Babiyen the Employer
Babiyen Astoria.
I didn’t need to think too deeply to understand why she had been cast out.
It was because the Lord of Red Flames had joined hands with the Black Dawn.
The Black Dawn was a worldwide terrorist organization.
If her disciple Babiyen remained with the baron’s household, she would almost certainly be singled out as a problem.
The Astoria baron’s family was already notorious for its obsession with honor.
Babiyen, the youngest daughter with no realistic claim to succession, was an easy sacrifice.
Cutting her loose was the most convenient choice for them.
That was how Babiyen was expelled from the Astoria family.
What could she possibly do after being thrown out with nothing but a few personal belongings?
She had lived her entire life as a noble.
She was incapable of ordinary menial work.
Manual labor was exhausting and paid poorly.
The meager wages would never satisfy someone accustomed to spending money without restraint.
Explorer work, on the other hand, paid far better than common jobs, even if it fell short of noble standards.
Moreover, she could put the magic she had learned to use.
It was the only profession where her talents could still shine.
Naturally, she gravitated toward becoming an explorer.
“Still, it’s impressive that she went straight to the Explorer’s Guild on the very day she was expelled.”
“Babiyen may be a fool, but she’s decent at reading the situation.”
Aranseol’s sharp assessment followed.
I could feel the displeasure in her gaze.
Babiyen had always been jealous of Aranseol.
She had gone out of her way to make Aranseol’s life difficult because of it.
Of course Aranseol wouldn’t like her.
I had only made allowances for Babiyen because of the Shishiroka incident.
I didn’t particularly care for her either.
That said, Babiyen was still useful.
Regardless of her personality, she had managed to block part of the Lord of Red Flames’ magic.
She possessed the necessary ability as a tool, if nothing else.
More importantly, I had resurrected Babiyen with my own magic.
Whether she remembered it or not, it was safer to keep a woman who carried that kind of risk close by.
“Even so, just because she can read the situation doesn’t mean her pride will allow it.”
Aranseol spoke after realizing I was considering recruiting Babiyen.
She was right—Babiyen’s noble pride was likely still intact.
“Babiyen.”
If that was the case, there was only one way to find out.
When I called her name, Babiyen flinched and turned around.
The moment her eyes met mine and Aranseol’s, they wavered violently.
Her lips parted as if she had a thousand things to say, but she quickly straightened her posture.
Then, as if nothing had happened, she put on the refined smile of a noblewoman.
“Oh my, what brings the two of you here?”
She was trying to pretend she hadn’t been expelled.
It was a pointless struggle.
“What about you? What are you doing here?”
Aranseol fired back with a question of her own.
Beyond her eyes, I could sense her quiet desire to torment Babiyen.
After all, this was the same woman who had constantly harassed her.
She probably wanted revenge.
“I-I am…”
Babiyen’s eyes wavered again.
Would she tell the truth here?
“I came to hire explorers! That’s all!”
Unfortunately, she still couldn’t let go of her pride.
Aranseol and I exchanged glances.
Her expression said, See? I told you.
Babiyen wasn’t hungry enough yet.
In that case, we just needed to make her hungry.
“Perfect timing. How about hiring us?”
“H-Huh?”
“You said you were here to hire explorers. We were planning to take on explorer work for a while anyway. If you’re going to hire someone, wouldn’t you rather hire people you know instead of strangers?”
“Uh, um…”
“Come on, how much were you thinking of paying?”
Today I learned one thing.
Babiyen was weak against pressure.
Her noble pride had already been thoroughly stripped away.
She had no way to refuse.
So she had no choice but to hire us.
We would earn money from explorer work and also receive Babiyen’s hiring subsidy.
Two birds with one stone.
When we entered the Explorer’s Guild with a dejected Babiyen, a familiar chaotic scene unfolded before us.
“You useless bastard! You can’t even do your job right, and you still want your pay?”
“Aaaagh, he’s grabbing the porter! He’s grabbing the porter! This is porter discrimination!”
“Excuse me, could you let me join your party? What? I’m on the blacklist? How do you know that? Are you my stalker or something?”
“Ah, that’s my personal funds. Why do you keep calling it embezzlement? It’s legitimate compensation.”
It was the usual mess.
Most explorers were rough around the edges, probably because the job carried such a high risk of death.
That was why the Explorer’s Guild was always loud and rowdy.
“……Are they all barbarians?”
Babiyen’s assessment wasn’t strange.
Even to me, explorers were barbarians.
The most vicious and petty among the uncivilized otherworlders.
However, as we entered, the explorers gradually fell silent.
Instead, their gazes converged on us.
I quickly understood why.
It was because of Aranseol and Babiyen.
Aranseol possessed looks that could rival any celebrity.
Babiyen wasn’t quite at that level, but she carried herself with the unmistakable air of nobility.
Their appearances were completely out of place in the Explorer’s Guild.
“……Who are those girls? They look even prettier than Arshel.”
“Arshel would’ve thrown a fit if she were here.”
“Idiot, look closer. They obviously have that noble vibe. They’re probably just here to hire explorers.”
“Then why not just send a servant? Why come in person?”
“Whatever the reason, it’s best not to get involved.”
Explorers had sharp instincts, likely from the hardships they’d endured.
Thanks to Babiyen, no unnecessary trouble came our way.
Nobles were untouchable.
There was no need to stir up trouble.
Babiyen was proving useful after all.
That said, I could also feel a different kind of gaze—one filled with envy.
Most of them were directed at me.
Their eyes clearly asked, Who the hell are you to be standing between them?
They were jealous of a man flanked by two beautiful women.
It was the typical beastly attitude of uncivilized otherworlders.
More than that, I wished the two of them would stop looking so smug about their own appearances.
It made me feel left out.
Once we stepped inside, the staff naturally prioritized us.
Even if they didn’t know me, the other two clearly had noble bearing.
The guild staff had the sense to act accordingly.
“I’d like to register these two as explorers.”
“Yes, could you please provide their names and job titles?”
She showed us the job classification list and registration forms used by the Explorer’s Guild.
“I am a fire mage.”
“I’m a swordsman.”
We wrote down their names and occupations on the form.
The staff member checked the details and paused.
Aranseol was one thing, but Babiyen had genuinely been a noble, so her reaction was understandable.
“Understood. Here are your explorer registration cards. Your rank can increase based on your performance, and there are corresponding benefits, so please keep that in mind.”
“Ah, and I’d like to change the job title listed on my registration card.”
“Certainly. Could you show me your explorer registration card?”
When I handed it over, she checked the listed occupation.
As expected, mine was listed as “Porter.”
“You’re registered as a porter. What would you like to change it to?”
I had been waiting for this question.
The corners of my mouth lifted.
Holy mages were always in short supply among explorers.
It was a high-class profession that any party would gladly hire.
“Holy mage.”
Time to claim a high-ranking job.
* * *
After registering as a holy mage, the way people looked at me changed to one of understanding.
Of course they needed a holy mage.
I had always wanted to become one.
Everyone knew that being a holy mage was the absolute best profession.
Haha, look at that, you uncivilized otherworlders.
I am someone you can only look up to in awe.
“Harua, you’re thinking something unnecessary again.”
Aranseol’s perceptiveness had improved lately.
Unlike Babiyen, who was only sighing beside me, she was watching only me.
“Aranseol, stop liking me already. If you keep thinking about me, your intuition will only get sharper.”
“Fine. I’ll stop liking you.”
I hadn’t expected her to accept it so cleanly.
“So, when are we going to the Second Realm?”
She must have been anxious about the cost of hiring us.
Babiyen urged us to head to the Second Realm as soon as possible.
A complete novice who had never even received explorer training was treating the Second Realm like a neighborhood stroll.
Even with me around, the Second Realm was full of unpredictable variables.
“Wait. At the very least, you should take the basic training courses first.”
“What? That’s just basic education that everyone receives.”
When I looked at Aranseol, she had the same expression.
“Ah, right. You’re a transmigrator.”
So that training was exclusive to transmigrators.
I was reminded once again of the difference between otherworlders and transmigrators.
“That aside, we still need a scout.”
Another reason I hadn’t gone yet.
It was because we lacked a scout.
Traces left by illusionary beasts in the Second Realm were crucial clues.
Moreover, criminals who fled from the First Realm to the Second Realm existed in considerable numbers.
They scraped by in the Second Realm while preying on those who crossed over from the First Realm.
They engaged in robbery and even human trafficking, which made a scout essential.
Back when Bulldog and I used to explore the Second Realm together, scouting had been entirely his responsibility.
A versatile explorer capable of scouting, attacking, and defending all at once.
That was Bulldog.
I had learned some scouting from him, but only for a few months.
It was nowhere near the level of a professional scout.
“And here’s the list of scout applicants we’ve received so far.”
While waiting at the Explorer’s Guild, we had been steadily receiving scout applications.
As a result, far more scouts had applied than expected.
“What are these check marks for?”
Aranseol tilted her head at the names I had deliberately marked for exclusion.
“They’re all men.”
Aranseol tilted her head again.
“You’re not accepting male scouts?”
“Sorry, but we can’t have any men in our party.”
At my serious tone, Babiyen raised an eyebrow and began twirling a strand of hair.
“……I’m sorry, but I find it rather uncomfortable when you look at me like that.”
“If you keep acting up, I’ll spread the word that you were kicked out of your family.”
“W-What? You knew everything and still did this? Give me back the hiring fee I paid!”
“What are you talking about, my lady? We’re in a contractual relationship, aren’t we?”
Babiyen’s over-the-line remark had made me blurt out the truth in irritation.
“The reason we can’t accept men is simple. It’s because of your appearances.”
“I am quite beautiful, after all.”
She was really getting on my nerves.
“The two of you attract way too much attention.”
Honestly, I was seriously considering making them wear masks.
Maybe my senses had been dulled from spending so much time around Lapiel and Aranseol.
Wherever Aranseol and I went, eyes followed us.
“If a man joins our party, it’ll be easy for him to develop feelings for Aranseol, even if Babiyen is one thing.”
“Why am I being left out of the conversation?”
“Even if that weren’t the case—”
“Excuse me, could you please stop ignoring me?”
I gestured around us.
“Do you think the scout who joins our party could handle the envy of all these men?”
Being an explorer was a harsh profession.
And whether they liked it or not, the nature of the job made it easy to form connections.
After the first few times, I rarely had opportunities to build relationships because I was always with Bulldog.
My unremarkable appearance also played a part—people didn’t remember me easily.
No one remembered porters.
That was why no one reacted much even after I reappeared as a holy mage.
Since I had been staying at Lapiel’s mansion for the past few months, most people had forgotten about me.
“But you’re a man too, Harua.”
“I’m high-value personnel, so it’s fine.”
A holy mage was a coveted profession regardless of gender.
Being surrounded by beautiful women didn’t diminish my professional value.
But scouts were different.
Anyone could become a scout with enough study, so their numbers were high.
Moreover, communication skills were extremely important for scouts.
Information was both their ability and their power.
Gathering information was part of their daily routine.
Naturally, scouts became well-known faces in the process.
What kind of treatment would a scout receive if he joined a party full of beautiful women?
Not only would men criticize him, but women jealous of their looks wouldn’t look kindly on him either.
The idea that women don’t envy beautiful women and only admire them was complete nonsense.
Whether man or woman, those who felt jealousy existed in this world.
Even if some didn’t feel it, that didn’t mean none did.
Therefore, any scout who joined us would naturally have a high chance of being ostracized among explorers.
Or there might be those who would sell our information for profit.
That was why men were excluded.
It would be better to have an ordinary female scout surrounded by beautiful women—she would at least earn some sympathy.
“So I’m thinking of going with this person.”
Among the many scout applicants, I had chosen the only female one.
I highly valued her boldness in applying despite Aranseol and Babiyen already being in the party.
“Uh, ah, h-hello.”
Jet-black hair and crimson eyes.
A girl trembling like a newborn hedgehog.
Horizon.
She was the kind of woman who drew attention for an entirely different reason.
It was because of the two violent weapons she possessed that Aranseol and Babiyen lacked.
With those, she probably couldn’t even see her own feet—yet she still wanted to be a scout.
That was the kind of woman who had come to us as our scout.