The Guild Master Whose Hobby Was Helping People Found Himself Surrounded by the Strongest, Overly Attached Members - 10-11

Chapter 10: I Absolutely Don’t Want to Take Any Requests

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From individuals to nations, the Adventurers’ Guild was an organization that took on and resolved requests of every size. If the scale of a request was small, a single adventurer would do. But at times, when disaster-class monsters needed to be defeated or when large-scale investigations that spanned borders came in, deployment on the level of the entire guild was required.

Well, that was the basic gist of how a request worked.

This was how a so-called ordinary guild operated. One with no small number of members, each of whom strove daily in their training, seeking money, honor, or to reach greater heights—a sound and healthy organization. Overflowing with ambition, honing their skills, valuing ties with society, and piling up self-investment in the name of contribution…

But none of that had anything to do with me.

My guild had zero members, and even the name of its master was unknown. Who in their right mind would bring a request to such a guild? It wasn’t even recognized as an existing guild in the first place.

Everyone treated me like I didn’t exist and it was absolutely wonderful. It was comfortable. 

However, over the past two months, my guild had undergone a transformation—in the worst possible sense. That bad premonition took shape before me in the form of a knock at the door.

It happened one afternoon.

“—And at that moment, Leader Shin shone with a dazzling brilliance!”

Ragnar Blastheart. A burly former knight captain. A natural-born burning man who radiated loyalty from every fiber of his being. As usual, he launched into a speech that all but enshrined me among the constellations.

“What a marvelous metaphor. No, it may even be possible that Shin-sama was truly shining at the time.”

Lisette Cadina. Former noble, now maid, and in practice the guild’s true ruler. A dangerous woman masquerading as the cool and intellectual type.

“Master can glow!?”

I ignored Sera. Ragnar told the same story every day—no, with a little embellishment each time. Lisette humored him whether out of seriousness or boredom. And Sera, in her guileless honesty, actually believed it.

“Master, are you listening? Hey, heeey.”

Sera tugged at my sleeve, looking up at me with sparkling eyes.

Why could they get so worked up just talking about me? Were they high schoolers? Or had their mental ages stopped at that level?

“Master, are you listening? Heeey.”

These three genuinely seemed to think I was some sort of being destined to guide the world. There was a terrifying sense that no matter what I said, they would accept it.

If I were to call white black, they would believe me without any hesitation.  That might be a delight to some, but for me, it only brought fear. If the imagined version of me and the real me diverged too far, they might erase me from existence.

“…Hey, Master, why are you ignoring me?”

“—Whoa! Sorry, Sera!”

A chill ran down my spine—or rather, it felt as though a blade had traced across my back—and I hastily brought my attention back to reality. When I looked, Sera’s face was right in front of mine.

“Does Master hate me? Because I’m weaker than Lisette-san, and I can’t clean as beautifully as Ragnar-san…? But please don’t abandon me, Master… I’ll make sure you never regret it. For Master, I’ll—”

“…Now, wait a moment, Sera.”

When I laid my hand on her slender shoulder, she trembled with a start.

“I wasn’t ignoring you. I was just thinking about something.”

“Thinking…?”

“That’s right. I’m the leader who brings this guild and everyone in it together, right? Day and night, I’m thinking about how to make things more comfortable for everyone, how to make them happy.”

What a total lie. My own comfort came first and foremost.

“I… I see… Sorry, Master, I rushed to the wrong conclusion again.”

“It’s fine.”

“…Thank you. Master really is kind. You always put everyone first!”

Not true. My own survival was the top priority.

“Exactly so!”

Ragnar’s thunderous voice shook the air.

“But, Leader! Our wish is but one! That your name be engraved upon every corner of this world!”

“…Ha-Haha… Thank you, Ragnar. Hearing that… Makes me happy…”

“Utmost joy! The supreme! The pinnacle!”

Unfortunately, all I could do was affirm his delusion. If I denied him, he would surely launch into a booming “What are you saying!?” lecture, and my eardrums wouldn’t survive it.

“…It would be troublesome if too many outsiders intruded. But if the guild became able to operate on its own, that would mean I could spend more time with Shin-sama. I’m in favor.”

Aren’t you supposed to be part of the members who run the guild, Lisette-san?

Knock, knock.

At that moment, a heavy, dull sound echoed through the room.

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Chapter 11: I Absolutely Don’t Want to Take Any Requests 2

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Polite knocks sounded against the door.

“…Who is it?”

Cold sweat ran down my back. This guild never had visitors, except when someone wanted to join. This was bad. Very bad.

“Excuse me, I’m coming in now~”

Without waiting for a reply, the door swung open.

What appeared was a middle-aged woman wearing a broad-shouldered jacket. Her face was round, her eyebrows thick, and her voice carried well but was gentle. The word ‘oba-chan’… floated into my head the moment I saw her.

Safe? Maybe?

“This is the guild White Lamp, isn’t it?”

“Ah, yes… That’s right.”

I answered, slightly bewildered. She didn’t look like a receptionist—more like a receptionist’s boss’s boss.

The members present all turned wary eyes toward her. But the Oba-chan didn’t seem to care. She strided right into the room without hesitation.

“Well, well… I see, I see~… This is quite something.”

I had no idea what was “quite something,” but as she stroked the healing golem—our cat—by the wall, her sharp eyes swept the room.

“Three guild members. Ranks are… Let’s see. SS, S, and the big guy over there… Looks like about SS too. Hm hm.”

“Um, and who might you be…?”

“Oh my, my apologies for the late introduction. I’m Noran, an inspector from the Central Adventurers’ Bureau. I’ve been a guild officer for thirty-five years.”

Central… What now? Judging by the name length, this wasn’t some city branch. This sounded like something at national level.

“Lately there’s been some talk, you know. ‘A brand-new guild that somehow gathered unusually high-ranked members.’ And the track record…”

She flipped through a thick notebook pulled from her pouch.

“…Zero. Hm, I see, I see. That’s…”

Noran-san narrowed her eyes and slowly stepped closer to me.

“So, either the guild master is some exceptional powerhouse, or—”

In an instant, her finger shot out, pointing right at my nose.

“—this is nothing but a ghost guild set up just to siphon subsidies, isn’t it?”

“…What are you talking about?”

“My, my. You’re bad at playing dumb. Well, I suppose you’re still young, so it can’t be helped. But listen here, I’ve worked with hundreds of guilds. Just by seeing the atmosphere in the room and the guild master’s face, I can usually tell.”

Her face was marked with wrinkles, carved deep with years of experience. She wasn’t lying.

“But really, I don’t mind. Proper guilds use subsidies to get set up, then raise achievements within a few months and report back. I know some slack off a bit, but I overlook it. Everyone does it.”

Then just leave us alone.

“But when you’ve got SS ranks in your guild, you stand out.”

So, it’s because of Lisette.

“On top of that, there’s an S-rank, plus that burly fellow who’s clearly no slouch. And yet, aside from the swordswoman young lady, nobody has taken a single request in two months. Of course other guilds are starting to call it ‘strange.’”

Well, those two only did cleaning after all. In short, we’d drawn the attention of someone troublesome.

“That’s why, Guild Master, I’m sorry, but I need you to take just one proper request.”

Noran-san held out an envelope right in front of me. The envelope was sealed with red wax, and stamped with the crest of the royal capital.

“…Wait, the capital?”

“The content: search for a large magical beast near the border. Scouts haven’t returned. Just a little outing, really. Finish it, and there’ll be no penalties. The subsidy continues as usual.”

Noran-san smiled warmly. A gentle, motherly smile.

“By the way… What’s the recommended rank for this request?”

You know how in mobile games, it tells you what level you should be to clear a quest? Guild requests worked the same way. Without it, adventurers might skim the details, misunderstand the danger of the request, and lose their lives. In fact, when I’d scrounged for funds before, I always compared requests with recommended ranks.

Never take one higher than your own rank. Avoid even equal ones. That was my creed—my absolute rule for survival.

“—About S-rank, I’d say.”

Yep. This is the end.

“My rank is B, you know? Is the kingdom in the business of sending young people with a future to their deaths?”

“Look around you. Not just young people with a future—you’ve got three talents here who could light the future of an entire nation.”

Her reply was instant. Clearly she meant,”With SS-ranks around, you’ll be fine.”

But for me, that wasn’t the issue. Requests assigned to the entire guild meant everyone deployed—unless there were special circumstances. And as the guild master, I would be pushed to the front lines.

Could the strongest adventurers in the world really fight while dragging along deadweight? I didn’t think so. I was weak.

“…And if I refuse?”

“Well, then you refund everything, subsidies cut off, and your guild gets put on the Watch List. Oh, and I’ll also file a report saying you’re wasting the talents of SS-ranks.”

Don’t say that while smiling.

“Uhh… I’ll, um, positively consider—”

“This is fortune itself!”

Suddenly Ragnar barged in, thumping his chest with a booming sound.

“Just when we were searching for a chance to reveal the great power of Leader Shin to the world!”

His face was brimming with joy and reverence, almost divine like a storyteller of myth. But none of it was appreciated.

“By all means, we gladly accept!”

“W-wait a second, Ragnar—”

“Alright then. I’ll leave it to you, Guild Master.”

As if I wasn’t even part of the conversation, Noran-san said that one line, opened the door, and waved her hand without looking back as she left. I felt as if my future had just been swallowed up into her departing back.

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