Differences in the party

The 5 million Fil reward was distributed as follows.

First, 2 million Fil went towards our party funds. This was a fund for expanding our future activities. It also served as insurance in case something went wrong.

Next, the party"s operating cost was 2 million Fil. This was the money required for replenishing items, buying and repairing equipment.
After continuous battles with Lesser Vampires, Lloyd and Walter"s equipment were no longer usable so they needed to be repaired. My Silver-chan — Silver Flame"s bullets must also be replenished.

Even if you went to your regular weapon store that charged you on the cheap, it would still cost you 2 million Fil.

And finally, what everyone was waiting for, to be split into our individual shares.

「It"s only this much…」

Walter"s shoulders sagged and his high spirits from before disappeared.

All that remained for each of us was 250,000 Fil. It"s about a month"s living expenses.

It"s definitely not a small amount and was in fact more than usual, but for someone who had gotten carried away about the 5 million earlier, he couldn"t help but be dissatisfied with the amount that was left.

Tania also had a cold expression as she looked at the two gold coins and five large silver coins on her palm.

I didn"t say, 『That"s why we should have negotiated to increase the reward』It would have made me feel better to say it, but it would also have made the three of them feel bad.

「Okay, don"t get so depressed」

Lloyd said with a troubled smile.

「Each person"s share is small, but the party funds are steadily increasing. And when we get the next big request, we can earn the same amount again」

Certainly, it was as Lloyd said. However, he was also mistaken on one point.

「Lloyd, a desirable request like this is rare. It"s not something that we"ll come by often. Above all, this wasn"t a request we received from the country, but a request sent by another clan. If they hadn"t run into trouble, they would have completed such an attractive request by themselves」

「Right… you"re right…」

In the first place, requests for Abyss purification were all managed by the country, and they only gave such requests to clans. In other words, only a Seeker who belonged to a clan could get involved with Abysses.

But even if you weren"t in a clan, there were ways to get a request for cleansing Abysses.

This was because it was common for clans to outsource the requests that they had accepted but couldn"t get around to completing. This was the result of the clan a.s.sessment system that evaluated the clans based on how many requests they accepted.

The request for the subjugation of the Lesser Vampire that we received was also one of the leftovers from a clan.

At any rate, Abyss related work makes money. Above all, it leads to achievements as a Seeker.
Thus, Seekers like us, who refused to join clans, were able to make money by going around the various clans to look for subcontracted requests that seemed good.

That"s how I plan to save money and eventually create my own clan.

However, clans did not outsource the requests for free. You would be charged an expensive brokerage fee. The clan also owned the rights to the Beast that was defeated, so you would only be exploited if you didn"t negotiate with them.

Negotiations were therefore very important, but it was also true that if you did it too much, you would be considered a nuisance and would be pa.s.sed over for the good jobs.

In other words, considering the growth of our party, this was a good time for it.

「Lloyd, how much is there in our party funds?」

「What? …Well, after adding the amount from this job, 12,800,000 Fil」

Lloyd, our party leader, was the one managing the party funds. Based on my memory, 12.8 million Fil sounded right.

「Then let"s use that 12.8 million Fil and create a clan ourselves」

「What!?」

Lloyd was surprised. The other two also raised their voices.

「…Noel, I think you"re aware, but in order to create a clan, you know that you have to pay 20 million Fil to the country, right?」

This 20 million Fil fee was not the country trying to exploit Seekers. Rather, it was collateral for when they failed to fulfill a request within its specified time.

Abysses expanded as time pa.s.sed. Therefore, it was necessary to cleanse it as soon as possible, and failing it would result in the danger level increasing.
The increased rewards for the new, more difficult request that had to be given to another clan, was covered from the collateral of the clan that failed and that was why it was necessary to pay at least 20 million Fil in advance.

「I understand that. But in the last year, we"ve become stronger. And we"re also reasonably well-known. To keep on subcontracting in spite of that isn"t really preferable」

「I understand how you feel, but…」

「I"ll pay the remaining 7.2 million Fil」

「What!?!?」

The three of them were shocked. With their eyes like saucers, it"s a bigger reaction than earlier. That"s natural considering that I said I was going to pay the huge sum of 7.2 million Fil all by myself.

In reality, it wasn"t an amount I could nonchalantly pay out. I had the inheritance from Grandfather but there wasn"t a lot of it left.

After that incident, the amount given to the servants to get them back on their feet, and all the costs I had to bear before I became a Seeker, combined to be quite a large sum.

In particular, following the teachings of Grandfather, I was very concerned with my equipment. Because the quality of the equipment was directly related to my survival rate.

Not just Silver Flame, but my black long coat was also a high-cla.s.s item. Made from the heart muscle fibers of a Black Dragon, a Beast from depth 8, this coat has high durability and various resistances.

In addition, I also bought several high-cla.s.s items when I just became a Seeker, like the skill books that I learnt my skills from.

「Of course, I"ll be repaid once the clan is on track. I"m not offering the money because I want to, and in truth, looking ahead, I"ll rather save this money. But I believe that quickly setting up our own clan will be more profitable than continuing to work as subcontractors」

In addition, if I can get these three in my debt, it"ll go more smoothly when I bring up the topic of me being the leader. It may be sneaky, but it"s all to fulfill my ambitions.

「What about the base? In order for the establishment of a clan to be approved, it is necessary to have a building within the imperial capital that can serve as its base. The land prices within the imperial capital is high. Even if you rent, the monthly rent will be ridiculously expensive」

「Don"t worry, I know a place we can rent cheaply」

「Really? No, but…」

Unable to just keep watching Lloyd be troubled, Tania cut into the conversation.

「Noel, I know you"re serious, but don"t be impatient. Even if we forcibly create a clan now, I don"t think we can manage it properly」

「Why?」

「Why, you say… aren"t we still newcomers? Our Jobs are C Rank and we"re still young. I"m seventeen, Lloyd and Walter are eighteen, and you are sixteen. We may be adults in terms of our age, but in society, we"re still children. No matter how strong we are, we can"t possibly do well」

「Why?」

「No, like I said…」

I stopped Tania who was trying to convince me.

What Tania said wasn"t wrong. But it also wasn"t right. It was a run-of-the-mill opinion. An opinion that neither helped nor hurt, was useless.

「Then when is the best time for it? How many years will it take till you are sure you can manage it properly? What a.s.surances do you have of success? As long as we don"t create a clan, we"ll be beginners at clan management no matter how much time pa.s.ses」

「That"s…」

「At the very least, I"ve been studying about clans since I started working as a Seeker. I have all the knowledge I need. But I don"t think that alone is enough to succeed. What you need is real experience that you can only get from actually running a clan. It"s something you can never get in your life if you stay at a standstill」

「U, uh…」

Tania tried to argue, but no words came to mind. Unable to bear it, she glanced at Lloyd for help. What a close couple.

「…Noel"s views have a point. Real experience is something you can only get from actually trying. But the Abyss related jobs, that are the most profitable, are managed by the country. Won"t the country look down on our youth and not give us requests even though we"ve established a clan?」

「It"s the opposite, Lloyd. We"ll get the good jobs because we"re young」

「What do you mean?」

「We"re young and good-looking. That"s very important」

「I don"t quite understand what you"re saying…」

Lloyd tilts his head. The other two are the same. Looks like they don"t understand anything. I looked over these three people again.

The leader and Swordsman, Lloyd.

An elegant man characterized by his burning red hair. His attractive face stood out from the crowd of rough Seekers. He was tall, had a lean but well-trained body, and his every move was dignified and elegant.
As a result, he was a Seeker who was popular with women. In fact, he debuted at eight place in the『Men you"ll like to hook up with in the imperial capital』rankings.

The Healer, Tania.

A beautiful woman with a gentle face, with shiny, well-maintained long blonde hair. She was mild-mannered and sociable. Coupled with her Job as a Healer, she gave men the impression of a divine holy mother just by smiling quietly.
Also, ample b.r.e.a.s.t.s. They were big enough to be seen even when wearing loose robes so most men had their gaze riveted there. She was also a Seeker popular with the opposite s.e.x.

The Warrior, Walter.

He was tall and muscular. He"s the type to not care much about his appearance and even his short black hair was crudely cut by himself, but his face was well chiseled and exuded a wild appeal.
However, in Walter"s case, rather than the opposite s.e.x, he was more popular with those of the same s.e.x. Those kinds that sweatily compete muscles with him and even some perverts that were aiming for his a.s.s.

Finally, me, the Talker, Noel.

I had inherited the appearance of my mother, who had been praised as a beauty, so I was easy on the eyes. Thank you Mum, for giving me a handsome face.

「The country encourages Seekers」

The three of them leaned closer as I continued talking.

「In other words, many people want to be Seekers. Well, what type of Seeker would you look up to if you were a young person who dreams of being a Seeker? Of course, being strong is a given. After that, irreproachable conduct? Yeah, that"s probably needed. But the most important part is still to be flashy」

「I see… So that"s how it is…」

Lloyd seems to have realized what I meant. He smiled wryly while stroking his chin.

「Yes, you look flashy by being young and good looking. After all, famous Seekers are idols. If you"re not only strong, but also young and good looking, it"ll be easy for the country to push for you as an advertis.e.m.e.nt」

「In other words, we"ll be favored because we"re young and good looking?」

Walter asked, looking quite sober. I nodded.

Even my tough looking Grandfather, who was still famous as Over Death nowadays, was definitely not ugly. His fashion sense was good and his face became affable when he smiled. According to him, Grandmother loved his smile.

Well, that"s a trivial story.

「Of course, you need to have actual ability to be favored. But clans that have actually been successful were often blessed with beautiful members」

「I won"t deny that that aspect of being a Seeker exists. My aspirations were brought about by my admiration for a certain Healer after all. But… I can"t put it into words well, but… I really can"t come to like selling myself in this way…」

It seems Tania understood, but was unable to accept it.

「Do both of you have the same opinion?」

「I agree with you」

It was Walter who agreed. He crossed his arms and laughed boldly.

「I"m tired of subcontracting too. Let"s create a clan quickly. If I can earn more money than before, then I can drink the best liquor and sleep with good women as much as I want. Doesn"t all that sound good?」

「Hang on, Walter! Don"t joke around when we"re talking seriously!」

Tania turned up her eyebrows but Walter wasn"t kidding and was unabashed about it.

「I"m serious, Tania. Status, honor, money, what"s wrong with wanting them? It may be to a different extent, but don"t you want similar things?」

「Th… thats…」

「Or is it something else? You want to become my woman? Then-」

「Walterrr!」

Lloyd hits the table with a furious expression. Making a pa.s.s at his woman in front of his eyes. No matter how gentle and well mannered he was, it"s natural for him to get angry.

「I"m kidding, I"m kidding. Don"t get angry, Leader」

Lloyd breathed out a sigh at Walter"s flippant tone.

That"s why there shouldn"t be romance within the party. It"s only a source of trouble. Tania grew quiet, probably because she was feeling awkward.

Still, to think that Tania was a woman Walter wanted more than status, honor and money. Despite his appearance, he"s a pure romantic.

「But I"m serious about the clan though」

Neither Lloyd nor Tania argued with Walter.

「That"s two to one. Lloyd, please tell us what you think as a leader」

「It"s complicated… No matter what, you want to create a clan immediately?」

「Sorry, but I"m not going to change my mind on this. If you want to delay this to some undetermined point in the future, then please return my share of the party funds. I"ll leave the party」

When I made that clear, not only Lloyd, everyone had a startled expression.

「…Noel, isn"t that being too unreasonable?」

「I won"t deny I"m being unreasonable. But rather than coming to a meaningless standstill, I will take a separate path, even if I"m cursed by all of you. I said it when we formed the party. That I have a dream. A dream of becoming a Seeker that surpa.s.ses the esteemed Over Death.

「A dream…」

Lloyd thinks for a while and then slowly said,

「I understand. Let"s create a clan」

「Lloyd, are you serious!?」

Lloyd"s decision triggered an outburst from Tania. She must have thought that he wouldn"t agree.

「In any case, we"ll have to create a clan eventually.」

「B, but…」

Lloyd smiled gently at Tania who was pressuring him.

That"s strange… There"s no concrete reason for it, but that exchange gave me a disconcerting feeling.

「Noel」

「Yes?」

「My desicion as the leader is as I"ve said. Do you have any complaints?」

「I"m glad we could come to an understanding. So when are we going to discuss the details?」

「…How about at lunch the day after tomorrow? Let"s talk after we"ve gotten the alcohol and fatigue out of our systems」

「Got it, lunch the day after tomorrow then. I"ll meet you at your lodgings」

With that, the celebration that had ran on longer than usual, disbanded in a somber mood.

And so, that was Blue Beyond"s final celebration.

TN Afterword:
This chapter reminded me that this is a R-15 novel. (//∇//) Seriously, that last sentence in Walter"s description… I tried so hard but I couldn"t find a way to phrase it that I was satisfied with so I ended up giving it to you straight. (*´-`)

Ooo, that last line, foreshadowing!! Are good times coming to an end? The story is finally getting into gear. (ᵔᴥᵔ)