Graduation Ceremony (1)
What looked like a trivial little incident was, to me, an important matter.
It was only natural that I wanted to show Toltol-i nothing but good things while his personality was still taking shape.
He was already halfway to developing some grotesque little quirk of his own.
If he ended up rolling selfish or calculating, then I’d have a serious problem on my hands when it came to raising him.
Ugh….
And if I assumed that Jung Hayan’s gentleness was a huge part of why she could function like a normal member of society, then the matter became even more obvious.
In any case, the important thing was that I couldn’t just sit back and leave Toltol-i’s education alone anymore.
The day had come when I could no longer trust Dialugia alone with the child she treasured so much.
Whether he understood my concern or not, looking at him sleeping beside me with a low, contented rumble made me wonder if I was worrying over nothing.
But all the same, he was the kind of being who might one day possess enough power to blow a castle away with his breath, so I had to pay attention from the very beginning.
I quietly turned my gaze away from Toltol-i and looked ahead, where two women were still fixed on him intently.
“He really is adorable.”
“Yes. He seems a little tired. He hasn’t been sleeping well lately, since he’s been so excited.”
It was Cha Heera and Dialugia.
They’d only met three days ago, yet they already looked as if they’d grown quite close, which was rather unexpected.
Cha Heera maintained relatively smooth relations with Jung Hayan as well, so she could be called sociable in her own way, but Dialugia was different.
She was so lacking in social grace that it wouldn’t have felt strange to say she had none at all.
I could more or less guess how she’d grown close to Cha Heera.
Most likely, Cha Heera had understood the heart of a mother to some extent, and that had been enough to let their relationship develop.
The way Cha Heera gently stroked Toltol-i’s head looked almost like someone petting an animal. She definitely liked him.
Since she was chatting away enthusiastically with Dialugia, I had no choice but to say something to her. She was looking far too relaxed for her own good.
“Noona, aren’t you going to attend the graduation ceremony?”
“Ah. Is it already that time? Well, what’s the point of staying there from start to finish? I just need to recite a little congratulatory speech, and that’s that… the rest is all being handled by the executives. What about you?”
“I’m planning to head over a little later. I still have to leave today, and there are a few things I haven’t finished sorting out… but I just wrapped everything up.”
“Time really flies… so it’s graduation already, huh…. Oh, have you decided on your rear guard?”
“…….”
“So in the end, you still couldn’t take them with you.”
“No. I’m just going to look within Lindel. It’s hard enough finding a decent mage as it is, so I was thinking of looking at archers too, but none of them really suited me. They’re all below par.”
“You saying that so the other clans and guilds recruiting those below-par people can hear you?”
“That’s not what I meant….”
“I’m just teasing you. Don’t take it so seriously.”
“You really are merciless.”
“But I’d still like to offer one bit of advice, if that’s all right?”
“If it’s advice, I’m all for it.”
“The Blue Guild’s cutoff standards are too high to begin with.”
“You think so too?”
“No, not the Blue Guild itself. I’m saying you seem to set the bar a little too harshly for other people.”
“Ugh… I guess that could be true.”
Honestly, I’d never really thought about it, but hearing Cha Heera say it made me feel as if maybe I really was doing that.
“The Blue Guild’s members are unusual to begin with, you know. Leaving aside the two geniuses, Kim Hyunsung and Jung Hayan… oh, what was her name? Kim Yeri, right? That little kid is the same. Sun Heeyoung too… that priest isn’t especially flashy, but she has the feel of someone born with an almost innate affinity for holy power….”
“Yeah.”
“Cho Hyejin isn’t what I’d call a genius either, but she’s definitely the talented sort. I think perseverance is part of talent too. I’ll bet that even if Kim Yeri grows up strong, she’ll still have a hard time catching someone like Cho Hyejin.”
“Mm….”
“Honestly, it’s strange that so many people at that level have gathered in one place. Usually people like that are supposed to be running a guild or a clan somewhere. Still, putting those monsters aside for a second, your guild has ordinary people too, doesn’t it?”
“That’s true.”
“You too.”
“Yeah.”
“And the mage scholar, Hwang Jeongyeon. And that loud fat guy in your guild too. Park Deokgu, was it? He’s the same, right? But from where I’m standing, those people are exactly the sort of members you can’t afford to lose right now.”
She wasn’t wrong.
“You and the mage may straddle the line between combat and noncombat roles, but Park Deokgu isn’t like that, is he? I do feel a little bad for him, but honestly, I thought he’d fall behind in no time.”
That had been my thought too.
“Not only did he last far longer than expected, he even clawed his way into his own place. I’m sure that’s because the guild members helped him and looked after him so much, but that pig of yours is going to make a name for himself someday as a top player.”
“Maybe.”
If this had been the old me, I would have shaken my head at her words, but things were different now.
Of course, he probably wouldn’t become famous for sheer personal strength, but he would certainly become known as a solid tanker. Even so, Park Deokgu now had the potential to keep up with Kim Hyunsung’s party.
“Ordinary people can get stronger too. If they have the right support and care. That’s part of why the entry bar for my Red Mercenary is lower than people think… and sometimes someone you never expected turns out to stand out all of a sudden, you know?”
“Hmm….”
“Talent matters, of course. There are cases where no amount of effort will do. But when I look at people, there’s one thing I watch for besides talent.”
“What?”
“Whether they have the will to keep going.”
“I like that.”
“Honestly, the reason I helped you out when you first came here was the same. It may sound funny, but your eyes were a little different…. People who cling on with everything they have usually manage to pull off at least one thing.”
She had a point.
Even if the eyes I had could see almost everything, they still weren’t infallible.
I’d never imagined Park Deokgu would grow this much.
Nor had I ever expected Lee Jihye to settle in so perfectly at Black Swan.
And me too….
“You’ll probably handle things your own way, but that’s all I wanted to say. Come with me and take one last look around. You’re going to have to take your guild members with you once the ceremony’s over, right?”
“Ah… don’t you have to give your speech, Noona?”
“Yeah. It’s a pain, but I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do. What about Dialugia?”
I doubted she’d come with us.
“It looks like it’ll be difficult to move together, Cha Heera. Dialuria is still asleep….”
“Ah. Then I’ll come over with you afterward.”
“All right.”
Red Mercenary really was Red Mercenary.
I couldn’t help thinking that.
Blue didn’t really have anything like this, not even for a graduation ceremony or anything of the sort.
There was something about it that felt surprisingly polished.
Come to think of it, Cha Heera’s outfit was a little different from usual too. Normally, she preferred clothes that showed a bit of skin.
That had been true when I first met her, and it had been true when I saw her in a dress at the party.
Since she’d have to give a speech in front of a bunch of chicks, she must have decided to dress with at least some sense of decorum.
Seeing her in a rather impressive set of armor, she looked less like Red Mercenary and more like a Red Knight.
I had dressed myself fairly neatly too, but for some reason I felt a little underwhelming next to her.
She really does look good.
As I followed the members under escort toward the training camp’s practice yard, the lines of trainees began to come into view.
On the raised platform, the major guild masters of Lindel were seated beneath a makeshift canopy, watching the trainees.
Hyunsung!
Of course, my lovely regressor was easy to spot too.
The bastard had been chatting with Black Swan’s guild master, Park Yeonju, but when he spotted me, he sent a smile my way.
I didn’t feel like waving like an idiot, so I answered with a small nod instead.
Cha Heera climbed onto the platform without so much as glancing at the trainees.
Some of them were staring at her red hair with obvious fascination, but most wore stiff, nervous expressions.
Come to think of it, this is probably the first time I’ve seen the trainees.
She was Lindel’s true number one, the woman who had made the current Red Mercenary what it was.
With her armor on and her red hair whipping behind her, she looked like some battlefield goddess.
Women like that didn’t need to announce themselves; they carried their presence with them.
I wasn’t sure whether it was the best comparison, but it felt a little like watching television.
It was only natural that I climbed the platform with her.
I took my place in a suitable spot and looked over the trainees with some effort, but unfortunately there wasn’t anyone particularly eye-catching.
Lee Changryeol and Yoo Ahyoung would be heading to Lindel with us after the ceremony, so I could see them sneaking glances in my direction from time to time.
Wonder if Ijongchul’s problem got sorted out.
With that pleasant smile on his face, it looked as if he’d given him a good few smacks already.
Maybe he was planning to keep going even after the ceremony was over.
Lee Changryeol stood there wearing the same mask he always did, but even so, he was sending me a somewhat friendly look.
It was then that Cha Heera opened her mouth to give her speech.
“I’m sorry for making you all go through this unnecessary trouble and waste your time. I know you’d rather get into Lindel and focus on your own lives as soon as possible, but ceremonies like this always come with pointless traditions and formalities. Honestly, I don’t have all that much I want to say to you. The guild executives did write speeches….”
She’s not going to read them.
“They’re not really my style anyway, and instead of posturing by reading something like this, you probably need something a little more realistic.”
The expressions on the Red Mercenary executives standing with her on the platform confirmed that they’d expected exactly this.
“The truth is… once you’ve entered this place, taking up a sword becomes inevitable. Whether you’re in a production role or you don’t want to fight, there will come a day when you have to lift a blade. A city might be attacked by monsters, or a war might break out when no one expects it. That’s just how players are designed to live.”
Interesting.
“That’s why even the noncombat personnel, or anyone without much resolve, are put through pointless training like basic physical conditioning. It’s an easier way for you, who still don’t know much about the world, to understand. You were sent here as warriors, and you were raised as warriors. If you hear that from the perspective of Earth, it probably sounds ridiculous, but you are warriors. People who can fight, and people who have to be ready to fight.”
It was the sort of thing that could make your skin crawl, but…
for some reason, it still resonated.
“Of course, the way each of you fights will be different… but if I keep going, this speech will get too long. So I’ll keep it simple. Don’t die in some useless place and fall over like idiots.”
“…….”
“…….”
The hall seemed to go a little quiet.
“See you on a bigger battlefield, chicks.”
Almost as if on cue, Red Mercenary’s banner was raised high.
The ceremony ended with all the members saluting Cha Heera in their own way.
I couldn’t help thinking that even if I’d gone to Red Mercenary instead of Blue with Kim Hyunsung, it might not have been such a bad thing.
“You want to say something too?”
I gave a slight shake of my head, and only then did she step down from the platform.
She really was at ease.
At this rate, I might actually fall for her….
It wasn’t really that Cha Heera was “a woman” so much as Cha Heera herself was simply cool.
I wasn’t the only one who thought her unpretentious personality and habit of saying exactly what she meant were attractive.
I was staring blankly, huh.
Thanks to that, I didn’t even get a chance to look around at the trainees waiting to graduate.
I’d intended to take a proper look, but other guilds were already taking their contracted members away one by one.
Some of the trainees had begun climbing onto the wagons that would carry them into Lindel, and Blue, which had received two prospective members, was no exception.
Lee Ahyoung and Lee Changryeol were headed toward the place marked with Blue’s flag when it happened.
Someone caught my eye for no particular reason.
One of the people mixed in with the rest, waiting for the wagons to depart.
Among the stragglers who hadn’t received offers from anywhere, a girl somehow drew my attention and pulled it toward her.
Han Sora.
She gave off the same feeling as Lee Jihye.
I did briefly consider the idea of taking her too, but Blue didn’t need another alchemist.
Of course, she had plenty of drive, so I thought using her wouldn’t be a bad idea, but we’d already had a little friction once….
People who cling on with everything they have usually manage to pull off at least one thing.
Cha Heera’s words from before the ceremony echoed in my head for no particular reason.
Habitually, I checked her status window, but there wasn’t much different from before.
No….
One crucial thing had changed.
It was so startling it nearly made me laugh.
Look at this girl….
“Look at this.”
I couldn’t stop the words from slipping out.
“Hey, you. Come here.”
I could see Han Sora’s pupils shaking.
“No, come over here, Miss Han Sora.”
Even after I switched to polite speech, that didn’t change.