ALL NOVEL Chapter 36
“Next.”
“The survey of the dungeons around the royal capital has been completed. Some teams will challenge the dungeons the day after tomorrow.”
In the large conference room, part of the team house where over 30 members could gather, several members, including myself, had assembled.
Responding to Saioji’s brief words, Vice-Captain Raffin, distinguished by her striking white hair, stood and began speaking, holding a report in her hand.
This meeting, held in the Akatsuki Brigade’s conference room, was the regular gathering of the leaders of the brigade’s adventurer parties. Each party consisted of five people, and all of the party leaders were in attendance.
(That’s the vice-captain…)
I had heard from Camille and the others that Raffin, the vice-captain of the brigade, disliked men. She was reading the report in a firm, commanding tone. Not only was she the vice-captain, but she also led a party of highly skilled adventurers within the brigade, and she herself was a formidable individual.
At first, I expected some sort of hostility towards me since I was a man, but surprisingly, there was nothing. I had braced myself for some harassment, but she neither treated me with disdain nor ignored me as if I wasn’t there.
That being said, I didn’t think she saw me as a comrade either.
“Next.”
“Yes, next is the magic division~.”
Raffin’s report was interrupted by Saioji’s curt words, urging the next report. Standing next was a tall woman, even taller than Raffin—Nana, a graduate of the royal capital’s religious school, a detail Camille had once shared with me. She was the only one in the brigade with such a background, and her signature purple hair stood out.
Nana was a priest who could use both holy magic and healing magic, an extremely rare combination. She was said to have abilities that might even surpass those of Captain Saioji or Vice-Captain Raffin, making her the brigade’s unofficial third-in-command. With her slow, drawn-out speech, she began her report while holding the same kind of document as Raffin.
“Since Allen joined the brigade~ we’ve been getting lots of inquiries from male adventurers~. But there wasn’t anyone worth considering, so we declined all of them~.”
“I see.”
“However~ there’s one person I’d like to recommend to the captain~.”
Nana smiled faintly as she said this, signaling to a member of her team, who handed out additional documents to everyone in the room.
The profile of the person Nana wanted to recommend was written on those papers.
“Who is this?”
“Her name is Piana Ishan, from a knight’s family~. She has a high aptitude for healing magic, and I think she’ll be very useful with just six months of training~.”
“A second healer, huh…”
One of the other party leaders murmured upon hearing Nana’s explanation.
“If this Piana becomes a healer, it would greatly enhance the brigade’s strength… but are you sure about this?”
For once, Saioji’s question sounded a bit uncertain. Nana, however, simply smiled softly.
“Yes, Piana has talent~. But no one else has noticed it yet, so now is the time to secure her~.”
This kind of assessment might be something only an active healer like Nana could understand.
It was unclear what exactly Nana meant by “secure,” but it probably implied something akin to recruiting promising talent early, like a form of headhunting.
“If you believe she’s capable, then that’s fine. Offer her the same conditions as you. Make it happen.”
“Understood~♪”
Members of the Akatsuki Brigade are required to contribute a portion of their earnings to the group. These contributions are usually a percentage of the rewards from quests or the sale of items.
The amount each member contributes varies, and magic users typically have a lighter burden and are offered more favorable terms. This is because magic users are both rare and highly valuable. For example, despite joining later, Camille had better contract terms than veterans like Ryuka and Razuri.
Of course, the terms of the contract also depend on the individual’s abilities.
As for me, since I’m employed as a merchant, the brigade actually pays me a salary. While it’s not a large sum by royal capital standards, it’s quite generous for an apprentice merchant.
However, when I go on adventures, I’m bound by a different contract as a regular brigade member.
The person with the most favorable terms in the brigade isn’t Captain Saioji or Vice-Captain Raffin, but Nana, the leader of the magic division. This is entirely because she can use both holy and healing magic, skills that are even rarer than other types of magic. It’s said that if Nana ever decided to leave, many other teams would offer her even better conditions than the brigade.
That’s why, when Saioji suggested offering good terms to Piana, no one objected.
“Next.”
“Yes!”
Once Nana sat down, Saioji called for the next report. This time, the supply team leader, Aina, stood up quickly, looking a little tense. She started speaking in a clear, strong voice.
“Yesterday, all of the brigade’s supplies were organized without any issues. We’ve also secured a blacksmith.”
“I see. Anything else?”
“Uh, anything else…?”
Apparently not expecting Saioji to ask for more, Aina fumbled through her papers, searching for any remaining points to report.
“…I have a report.”
“What is it, Allen?”
While the brigade isn’t exactly like a family, the members are generally closer than other teams. Although some disagreements exist, they’re never serious enough to create hostility.
So, even though Aina seemed flustered, no one was upset, but I felt sorry for her. I raised my hand to offer an additional report.
“I have something to report regarding the brigade’s potions.”
I handed out documents I had prepared to the other leaders, along with a new type of potion I had made in Japan.
“…What’s this?”
“I’ve created a new type of potion through my connections. Please refer to the document for the details.”
One of the brigade leaders, unfamiliar with me, took the potion pack and asked.
“…I see.”
Having lived in Japan, Saioji recognized the new potion at a glance. The translucent white pack contained a vibrant green liquid, reminiscent of the thick consistency of traditional potions.
“This is a new type of potion container. It’s far more durable than the conventional glass containers and takes up less space. Most importantly, pay attention to its shelf life.”
When I prompted everyone to turn the page, the entire room shifted through the documents at once.
“…The potion lasts for a month?”
“That’s unbelievable. There’s no proof it can last that long.”
Considering that regular potions only lasted about a week, it made sense that some would doubt the information in the document.
“Calm down.”
As the room grew louder, Saioji clapped her hands sharply.
“I understand the skepticism… but do you think I would lie about something that could be proven in a month?”
“Well…”
“Then for the next month, carry both the conventional potions and the new ones that Allen provided. You’ll see the results for yourselves.”
As the atmosphere in the room began to grow tense, Saioji, who had been mostly silent until now, swiftly brought the discussion under control.
For adventurers, potions are often their only means of recovery. While there are those like Nana who can heal with magic, the majority of adventurers rely on potions to recover from injuries.
That’s why they always carry a stock of potions and treat them with care.
So, when someone unfamiliar to them says they’ve developed a new type of potion, it’s understandable that they’d be hesitant to switch immediately.
That’s why Saioji suggested carrying both the conventional and new potions for a while, minimizing resistance from the leaders. Thus, my new potions were partially accepted into use.