Part 7: Communication Skills
THE delegation consisted of diverse groups of people of all ages and backgrounds, and once the reason was explained, it made sense why. The first group was made up of members of the Oracle Church’s public relations department, led by Cody. They were the four who had been loading the luggage with him, and as Cody himself said, he was in charge of them.
The second group had been at the loading area, but they were just running around in a panic. I felt like I’d seen them somewhere before, too. Apparently, they had been working at the Oracle Church in Oranz for the past three years, which made them more experienced when it came to the city itself than me. That must be where I saw them.
In large cities that had a strong relationship with the Church, a church administrator was dispatched from the religious organization’s headquarters. In small villages, however, the locals assigned the administrator. So those three in the second group were excited they were finally returning to their hometowns to see their families after such a long time.
The third group was the last to arrive, the Temple Knights. Delegations always had guards in addition to adventurers. And considering that they hadn’t hired any adventurers on their outward journey, hiring a guard on the return trip must really have been just a bonus to make some connections.
The berobed twins showed up a short time after the Knights. They were students at the Lejion Seminary, and only thirteen years old. So far they hadn’t spoken a single word to us. They did occasionally glare at us though, which was confusing.
The Lejion Seminary was a school where students learned the Oracle teachings along with basic academic subjects. It was common for devout Oracle believers around the country to send their children there. As part of their graduation project, students at the Seminary were required to accompany Oracle believers on pilgrimages and envoy expeditions. Only after satisfying this requirement could they graduate.
Students traveled as guards or to assist in missionary activities, but were generally treated as the former on account of being mages. Normally, students graduated at fifteen. These particular twins had skipped a grade and were set to graduate this year, which meant they must have been very talented.
“They’re always in a bad mood. I really don’t understand the youth these days,” mumbled one knight, who seemed to be in his twenties, as he explained the various groups to us.
It’s often difficult to find common ground to converse across the generations. I could understand how the twins felt. I myself had mixed feelings, as someone in a party with kids who could have been my own children. The young knight in question clearly wanted me to agree with him, but going off his theory, I was probably actually too old to find common ground with him.
As we got on our way, I turned around and looked at the twins, who were walking at the back of the group. They seemed bored and uninterested in everything. Their golden-brown hair was slightly shaved at the back, with the rest cut evenly. Maybe it would be easier to understand if I described it as a short, stylish haircut.