Jack of All Trades, Party of None

The woman glaring at me with her deep red hair tied just below her ears at the nape of her neck and her slightly sharp red eyes is Selma Claudel.

She is the leader of the s-rank party known as the silver rabbits of the night sky.

Among the country’s explorers, she is as famous as Oliver, the leader of the hero party.

Well, it makes sense given her beauty and the fact that she is also hailed as the continent’s greatest enchanter.

Still, why is she glaring at me with such obvious hostility?

Her party has reached the 92nd floor of the Great Labyrinth, the second deepest level achieved by active explorers after the hero party.

When I was part of the hero party, I paid close attention to her party’s movements to avoid being overtaken.

I suppose she did the same.

But that doesn’t mean she has the right to glare at me like this.

“You’ve got some nerve trying to get involved with my adorable little sister who’s only fourteen.”

...Ah, so that’s the reason?

“That’s a misunderstanding. We did have a meal together, but there were no improper intentions.”

“Huh? You don’t think my Sophia is cute?”

This woman is troublesome... acting like a protective parent. No matter what I say, it feels like the wrong answer!

“Come on, big sister! Don’t say rude things about someone who saved my life!”

“...What? Saved your life? Sophia, did you go into the dungeon alone?”

Selma looked at Sophia with a puzzled expression after hearing that.

“Ah, well, um, that is...”

Sophia seemed to realize her slip-up and looked downcast like a child caught in mischief.

Sigh... you went, huh. I told you to hold off since I’ll be diving into the Great Labyrinth every day starting the day after tomorrow.

“I’m sorry...”

“Well, you came back without injuries, so I won’t say much, but don’t go off on your own from now on.”

“...Okay.”

Selma’s expression softened completely as she gently patted Sophia’s head.

This must be the carrot and stick approach.

“Orun, I appreciate you helping my sister. I apologize for my rude attitude earlier.”

“Don’t worry about it. But the stares around here are harsh, so I’d like to sit down soon. Mind if I join you?”

It seemed like I was arguing with a clan executive who runs this shop, attracting disapproving looks from other customers.

To escape their attention, I suggested sitting with Selma to give the impression that it wasn’t a big deal.

“Oh, that’s fine. Sophia, come have dinner with us too.”

“Okay!”

I took the seat across from Selma, with Sophia beside her.

After checking the menu, Sophia and I ordered a few dishes, and the three of us began eating.

◇

“By the way, isn’t this the first time we’re having a proper conversation?”

She spoke in a friendly tone, a stark contrast from the glare she gave me earlier.

“That’s right. Last month at the joint hunt, we only talked about combat.”

She had participated in the joint hunt as well. Since we were both enchanters, Selma took overall command while I supported her.

I met Selma just last month but had known of her before.

She’s called the continent’s greatest enchanter, which might make you think it’s natural to know her, but the reason she earned that title is that she was the first explorer to focus mainly on support magic during dungeon exploration.

There may have been enchanters before her, but the role only became famous thanks to her.

Until a few years ago, party compositions consisted mainly of four “attackers” like swordsmen and mages, plus a single healer.

Looking back, it was a brute-force party structure, but that was the norm.

Selma challenged that norm at sixteen.

She introduced the concept of roles, assigning party members not only ‘attackers’ but also ‘defenders’ who attract enemy attacks and ‘supporters’ including enchanters and healers.

This drastically improved the party’s continuous combat capability in the dungeon.

Her party quickly set new depth records among active explorers, popularizing roles, which are now considered standard party composition.