Chapter 14: I Formally Apply for the Perpetuation of the Rest Management Contract

The next day. In the Adventurer’s Guild early in the afternoon, I stared at the object that had been placed thud right in front of me.

“…Fran. What is this?”

“Just as I said yesterday. I’ve brought the first edition of the ‘Exclusive Rest Management Contract’.”

The genius mage clad in her dark blue robe declared this with her chest puffed out proudly. What sat on the desk was a thick stack of parchment that looked like nothing but a dictionary or a blunt weapon. It was even bound in leather. Did she stay up all night making this? If so, what in the world is rest management?

“Let me just check the contents for a second…”

Timidly, I flipped open the cover and began skimming through the numerous abnormal clauses, starting right from the table of contents.

Article 1: Party A (Nagi) holds absolute authority to instruct Party B (Fran) regarding bedtime, wake-up time, and dietary content. Article 7: In the event that a decline in Party B’s functionality is recognized, Party A must suspend consultation duties with others and secure an emergency interview slot for Party B with the highest priority. Article 15: This contract shall remain valid until Party B’s mana circuits are completely stabilized, and that judgment shall be based on the mutual agreement of Party A and Party B (substantially premised on perpetuation). Article 22: Excessive support actions by Party A toward others are restricted as they harm Party B’s mental stability.

“…Fran.”

“What is it? It’s a flawless system design, isn’t it?”

“These are nothing but clauses trying to completely enclose me.”

When I retorted, Fran furrowed her eyebrows as if she found that completely unexpected.

“It’s not an enclosure. I have simply clarified the continuous support necessary to maintain my functionality as a system.”

“Article 22 and the like are completely interfering with my business, aren’t they?”

“It’s part of risk management. If you dedicate too many resources to other clients and collapse from overwork, my operations management system will crumble.”

With a completely logical face and zero malice, she was saying incredibly heavy things. Her logical reasoning of “If Nagi is kind to other people too, I’ll just bind him with a contract” had completely exploded.

“Oho, what’s this, what’s this? Looks like an interesting document.”

Right then, the Guild Master poked his head out from the back. He flipped through the contract and grinned.

“Hoh, ‘During rest under the direction of Party A, Party B is exempt from any and all requests from the guild,’ eh. I see, with this, Her Genius won’t overwork herself and can rest. You guys thought this out well. Alright, with the authority of the Guild Master, I’ll approve—”

“Don’t stamp it! Put that stamp away right now!!”

I leaned over the counter and grabbed the Guild Master’s arm with all my might.

“Why not, Nagi? An adventurer’s health management is a fine job for a receptionist, isn’t it?”

“If you pass this, I won’t be able to manage my own health! In my previous life, this would be a case sent straight to the ethics committee on the first offense!”

“Previous life? Ethics? I don’t really get it, but if you become her exclusive, it’ll settle things nicely, won’t it?”

“It won’t settle anything!”

While the Guild Master and I were scuffling, Bang! The guild door was kicked open. It was the silver bullet who had been grabbed by the scruff of the neck and dragged away by Fran yesterday — Lise.

“Hey! Why are you trying to form a contract with Nagi without permission!?”

Lise charged straight for the counter and glared fiercely at Fran.

“Nagi is in charge of me! Even though I’m the guild’s exclusive solo!”

“Do not confuse our titles, stray dog. You are exclusive to the guild. I am the target of Nagi’s personal, exclusive rest management. We are on completely different layers.”

“Don’t call me a stray dog! Nagi told me ‘it’s okay to come back’!”

“I have proven that he is ‘logically indispensable.'”

“Both of you, calm down! I’m not exclusive to anyone!!”

I shouted, but sparks — physical mana and sword aura — were already violently clashing between the two of them.

“Besides, trying to bind Nagi with such a thick stack of paper is cowardly! Nagi is a person, not a document!”

“An emotional argument. There is nothing less trustworthy than a verbal promise. That is precisely why it is necessary to put it in writing.”

“Nothing but splitting hairs! I’m gonna burn that contract!”

“Just try it. I’ll freeze you along with it.”

“Wait, wait, wait! How many times do I have to tell you that combat inside the guild is prohibited!”

My stomach lining was being scraped away, bit by bit. The heavy weight of Fran’s logic and the heavy weight of Lise’s straightforward emotions clashed head-on, turning the guild hall into a complete battlefield.

The Guild Master had started drinking his booze, saying, “Hahaha, energetic again today, I see!” If you aren’t going to help me, just go back inside.

“…Nagi.”

Fran suddenly lowered her staff and turned back to face me.

“This first edition may have indeed taken too much of a safety margin. So, which clauses can you compromise on? Please present a concession plan.”

“I won’t compromise, and I won’t concede. Everything is rejected. To begin with, this isn’t the desk for that kind of contract format.”

“…How stubborn. Very well, I’ll back down for today. I will draft a second edition and return.”

“You don’t need to make one!”

Receiving my shout against her back, Fran readjusted her grip on the thick contract and grabbed Lise by the scruff of the neck once again, saying, “We’re going, stray dog.”

“Hey! I’m not done talking to Nagi—”

“Today’s interview slot has ended. Staying any longer will pressure his duties.”

“Let me goooo!”

Watching Lise get dragged away, I let out a deep, deep sigh. I had somehow managed to weather the first wave, but as long as Fran sincerely believed it to be “rational” without any malice and pressed for a contract, this offensive and defensive battle would likely continue for the time being.

I took a piece of parchment from the drawer and scribbled on it with a charcoal pen.

【Adventurer’s Guild – Mental Health Consultation Desk: Additional Precautions】 ・Coercing the counselor into exclusive contracts is prohibited. ・Bringing in overly thick contracts is prohibited. ・Do not treat the counselor as a private or shared resource.

I pasted it in a conspicuous spot on the counter. Would this serve as a slight deterrent? No, it probably wouldn’t. If it’s Fran, she’d just defeat the argument by saying, “It has no legal validity.”

“…Hm?”

Suddenly returning my gaze to the top of the counter, I felt a small sense of incongruity. A portion of the request forms that had been stacked there until just a moment ago was slightly out of alignment. Furthermore, one of the cheap pens I used personally, which should have been placed right next to them, had disappeared.

“Did the wind blow it away…? No, even so…”

I looked around, but there was no one there. However, there was definitely a lingering scent — a presence suggesting “someone” had been here and taken something.

Instinctively, I broke into an unpleasant sweat.

(A swordswoman who comes at me with emotions, a mage who binds me with logic, an anonymous client who wants to destroy the world… I have a feeling the next client to come will be troublesome in a completely different way.)

The Mental Health Consultation Desk. My peaceful desk work was completely on the verge of becoming a thing of the past.