A few hours later, we made it back to Lacana.
　We made it back to Lacana safely.

　It seems that materials can be exchanged for cash at the Adventurer's Guild, and they showed us how to do it all.
　I sold all of the Living Mail armor I took out of phase and got a good amount of money for it.
　I suggested that I would give him half of it, but Lloyd shook his head.

"Keep it," he says. As for the money, I think you guys need it more than I do right now.

　Then he suddenly laughs and says.

''And besides, as a senior adventurer, I have no place to stand if I'm being blessed with the credit of a newcomer.

　Well, I'll take it, thank you very much.
　In fact, I desperately need the money.

So, here's the thing about the future with you guys...

　Lloyd says with a serious look on his face.

'Would you guys like to join my party if you want?'

　It was a not-so-surprising suggestion.
　When I was talking to Silas, he mentioned something about inviting us to the party.

　But before I think about taking the offer, I need to make sure I know what I'm talking about.

"How many people are at your party?

　Before I can say anything, Amu asks the same question.
　Lloyd replies, not seeming to particularly care for the cheeky tone.

'Have we crossed the hundred mark just recently?
"....!　What do you mean?　What are you going to do with all those members?
''I don't know much about the adventurer's situation, but I still know that a normal party is made up of four to six people. Before you go in, can you explain what kind of party your 《Renju Alliance》 is?
Point taken.

　Lloyd nodded.


****


　We came to the tavern in the Adventurer's Guild because we didn't want to stand around and talk.
　We were treated to a slightly early dinner, so of course we couldn't complain.

　Before the food we ordered was even brought to us, Lloyd opened his mouth.

'What kind of image did you guys have of adventurers when you were little?'
....

　Everyone kept their mouths shut.
　I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do anything about it. It's not like Amu and Mabel had dreams of being an adventurer, either, because of their birth and circumstances.
　Then.........

I thought this was the kind of job where you're free ... and people appreciate it.

　Lloyd nodded to Yifa, who uttered the most common answer.

'Yeah, I used to think so too. When I was a kid, you know. But now, as you all know, being an adventurer isn't such a glorious profession anymore.

　Waiting for the food to be brought in and placed on the table, Lloyd continues.

'Being free means you're not protected by anything. No one can help you if you're weak. No one will bother to give you the information you need to survive. If your body becomes too weak to go on an adventure, you'll spend the rest of your life sitting on the streets. Any top-notch adventurer will be no different.

　Lloyd smiles powerlessly in front of his food.

'I was the first party I put together, and I'm the only member alive today.

　I'm sure that's a common story.
　No, I should say it's better that there are some members of the group who are still alive.

'It's no tragedy, that's normal for adventurers. But ... I wanted to do something about it. I thought hard with my uneducated mind. The conclusion I came up with was to create a super-sized party called the Renjutsu League.
....
'Even those adventurers who are nowhere to be found, they only help each other out with their friends. I wanted to expand that circle.
In short,

　I say, "What is your party, really?

"Is your party, in reality, a mutual aid organization of adventurers?
No, no.

　Lloyd shook his head.

'It's not a very loose link. It's a literal 'party'. All newcomers are assigned to the same trainer to teach them the ropes and skills. Information about danger zones and cases of imminent party collapse are shared and everyone takes precautions. So, even if it's a hastily constructed combination, everyone can show their abilities. For me, the party I put together today is new to me, but I think I could have gone into a dungeon with Adamant Maille or Mithril Maille without a problem.
...I see.

　I think about it for a minute and say, "So you want to organize the whole party like an army, to increase their chances of survival and efficiency?

"So you want the whole party to be organized like an army, to improve our chances of survival and the efficiency of our adventures?
'The adventure is only a small group of people, and the combination is up to the members... yes. That's the way I understand it.
So the goal is to homogenize the workforce?

　This point was unexpected, and Lloyd's eyes widened slightly.

''........Of course, the primary objective is only to improve the survival rate.......but will that be the result?''
I know.

　The military, or rather any large organization, does not expect vague things like personalities.
　It operates with a predetermined number of trained personnel under a predetermined set of rules to achieve a desired result.
　That's what an organization is.

　I went on to ask him.

As you add more and more people to the party, it will soon be more than you can manage on your own. And then what do you do?
'I'm going to divide the party into several units and leave each one to my trusted subordinates. I've already started preparing for that.
That's great. It's a model of organizational management.

　I said with a straight face, and Lloyd smiled at me with obvious affection.

It's worth studying to hear that from a nobleman. So what do you think?

　Lloyd continues.

''My 《Renju Alliance》 is a semi-first class party in the guild's rating. We are the second largest party in Rakana. Even if you look at the entire Empire, there are probably only a few parties that are better than us. We can provide ample assistance to our members by arranging equipment and sharing information. We are prepared to provide loans in case of injury and other employment opportunities if the situation arises. We don't force you to combine them either. If you want to go into the dungeon on your own, that's fine. I may ask for some help in terms of strength and money, but I promise you that it will be more than worth it. So ... why don't you join our party?
I'm afraid not.

　Lloyd didn't seem to be surprised by my immediate response and asked me back without changing his expression.

"Really? May I ask why?
As you can imagine, it's a long story.

　It's a position that might catch up with you.
　Belonging to a party somewhere is not good for both of us.
　It would be wise to keep your distance from outsiders.

　Lloyd says matter-of-factly.

There aren't many people in this town who aren't. If I told you that you had nothing to worry about you wouldn't listen.
Yeah.
'Then tell me one more thing. Assuming you guys didn't have any awkward circumstances, would you have thought about joining my party?

　I closed my eyes for a moment and shook my head quietly.

'No.'
''As I thought........ As I thought, for those who are already competent, the Alliance of the Liangshu Alliance is not very attractive.
'I suppose compared to the fledgling one, but that depends on the person, doesn't it?　Not in my case it's just that I don't share that philosophy.

　I say, "Man, there are different kinds of people.

"There are different kinds of people. Not all of us grow up with the same teachings. I don't think it's going to be that easy to educate these adventurers, who have their own peculiarities and differences. There will be many who don't agree with our policies and drop out.

　My disciples have had all kinds of children.
　In spite of the fact that I taught them as well, some became good at fortune-telling, some at witchcraft, some at math, some at oratory, and some at the sword.

　Teaching someone to do something is more difficult than one might think.
　After decades of thinking about it, I remained unsure until my final moments.

　Lloyd says with a bemused look on his face.

That's... well, I guess so. But it's a lot better for them than not learning anything. I wonder how many new adventurers die because they just didn't know the signs of a simple crisis that all veterans know about.
Yes, exactly. So this is just a matter of my preferences.
Then....
But that idea isn't necessarily good for you in the long run, either.

　I say, "You know, people get used to being given things, and they lose their desperation.

"People lose their desperation when they get used to the environment they're given. If your party gets much bigger, it could weaken the adventurers and, ultimately, this entire city.

　Even among my students, the ones who competed with me grew up much better than the ones who competed with me.
　In fact, before I could teach him, he would unravel the books and create new curses by himself.

　A non-competitive environment dulls a person.

''You too ... you say that?

　Lloyd muttered bitterly, as if someone had pointed this out to him before.

'The only reason you can say that is because you're already strong and capable of getting everything you want. Put yourself in the shoes of someone who doesn't. You're thrown into a dungeon with no right or left to live desperately, and if you fail, you're given a race to die. What would you like to see in that world?　How would you feel if someone close to you was suddenly dropped into that position?
Of course, it would be ideal if everyone could live peacefully without competition. But perhaps this world is still too immature for that.
'I don't think so. The wealth of the dungeon is enormous. I'm sure that even the most ideal situation can be achieved.

　With that, Lloyd sat up.

'I guess we should get going. I'm sorry to have taken up your time. I'll take care of the payment, you guys can take your time.
'I see. I'm sorry for treating you and blabbering on about how important you are.

　Lloyd laughed lightly and shook his head.

'Fine. That's an interesting point of view. And I've had a lot of rejections to begin with, too.

　Lloyd says.

'As I said in the forest, there has been a change in the number and types of monsters that appear in dungeons these days. Even in the Wandering Forest, there were many monsters that were called out by traps. Old information might not be useful, so proceed with caution.
Yes, I will. That's very kind of you.
So long.

　With that, Lloyd left.

　After I saw him off, I looked back at my plate and scooped up some salty noodles with my meat fork.
　Come to think of it, I hadn't been able to do much with my food because all we were doing was talking.
　Lloyd didn't seem to be eating that much either.

''Well that's kind of surprising.''

　Amu, who had been silent for a long time, says, scooping up a spoonful of soup.

'Seika, you seemed to agree with that kind of thinking.
Really?
Yeah. Seika, you seem to help people in need.

　I stopped eating and Yifa laughed, as if she had no choice.
　I look back at my food and reply, "No, not really.

No, not really.

　I don't care how an adventurer I didn't even know dies in the wild.

　But I could understand what Lloyd was thinking.
　I'm sure he felt many things when he died so quickly by an adventurer he knew.
　Maybe even a super-sized party would work. The concerns I mentioned are probably a minor issue.

　Or, now that I think about it, I've had some experience training apprentices in a previous life, and I just wanted to nitpick. When I think about it, there is no reason for me to be against that man's methods.

　But even if I had been aware of that, I would not have given my blessing to the man.

But I'm glad I said no.

　Mabel says as she shreds the bread.

'I don't want to be bothered by nice people,'

　Yeah, eventually.
　That's why I stayed away from the guy.