Chapter 5: A Bloodbath Broke Out in Front of the Consultation Counter

Day five since the opening of the Adventurer’s Guild Mental Health Consultation Counter (Provisional).

In the early afternoon, the guild was in a time slot where the wave of returning subjugation parties had settled down, and the atmosphere had relaxed just a bit.

I was at the counter, sorting through a stack of request forms. And at a forty-five-degree angle from me — in a position that fit perfectly right at the edge of my vision — sat the A-Rank adventurer who had secured her designated seat again today, the Sword of Annihilation, Lise.

“Nagi.”

“Yes.”

“Today’s progress report. I ate my breakfast properly without leaving any leftovers.”

“That is wonderful.”

“I also maintained my sword. But I held back on practice swings.”

“That’s very good. You are definitely making progress.”

Lise let out a sloppy “Ehehe” and squirmed just a little bit in her chair.

Her sense of distance was as strange as ever. However, it was a fact that she was at least beginning to learn the concept of “resting.”

Ideally, she would gradually regain her own pace like this, and eventually, we would naturally fade out with a “It should be fine to lower the frequency of your follow-up observations now.”

— Ideally, that is.

Reality usually doesn’t work out that well.

The guild’s doors opened quietly.

It wasn’t flashy. If anything, it was a modest sound. And yet, my eyes were mysteriously drawn toward it.

Click, clack. The sound of hard footsteps. A high-quality dark navy robe, hair like golden thread, and a jewel-embedded staff.

At almost the exact same time as yesterday, the Ice-Flame Prodigy, Fran, appeared.

She walked up to my counter without hesitation and spoke directly.

“I have arrived right on time, Nagi.”

“I’ve been waiting for you, Fran.”

“Yes. I request your observation and advice again today.”

That single sentence was the trigger.

Clatter. The chair next to me made a loud noise.

“Hold on.”

Lise had stood up. As if it were the most natural thing in the world, her right hand was on the hilt of her longsword.

“Today is the day I talk with Nagi.”

“What a coincidence. I also obtained an agreement for follow-up observation yesterday.”

Fran shot Lise a glance with cold eyes.

“To begin with, the fact that you have been squatting here since morning has nothing to do with my consultation time.”

“I’m not squatting. It’s follow-up observation.”

“Rewording it does not change the meaning.”

“…I’ll cut you.”

“What an uncivilized beast.”

A pale blue magic circle faintly floated at the tip of her staff.

Stop.

Do not leak genuine bloodlust in front of the consultation counter, you physically-strongest and magically-strongest duo. Look, the surrounding adventurers are all evacuating to the walls at once. Guild Master, don’t just watch and laugh, stop them.

“Both of you, stop.”

I leaned over the counter and clapped my hands with a loud smack.

“Put your weapon away. Disperse your mana. This is in front of the reception.”

“But, this woman is—”

“She is making an illogical claim—”

“This is not a group session!”

I raised my voice just a little.

Both of them jolted their shoulders at the same time. Lise returned her sword to its scabbard, and Fran erased her magic circle, albeit looking dissatisfied.

“…My apologies.”

“I’m sorry.”

It seems they hate being scolded by me. The fact that they are strangely obedient on that one point alone really helps.

“Alright. Then let’s do some traffic control.”

I consciously put on a businesslike voice.

“Today, Fran is first.”

“Wha…!?”

Lise’s face clouded over in an instant. She was visibly shocked. Having her make such a blatantly hurt face made my stomach hurt too.

“The reason is simple. Yesterday, Fran requested follow-up observation at this time, and I agreed.”

“…”

“Lise, you have been here since morning, but you did not ‘reserve a consultation for this specific time’.”

“Reserve…”

“In other words, Fran is first today.”

Fran quietly lifted her chin. She had a slightly triumphant look on her face.

Don’t provoke her.

“Lise.”

“…Ugh.”

“I will properly listen to your story afterward.”

“Really?”

“Yes. This is a matter of order. It’s not a matter of abandoning you.”

“…Then, I’ll wait.”

With the face of a large dog reluctantly lying down, Lise returned to her chair by the wall. However, her gaze alone was stabbing into Fran’s back. I could only pray it wasn’t dealing physical damage.

“Then, Fran. To the back room.”

“Yes.”

＊　＊　＊

Upon entering the small room, Fran sat with her back straight, just like yesterday.

“So.”

She got straight to the point without any preamble.

“I followed your instructions.”

“Eat something warm and lie down for at least eight hours, right?”

“Yes. I drank soup, closed my grimoires, and stopped my training.”

At that, Fran furrowed her brows slightly.

“It was the worst.”

“Were you unable to sleep?”

“…How did you know?”

“It’s written on your face.”

The dark circles under her eyes were a little darker than yesterday. Her hair was neat, but she looked tired somehow. Above all, I could pretty much guess it the moment she brought up “resting” like she was reporting a failure.

“The moment I got into bed, my head got noisy.”

Fran clasped her fingers on her lap. She was putting so much strength into her fingertips that they were white.

“Even as I’m doing this, other mages are studying and training. If I’m the only one who stops, I’ll be left behind. What if I can’t go back to the way I was the next time I grip my staff — I couldn’t sleep at all because I was only thinking about things like that.”

Her last sentence was just a little quiet.

“I never knew that coming to a halt could be so scary.”

That was probably quite a huge confession for her.

People who have to be geniuses often believe that “your worth drops the moment you stop.” That’s why they keep running. Even when they’re on the verge of breaking.

“Fran.”

“…What.”

“This is a huge step forward.”

“Huh?”

It seemed to be genuinely unexpected, as she blinked in surprise.

“You were able to properly put into words what it is you are afraid of.”

“That’s a step forward?”

“Yes. Until yesterday, it was an ‘unexplained drop in mana.’ But today, you can see all the way to ‘I’m afraid to rest’ and ‘I’m afraid of being left behind’.”

“…”

“We can’t treat a wound if we don’t know where it is. But now the location is coming into view.”

Fran was silent for a while. I could tell she was trying to swallow it in the form of logic.

“…In other words, you are saying I am currently in the process of healing?”

“At the very least, you aren’t simply getting worse.”

“Even though I couldn’t sleep.”

“Yes. Disinfecting a wound hurts, doesn’t it?”

“…Is that a consolation?”

“It’s not a consolation, it’s a fact.”

When I stated it flatly, Fran lowered her eyes just slightly.

“You are a strange person.”

“I get that a lot.”

“I’m probably not praising you.”

“I know.”

Right then, just a little bit. Truly just a tiny bit, the corners of Fran’s mouth relaxed.

It was an expression she wouldn’t have shown me yesterday.

“…Hey, Nagi.”

“Yes.”

“Until now, people have only ever looked at me as a ‘genius’.”

“I imagine so.”

“Expected to succeed, failures unforgiven, showing weakness drops my worth. Those were the only kinds of gazes directed at me.”

“Yeah.”

“But, you’re different, aren’t you.”

Her blue eyes pierced straight through me.

“When I’m in front of you… I feel like it might be okay to acknowledge my weak self, just a little bit.”

This is bad.

The temperature of her voice changed. Beneath the surface that she kept neatly arranged with logic, the signs of “special treatment” were clearly sprouting.

The experiences from my past life quietly sounded an alarm. That is not love, it’s transference. At least for now. So please stop blushing faintly like that. This is my job.

“Fran. The sense of security you’re feeling right now is primarily the effect of having a ‘safe place to talk’.”

“Are you trying to keep me in check?”

“It’s an important clarification.”

“…I see.”

She seemed dissatisfied, but she didn’t deny it.

It was at that moment.

Beyond the half-open door, a silver head suddenly popped into view.

“…Nagi, are you done yet?”

It was Lise.

And of all times, she was peeking in right at the exact moment Fran had the most fragile expression on her face. Her eyes were completely giving the look of someone who had “seen something they shouldn’t have.”

“Ah, Lise. Just wait a little longer—”

“No.”

She barged right into the small room. Hey, get permission first.

“Nagi said he would listen to my story too.”

“Yes, afterward.”

“Not afterward — I want it to be now.”

“How illogical.”

Fran stood up smoothly.

“My observation is not over yet.”

“It looked like it was about to end just now.”

“That doesn’t give you a reason to interrupt.”

“And you shouldn’t make such a weak-looking face only when you’re in front of Nagi.”

“…Huh?”

Fran’s eyebrow twitched. Lise gripped my sleeve tightly.

“Nagi. I got a little anxious too after I went home yesterday.”

“Yeah.”

“Thinking about what I should do if I end up all alone again.”

“…”

“So, make sure you properly look at me too.”

Whoa, heavy. And it’s a head-on, straightforward kind of heavy.

“How brazen.”

Fran’s voice turned freezing cold.

“You are simply taking advantage of his kindness, aren’t you?”

“And you’re trying to monopolize him using logic.”

“At the very least, I am speaking with an understanding of the counter’s function.”

“I don’t care. Nagi found me first.”

“Isn’t that simply a matter of order?”

“Order is important.”

“What an emotional argument.”

“It’s better than someone who just spins logic.”

The air grew so sharp it felt like it was going to crackle with electricity.

My temples hurt. The room is too small for me to say “This is not a group session,” and above all, these girls have absolutely no intention of having a session. They’re just fighting over me.

“Both of you.”

I let out a slightly deeper voice.

They both froze perfectly still. This shared sentiment of “I absolutely don’t want Nagi to be mad at me” is truly a lifesaver.

“Please listen.”

“…Yes.”

“…I’m listening.”

I looked back and forth between the two of them.

“I am the receptionist and counselor here.”

“Yeah.”

“Yes.”

“So, I will listen to Lise’s story, and I will listen to Fran’s story. I have no intention of choosing only one of you.”

Treat them equally. Show no favoritism. As a place for consultation, that is a matter of course.

— Or so it should have been.

“…!”

“…Kh.”

The expressions on their faces changed at the exact same time.

Lise made a hurt face for just a split second, before her eyes quickly took on a feverish heat that surpassed it. Fran narrowed her eyes, revealing a deep color of obsession dwelling within them.

Ah, this is bad.

This probably isn’t the kind of flow that ends with them accepting “I’m not special.” In fact, it’s the exact opposite.

“How can I make this person, who extends his hand to anyone equally, entirely my own?”

They have the faces of people whose thoughts are racing in that direction.

The me from my previous life would definitely draw a red line in the records over this. The me in this other world just wants to ask for some stomach medicine first.

＊　＊　＊

In the end, I handled them by dividing the time into thirty-minute blocks afterward.

Lise had “I really want to talk more” written all over her face, but she somehow managed to sit and wait. Fran looked as though she wanted to say “Logically, I need to secure a more continuous time slot,” but she swallowed it for now.

Neither of them was completely satisfied. But for today, I had no choice but to call that good enough.

After business hours ended. In the completely silenced guild, I was finally taking a breather.

“…I’m tired.”

My shoulders feel heavy. My head feels heavy too. The working environment deteriorating every time the number of clients increases… isn’t this even worse quality than my past life?

It was just as I was about to write in the daily business log.

“Hm?”

The suggestion box for the consultation counter, left beside the counter. Inside it, there was a single envelope.

A high-quality white envelope. There was no sender’s name.

Who could have put this in at a time like this? I cut the seal with a paper knife and unfolded the letter inside.

The handwriting was masterful. The characters were strangely polite, giving off the feeling of a good upbringing.

[To the Person in Charge of the Mental Health Consultation Counter]

Please excuse this sudden letter. To tell the truth, I have recently been harboring a very serious worry, and I have been unable to consult anyone about it.

I will get straight to the point.

I am torn on whether or not I should destroy humanity.

How should I go about sorting out these feelings? I would greatly appreciate your guidance on this matter.

“……”

I silently flipped the letter over, then flipped it back to the front.

It wasn’t a trick of the eye. It clearly said: I am torn on whether or not I should destroy humanity.

“The scale is way too massive…”

In the empty guild, my dry retort echoed out in vain.