Max was quite excited to form a party of NPC. After all, he never tried one.
Most of the party he had in the past was made out of players, who were always greedy for rewards.
At the moment, with his Title that earned an instant trust to NPC, the likelihood of them betraying him for the sake of rewards was low.
Hell, Max wouldn't even be surprised if they were motivated to work with him to clear the dungeon—the reason the Greyfen Village was established in the first place.
Max visited the Warrior Yard first.
As expected, the guards didn't even try to block him as they politely paved a way for him to enter.
Branna Holt, the current instructor of the warriors, was teaching all the players, including some NPC's.
When she saw Max, she was instantly distracted by his presence.
She has already been informed by Max's contribution.
Ignoring him also meant ignoring the savior of the village and a citizen of the Empire, who has a brighter future than her.
She certainly didn't want the young man to have a bad impression of her.
So, without hesitation, the Blade Saint, who was teaching the aspiring swordsman/woman how to swing a sword, suddenly left them to his subordinate, a C-Rank Knight, to continue teaching on her stead.
She instantly appeared in front of Max, startling him.
Max was about to greet her, when Branna greeted him first, "Welcome, young savior. Why are you here? I assumed it involves a quest by the Lieutenant?"
Max nodded. "Yes, Ma'am Branna. Can you recommend someone to help me clear the dungeon?"
Branna beamed a smile. "Which do you prefer? The new ones like you, who possess talents. Or my daughter, who has the highest potential among them."
Max was taken aback. He did not expect for Branna to have a daughter in a village like this.
After all, she was a Blade Saint, enough to be an Imperial Officer in the Empire. She could own a villa in a city.
Yet, not only was she here after being assigned by the Empire, even her daughter accompanied her.
If she's a single mother, then that makes sense.
Max quite admired the mother and daughter duo. The mother handled the responsibility of being a mother while managing her job, while the daughter seemed to not be complaining of the place where she grew up and even became a swordswoman, surpassing most men in terms of talent.
Most of the swordsmen might be embarrassed because of it.
He said, "Is that okay for you? After all, the local dungeon is still dangerous."
Branna's face turned solemn.
She was silent for a while and finally replied, "She already reached past the coming of her age. I can't babysit her forever. She must leave the nest I've built for her and fly.
Also, I'm assured that you'll protect her, right? Even if she will be in the frontline?"
Max chuckled. "Of course, I'll definitely ensure her safety. I can't offend Ma'am Branna because of my carelessness."
Branna laughed. "And of course, I can assure you that my daughter will not be a burden to you. She might have a rough start the moment she enters the dungeon since it'll be her first time fighting a demon or monster, please give her some time to adjust and she'll shine.
She's the "highest potential swordswoman" for a reason."
Max nodded. "I trust your judgement, Ma'am Branna. I believe you aren't letting your mother's side obscure your job. You balance it efficiently, I'm certain of that."
Branna giggled. "You better stop, young man. I'm ovulating."
Max was speechless.
Branna laughed even more seeing his reactions and pinched his cheeks, causing Max to whimper.
"I'm just teasing you, alright."
She then pulled her hand away from Max, giving the latter an enormous sigh of relief, as she turned around and shouted, "Eva, come here."
Eva was not training alongside the players, who had yet to gain their class advancement.
She was sparring against another D-Rank Swordsman, whose stamina was already drained.
Eva, on the other hand, despite perspiring heavily, walked towards them without a clear sign of exhaustion on her face.
As soon as she arrived, she scrutinized Max sneakily.
She said to Branna, "What is it?"
Branna beamed a smile and pointed at Max.
"Meet this young man. He already has a good impression on you, right? That's normal. After all, he's the savior in the village."
Eva's eyes widened.
She hurriedly straightened her back and faced Max, bowing deeply.
"N-Nice to meet you, Savior."
Max smiled and nodded. "Nice to meet you too, Eva."
Eva was flustered. She didn't expect the savior to be at the same age as her.
He was also quite handsome.
Gauging her daughter's reaction, Branna smiled and said, "This young savior…"
"Max," said Max politely.
Branna nodded. "Max is looking for a comrade to help him conquer the dungeon. I'm recommending him to you. I could remember you nagging me to allow you to fight monsters or demons, right?
This is your chance. Do you accept his invitation?"
Eva's mind turned blank. Her mother's action was totally out of her expectations.
It would take some time for her to process what was really happening.
She was stunned quite longer even more because Max kept staring at her.
It took her some time to regain her composure.
She stammered, "N-Nice to meet you. I-I'll be under your care."
Her face turned beet red when she realized something was wrong from what she said.
T-That sounds really, really wrong! Did I just confess to him?!
Max, on the other hand, didn't think something was wrong at all.
He simply nodded and said, "Likewise. I hope we'll get along and finally clear the dungeon."
Branna watched their interactions, speechless.
She gazed at Max and thought. This guy sure is dense.
Max turned towards Branna and said, "I'll return here tomorrow. I hope she's ready by then."
Branna stared at Max with an ambiguous expression in silence for a while.
She said, "You know, you don't fully understand what you're saying.
No wonder, you're single."