I held up my hand to stop her. Tanya wasn’t wrong, but she wasn’t right either. Her reaction was normal, but trying to equivocate did no one any good.
“So when, then? How many years must we wait before you think we can start a real clan? What are the necessary conditions for success? If we never start a clan, then we’ll always be newbies.”
“Well…”
“I’ve been studying Seeker clan structures forever. I have all the knowledge we need. But book learning can only take us so far—we need real experience, the kind we can only get by actually founding a clan. We’ll never move forward if we don’t take the next step.”
“Uh, uh…” Tanya tried to protest, but she couldn’t find the words. She looked to Lloyd for help. They were a tight-knit couple.
“Noel does have a valid point. Some things can only be learned through doing. But the government controls the highest-paying Abyss-related work,” said Lloyd. “If they dismiss us for our youth, then establishing a clan will be futile. Can we really afford to pay the compulsory insurance fee every six months? If we rush into this before we’re ready, it’ll bankrupt us.”
“That’s not right, Lloyd. We’ll be able to get work precisely because we’re young,” I said.
“What do you mean?”
“We’re young and we’re good-looking. Both those things are important.”
“I don’t know what you’re trying to say, but…” Lloyd tilted his head to the side. The other two had the same expression on their faces. They really didn’t know, huh?
I looked closely at them again.
Lloyd, our leader, was a Swordsman. He was slender but lithe, with fiery red hair and delicate features that distinguished him from other Seekers, who were mostly a rough crowd. Every action he took was elegant and refined.
Tanya, our Healer, was beautiful, with a kind face and well-maintained hair that shone gold. She was friendly and mild-mannered and, thanks to her prowess as a healer, had a number of fans who idolized her as the Holy Mother.
Then there was our Warrior, Walter: tall, hulking, muscular. He wasn’t the type to care much about his appearance, keeping his black hair cut short, but he had chiseled features and there was an appealing wildness about him.
I was the final member, the Talker. I’d inherited my mom’s looks, so I wasn’t hard on the eyes. In fact, I was often mistaken for a girl, but I’d long since given up on caring about such things.
“The government is encouraging citizens to become Seekers right now,” I continued. I had their attention. “Now, what kind of Seekers might inspire young people to want to be like them someday? Strong ones? Of course. Ones who conduct themselves well? That would certainly help. But most of all, they’d have to have charisma.”
“I see…” Lloyd realized the point I was trying to make. He stroked his chin and chuckled.
“That’s right—charisma, youth, and looks. The greatest Seekers are celebrities, after all. If we’re strong, young, and attractive, the government could use us as their poster clan.”
“In other words, they’ll favor us because we’re young and hot?” Walter asked, finally starting to sober up.
I nodded. My famous grandfather, Overdeath, had been both strong and handsome too. He’d always dressed well, and he had been pretty popular with the ladies in his day.
“Of course, we’d need the skills to back it up,” I said. “But the most successful clans also all happen to have good-looking members.”
“I won’t deny that’s one aspect of being a Seeker,” said Tanya. “I only wanted to become one because of a certain Healer I admired. But… I don’t know how to put this, but I don’t like the idea of selling myself like that.” She stopped talking. She finally understood what I’d been getting at, but she didn’t look happy about it.
“Do you two feel the same way?”
“I’m on board,” Walter answered. He crossed his arms over his chest and laughed audaciously. “I’m getting tired of this low-paying work. Let’s have our own clan. If we rake in more cash, we can have all the good ale and good women we want. Yep. No downsides at all.”
“Walter! This is serious. Stop messing around!” Tanya raised an eyebrow in anger, but Walter wasn’t joking.
“I am serious, Tanya. What’s wrong with wanting status, honor, and money? You want the same things, if not to the same extent.”
“Th-that…”
“Or what? You want to be my girl instead? In that case—”
“Walter!” Lloyd slammed his hand on the table, his face twisted in fury. Walter was hitting on his girlfriend right in front of him. That would piss anyone off, no matter how noble they were.
“I’m just joking. Don’t get mad, leader,” Walter said, offering a loose smile. Lloyd just sighed.
Intraparty romance really was a problem, and this was exactly the kind of trouble it caused. Tanya had clammed up, looking embarrassed. Walter wanted her even more than status, honor, or money. He didn’t often show it, but he did seem to be just a romantic at heart.
“I’m serious about starting a clan, though,” Walter said. Neither Lloyd nor Tanya argued.
“So that’s two in favor. Lloyd, tell us your opinion as a leader,” I said.
“That’s tough… You really want to start a clan right away, no matter what?”
“I’m sorry,” I said, “but this is one thing I won’t back down on. If you decide to put it off to some undetermined date, then I want my portion of the capital back. I’ll leave the party.”
That caught them all off guard. “Noel…don’t you think that’s a little extreme?”
“I won’t deny that it is. But if we’re not going to move forward, I would rather go my own way than sit here and be berated by you guys. I told you when we formed the party that I had a dream. My dream is to become an even greater Seeker than the great Overdeath.”
“A dream…”
Lloyd thought for a long moment before finally opening his mouth to speak. “Okay, then. Let’s form a clan!”
“Lloyd, really?!” Tanya turned angrily toward Lloyd. She seemed really opposed to the idea.
“We’re going to have to do it eventually anyway.”
“B-but…”
Lloyd smiled gently at Tanya’s persistence. It was strange… I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something about this exchange nagged at me.
“Noel.”
“Hmm?”
“This is my decision as leader. Are you happy now?”
“Yeah. I’m glad you understand. When should we discuss the details?”
“Let’s talk after we’ve rested and sobered up. How about in the afternoon, the day after tomorrow?”
“Very well, then. The afternoon, the day after tomorrow. I’ll come to your place,” I said.
With that, our celebration—which had already lasted a bit longer than usual—came to an end.
As it turned out, this would be the last time Blue Beyond would celebrate.