Bastard Swordsman

Procession of Younglings

There is a concept called a party in the guild.

...... No, do I really need to explain this now? I mean, there might be someone as rare as an endangered species thinking, "A guild party...? Is it a festival?」

So, just in case, let me clarify. There are subtle differences, after all.

A party is like a team formed by several guild members working together.

It can be registered as a party composed of two or more members, allowing it to be handled under the party's name when receiving or issuing requests.

Imagine something like a hero, a mage, a warrior, and a cleric teaming up in a game like Dragon Quest. It's easier to understand when you think of it like that.

However, in this world, party compositions are rarely that well-balanced.

For a swordsman, the basic team is swordsmen only. Archers have archer-only parties, and such compositions are quite common. It's easier to coordinate when taking on extermination missions.

For mages and healers, it's tough without some close-range support, so you rarely see solo parties of them. Well, they might exist, and I might just not be aware of them.

Oh, and about these occupational roles, this world doesn't operate under a job system like games. Combat styles are self-reported or determined by one's weapons. Obviously, there's no combat style like 'thief'.

It'd be terrifying if someone outright confessed to being a criminal.

Anyway, in the town of Regor, there are a few standout parties.

One is an all-swordsmen gritty party called 『Shield of the Earth』.

How many are there now...? The last I heard, there were about 20 of them, but they might have grown since then.

They're well equipped with spears, swords, shields, and armor firmly rooting them, efficiently accepting extermination missions centered around Regor. They're an earnest combat party actively engaging in bandit exterminations and the like.

Their strength lies in owning multiple horses, making their journey from request acceptance to on-sight arrival ridiculously fast. They're consistently reliable in handling tasks, though they often struggle with maintenance expenses, which lessens the envy a bit.

Those like Alex, former Halperia military personnel, tend to be here—a decidedly sports-minded team. Not interested in joining, for sure.

The runner-up to Shield of the Earth is 『Sword of the Harvest』.

This one attracts those who can't keep up with the sturdy, sports-minded Shield of the Earth, with over 30 members.

Here, it seems they're not great at collective actions, functioning more as a mutual aid society than a cohesive group. Varga belongs here too.

Members wield a variety of weapons. Some traditionally hold swords, others use spears. There are even a few mages and archers. Due to the lack of uniformity in equipment, they barely muster a sense of unity by having badges with the party's emblem on their outfits.

However, a lot of them tend to break off into smaller groups with tightly-knit relationships. Whether it's working well or not is unclear. It reminds me a lot of those big, interaction-thin online gaming teams. Not particularly inclined to join.

In Regor, there's the 『Artemis』 party. Its lavishness is odd for the locale, consisting mostly of female members.

Most of them are archers and mages, with only two or three dealing with close-range roles, making it an exceedingly specialized party. I think they have around 12 members. Raina and many female guild members are here.

They perform reliable long-range exterminations and occasionally receive jobs from nobles. There must be something convenient about being an all-woman group.

They look like a glamorous idol party at first glance, but a few members are insanely strong, ready to kill if messed with. There's allegedly one male member, but I've never seen him. Once, I called out to someone I thought was him, but she was a woman, and since then, Artemis has viewed me as an enemy.

Naturally, I can't join and don't wish to.

The largest force focused on security would be the 『Regor Security Force』.

They mostly don't engage in exterminations but frequently take missions concerning guarding buildings, individuals, and carriages. Not sure about the numbers, but there are definitely a lot of them.

I suppose they consist of those not exceptionally skilled in combat but seeking stable work—a lot of middle-aged or elderly people.

Well, in Japan too, there were old guards you'd wonder about their ability to protect anything. Regardless of quality, some just want security, creating a niche for people to make a living. Even Caspar is here as a healer.

Surely, it's a fairly comfortable party, but I'm a guild member who enjoys casually hunting and eating game. Unless it's for later years, while I'm young and active, joining isn't appealing.

That's about the main ones.

Besides those, there are many smaller parties formed by familiar groups of mates.

It's fun seeing young folks from rural villages come up with rather flashy party names like 『Scythe of the Grim Reaper』 and 『Emperor's Moon』.

Just by name, there's a wealth of gold-ranked names floating around.

Yes.

After the harvest season is over.

Young dreamers incapable of inheriting their family farms arrive in droves, seeking fame and sustenance as guild members—a season welcoming a fresh influx from rural areas......

「What're you looking at?」

「Huh? You're the one staring.」

Arriving en masse are promising young individuals.

These young heroes, after assisting with the harvest, are metaphorically kicked out to earn their way elsewhere, gathering by the dozen......

The guild is overwhelmed with member registration work. As if its operations weren't already strained, fresh quarrels incessantly erupt within the facility.

Enjoying a fine glass of milk while watching Elena tirelessly managing her pressing duties is unbelievably satisfying......

「What did you say!?」

「You wanna fight!?」

「Hey! Causing trouble inside the guild will get you expelled immediately!」

They're unpolished but impressively energetic kids, making things rather hectic for the guild during this period.

Well, shunning them all here only suffocates the guild later, so pushing through it is the only option.

「Look, it's that old guy.」

「He's got white hair.」

「Think he's from Sangreal?」

Oh? While chilling in a corner, a trio suddenly approached me.

Them drifting over here doesn't concern me, but aren't they skipping the queue? They're being naturally pressed back because they stepped out of line.

「What do you want, rookies?」

「...... Huh, bronze, are you?」

「We might be rookies now, but, sangreal geezer, we'll surpass that bronze rank of yours in no time.」

「You're welcome to it. Start's tough, but give it your all. By the way, I'm Harperian.」

「Mixed with Sangreal, aren't you?」

「Well, yes. ...... But the line's closing in on you, okay?」

「...... Ah!?」

「Hey, we were lined up there first!」

「Ah!?」

Fools, these guys. Well, newcomers from the countryside are often like this, sharing similar experiences.

Everything's slow-paced in rural areas, leaving little chance for things like learning how to queue, thus struggling with unfamiliar encounters.

Since they're kids, I hold off on strict measures initially, offering quite some leeway.

Repeated run-ins would be a hassle, and if they get too cocky, I'd have to set them straight.

「...... Tch. Drinking milk at a tavern, for an old guy.」

「A guild member should drink ale. Lame.」

「You guys probably don't know. This is fresh milk from Morina Ranch. Freshly squeezed milk tastes way better than a cheap ale.」

Yeah, I don't always chug ale or spirits.

Usually, I indulge in fresh milk like this. It'd be quite hard for a modern person to resist enjoying this luxury at a reasonable price.

「Morina Village......is my hometown...」

「Oh, is it? Your village's milk is tasty. Might have even had some from your family's cow.」

「...... Is that so?」

Realizing a subtle connection softened their attitude, and they sheepishly returned to queue.

Aren't they charmingly innocent?

In two or three years, how many will remain guild members...?

That heavy thought lingers a bit, but right now.

I just want to watch these green, youthful faces.

「Alright......today marks the first step for 'Heroes' Journey!'」

「Hehe, let's do it!」

「Oh!」

Additionally, I have a penchant for jotting down these chuunibyou-esque party names that they create, amusing myself by teasing them about it in a few years. So, I'm looking forward to that aspect, too.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】