'Is this your boss from the previous world?　It must have been hard for you.

　Louisa-san smiles cheerfully and cares for me. She may be warmly accommodating to all the searchers who visit this guild, but it's still soothing.

　My period of popularity ended in elementary school, and my life was devoid of women outside of committees and work. So even if they were just a little kind to me, my MP would recover.

''But now that I've come to this labyrinth country, depending on my achievements as an explorer, I can look back. For that reason, I want to choose a profession that I won't regret.''

　As long as I can produce a track record, will that section chief review me a little?

　No, there is no such thing as a goal, and we should aim to move up until we can. In a previous life, the only way to get to the top was to quit the company and start your own business, but in this world, it's considered different.

''Louisa-san, how much of an achievement as an explorer, for example, do you have to do to be recognized as great?''
''That's...one of the first things we need to do is to raise the pecking order as explorers. All new explorers are not ranked yet, but the ranking on their tags (licenses) will change according to their achievements.

　Louisa-san points to my explorer's tag - the license. I traced the words scrawled in the upper left corner, and the content displayed on the tag changed.

(Could this possibly be used like a miniature tablet PC?　(If so, that's intuitive and straightforward.)

This page is the part of the labyrinth that records and displays your actions in the labyrinth. It doesn't say anything right now, but this action is evaluated and a pecking order is calculated after you leave the labyrinth. Make sure you don't enter the labyrinth and leave right away, or get attacked unilaterally by a demon and escape. If you're at the bottom of the pecking order, you'll end up sleeping in a dungeon rather than a stable.
...or at least a stable.
The stable only restores a small amount of life and magic, so you are destitute. If you must, call on me for help. I can't do it again and again, but I'll find you a place to stay.

　At a time like this, Louisa-san staying at her own house is a convenient development, but apparently it's not so sweet.

''.........Oh, is this early tonight?　Yes, it's difficult to arrange on short notice, so I'll be at my house in an emergency measure....
No, no, it's not just about making a mistake in the maze yet, so it's okay.

　I was in a hurry to deny it, but should I have taken your word for it? No, even if I risked being at the bottom of the pecking order to be taken care of by Louisa-san, it would raise questions about my prospects.

''Louisa-san, can I ask you one last question? Is it still the rearguard, as someone named Elitia said, that is in high demand even for newcomers right now?
''Yes, it's true that the demand for rearguards is high. Inevitably, their strength and defense are low, and in terms of survival rate after five years, rearguard positions are the lowest... Elitia-san has a little bit of a situation in addition to that, she's not really suitable for forming a party, she's not really suitable for a party, she's strong on her own It's a profession. But to conquer a ranked labyrinth, it is essential to form a party. An adventure cannot be completed with just a vanguard. She's also stuck and is trying to train the rear guard by herself.
...I see.

　It's not that I want to avoid it because I've been told it's a flesh wall - but if there's a demand for it, what's the hesitation?

　But even in the "rearguard," what the hell am I cut out for? I wasn't a monk because I wasn't devoutly religious, and I wasn't thirty years old yet, so I was too young to be a wizard. To say that the countdown had begun would be an understatement.

　--I want to be a "rearguard" for whatever it is, for now. It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

It sounds like you've made up your mind. Then please trace the license with your finger.

　I made up my mind and wrote "rear guard" in the occupation field.

　-- The next moment, the word "rear guard" shone and was replaced by another string of letters -- and it was now firmly displayed in the occupation field of the license.

''What...?''

　I'm relieved, but Louisa-san has an indescribable expression on her face for some reason. It sounded like she said "eh," but I wonder if it was my imagination.

''Louisa-san, this, though the shape of the letters has changed. Since you wrote "rear guard", that means you got to be something of a rear guard, right?
'No, no, not like that.......whether you're a wizard, a monk, or an archer, the letters you write should stay the same. But this.....

　Ms. Louisa turned my license toward her, pulled out a pair of monocle glasses from her pocket, and looked at the letters as if she were evaluating them.

　Then she leaned forward against the counter and asked me to lend an ear. She said that she didn't want people around her to hear.

'I've never seen these letters before. Well, your name is........Arihito-Atobe-sama, what on earth did you write?
'Well, uh ... as I said before, I wrote 'rearguard'.

　Cringing at the voice in my ear, I answer as calmly as possible. Louisa slowly backs away from me, compares her license and my face once more, and then smiles as if she's broken up about something.

'Congratulations, Atobe-sama. Your request has been accepted.
Wait a minute. What did I end up doing...

　I hurriedly ask, and Louisa, after all, has dutifully leaned over the counter so that the people around her won't hear her. I notice for the second time the sight of the chest on the table according to gravity, but I can't stare at it because my karma goes up.

No one would believe me if I told them of this profession, and they would make fun of me. I think it's partly my fault that this happened, and partly my fault for giving you the advice, so I'm going to take special measures. Use this 'mercenary ticket' until you understand for yourself the strengths of your profession.

　Louisa put her hand in the sleeve that was like a sack and took out a few paper money-like pieces from it and gave them to me, literally, as if they were under her sleeve.

''With this ticket, you'll be able to lend me a mercenary for as long as I'm willing to dive into the labyrinth once. Even if you call them mercenaries, this copper ticket won't allow you to hire a human, though.''
You mean other than people and animals?
No, there are trained animals, but they can only be trained by a certain tamer. It's the sub-human monsters that can be hired on a temporary basis. The most solid one is the lizardman. As a vanguard, their basic abilities are perfect, and they are usually in some kind of warrior-type position.

　This - getting a job as a 'rear guard' might not have been a negative thing.

　If you hired a lizardman with a copper mercenary ticket, you could explore the elementary labyrinth, even if it was a one-time employment with a single ticket. If you take advantage of that opportunity to research the 'rear guard' and determine its strengths and weaknesses, you might be able to find a way to make use of it.

''Do you have any skills or tricks that you can learn if you're new to the profession?''
Yes, you can get two skills by default. When you go to the license page, you will see the skills and you can choose the one you want. I don't have any advice on this. Skills are the lifeblood of an explorer, and you should generally not disclose what you have acquired to others.

'Yes, sir. You should confide in someone who you think this person can be trusted with your back... no, you should confide in someone who you think can be trusted with the front. A party is a team effort. If we don't work together, we won't be strong.

　Louisa combines her hands and puts them in front of her chest and closes her eyes.

''It is a ritual as the officer in charge, but I wish you well. May the God behind you smile upon you.

　There are still mysteries in her words and actions, and more things to worry about. What is the secret god, and is he a believer in the 'Labyrinth Country'?

　Rather than asking them all at once, a little at a time is better. For now, you just need to find out what your profession is all about.

　After I handed Louisa-san my license and had her draw a map of the mercenary agency, I thanked her and left the counter.

　After getting up from my seat, I move to an inconspicuous wall and bring up the 'Skills' page of the license and check the skills there.

　Skills that can be obtained ◆.

　Supportive Defense 1: Reduces the blows struck by the companion in front of you by 10 points.
　Supportive Attack 1: Deals 10 points of blows in addition to the blows struck by the companion in front of you.
　Support Recovery 1: Restores 5 points of health to the companion in front of you every 30 seconds.
　Backward Front: Spends 5 points of magic and extends your vision to the rear for a set amount of time.

　Remaining Skill Points: 2.

(...how much of a 10-point blow is that?)

　I don't see a damage indicator on the license, so I can only know how much 10 points is in terms of experience. We don't even know what my strength figure is.

　If it's 10 damage with decoupling, that's completely useless, but I'm not sure. Sorry about this, but I need to hire a lizardman and then see and measure the strength of the blows from the weaker enemies.

('Rear Front' is a skill for a low strength rearguard to guard their rear... or maybe this could be used, but for starters I'll take 'Support Defense 1' and 'Support Recovery 1' to recover after testing it... ...or maybe I'll hold off on how to recover.)

　If you have wounded medicine and the like, it might be premature to take 'Support Recovery 1'. I hesitated, but I allotted a point for "Supportive Defense 1". I'd like to take "Supportive Attack 1" as well, but I want to use my precious points carefully.

　So far, there is no noticeable change. No one around me has even noticed that I've taken a skill.

　Once we get the party together, it will be clear if I've drawn a hazing or if I'm going to get along just fine. I checked the three 'Copper Mercenary Tickets' that Louisa-san gave me and left with a secret determination in my heart.