The Guild Master Whose Hobby Was Helping People Found Himself Surrounded by the Strongest, Overly Attached Members - 12

Chapter 12: I Absolutely Don’t Want to Prepare

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After Noran-san left, Ragnar tilted his head back toward the sky despite being indoors, Sera’s eyes sparkled brightly, and Lisette had already started recording something on a magical crystal.

“Master, this means… This is our first official guild request, right!? We have to succeed no matter what!”

“There is nothing impossible for us. All is for Shin-sama.”

“If the Leader commands it… then I will gladly throw myself into the flames!”

The more their excitement rose, the less I wanted to go. My heart already felt as heavy as the bottom of a swamp. The next day. For the sake of resupplying before the request, we headed out to the city’s market street.

Even shopping felt like a chore, but at the very least, putting up an air of “I’m doing something” was important. After all, I had no idea where that old wo—Noran-san might be watching from.

“Look, look, Master! This potion is grape-flavored, they said! Isn’t that amazing!? Wouldn’t it totally raise our spirits if we drank this in the middle of battle!?”

Sera held up potion bottles with both hands in an herb shop, bouncing with excitement.

Behind her, the shopkeeper muttered, “The recovery amount on that one is a bit…” but I pretended not to hear it.

“Shin-sama. This preserved food lasts three days, while this one lasts seven. The price is the same, though the taste is somewhat inferior. Which would you prefer?”

Lisette, meanwhile, was filling her notebook with notes on “temperature,” “humidity,” and “storage conditions.” She might as well have been a soldier. The shopkeeper was already averting his gaze.

“Wait, is this request going to take that long? I really don’t want to go, though.”

“No, I am only asking so Shin-sama may enjoy the feeling of being a guild master. As long as I am here, mere magical beasts will be dispatched in the blink of an eye.”

Please do that while protecting me, I beg you.

“Leader! How about this cloak! The silver embroidery will only enhance Leader Shin’s holiness!”

“Putting aside whether it suits me or not… Isn’t that for women?”

“If Leader wears it, then there is no problem!”

At the armorer, Ragnar was at maximum tension. The fact that the other customers had started keeping their distance without him noticing… That was very much like him.

“Ah, right.”

While I tried to escape from the flashy cloak, Lisette suddenly muttered something.

“What’s up, Lisette?”

“If there is something you need, please use this.”

With her usual calm hand movements, she handed me an envelope. I took it without thinking, but the moment I opened it, I was struck speechless.

“…Eh, what is this?”

Inside were ten gold coins, gleaming as if freshly polished. A quick calculation told me it was enough for my living expenses for three months.

“Funds for Shin-sama.”

She said it as casually as if she were handing me a one-hundred-yen coin.

“Wait, hold on… Where did this even come from?”

Not to brag, but I had no savings. I had already burned through everything to establish the guild.

And Lisette wasn’t managing the guild’s finances either, so… What was her source?

“My pocket money.”

“Pocket money!?”

“I already have enough savings to support Shin-sama.”

“You’re kidding…Right?”

She wasn’t quite a full generation younger, but Lisette was still at least five years younger than me. And yet she was already FIRE’d—Financially Independent, Retired Early—no, in her case it was Eternal. Retired for eternity.

So this is the power of an SS-rank.

If she was this wealthy, I might even consider becoming her husband… Or so I thought, but her overwhelming love was too scary, so I decided to hold back.

“C-Can I really use all of this?”

“Yes. As long as it is only for things worthy of Shin-sama’s value.”

“Thanks!”

Ignoring her last condition, I jogged off toward a stall in the plaza. My destination: the infamous “Romantic Arms Shop.” It specialized in equipment that prioritized coolness above all else—swords with dragon claws embedded, armor carved with roses—stuff that stirred the chuunibyou heart in me while ignoring performance.

“Leader, where are you going—?”

“I’m chasing a dream!”

Cool equipment with no purpose. Weapons perfect for useless poses. Being drawn to that kind of pointless coolness…That was simply a man’s destiny. But when I arrived at the shop, I saw something unbelievable.

“…Shin-sama?”

“L-Lisette!? What are you doing in this shop—”

Since when…? No, why was she even here!?

“A sword that only shines but has zero actual sharpness… Do you really need that?”

“No, but this one doesn’t just shine, it has a roaring effect too—”

“Rejected. If you want it to shine, I can cast support magic whenever you wish. As for roaring—ask Ragnar.”

“Leader! My throat is always ready! Uooooooohhhhhh!”

At his sudden war cry, three passing customers practically jumped out of their skins.

“Please stop disturbing the neighborhood!”

…And so, I gave up on buying the “Thunder Dragon Roar Sword: Final Form,” settling instead on a practical equipment set chosen by Lisette. Once our shopping was finished, we carried our bags and decided to rest at the plaza on the edge of the street.

Lisette sat on a bench, copying the nutritional information of potions into her notebook. Ragnar, on the other hand, had started working out beside the fountain. That wasn’t resting. That was training.

Sera, though—

“…Hey, Master.”

She called to me in an uncharacteristically quiet voice, sitting by my side.

“I really want this request to succeed.”

“…Well, I’d like that too, if possible. I mean, if we fail, we’ll have to refund everything.”

And then I’d be broke, ending up as Lisette’s kept man.

“N-No, that’s not what I meant… It’s just, I still haven’t done anything for you, Master.”

Sera kept her hands on her knees, gaze cast downward.

“Back then, when you saved me… That’s why I’m still alive. You taught me how to hold a sword, and I decided I’d get stronger on my own, and I’ve come this far, but…”

Her red eyes looked up at me.

“Even so, whenever I’m in front of you, Master, I just mess up. I end up saying weird things, or making mistakes… I’m really uncool.”

“Well… I can’t deny that.”

“Mean!”

Her quick retort showed me she still had some spirit left.

“But when I found out you were our guild master, I was honestly so happy. ‘I knew it, that person was no ordinary man!’ I thought. What I want is to stand at your side.”

I was about to say “You’re already sitting next to me right now,” but I knew better than to voice it. By the time I thought it through, Sera’s resolve seemed to have settled, and strength returned to her expression.

“That’s why, I want this request to succeed no matter what. I want to be useful to you, and I want you to feel glad that I’m here!”

Her words were straightforward, without a trace of falsehood.

“Sera.”

“…Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

In an instant, Sera’s face turned crimson.

“～! Master, that surprise attack is so sneaky…!”

She flailed her hands and turned her head away furiously. Her reaction was so innocent that I couldn’t help but laugh. And just then—

“Leader Shin! Have you finished hydrating!? I am about to begin my five-hundredth push-up!”

Ragnar’s bellow echoed. At this point, I was no longer sure what a “break” even meant.

“Next time, I’ll be the first to be useful to you, Master. I swear it.”

With a slight pout but a strong smile, Sera looked at me, and all I could do was nod in return.

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