Helping with Adventurer Party Management - Chapter 84

As we walk toward the theater troupe members’ lodgings, I engage in casual conversation to get to know Kiriku better. Since we are both expected to become part of the same team, making an effort to connect is important.

“So, what did you do in the Sword Fangs Legion?” I ask, hoping to make it easier for him to talk.

“I’m a spearman in the second tactical row, and I use a halberd.”

I had heard from Swiberry that the Sword Fangs Legion’s units—swords and shields, polearms, and crossbowmen—each have their own quirks. Swords and shield soldiers are large and heavy-set, with great endurance. Crossbowmen have an average build, are light on their feet, and have good vision, but tend to be somewhat blunt in the face of fear. Polearm soldiers, on the other hand, are tall with long limbs, strong, and quick-tempered.

Looking at Kiriku with this prejudice in mind, he is indeed tall with long limbs and has a history of roughing up those who embezzled goods from his family’s business. I can only say that he fits the typical spearman profile. I hope he will behave himself in my presence.

I expected him to be heading toward a theater, given that he mentioned a theater troupe. However, Kiriku passes through the gate from the second district to the third district and then heads further toward an even more dangerous area on the edge of the third district.

I feel a bit uneasy, but Kiriku continues without concern.

Eventually, we arrive at a shabby inn and a tent set up in an empty lot on the outskirts of the third district.

“Is this the place?” I ask Kiriku, slightly surprised. 

Given this person’s background as a theater troupe member introduced by the top-tier Sword Fangs Legion, I had expected him to be staying somewhere a bit more upscale.

“It’s in such a rundown place.” Sara’s description is blunt, but I can’t deny it either.

Kiriku ignores our reaction, enters the deserted inn, and begins banging on the empty counter with his fists, shouting loudly. His powerful blows shook the counter, sending splinters of wood and dust flying.

“Hey! This is the Sword Fangs Legion! Is Anne here?”

From above, a woman dressed in gaudy clothes with a low-cut neckline, resembling a courtesan, descends. She looks to be in her mid-twenties, with face powder applied down to her neck. Her dull blonde hair is tied up with some fabric.

“What is it? What does the Sword Fangs Legion want?” Her voice is surprisingly young but a bit raspy—possibly from drinking or frequent shouting.

Her gaze passes over Kiriku and then shifts to us. “Since when did the Sword Fangs Legion start recruiting cute girls?” After eyeing Sara with suspicion, she turns her attention to me. “And considering it’s the Sword Fangs Legion, the guy in the back looks weak.”

She sways her oversized gold hoop earrings, trying to show off, while the strong scent of perfume assaults my nose.

Sorry if I seem weak. I wonder if she’s deliberately provoking us to gauge our reaction. However, given that there are hardly any men in this city who don’t look weak when compared to the Sword Fangs Legion, I decide not to let it bother me.

I smile and extend my right hand toward the woman. “I’m Kenji. This is Sara. We have some products we’re looking to launch in collaboration with the Sword Fangs Legion. We came to hire you based on your skills.”

“Huh? You look poor. Are you some kind of noble?”

Who looks poor? Her rudeness is clear, but there’s no malice in her tone. She seems to be straightforward, much like Sara.

Recently, I’ve been dealing with unreliable individuals, so perhaps I’ve been overthinking it.

This is how I met Anne, the lead actress and director of the theater troupe “The Flapping Butterfly,” which handled the Sword Fangs Legion’s production. 

I wouldn’t say it’s a good first impression, though.