20. Harem Party Alone

I returned to the city of Roizen and found myself inside an incredibly luxurious private room within the Adventurer’s Guild.

「I’ve heard all about it from the others,」 Andreu said as he led me in, looking faintly proud. 「Word is you cut through the battlefield like a literal demon.」 「Don’t worry about it. I didn’t do anything all that major.」 「You’ve got to be kidding. By a conservative estimate, Yuuki-sama single-handedly did the work of several hundred men. Both the praise and the cynical whispers from the other adventurers all agreed on that single point.」

Wait, were there actually cynical opinions?

「More importantly, are you confident that area is safe now? It looks like you managed to seal the rift off, but is there any chance something could break through the seal again?」 I asked, remembering young Mari.

Fiona had mentioned that nothing dangerous had been there originally until Mari stumbled into it. Compared to that, now that a known spawn point was actively sealed, the latent danger felt much higher.

When I raised my concerns, Andreu answered with a completely straight face.

「The Guild is treating this as a matter of absolute, utmost priority. We plan to assign a B-rank adventurer or higher to maintain a permanent watch over the perimeter and monitor for any irregularities. To be entirely honest, if it weren’t for Yuuki-sama, the frontline would have been completely breached, and the multiplying monster horde would have swallowed both Roizen and Reyus whole.」

(We’d actually consider ourselves rather lucky if that’s all that happened,) Eleanor chimed in within my mind. (My old armies completely overran the former empire from one end to the other. Give it enough time, and this entire country would have been wiped off the map.)

Eleanor was getting a bit too comfortable running her mouth lately. I’d have to deal with her attitude later.

I looked back at Andreu and pitched a more proactive idea.

「I’m glad they’re keeping watch, but wouldn’t it be smarter to figure out how to eradicate the source entirely rather than just putting a band-aid on it with a seal?」 「We are struggling with that exact problem, but we’ll find a permanent solution somehow. The Guild has designated it as a top-priority research and subjugation quest. It will cost us a massive financial loss, but we have no other choice.」 「I see. I’ll keep an eye out for them, then.」 「Can you really do that for me?」 Andreu’s eyes practically sparkled. Naturally, he’d be thrilled if I offered ongoing support. 「Well, to be frank, I do have other things I need to focus on…」 「That’s completely fine. If it’s Yuuki-sama, even operating as a lone freelance adventurer, you are far more dependable than an entire division.」

Andreu’s tone suddenly dropped into something much heavier. He hesitated for a second, as if struggling to find the right words.

「Is something wrong?」 I prompted. 「Well… I was wondering if Yuuki-sama might have any interest in formally joining the Adventurers Guild as our primary representative.」 「Join the Guild?」 「Yes. As you know, an Adventurer Guild’s prestige is determined by the accomplishments of its members and its public reputation.」

I didn’t know all the formal politics, but I got the general gist.

「For a long time now, our branch has lacked a true public ace we could proudly put forward.」 「What about Alexis?」 I asked.

At the mention of his name, Andreu slowly shook his head.

「Alexis is a good man, but he has never achieved a decisive, history-making victory. Furthermore, perhaps due to his temperamental personality, he tends to misstep during critical moments.」 「Ah, those types definitely exist,」 I nodded. 「So, as our true ace……」

Andreu didn’t finish the sentence, but his gaze pinned me in place. Alexis couldn’t cut it, but I possessed overwhelming, undeniable strength. Honestly, I didn’t feel bad about the offer at all—in fact, it felt pretty great.

「We would, of course, provide a very generous monthly stipend. We can also grant you special priority access and logistical facilitation across any city where our branch maintains an office.」

He was putting real, substantive proposals on the table. It wasn’t a bad deal at all. Accepting Andreu’s offer, I officially registered under the Guild’s elite roster.

⸻

After wrapping up our discussion, I stepped out of the Guild headquarters. It was already growing quite dark outside, and I prepped my Warp Feather to head straight back to the mansion.

「Ah!」

A voice stopped me mid-stride. I turned around and saw the female spellcaster from the battlefield hurrying over.

「You’re…… from earlier.」

I remembered her face, but realized I never actually caught her name.

「My name is Io Akos!」 she introduced herself, puffing out her chest slightly.

「Io, huh? I’m Yuuki Kakeru. You can just call me Kakeru.」 「Kakeru-san…… thank you so much for what you did out there.」 「Don’t worry about it. Are you holding up okay?」 「Yes, thanks to you rescuing me.」 「……You’re still bleeding, though?」

I pointed toward her arm. It was wrapped in a makeshift bandage torn from a spare cloth, stained an angry red with fresh blood. It looked like she had only received hasty field first aid.

「Did you not get that properly treated at the cleric station?」 「Ah—well! I just… I wanted to see you first, Kakeru-san……」 「Hold on a second.」

I reached into my pocket and pulled out one of the Magic Balls (White) I had won from the lottery. I tossed it toward Io. The ball burst into a soft, glowing aura that completely enveloped her body.

「How’s that?」 「What do you…… oh. Oh, my injury!」

Io gasped in absolute shock. She frantically unwrapped the cloth bandage. Her skin underneath was completely smooth and restored, without even a faint scratch remaining. It was my first time using the white magic ball, and the recovery potency was ridiculous. True to the item description, as long as you weren’t actively dead, it fixed you right up.

「Did Kakeru-san just cast advanced healing magic?!」 Io stammered, her eyes wide and twinkling with undisguised awe.

It wasn’t magic at all, but I didn’t feel like explaining gacha mechanics, so I just offered an ambiguous smile to let her misunderstand.

「So, what was it you wanted to see me about?」 「Yes! Um……」 Io squirmed, suddenly finding it hard to get her words out. Eventually, she squeezed her eyes shut and blurted out what was on her mind. 「Please, let me join your party, Kakeru-san!」

She bowed her head as low as she possibly could. I was taken aback. My party? Wait, am I officially starting a party now? I had never really thought about forming one.

「Umm, is it really no good?」 Io asked timidly, peeking up through her eyelashes with wide, puppy-dog eyes. 「No, it’s just… it’s a bit unexpected. I’ve never had a party before. You’re actually the very first person to ever ask to partner up with me.」 「I’m… the first?」 Io’s face lit up, looking inexplicably pleased.

I weighed my options internally. Were there any reasons to refuse? None that bothered me. As for reasons to accept—well, if I was going to form a party and take on companions anyway, having a pretty and cute girl around was infinitely better than a bunch of burly guys. Io fit that criteria perfectly. She looked a bit plain in her standard mage robes, but she was undeniably cute.

Io stood there anxiously, waiting for my final verdict.

「Alright, let’s officially form a party, then.」 「──! Thank you so much!!」 Io beamed as if she had just won the lottery jackpot. 「We can talk more about the logistics tomorrow. Come by my mansion.」 「Yes!」

I gave her directions to the estate and parted ways with Io. A party consisting entirely of girls—yeah, thinking about it calmly, I couldn’t deny I was getting a little excited.

I warped back to the mansion riding a wave of good spirits. Oddly enough, though I had no idea how word had spread so fast, a handful of male adventurers were lingering outside my front gates when I arrived. They looked at me with starry-eyed expressions that clearly screamed, I admire you!—but since they were all guys, I flatly turned every single one of them down without a second thought.