After being caught by the higher-ranking Striders registered in this Guild, I was dragged inside and made to sit at a table in the tavern.
“Ahahaha! Just give up, Dru? How about doing some local community service today? These things are important, you know?”
Shio laughs, but…
“If you say so, I’m already contributing a lot to Count Missgancia, aren’t I…?”
That’s the point.
Frankly, I’m like one of Count Missgancia’s trump cards, you know?
“Then you have to contribute to the Guild too!”
“Ehhh?”
“Well, we can scout promising newbies here, so it’s beneficial for us too! Dru, why don’t you take this opportunity to form a party?”
“No way~! I already have a disciple at home, you know?”
“Eh, can that Mazoku girl fight?”
She’s talking about Tris. Shio doesn’t really remember other people’s names…
“I’ve taught her some self-defense?”
Ah, that’s true.
Tris is petite, but she has a lot of Magical Power typical of the Mazoku and a flexible body, so I taught her something like Aikido. I also taught her a little swordsmanship.
I’m glad I practiced martial arts in my previous life…!
“Hmm.”
“Oh, Margot. Are there any Mages?”
Margot comes from the side.
Well, Mages in this world are as rare as astronauts on Earth, and their numbers are small.
In other words, they are top-notch elites, and a Mage who tries to become a Strider is not normal.
“Hmm, none.”
“I thought so.”
“But, there are some promising kids?”
Hmm?
…Ah, well, there are some who are a bit capable for newbies, and some who have dabbled in swordsmanship.
But, it’s not a big difference, right?
“Is it negligible?”
“Hmm. In the end, it’s about the spirit? You won’t know until you try…”
Yeah, that’s right.
Being a Strider is a pretty tough job.
There’s a big gap between ideal and reality.
First of all, “Strider” is like a title of a hero from a heroic tale…, in terms of meaning, it’s like “Wanderer” or something like that…
The wanderer called Strider gathered companions and defeated the Demon Lord, the so-called “Hero Legend”! Taking a cue from this, the custom of calling adventurers Striders was born!
Until then, the predecessors of Striders were temporary mercenaries, reserve hunters, or self-defense corps.
So, everyone jumps out of the countryside thinking, “I’m going to be a hero!”… but nowadays there are no Demon Lords, and all they do is goblin extermination on the streets.
On top of that, even in peaceful times, Monsters are strong, so serious injuries and deaths are commonplace.
Of course, many people get tired of it and quit.
That’s why being a Strider is a terrible job with a turnover rate of over 50% in the first year. This is beyond black companies on Earth.
…But, there are some peculiar guys who enjoy this terrible job.
“Gahahaha! We’ve got some lively kids this year! Well, shall we train them a bit!”
Guys with solid skills.
“Haa…, well, it’s a job after all… It would be helpful if a capable junior came along, so I’ll do my best too.”
Guys with connections, such as noble origins.
“‘Blue Comet’! Our Clan is the last fortress for women who can only live by the sword! Therefore, we do not recruit on a large scale…, but we still welcome new members!”
…For such guys, being a Strider doesn’t seem so bad.
Of course, it feels like it’s not for me, so I erased my presence and shrank back.
“Ehehe~”
“Hmm.”
But it was impossible because women were sticking to me.
“Let me go…, let me go…”
“Come on, give up! Be a man!” “Hmm, practice.”
This is the Guild’s backyard.
After a brief explanation of the rules as a Guild member, we immediately started sparring with wooden swords.
Why?
Because there’s no way the hicks who become Striders would understand difficult rules and laws, right?
The rules are at the level of “Don’t kill!”, “Don’t steal!”, “Don’t rape!”, but even these are difficult for the scum aiming to become Striders to follow!
So, the minimum is to make them understand the difference in power first so that they listen to what the superiors say!
It’s just like monkeys in a monkey mountain, but the Strider Guild is practically a monkey mountain, so it’s a bold theory that it’s safe.
“Sorya!!!”
“Gyaaaa!!!”
Oh oh, Jacob.
The leader of ‘The Fang of the Wolf Gang’ is beating up the lively kids.
If he did it seriously, they would really die without joking, so he’s holding back a lot…, but even so, no one will try to go against Jacob after this. So athletic…
“Okay, gather around. Well, let’s have the kids who can draw a bow try it out.”
William, leading (?), ‘Guiding Hawk’, is also looking at the archery skills of the newbies.
“Cardi, check out the skills of the newbies!”
“Hihi, yes sir!”
Blue Comet is…, well, beating up a cocky man who came at her so that she wouldn’t be underestimated just because she’s a woman.
In summary…
The Fang of the Wolf Gang has a relatively high casualty rate and is like a half-mercenary group, so they are always recruiting lively roughnecks.
No, really, even if there are no “incidents” such as wars, Monster outbreaks, or the creation of Demon Lairs nearby, five or six members of the Fang of the Wolf Gang die or retire due to serious injuries every year.
Well, this is really the place where guys who have no knowledge or skills but only spirit end up, so it can’t be helped.
Eh? Guys with no spirit? They get discouraged and go back to their hometowns, you know?
…Guiding Hawk mostly hires through connections. They are made up of relatives of hunters from nearby villages. They don’t hire anyone without a certain level of knowledge and skills from the beginning.
These guys are a Clan that hunts Magic Beasts and animals. They say they refuse anyone without knowledge in the first place.
Besides, Striders also have hunting rights, so it’s impossible without a certain amount of knowledge, and if they hunt too much, the Lord gets angry. They are also forced to do mountain surveys, and there are many things to think about, so it’s a job that can’t be underestimated.
Blue Comet is… well, it’s a place where girls who have a certain level of ability to work seriously and have a reason why they can’t join a normal party gather.
For example, Tribesman who came from afar, Elves, foreigners, former Knights… It’s like a mutual aid association for such people.
They don’t hire ordinary women, and men are basically NG, so you can’t join by ordinary means.
Guardian’s Shield, which is not here, is a Clan led by Maximilian, a noble’s illegitimate child, where only good kids can enter.
That’s where noble’s illegitimate children and children from Knight families gather for various reasons, and they earn money by doing jobs that ordinary Striders can’t do, such as guarding nobles, with the quality of their personnel.
Of course, hick kids are not welcome.
…Well, today is purely a meeting to beat them up and teach them their place.
Because idiots don’t understand the difference in power unless they get beaten up once…
“W-wait a minute! What is that guy?!”
“Yeah! Who is that man!”
“He’s surrounded by women and looks weak!”
Hmm…?
Something’s starting.