Off to the side, Kagetsu, still dressed in her clerk's uniform, rolled her eyes but said nothing.
You're paying my salary, and you're the boss. Whatever you say goes.
Despite the acerbic edge in Francesca's words, Lambert's expression barely changed.
She sat down on the single-seat sofa opposite Francesca. "I'm only a 2★ Hunter at the moment, but I'm confident I can advance to 3★ within six months and to 4★ within two years."
"Hmph. What makes you think that? Do you think advancing to 3★ or 4★ is as easy as reaching 2★?" Francesca crossed her arms and snorted.
Do you have any idea how many years I've been stuck at 2★?!
Of course, she would sooner bite off her own tongue than say anything that would shatter the image she had built. Her Hunter's Notes, its cover stamped with two stars, normally stayed locked in a safe.
Still, to an outside observer, Francesca's skepticism was perfectly reasonable.
As she had said, advancing to 2★ was the easiest step. As long as 1★ Hunters had received proper training, they would eventually advance to 2★ after spending some time honing their skills.
Advancing from 2★ to 3★ was another matter entirely. From 3★ quests onward, Hunters had to face true "Large Monsters," such as Yian Kut-Ku, Barroth, and Congalala.
From 4★ onward, they even had to contend with troublesome Flying Wyverns.
In truth, not many people could clear both hurdles.
Lambert had clearly prepared her case. She answered calmly, "I graduated from the Hunter Training Camp less than three months ago. Since then, I have not only advanced to 2★, but also completed more than half of the 2★ quests required for advancement. In another two months at most, I'll be eligible to take the 3★ advancement exam. Hunting 2★ Monsters is no longer a challenge for me. As for 3★ Monsters, I admit I'm not fully confident I can hunt them yet. However, I already know what I need to work on to become stronger. In another two or three months, I'm confident I can pass the exam on my first attempt."
As she spoke, her gaze shifted to Altaïr beside her. "I based my advancement plan strictly on Senior Altaïr's own progression, then added a generous margin. That's how I arrived at my estimate of 3★ within six months and 4★ within two years. In fact, I don't believe it will take that long."
The corner of Kagetsu's eye twitched twice. Francesca pointed at Lambert and looked to Altaïr, her expression practically shouting, "She's bragging, right? Call her out!"
Altaïr shrugged. "It sounds a little arrogant when she says it herself, but she really isn't exaggerating. 4★ is still a long way off, so I can't make any promises, but I don't think she'll have any trouble reaching 3★ within six months."
Francesca looked to Isis next, but to her surprise, Isis also spoke up in Lambert's support. "When Lambert advanced to 2★ a month ago, she weighed barely more than fifty kilograms. After a month on the improved diet and intensified training plan I made for her, she's already close to fifty-five.
She's gained nearly a tenth of her body weight in muscle, and even setting technique aside, she's improving extremely fast."
Lambert obligingly bent her arm, revealing a faint line of muscle.
She had truly put herself through a great deal that past month to improve her basic physical conditioning.
Damn prodigies!
Francesca ground her teeth, then quickly smoothed her expression. "Fine. I'll concede that you can reach 3★ soon. But 3★ and even 4★ Hunters aren't hard to find. Why should I choose you?"
"Because I'm one of the rare Hunting Horn users, and I can provide crucial support to the entire team," Lambert replied.
That argument did tempt Francesca.
The Guild had compiled rough statistics on how many Hunters used each weapon, and the Hunting Horn ranked dead last by a wide margin, accounting for less than two percent. In other words, even among fifty Hunters, there was no guarantee of finding a single skilled Hunting Horn user. Yet no weapon surpassed the Hunting Horn when it came to support.
From the Guild's perspective, increasing the number of Hunting Horn users was an obvious goal, but "music" and "Hunter" rarely went hand in hand.
People with both musical talent and the aptitude to become Hunters were exceedingly rare, and most of those few chose to become dedicated support personnel.
Someone like Lambert, who could support a team and fight independently while also possessing exceptional talent, was extremely rare. Otherwise, veteran Hunting Horn user Mr. Ferdie would not have been so eager to take her on as his apprentice.
By then, Francesca was already inclined to accept Lambert's application. Even setting the distant prospect of 4★ aside, a 3★ Hunting Horn user could make a considerable contribution to an expedition team.
Still, she wanted to "put Lambert in her place" first. From the standpoint of managing the expedition team, admitting a proud, ambitious newcomer too easily could sow the seeds of future trouble.
"You make a fair point, but we've already found a support specialist." Francesca beckoned Kagetsu over.
Kagetsu obediently came over and stood behind her.
"Let me reintroduce her. Kagetsu, a 3★ Insect Glaive user. She uses Kinsects and the Wide-Range skill to provide all kinds of support. A first-rate support specialist.
Ask Altaïr how useful she is. Let him decide which of you is the better support specialist."
Kagetsu and Altaïr both looked at a loss for words.
Francesca's tone made it sound as though she were asking which was better, Lifepowder or a Recovery Horn.
Altaïr understood more or less what Francesca was doing and answered honestly. "If we're judging purely by support, Kagetsu is obviously better. She's a seasoned support specialist.
Lambert can provide support because of the Hunting Horn's inherent qualities, but at heart, she's still an attacker, at least for now."
Lambert was taken aback. She clearly had not anticipated that the "secretary" was actually a dedicated support specialist.
That wiped out one of her greatest advantages in a single stroke.
Francesca spoke slowly and deliberately, with an undercurrent of pressure in her voice. "You have talent. Even if you're confident you can turn that talent into real ability, it will take time.
The expedition is just around the corner. We don't have time to wait for you to grow.
We don't need your support, and we need your offensive ability even less. So what reason do we have to recruit you?"
Under the pressure of Francesca's interrogation, Lambert's breath caught.
The woman sitting before her was shorter and sprawled rather inelegantly across the sofa, yet somehow she projected an almost physical sense of looking down on Lambert from a great height.
Lambert tried to sense what Francesca was thinking, but found nothing.
In truth, Lambert's so-called ability to "hear inner voices" was nothing supernatural. Her extraordinarily acute perception allowed her to gather many subtle cues and synthesize them into an intuitive read on other people.
Francesca had undergone specialized training, and once she was on guard, Lambert found it difficult to glean anything useful from her.
The faint, knowing smile in Francesca's gaze made Lambert a little nervous.
Watching from the sidelines, Altaïr found the whole thing rather amusing.
The girl simply lacked experience with people. Otherwise, she would not have been so easily overwhelmed by Francesca's commanding presence the moment her trump card was countered.
"The expedition team may already have a dedicated support specialist, but as a Hunting Horn user, I can still fulfill a unique role," Lambert insisted in one last attempt to save her case.
Francesca pressed her without mercy. "What role? Be specific."
"Different Hunting Horns produce different effects. With the Wind Horn I'm using now, I can play a melody that stimulates the physical abilities of those around me, allowing everyone to move faster."
"Kagetsu can achieve the same effect with Wide-Range and Dash Juice." Francesca cut her off with a wave. "Anything else?"
"The Echo Wave gives me a long-range attack–"
"It can't compare to a Bowgun. What else?"
"..."
With every trump card exhausted, Lambert pursed her lips and fell silent for a long moment. Finally, all she could say was, "I could join as a probationary member, and I wouldn't need any extra pay.
There will always be odd jobs while establishing an expedition base, such as clearing out Small Monsters and gathering ore or herbs. You can leave those to me.
I... I'm simply very interested in setting foot in unexplored regions and seeking out the unknown. That's why I want to join the expedition team."
By the end, Lambert's tone had grown almost pleading.
"Deal!" Francesca clapped her hands together in satisfaction. "Kagetsu! Bring me the contract, and make sure you write down that part about 'no extra pay'!"
Lambert blinked at her in confusion.
Had she just walked straight into a trap?
(Translated by yourtl.app)