Chapter 4- Typhoon Trace Meets the Hero

"H-Hey, there, Typhoon Trace. I am Shinta Irashime, t-the hero. Nice to work with you."

"Nice to meet you, too, Sir Hero," said Alex.

He and the rest were still bowed at me, and that made me uneasy, so I told them they could stand, which they hesitated to do but stood up anyway. I noticed their group had a female therianthrope- cat to be specific, a male ogre, an elf, and two humans- those being Alex and Chelsea, making five in the group. It seemed okay, but if any readjustment is needed, I will gladly do it.

Aro entertained us a bit with lunch before saying that we could head over to the Duke Band's domain, which is located southeast of the capital, and so we left.

We were lodged at Alex’s mansion, which they also used as their HQ. Must be nice to have one to yourself. Short notes about them, Alex and Chelsea are to get married after the entire demon lord issue. Elsa, the elf, was too concerned about the history of civilization and magic. Nu, the cat therianthrope, was a joyous and negligent person- always doing things the wrong way or repeating the same action and expecting a different result. Choji the ogre was the most reserved of the group, and his sister, Glass, who was not at the palace, is the chef.

Glass and Nu are technically…no part of my harem, but it is better than having the four in your party. No, it is still the same, and everyone treats me like some god or hero. Wait, am I not a hero? That's not the case here, though. Currently, I am in a meeting with Alex and the others to state my position in the group and what I expect as an NPC or rookie, as the case may be.

“So, what is it you want to talk about?" 

“Yeah Great Shinta, we will do it for you.”

It was more or less Alex and Nu that started the meeting, and that was a straightforward question from Alex, but no matter what, I had to state my role as the noob in the group, and nothing more; hopefully, they would listen.

“LISTEN UP, GUYS,” I started enthusiastically, “I need you guys to view me as the “rookie” of the group” I said as I brought down my voice, “I just want to build up on other stats of mine other than my MP, so I am hoping you will train me till I master my full strength and also please regard me as one of comrades and not as just the hero.”

Afterwards, they all just sat there dumbfounded at my request, but a few moments after, Chelsea decided to speak up for the others. “Um… Sir Shinta, sorry, Shinta, so you just want to be respected as we respect ourselves.”

“Y-y-yes, that is it,” I replied timid meanwhile inside I was just happy because I was finally called by my name without the extra titles.

Everyone decided to call me by my name; only Nu, Glass, and Elsa kept by titles. Nu is calling me Great Shinta, Glass calls me Master Shinta, and Elsa keeps calling me Shinta-chan, teasing my Japanese origin.

Ω

After the meeting, they decided to fully introduce themselves, and the only thing I really caught from their speech was their names, age, and what they specialize in.

Alexander, or Alex, is 29. He specializes in swords and a little offensive magic. He has your typical black hair and black eyes. He also looks and acts like your classic respected team leader, you know that one boss at work who lets you do stuff on your own, but will help you if you can't do it.

Chelsea is 24, she specializes in magic and has ten affinities, which is technically a big deal, she has waist-length black hair and deep violet eyes; she is the second leader and is the type who is somewhat short-tempered. Alex says she also has a nickname among bandits and criminals as the Queen of Pain, basically because her torture method is on another level.

Choji is a greater ogre. He is 33, and he specializes in defense and defensive magic. He is clearly over six feet tall and has a large, muscular build; he has tanned skin and looks more human than ogre. He said his dad completed a trial for evolution, which is why he and his younger sister are evolved ogres that tend to look and act more human than normal brutish ogres. He also has short ginger coloured hair and black eyes.

Glass, also a greater ogre, is 28, and she specializes in cooking, support, and offensive magic. She is also known as the last card of the team, even though she is not the strongest member. She has a bob cut, ginger hair, and brown eyes. She is the calm and shy type who has exceptional traits and abilities.

Nu is 16, she is a cat therianthrope, and she specializes in healing magic and assassinations, quite ironic if you ask me. She has long flowing black hair that reaches her ankles, black cat ears and tail; she also has green eyes. She is technically the life of the group and the most clumsy member when not serious.

Lastly, Elsa is an elf and, obviously, the oldest in the group at 431 years old. I'm wondering why she joined this group instead of a longer-living team. She is the strongest in the group and specializes in around five main affinities and can use fifty more with the grimoires and tomes. She looks like your average fantasy elf with blonde hair and blue eyes, and is heavily immersed in history and magic; she also has a high curiosity for supernatural forces.

This is the best group for now, and it seems I will be okay.