Jack of All Trades, Party of None

After finishing the conversation with Log, I headed over to Ms. Estella.

She seemed to be doing paperwork at the same desk where I had greeted her this morning.

Looks like Ms. Selma has already left.

“Ms. Estella, sorry to bother you when you’re busy. Do you have a moment now?”

“Hm? Oh, it’s Orucchi! Is today’s training over?”

“Yes, since it’s the first day, I wrapped things up early.”

“Got it, got it. Thanks again for taking on the job! So, what do you need to talk to me about? Wait! Could it be a date invitation!? Oh man, you’re putting me in a tough spot~”

“…Sorry. This is a serious matter.”

When I said that in a serious tone, Estella’s mood shifted accordingly.

“Ah, sorry for teasing you. So, what’s the matter?”

“It’s about Caroline. Please tell me everything you know about her past.”

“…I see. I can’t talk about it here, so can you come with me?”

She stood up and took me to a small conference room.

“Alright, first, sorry about this. Before talking about her, I shouldn’t have assigned you the training without any bias. I wanted you to meet her without preconceptions.”

Estella bowed apologetically.

Bringing me here meant it was a matter that couldn’t be discussed openly.

But if she intended to tell me, I wish she had done so from the start.

“It’s already done, so it’s fine. But in the future, I’d appreciate a heads-up. Also, please tell me everything you know about Caroline, Logan, and Sophia.”

“Okay, got it. Let’s start with the lighter stories. …It might be rude to categorize someone’s past as light or heavy, but please bear with me. First, do you know about Logan’s past?”

“I heard a little earlier. He was born and raised in a poor village.”

“Right. Then there’s not much to tell about Logan. What I know is that everyone in his village saw him off, and he joined the hero party called the silver rabbits of the night sky, who were recruiting newcomers. Next is Sophia. Have you heard anything about her?”

“To be honest, not much. I don’t really understand how a noble's child ended up here without going to the Noble Academy.”

“It’s surprising you know that much, since it’s a noble system and usually unrelated to explorers.”

“When I was in the hero party, I had chances to interact with nobles, so I learned about it then. So, do you know why Sophia didn’t attend the Noble Academy?”

“Well, honestly, what I know is just surface-level. Sophia apparently is an illegitimate child. Her mother passed away soon after giving birth to her, and she was raised in Count Claudel's family. But it seems she was persecuted by the lawful wife—Ms. Selma’s mother.”

An illegitimate child means a child born to parents not legally married.

This country practices monogamy.

Some other countries have polygamy, but not here.

“Ms. Selma didn’t seem to mind that and doted on Sophia. When Selma was around, the lawful wife didn’t treat her badly. But once Selma became an explorer and started coming home less, the abuse worsened. When Selma found out, she brought Sophia here. As the lawful wife, she apparently didn’t intend for Sophia to attend the Noble Academy from the start.”

That’s quite a harsh story.

It’s understandable that nobles live by different standards compared to commoners, but it’s not a pleasant tale.

“Lastly, Caroline’s past. Before I talk about that, Orucchi, do you know about the cyclamen cult?”

The cyclamen cult is an organization that worships the most ferocious and worst demonic beast—an evil god—told about in fairy tales.

They aim to revive this evil god.

Planning the resurrection of an existence that might not even exist makes them a suspicious group.

In reality, they engage in inhumane acts such as human experimentation and human trafficking.

Besides that, they conduct terrorist acts like attacking towns and villages and are counted among the two major criminal organizations.

“Yes, I know. If you’re mentioning that cult here, then…”