The next day, Elias once again descended the mountain and made his way toward the town.
Managing frontier warriors and adventurers is difficult for the kingdom, so this responsibility falls to the Warrior Guild.
Also known as the Adventurer’s Guild, it is where the kingdom typically places requests whenever they need to hire temporary personnel.
Upon arriving at the town’s guild, Elias explained his requirements to the staff.
However, their response was less than reassuring.
“We do have mages registered here, but we can’t guarantee that they meet your exact requirements…”
“Given the high level of expertise you’re asking for, the reward will have to match accordingly.”
Elias carefully examined the proposed payment.
Although not cheap, the cost was still within budget, so he formally submitted the request and left the rest in the guild’s hands.
Preparing at the Fortress
Upon returning to the fortress, Elias found Frenn busy making preparations.
He informed her that, for now, they simply had to wait.
“Have you set specific criteria for hiring?” Frenn asked.
“Yes. The mage must either have a good reputation—meaning their guild rank must be above a certain level—or they must possess a measurable amount of magical power above a set threshold.”
“Magical power alone is enough to qualify?”
“Relying only on guild rank would severely limit our choices, considering the town’s size.”
“If we end up with someone highly ranked, that’s fine, but if we choose based on magic capacity, what kind of person are we likely to get?”
“Most likely, someone with potential but little to no experience.
Since this job is only a reconnaissance mission, all we need is someone who can maintain detection magic—combat ability is not a priority.
Of course, if that’s the case, the burden on me and the knights will be greater.”
“I suppose that can’t be helped…
The nearby town is a crossing point for people heading toward the northern frontier, but the main hub for warriors is elsewhere.”
“The guild agreed to post the request in those areas as well, but considering the nature of the job and its reward, it’s unclear if anyone seeking frontier combat will actually accept it.
That’s why the town we visited has a higher chance of attracting candidates.”
“This is tricky…
I just hope we get someone who will actually follow instructions.”
“That’s up to luck.
We need to prepare for the possibility that no one accepts the request.”
“Are you considering choosing someone from within the fortress?”
“I was already planning to take someone along to assist with detection magic.
I’ll ask whoever has the highest magic capacity to train and assist us.”
“How long will that take?”
“Depends on their aptitude.
Detection magic requires a different skill set than attack spells.
It could take weeks.”
“Which will be faster—a guild recruit or training someone internally?”
“We can only hope we get a response soon…
Anyway, Frenn, continue preparing.”
“Understood.
But since we don’t know exactly when the investigation will start, I can only prepare general supplies—I can’t fine-tune provisions for each person.”
“That’s fine.
Either way, now that preparations are underway, we should cover all possibilities.”
“Got it.
Once I’ve settled preparations, I’ll return to my investigation.”
“Good. I’ll leave it to you.”
Since the guild didn’t immediately send a response, the days passed without any new updates.
Meanwhile, Elias focused on selecting and training personnel for the investigation.
Luke and Reina would be joining him.
A magic user from the fortress was chosen.
Basic training in detection magic was provided to ensure backup in case the guild’s recruit never arrived.
During the training session, the selected mage, a young woman, commented,
“You’re surprisingly skilled at teaching.”
Elias, adjusting his stance, responded,
“As a Holy Knight, teaching magic isn’t exactly part of the job.”
“…So how did you learn it?”
“In the Eastern Front, we were constantly short-staffed.
Sometimes, knights had to handle everything themselves—including magic.
I had no choice but to learn.”
“And that made you stronger in the process.
That’s rather interesting.”
“My goal is to master combat.
Learning magic was a valuable experience, but in an ideal situation, knights and mages should remain separate roles.
Otherwise, the workload becomes too much.”
“And yet, here you are, teaching me magic.”
“Exactly.
If I could, I’d gladly dump this task on someone else.”
The mage let out a laugh.
“…Detection magic is complex.
Learning it properly will take time.
Won’t this delay the mission?”
“That can’t be helped.
We know for certain that there are monsters, but they haven’t caused any problems in the town or villages so far.
A slight delay shouldn’t matter.
If they were actively attacking, we’d be moving much faster.”
“I see…
If the person we hire turns out to be capable, I’d like to observe their magic.”
“Assuming they show up at all.
But once this is over, I can try to arrange that.”
“Thank you.”
The mage nodded, showing a newfound determination.