're all being so noisy…)
But it didn't stop there.
"You're still going to make him do this?! That's enough! What's the point of making him keep going?!"
"Calm down. It's safe, so we should actually welcome it."
Fifth Generation restrained Sixth Generation.
"Why did it come to this… I should have punched that idiot son sooner! And you lot, keep it down! Lyle's struggling over here!"
Seventh Generation was worked up too.
I appreciated that they were angry on my behalf. But at the same time, I had to say it.
(Please, for the love of everything, be quiet!!)
A simple job of gutter cleaning had been made exponentially harder by my ancestors' antics.