Chapter 12: A New Member Joins. On Our Future Direction.
『Joining a guild beyond your means will destroy you.』
That’s a line straight out of the academy’s rules: <Join a guild that matches your actual ability.>
Even if you manage to get into a high-ranking guild, if you can’t keep up afterward, you’ll face <Forced Expulsion>.
This world runs on meritocracy—meaning level-ocracy.
Anyone who’s all talk gets weeded out instantly.
Lose in a guild battle, and your rank drops.
When the rank drops, so does the maximum number of participants.
For example, a B-rank guild can field 30 members, while a C-rank guild only allows 20.
If you get demoted, those who no longer fit the cap are forced out.
I saw that tragedy plenty of times back in the game days.
A character you raised with care, even a founding member of the guild—gone! Forced out! Oh, the agony!
That’s also why guild battles are so thrilling, though.
Well, technically, there is a backup plan: you can create a sub-guild and place overflow members there. If your rank goes back up, they can rejoin, and the sub-guild is disbanded.
…But I digress. This is about the real world now.
The ones who get expelled are, of course, those who can’t fight anymore. The ones who can’t keep up.
In other words, dead weight.
In theory, more members should mean more strength.
But if you still lose to a lower-ranked guild, then it’s only natural to assume there’s dead weight holding you back.
And in guild logic, dead weight is always the first to go. Meritocracy at its finest.
By the way, there’s a big difference between a simple <Withdrawal> and a <Forced Expulsion>.
A <Withdrawal> usually happens because of the participant cap, so it’s seen as unavoidable, and it rarely affects your reputation afterward.
But a <Forced Expulsion> requires the guild to report the reason to the academy.
This exists mainly to prevent unfair expulsions. But since the academy is also obligated to disclose those reasons upon request, the effect is huge.
No one wants to take in a ticking time bomb, a troublemaker, or someone with a bad attitude. And if you were expelled, it probably means you lacked the skill too.
The academy also wants to avoid pointless drama.
Put together, all of this makes it extremely difficult for anyone with a <Forced Expulsion> on record to ever join another guild again.
Joining a guild beyond your means will destroy you.
That’s common sense in this world.
So I thought Kalua might hesitate, considering all that…
"I want to join. Please… let me be part of the team."
"…Alright. Kalua—welcome to Guild <Eden>. You’re one of us now."
"Mm… thank you."
Kalua made her decision after really thinking it through.
Her slightly flushed cheeks and twitching ears were a total moe point.
She must’ve made a big resolve, but I’ll make sure she gets strong. She doesn’t have to worry about that.
"Alright then, let’s go pick up a strong job as a warm-up. It’s late already, but do you still have time, Kalua?"
"? I do."
She didn’t seem to get it completely, but I brought her along as we left <Marvelous> and headed for my room in the noble dorms. The goal, of course: a Slime Pop Marathon! Sierra’s alchemy kit and the <Bracelet of 『Alchemy Lv1』> were still in my room. Sierra herself told me, "You can use them whenever you like," so I’ll gladly take her up on that.
Oh, and Kalua? She ate six whole servings of curry—including seconds.
When we arrived at the noble dorms, we happened to run into the dorm mother. Perfect timing.
"Good evening, Dorm Mother."
"Hello, Zephyrus-kun. Good evening."
"The thing is, I’d like permission to bring this girl up to my room. We’re about to hold another ‘study session.’"
The dorm mother was apparently from a noble family herself and a graduate of this academy. She lost her husband early and has been working here since. Honestly, she only looks like a college student, but she actually graduated over ten years ago. Still so youthful.
She’s kind, gentle, and considerate, so there are rumors about noble boys occasionally throwing passionate advances her way. I’ve even witnessed it once. She rejects them all, though.
She’s also someone who treats everyone the same, whether it’s a commoner like me or Hanna.
In fact, Hanna apparently got her permission to come and go from my room freely.
I’ve been granted plenty of small favors from her myself.
This time too, since Kalua isn’t a noble student, I figured I should at least get permission before bringing her into my room.
The dorm mother’s gaze shifted to Kalua.
"Oh my! A new girl?"
"…Kalua. Nice to meet you."
Kalua gave a flat, expressionless greeting to the dorm mother, who was practically sparkling with excitement.
For some reason, I felt like there was something off about the nuance of "new girl," but… probably just my imagination.
"S-So, is it alright? She’s not a noble student, but we’ll only be using my room and the measurement room."
"Oh my! Just the two of you? Fufufu, so studious. Of course, I’ll allow it. Do your best, Zephyrus-kun."
I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was some kind of misunderstanding, but it was already late, so I decided to just get moving.
"So, do you have a job in mind that you want?"
I asked Kalua once we got to my room.
The "Catfolk" race has five basic jobs, all of them combat-oriented.
Among the higher-rank jobs, there are three branches: offense type, magic type, and speed type.
Naturally, I’ve got all the unlock conditions memorized.
"I want to become a 【Star Cat】. But no matter how much I run, it never unlocks."
"A speed type, huh. Yeah, just running alone won’t cut it."
Kalua had her eyes set on 【Star Cat】, a mid-high tier among high-rank speed-type jobs.
True, one of the requirements is <Run 200km within one week>, but… that alone isn’t enough.
I asked if she’d be fine with not going the offense route, since that path actually ranks higher, but she explained her mercenary band back home was all about speed and momentum. So speed was what she wanted.
Honestly, I’ve got no complaints. Even back in the game days, I usually leaned toward speed builds. I’d even call it a great choice.
It’s not that offense types are weak, but there are always plenty of people who can fill that role. Speed types, though, are relatively rare—that’s the real value.
"Alright then, I’ll teach you how to unlock 【Star Cat】. But remember: don’t go blabbing about what happens here."
"Of course. That’s obvious. I’ll keep my promise even if I die."
"You don’t need to take it that far. Dropping hints isn’t a problem."
In fact, I already leaked a few hints to the research lab, so it’s not like I care that much.
I just want people in this world to put in more effort. Ideally, I’d like them to figure things out on their own.
…But anyway.
With Kalua’s agreement, I began explaining how to unlock 【Star Cat】.
That said, it’s only a mid-high rank job, so the requirements aren’t that bad:
① Must be "Catfolk" or "Beastfolk."
② Run 200km within one week.
③ Defeat 100 monsters using a dagger.
④ Meet the requirements for 【Cat Mercenary】 and 【High Rider】.
High-high rank jobs usually have five requirements, but since 【Star Cat】 is mid-high, it only has four.
The most time-consuming is ②, running 200km in a week, but from Kalua’s story, she already cleared that. So if we finish ③ and ④, we can head straight to the measurement room.
③ is simple. Time for a Slime Pop Marathon! I lent her one of <Eden>’s daggers, and she cut through monsters easily.
④ is simple too. The moment I scouted Kalua and paid the fee, 【Cat Mercenary】 was cleared.
As for 【High Rider】, all she had to do was equip a short sword and an iron sword for dual-wielding and practice a few swings. That did the trick.
"I'm surprised…"
"Congrats, Kalua. You’ve officially awakened as 【Star Cat】."
By the time the clock hit 9 p.m., we had gone through the efficient method step by step. Now, Kalua was standing in front of the <Dragon Statue>, eyes wide in shock, as a brand-new 【Star Cat】.
The remaining steps had all been easy, so it didn’t take long.
The only reason it dragged until 9 was because, somehow, rumors spread again that I’d dragged a girl into my room, and Professor Phyllis came to check up on me. Again! Who keeps snitching!?
Luckily, I’d prepared this time.
I already had permission from the dorm mother, so nothing came of it.
Still, Professor Phyllis seemed weirdly persistent with her questioning tonight. Sigh.
"Amazing… I’m a 【Star Cat】!!"
Yes, yes. I’m glad she’s happy.
Weirdly enough, when Sierra and the others awakened to jobs, they just gave me tired looks instead.
They finally got the high-ranking job they’d been dreaming of, didn’t they? You’d think they’d be a little more excited about it!
"Well then, Kalua—you’re now an official member of <Eden>. Together, let’s aim for S-rank!"
"Hm. I can be useful now. Zephyrus, you’re amazing!"
"Of course I am!"
Man, getting praised feels great. She can keep going if she wants.
The contract fee was five million miru. A bit painful for the moment, but 【Star Cat】 is a job that’ll be extremely valuable down the line. Definitely not a loss.
"That’s… an insane amount of money…"
Kalua gazed in wonder at the student handbook screen displaying her newly earned fortune from her very first mercenary contract.
For me, that’s the kind of pocket change you can blow through by Intermediate-level. But for Kalua, it was a staggering, almost incomprehensible sum.
Better to enjoy that feeling now while she can—it won’t last long.
I remember when I used to tremble with excitement over earning tens of millions or even billions of miru. Ah, those were the days… I was so young back then.
Well, either way, Kalua’s growth will more than pay for itself. Getting a 【Star Cat】 into the guild for just this much is honestly a steal. Normally, recruiting one for a three-year contract would cost in the billions.
"Catfolk (mercenaries)" never break a contract once they’ve joined. You don’t need to pay extra miru later, and they’ll stay in the guild all the way until graduation. Sticking to the deal is one of the basic principles of mercenary work.
That said, if their strength ends up falling way behind in those three years, the merit-based system means they can still be left behind. So I’ll need to properly raise my "Protagonist". But really, that’s a minor issue—it’s rare not to train your "Protagonist" at all.
"First thing you’ll want to do with those Miru is get your gear in order. But now that you’re a guild member, you can also use any extra equipment we’ve got lying around. What weapon do you use? What’s your combat style?"
"Knives. Dual daggers. I fight with sheer number of strikes."
"Got it. Then you can keep that dagger I lent you earlier."
That dagger was a rare drop from a <Silver Chest> belonging to an <Alligator Lizard>.
"None of our guild members use daggers anyway, so it’s perfect for you. Or do you have your own?"
"I only have one in my room. I’ll gladly borrow this one."
"Alright, then next is armor—especially your body gear. Got anything?"
In the game, "Catfolk" were canonically poor, so they usually started with no equipment at all. She should at least have the <Beginner’s Set> from the academy, though.
As expected, Kalua shook her head.
"Then we’ll have to get some made. Remember the shop I came out of when we bumped into each other earlier? We’ll go there."
Lana and the others had gotten a <Great Bear Anteater Pelt>, which I hadn’t formally sold yet. I still had the appraisal sheet on me, so I’d ask Marie-senpai to cancel one unit from the sale and use it to craft Kalua’s armor. Of course, I’d get Lana and the others’ permission first.
We discussed and decided on a few things like that.
"The next issue is who you’ll be dungeon-crawling with."
Right now, aside from Kalua, <Eden> is working on clearing the Beginner Mid-tier dungeons.
The momentum’s really good, so if possible, I don’t want to halt progress just to train a new recruit.
That means we either need to scout more new members or have Kalua party up with outsiders. There are a few ways to handle it.
Incidentally, it’s totally fine to party up with people outside the guild. The system isn’t that strict.
In fact, there are even players who join different guilds but still run as a fixed party together.
Guild combat groups don’t often line up neatly into multiples of five anyway, so you have to make do.
In our case, Hanna, despite being a production job, equips a combat weapon and forces her way into battles. That works too, I guess.
"I wanna go dungeon crawling with Zephyrus…"
"Your level’s nowhere near high enough yet."
"Aw…"
No way I could bring Kalua to my party right now. Hanna might not even be able to keep up with the Beginner Upper-tier dungeons, so that’ll be the point where I swap members.
Hanna still needs to contribute to crafting anyway… though I’ve got a feeling she plans to stick with me no matter what.
Still, Kalua isn’t exactly the most outgoing type. Throwing her into random parties to train might be rough.
In that case, maybe recruiting another new guild member is the better option.
Besides, to enter guild battles, we’ll need at least ten members anyway.
Guild battles always start at <10-man> fights or higher.
So really, recruiting more members is just a matter of sooner or later.
I’ll bring it up with everyone tomorrow.
I don’t have anyone particular in mind right now, but if anyone knows a good candidate from a useful "Race" category, they can introduce me.
"For now, I’ll introduce you to the guild members tomorrow. We’ll discuss the rest after that."
"Hm. Got it."
That’s when it hit me. Wait… I just went ahead and added a new member without asking. In real life, shouldn’t I have, like, consulted with the guild first?
Ah, so that possibility existed too… I didn’t even think of it, since in the game, you could just add members entirely at the player’s discretion.
I snuck a glance at Kalua.
"?"
Well, she’s this cute, so it’ll probably be fine.
Our guild is full of people who love cute things, after all.
After that, we did a Slime Pop Marathon to raise Kalua’s 【Star Cat】 to Lv. 6, then disbanded.
"Announcement! Our new member—【Star Cat Lv. 6】, Kalua!"
"Nice to meet you."
"……"
The day after I scouted her, I made the big announcement in <Eden>’s guild room—and for some reason, all I got back was this heavy, silent pressure.
"You. What were you doing after we disbanded yesterday?"
"Same pattern as us. I bet Zephyrus did this and that and all sorts of things."
"【Star Cat】, a proper high-rank job, huh. And that Lv. 6… I recognize that number."
"Ahaha, well, it’s Zephyrus-kun we’re talking about."
Everyone except Sierra—and Sierra too, actually—nodded knowingly, looking all thoughtful.
Meanwhile, Kalua just had question marks floating over her head. She clearly didn’t understand their reaction.
"Well then, let’s introduce ourselves."
Thank god for Sierra, always stepping up to act as MC in times like these.
I definitely wanted Kalua to be welcomed and settled into the group.
I gave her a gentle push toward everyone, and she started exchanging introductions with the girls right away.
Every time someone introduced themselves, her cat ears twitched adorably.
Looking over, I saw Hanna and Ester’s eyes glued to them.
Yep, I get it. I really get it.
I kinda want to touch them just once. If I asked, would she let me?
"Um, those cat ears are so cute… could I maybe touch them, just a little?"
Hanna went for it!
I feel like this happened before, too!
Hanna’s amazing—no hesitation, just saying what’s on her mind!
Everyone’s gaze turned to Kalua’s ears.
"These are important. I can’t let anyone but family touch them."
Kalua held her ears down with both hands.
Denied, Hanna and Ester both looked super disappointed. …Me too, honestly.
"So, where did you meet Zephyrus?"
"Mm. Was walking on C-Street in the evening. Bumped into him. He saw my panties."
"Bff—!?"
She didn’t look like she even noticed at the time—so she did notice!?
And why reveal that now of all times!? I already apologized for that!
"Hold on, Zephyrus, what did you do to Kalua!?"
"Zephyrus-kun?"
"Ahem, it’s fine. We just bumped into each other. I properly apologized, and as compensation, I treated her to a meal. That matter is already settled."
…Ah, come to think of it, I never actually explained to Kalua that the meal was meant as an apology.
I probably should’ve told her that outright.
"You two ate together?"
"I-it was strictly for apologizing and to discuss the scout offer, okay!? Nothing more!"
I’ve got nothing shady to hide! My eyes are pure and unclouded!
So Hanna, can you not look at me like that?
"Yeah. Zephyrus is amazing. He treated me to six bowls of curry."
"You ate that much? Where in the world does all that food go in that body of yours?"
Sierra looked genuinely baffled, staring at Kalua’s stomach.
There’s a saying that curry is basically a drink. I guess she’s just built to handle a lot. Probably.
For the record, I gave up after three bowls.
"That curry was amazing. We should all go eat there again sometime."
"Mm. Agreed."
Whether they meant to or not, Kalua and Sierra smoothly steered the conversation away, and I latched onto it to make my escape. Whew.
I mean, I’m not sure how I feel about Kalua casually admitting her panties got seen, but thanks to that, it seemed everyone accepted her. So… that’s a win?
"Anyway, changing the subject—since Kalua’s joined us, I’d like to start scouting new members going forward."
When I spoke up seriously, everyone fell silent, realizing this was a real discussion.
At Sierra’s prompting, Kalua also sat down in a chair, ready to listen.
"For now, let’s set our sights on getting the guild up to Rank D. In other words, clearing the Intermediate-level dungeons. On top of that, an F-rank guild can only have up to ten members, so I want to scout new people at the same time. If anyone disagrees, raise your hand now."
"No problem. <Eden> is a guild aiming for Rank S. If we can, we should keep ranking up as fast as possible."
"Exactly. Then, with no objections, let’s move on."
I glanced around, confirming no one looked opposed, and continued.
"Up until now, I’ve been personally handling recruitment, but I don’t exactly have that many acquaintances. Does anyone have someone they’d like to recommend? Anyone they’d hope to bring in?"
Of course, I meant people fit to join a future S-rank guild.
I’d been lucky so far, blessed with strong members like the <Princess Job>, but luck like that won’t last forever. And it’s not like I can ask <Lucky Cat-sama> for help—its blessings only apply inside dungeons.
It might be a tough requirement, but if no one fit the bill, I was planning to ask for introductions to noble daughters or something. The idea being: let’s boost our Princess Job count.
But to my surprise, the first one to respond was Lana. …Seriously?
"I know of two people."
"Two!?"
Now that was unexpected.
If we take them on, that’ll make eight total. Just a little more until we hit the member cap.
"Though, technically, they’re my retainers," Lana added.
"Like Ester, you mean?"
"Exactly. Ester is my bodyguard. The others each have different roles, but, well… I am a princess, you know? I can’t exactly have half-baked retainers around me."
Don’t "you know?" me.
Still, I got what she meant. That actually sounded promising.
"Wait—Lana, you’re a princess?"
"You didn’t know, Kalua!?"
Princess-sama, who probably thought there wasn’t a soul alive who didn’t know her, looked genuinely shaken by Kalua’s innocent comment.
"We’re in the middle of a discussion here, so save that for later. The point is—would they actually join the guild?"
"Mm? Well, yes. If I ask them, they’ll accept. After all, they are my retainers!"
"Okay then. I’d like to interview them first, though. Can you set up a meeting?"
"Sure, I’ll let them know."
Surprisingly, Lana proved useful, and now we had an interview lined up with two potentially valuable members.
When I asked if we shouldn’t at least get their consent first, Lana said it was fine—like Ester, it was better for her retainers to be in the same guild as her anyway.
"Anyone else have recommendations?"
"I do. Just one."
"Oh? Sierra this time. What kind of person?"
"They’re the child of a viscount family that’s been acquainted with mine for a long time."
"A Viscount!?"
I couldn’t help but blurt it out.
"Hey, don’t shout."
"My bad. So? Boy or girl? What’s their job!?"
I fired off questions rapid-fire, only for Sierra to silence me with a raised hand.
"You’re too noisy."
Of course I’m noisy—this is a "Viscount"!
Do they even realize how precious that is? That’s the "Viscount"!
"...On second thought, maybe I shouldn’t have said anything."
"Don’t say that! If it’s them, I can make sure they get the 【Hero】 job!"
"…Haa."
Sierra let out a deep sigh.
Race category: "Viscount."
Back in the game, they were basically a must-have powerhouse character.
Their biggest feature? Their appearance. Their symbolic, unforgettable look made them stand out like crazy.
If male, they were straight-up shota. If female, pure loli as the baseline.
Not the kind of borderline cases like Hanna, who’s technically a loli but with a mature side, or like Marie-senpai, who could almost pass for a junior high schooler. No, we’re talking about "Did you mess up their age by a digit?" levels of loli. Honestly, they looked more like preschoolers.
And the boys were just as extreme—like first or second graders at most.
That was "Viscount."
<DanKatsu> had incredibly broad character creation options, and this was one of the boldest additions. I respect that level of commitment. Lifetime fan here!
I’m not a lolicon, but I love the trope of an adorable little girl being ridiculously strong.
A superpowered little loli mowing down enemies with a "Hyah!"—that perfect blend of moe and badass. Absolute peak.
"So? Which is it? Girl? Boy?"
"…A girl."
"Hired!"
"…Haa."
Sierra sighed again, as if regretting she’d ever opened her mouth.
But there’s no way I’m letting this chance slip away.
"So, Sierra, what’s her job and year?"
"She’s a first-year. Doesn’t have a job yet, but if I recall, she was aiming for 【Lolita Hero】."
【Lolita Hero】! One of the powerhouse jobs I used to rely on back in my gaming days. A bona fide <Princess Job> that only those in the "Viscount" or "Princess" categories could take.
For boys, the equivalent was 【Shota Hero】—but 【Lolita Hero】 had higher stats. I mean, of course—it was a <Princess Job>. The required Fame to scout them was way higher too, so it couldn’t be helped.
【Lolita Hero】 was a debuff attacker. The old in-game description was something like, "With her charm, she’ll bewilder and drive her enemies mad." Basically, wipe out enemies with the power of the loli charm! Just like those cutesy magical-girl shows for kids. (Okay, maybe not exactly like that.)
In practice, though, this job was insanely strong—a style where you’d stack debuffs and status effects onto already-powerful attacks, weakening and finishing off foes in one blow. Deadly stuff.
Definitely the kind of talent I’d want for <Eden>. And since Sierra’s vouching for her, there’s no way she’s weird or unreliable.
"Sierra, let’s move forward with this. Tell her that if she comes along, I can get her 【Lolita Hero】 right away."
"…Don’t you dare get any funny ideas."
"C’mon, you can trust me…"
I mean, we’re the same age, so there’s no "funny business" to begin with. Sure, with that look of theirs, I get why Sierra’s wary, but still, have a little more faith in me.
"Just pointing out—all our current members are girls, you know?"
"…"
It’s not my fault! <DanKatsu> just made the female jobs stronger.
It’s not like I set out to make a harem or anything… Okay, maybe I like it, but that’s not the point!
Not that I could say that out loud, or Sierra might not bring her after all… so I kept my mouth shut.
"…Fine. I’ll bring her by soon."
"Great. I’m looking forward to it!"
That makes nine members. Only one slot left.
"Anyone else?"
I looked around, and sure enough, another hand went up.
If it was Lana and Sierra before, then of course Ester would be next!
"If there’s still a slot, I have someone I’d like to recommend."
Oh? And what kind of person might that be?
"She’s a first-year, my childhood friend since we were little. She’s an elf girl, aiming for 【Spirit Mage】. If you’re willing, Sir Zephyrus, I’d like you to guide her."
"I see… an elf, huh."
"Race" Category: "Elf".
In <DanKatsu>, "Elves" weren’t all that different from the ones you’d see in isekai light novels.
Tall, slender, beautiful faces, pointed ears. Up until the age of sixteen (in-game counting years), they grew just like humans. And they were known for being highly knowledgeable. (Though, honestly, I knew more than they did.)
As for combat, they were bad at close range, but great at magic.
That made them perfect for roles like ranged attacker, magic DPS, healer, or buffer.
But forget about tanking or melee DPS. Bows, they could do, but otherwise, pure ranged specialists.
Of course, they could take on a production job too.
But that would be wasting their potential—"Elves" were naturally gifted at magic. They had the makings of top-tier damage dealers, so ideally I’d train her into a pure caster.
If she’s aiming for 【Spirit Mage】, then perfect—that’s one of the strongest Basic jobs. No complaints there.
The only problem? Recruiting an "Elf" required some special conditions.
We hadn’t met any of them. Was that going to be okay?
"I get what you’re saying, Ester. But our guild doesn’t have a <Sapling of Yggdrasil>, or a <Red Fruit>, or a <Potted Plant Set>. Would she still join?"
"…Um, I have no idea what you’re talking about."
Basically, those were all gift items.
In <DanKatsu>, if you wanted to recruit an "Elf", you needed those three items.
They were just like the <Lucky Cat-sama>—a guild-placement item. If you had all three, the "Elf" would show up in your scout list.
And where did they drop? Intermediate Mid-tier to Advanced Upper-tier dungeons, as rare boss loot from <Silver Chests>. Their only effect was: "Allows you to recruit an Elf." No buffs, no bonuses, nothing. This earned them plenty of flak from players demanding, "At least give it some kind of bonus!"
In other words, in the game, you couldn’t scout an "Elf" unless you were able to go to at least Intermediate Mid-tier dungeons.
Right now, I’m only on Beginner Mid-tier…
Well, that doesn’t really matter anymore. I’ve already got three <Princess Job> members, and I’m certain another one will be joining soon.
Still, unlike the intangible Fame stat, can you really scout an "Elf" without giving them some kind of tangible gift item? Even with Kalua, I had to spend five million Miru to recruit her, remember? I feel like that’s a pretty reasonable doubt to have…
Unfortunately, Ester didn’t seem to know either.
Hmm. I might have to prepare myself for the possibility of being turned down.
"Anyway, let me at least try talking to her first, alright? She might reject me."
"Do you really think so? From what I know, she’s the type to go at her own pace. I doubt she’d refuse."
"Just keep in mind that it’s still a possibility, that’s all."
"…Okay. Understood."
With that, we wrapped up the interviews for the ten candidates we needed to meet the quota. Nobody else had anyone they wanted to recommend. Even Hanna didn’t raise her hand.
"Once our guild rank goes up, the members' caps will increase too. So if you find someone you’d like to scout, feel free to invite them. Whether we hire them or not will depend on the interview, though."
"Got it. I’ll keep that in mind."
Everyone nodded along to my and Sierra’s words, and we decided to close the topic for now.
"Oh, right. I picked up the appraisal sheet from Marie-senpai. —Here, this is the list of appraisal values."
"Thanks. Sorry, I didn’t have time to drop by myself."
"No worries. The appraisals apparently took longer than expected anyway. But actually, there’s something I’d like to ask…"
I explained to Lana, Sierra, and Ester that instead of selling some of the materials—like the <Great Bear Anteater Pelt>—I wanted to use them to craft equipment for Kalua. Basically, an initial investment.
"I don’t mind."
"Neither do I."
"Yes. We’re not hurting for Miru, after all."
"…I’m jealous."
"Don’t worry, Kalua. You’ll be able to say the same thing before long."
"Let’s work hard together, Kalua-chan!"
Hearing the <Princess Job> trio’s reasoning, Kalua looked at them with eyes full of envy.
In the end, they agreed to provide the materials, so Kalua’s equipment should be set up now.
"Thanks."
"Fufu. You’re welcome."
Sierra’s expression looked softer than usual—almost like she was genuinely enjoying this.
Could it be that she likes cute things, too? Our guild sure has a lot of people who are into cute stuff! Maybe I should add a mascot sometime.
That evening, we decided to wait for Marie-senpai’s class to finish and then head over to <Wappen Seal Sticker>. No dungeon runs today—everyone got free time instead.
Come to think of it, this was our first real break since clearing the <Beginner Dungeon>.
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