Who Says I’m Not a Legitimate Adventurer?

Chapter 39: Control Over One’s Own Desires

“As long as they meet the procurement standards I listed earlier, we can sign a long-term contract.”

Martha nodded with a pained expression. She knew this was a miserable assignment, but for the sake of the guild, she could only force herself through it.

By the time all the follow-up supply plans and personnel transfers had been properly arranged, the wall clock had already pointed to two in the morning.

Necros waved his hand tiredly.

“That’s enough. Go get some rest.”

Martha felt as if she had been granted a pardon and turned to leave the office.

Homan gathered up the documents on the table. Just as he reached the door, he was stopped by the voice behind him.

“Homan, wait.”

Necros sat in the wide-backed chair, his whole figure sunk into the shadows.

“Bring me all the detailed battle reports submitted by the vanguard team today.”Homan froze for a moment, then nodded and turned toward the archive room next door.

A short while later, a thick stack of parchment was delivered to Necros’s desk.

The old man was now alone in the office.

He did not immediately begin reading the battle reports. Instead, he pulled open a drawer and took out an exquisitely sealed document.

It was the intern roster sent by Violet Academy.

Necros sat back down in his chair and, by the light of the magic lamp, carefully turned through it page by page.

Each page recorded the students’ information in detail: name, background, the school of magic they specialized in, and the training recommendations given by their mentors.

His fingers passed over those illustrious surnames, and his expression became especially grave.

This was not merely a list of names, but a series of landmines that would explode if not handled carefully.

Before these “young masters and young ladies” arrived, he needed to find the most reliable training parties for them according to their abilities and personalities.

He had to ensure their safety, while also making them feel that this internship had been more than worth it.

Among the entire headache-inducing list of interns, the name that troubled Necros the most lay quietly at the very top of the desk.

Necros extended a finger and tapped heavily on that name.

Cecilia · Rosenthal.

The only daughter of the prestigious Rosenthal family of White River Province, a genius girl praised by the outside world as the “Violet Pearl.”

As for this girl, that old bastard Gideon’s intentions had been perfectly clear.

He wanted the clue to that special spellcasting class in Necros’s possession to serve as the foundation for the girl’s initial class advancement.

But in the “Mentor Training Recommendations” section below the file, Gideon had densely filled the space with his advice for this beloved student of his.

From between the lines, one could clearly see that old man’s painstaking care.

He sincerely hoped that Cecilia would be transformed through this internship and learn the survival wisdom that could never be encountered within an ivory tower.

“That old thing really knew how to give me a problem.”

Necros stroked his chin, and his white beard swayed slightly with the motion.

Since his old friend had entrusted the girl to him, he truly had to choose the training candidate carefully.

This joint extermination mission actually had another purpose as well—to screen out the Adventurer Parties most suitable for taking on newcomers.

Necros picked up a battle report beside his hand, swept his gaze over the team composition written on it, then shook his head.

“This one won’t do…”

This was a very mature veteran party.

But precisely because it was too mature, the team’s tactical system had already become fixed.

If a newcomer like Cecilia was inserted into it, she would have no place at all and could only become a mascot under protection.

More importantly, once these people learned of her prestigious background, they would absolutely place her on a pedestal.

That kind of excessive protection and flattery simply did not match what his old friend wanted.

He marked a huge cross against that party in his mind, casually tossed the battle report aside, and picked up the next one.

“This one won’t do either.”

This party’s tactical style pursued efficiency and financial return to the extreme.

Although this was the truest survival law for Adventurers, for someone like Cecilia—a sole heir who would one day inherit an enormous family enterprise—this profit-oriented value system was not a good starting point.

The first party an Adventurer joined had a decisive influence on their future conduct and style.

Just like himself and Gideon back then.

If they had not met that upright and wise old captain to guide them, the two of them probably would have already died somewhere in some dark corner of an Underground Dungeon Labyrinth because of youthful recklessness.

So this first guide had to be chosen with utmost care.

“The main point of her coming here to learn isn’t killing monsters…”

Necros muttered to himself.

Perhaps he should not limit himself to those fixed Adventurer Parties, but widen his gaze and look at those solitary freelance Adventurers?

But most freelance Adventurers were eccentric and erratic, and the risk was too great. They did not seem suitable for a noble young lady like Cecilia either.

Necros sighed and continued flipping through today’s submitted battle reports in irritation.

Until his gaze fixed on one particular report.

It was personally written and submitted by Gareth, a Professional from the Underground Dungeon Labyrinth, with several supporting testimonies from other Adventurers attached behind it.

The report had only one protagonist, identified by a codename.

Raven.

“Interesting.”

After reading the report, Necros revealed an expression that suggested he had come upon something intriguing.

He stood up, walked to the archive room next door, skillfully searched through the shelves, and pulled out the Adventurer file bag labeled with the codename “Raven.”

As he read through page after page of the past mission records, a clear character profile gradually took shape in Necros’s mind.

After finishing, he had only one thought.

This was a person who was extremely afraid of death.

Despite clearly possessing the strength to single-handedly cut through an entire Goblin squad, when he looked through the past mission records—

They were all gathering commissions.

There was not a single combat-related extermination mission among them.

“No… it can’t simply be described as being afraid of death.”

Necros reexamined those mission records.

This person was able to suppress his own greed extremely well.

Despite possessing the ability to accept high-reward extermination missions, he had preferred instead to earn this kind of safe and steady small money.

This absolute control over his own desires was precisely the quality most lacking in young Adventurers.

And from today’s battle report, the other party was not truly cowardly.

In his report, Gareth specifically mentioned that this person had taken the initiative to run against the flow into the most dangerous battle line in order to rescue a friend from another party.

Otherwise, with his concealment ability, perhaps no one would have discovered his true combat strength at all.

This showed that while maintaining rationality, this person also possessed a commendable sense of loyalty deep in his bones.

At a critical moment, he could shoulder responsibility.

If something truly went wrong, a person like this would absolutely not treat Cecilia as baggage, abandon her, and flee alone.

And even better was…