Published: August 2, 2025
Side Roche
“Alright, the match will start at 3 PM today. The location is the grasslands, and Ryoma will set up the spectator seats somewhere visible from here. Gather there using that as a landmark. But attendance is not mandatory. Some of you might still have pending requests to complete, so it’s fine to keep working. Conversely, even if your work isn’t finished, you can still watch. What happens afterward is your own responsibility. That’s all, dismissed!”
Some people immediately headed off somewhere. Others chatted for a while. After the morning assembly ended, a variety of student behaviors could be observed.
“Roche, can I have a moment?”
“What’s up, Lucas?”
“I’ve finished the match pairing list. Could you check if there are any issues?”
The document Lucas handed over had the names of participants paired in twos and their weapons listed.
“Your handwriting is still meticulous and precise... Ten people, five matches total. There’s no real problem here. The order looks fine as well.”
“Then I’ll notify the participants when it’s their turn.”
“Leave it to me. By the way, what do you think about this group?”
“Their skills are still rough, but many are lively students. Maybe it’s because Ryoma is here this time? When a kid about my age or younger is mixed in and teaching adults as an instructor, it naturally draws attention. I think many students are conscious of that.”
“Yeah, adventurers should be confident like that.”
“So that’s why you revealed Ryoma on the carriage on the first day?”
“That was more because I thought it’d be harder to work if he was underestimated. He doesn’t seem like the type to be very assertive. He probably has ability, though.”
Judging by that base, you could roughly guess Ryoma’s earth magic skills and his mana capacity.
If an adult could do the same, you could probably find them if you looked hard enough.
But if you add the condition of being the same age, it’s tough to find someone.
And if you want someone who can stay calm after finishing building something like that, the number shrinks even more.
He’s far above the average for his age.
Far above, but...
“Hey, Lucas. Did you hear? Ryoma says his magic is just 'practice.' His real strength is close combat, like us.”
“What? But about today’s match—”
“Yeah, I asked him to fight with a bow. Apparently, he can use various weapons. I don’t know how strong he is, but he said it with a sort of confident air, so it’s probably better than his magic.”
“Considering his future growth, that’s terrifying.”
“Exactly, that’s the problem.”
“The problem?”
“You know what the guild master told me beforehand, right? He said to take care of Ryoma because he’s participating.”
“I heard that.”
“Looking back, it had a strange implication.”
He explained his skills and camping experience were sufficient. That he was calm and collected. That and other things.
“At the time, I thought it was just the usual meddling, but now that I’ve seen him in person, I’m starting to think otherwise... Ryoma doesn’t have any companions yet. We’ve made him form temporary parties for jobs a few times, but that’s all.”
“...You don’t mean we’re supposed to make Ryoma form a party? It’s true they’re all newcomers with similar experience. But the skill gap is huge. Surely the guild master isn’t that clueless.”
I understood Lucas’s point well. Since these are groups of people, differences in skill are inevitable, but too large a gap can cause problems later. This is especially true for younger members.
“I don’t agree with pairing Ryoma with other students either. He probably thinks the same. So what now?”
So instead of pairing Ryoma with someone, they want to push him to want to form a party himself?
“Isn’t that overthinking? He’s only been registered for less than a year. Working alone is risky, but he also has experience living in the forest by himself. There’s no need to rush to find companions through such roundabout means. Or is there some other reason?”