"And we can't really afford to lose adventurers like that when there's so many problems that need adventurers around."

"Adventurers too stupid to survive are good riddance anyway," shrugs Hilda.

"If we didn't need stupid adventurers Eden Group wouldn't post bounties for lunatics and fabres."

"...huh?"

She lets out a frustrated noise. "Hunting pests is also important. You don't need powerful people to hunt pests. Having weak people hunting pests is useful and if they die to demons they aren't hunting pests and that's bad."

"—oh I think I see what you mean. Even if someone is too dumb to be a proper adventurer that hunts demons they could be used for less important tasks?"

"You know, it's really unkind to call people dumb."

"I'm saying it like it is."

"Lots of regular adventurers who don't want to fight demons are useful and not dumb!"

"Sure, and those don't try to go fight demons and have to be stopped by the Continental Guard."

"...I suppose."

"I don't like thinking of people as stupid like it's this immutable fact about them. I think a lot of this stuff is contingent."

"Contingent on?"

"...well, a bunch of things, like believing they can become stronger faster that way, or thinking they're more powerful than they actually are, or really really needing the money..."

"That all sounds stupid. I guess not the money thing."

Annika stands up and goes to find a training dummy to hit.

"...bye, then."

"She's just like that."

"But she does have a point, I'm feeling well-rested too and want to get back to practising." He downs the rest of his waterskin and stands up, stretching. "Say, have you guys seen the Rogues' Guild representative? Was hoping to get some pointers."

Both of them point in the same direction.

"Awesome, thank you."

"So what's Brasilis like? I'd never met anyone from there."

(Taharqi arranged for most of the prospective mages, rogues, and swordsmen to sit at the same table for dinner, and he's sitting right at the center of it to be a little socialite.)

(And Georgina is seated near one end of the table to stay far away from...)

(...Vallynn, who's close to the other end. Bjorn, Pierre, Astrid, and Annika are sitting close to him.)

"Bit of a broad question so I hope you don't mind broad answers. It's really hot pretty much year round? I imagine not, like, Sograt Desert hot, not quite, but we don't really have seasons except for wet and less wet."