Helping with Adventurer Party Management - Chapter 338

Three rookie adventurers. Just out of the rural village, with no experience in defeating goblins.

With such a background, no party would hire them, even if they offered to carry luggage for a ridiculously low payment.

However, the trio, carrying a large pot that was half their height and equipped with an axe for chopping firewood and a cooking knife, were approached by multiple adventurer parties to serve as baggage carriers.

This was a mystery for Jan, Jiru, and Hale.

They were more than skeptical, they were completely doubtful, but as Sara had said, when they asked to join a party while carrying the large pot, they were easily accepted into the group.

“…Why is that?”

“…I don’t know.”

“Why, though?”

The trio, who had just left the village, tilted their heads repeatedly but couldn’t come up with an answer.

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“I think it’s because they’re seen as rookie adventurers, so they’re considered useless. That’s why, we need to change how people look at them.”

Kenji often used the phrase “change how one look at it.”

Sara didn’t quite understand what it meant, but in this case, it seemed to be helpful.

“Three cooks who can accompany adventurers and protect themselves a little. From the adventurers’ point of view, there’s no loss in letting them join, right?” That was Kenji’s explanation of the idea to Sara. 

After hearing it, she felt like Kenji had perfectly explained something she hadn’t been able to articulate herself.

“Then, it’s all about appearance.”

“Appearance?”

“Yes. To get them to change people’s perspective, their appearance is key, right? Just like how people see you as an archer because you carry a bow, if they look like they can cook, that’s important.”

“Then, they need big pots! Let’s have them carry big pots!” Sara’s mind drifted to the scene of a village festival.

In Sara’s village, during festivals, the villagers baked white bread in a communal oven and made meat soup in large pots.

While the oven couldn’t be carried, a pot could be.

“A pot, huh. A hanging round pot would allow for good heat control and be efficient, and it could even serve as a bit of armor.” Kenji thought for a moment before agreeing.

“And we need an axe for firewood and a cooking knife too!”

“An axe could be used for clearing an area, and the knife could be used for dissecting monsters. They’d need to disinfect them before using them for cooking though.”

It was believed that monster meat was poisonous, so knives were washed with water and then heated over a fire before being used.

Though animal meat was rare, iron skewers were useful for grilling.

With that, Sara successfully persuaded the three to go to the hardware store, overriding their objections, and they were able to start their journey as adventurers.

Though the trio might have been disappointed with not getting a glamorous adventurer debut, they now had a chance to survive as adventurers.

That, above all, was the most important thing.

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At a cheap inn in the third district, Kenji and Sara were sitting across from each other at a shabby table, drinking ale and discussing their impressions of the situation.

“So, how was the first consultation?” Kenji asked with a teasing look.

“It was so tough! I swear, being a regular adventurer would have been easier!” That was Sara’s honest feeling. “But, you know, I think it was good that I took on their request. If I hadn’t, they would’ve probably died.”

Sara placed the three copper coins she had received as the “consultant” fee from the trio on the table. Each coin seemed to match their faces in her mind.

The future of the three country bumpkins was unclear. However, they had gained time and opportunities for growth.

The life of an adventurer was harsh, and they could die tomorrow. Still, just the fact that it wasn’t today made it worth the work.

“Yeah.” Kenji quietly and gently agreed with Sara’s answer.