The Guild Master Whose Hobby Was Helping People Found Himself Surrounded by the Strongest, Overly Attached Members - 23-24

Chapter 23: The Night Continues

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A gentle breeze brushed across the plaza when Lisette was checking Shin’s condition.

Smack.

A dry sound echoed from somewhere.

“…Just now, was that…?”

At the very moment Sera whispered faintly, a dripping sound began to spread from where the man had fallen. Within the pool of blood, the man’s body—which should have been deeply slashed—slowly began to stir.

“H-he’s moving…?”

“Why!? His heart should have stopped…”

Leon and Iris widened their eyes, and everyone entered a state of alert.

“Everyone, fall back!”

Ragnar’s roar resounded. Shin stopped Lisette from continuing the treatment, stood up, and focused his awareness on the center of the plaza. And then—the man suddenly sprang to his feet.

“How truly… Foolish… You are.”

His blood-soaked face slowly turned toward them. Only the corners of his mouth lifted grotesquely, while his eyes twisted into a strained grin.

“You thought I… Was dead?”

Black steam spouted from all over his body, making popping sounds as though his skin were swelling from the inside. From the torn gaps of his robe, inhuman muscles writhed.

They weren’t merely muscle fibers. Like the nerves of some living creature, they twitched, twitched—as if possessed by will—giving the sense that something was “crawling up from within.”

“…An automatic resurrection spell under certain conditions… No, that’s not it.”

“This guy… He was never human to begin with, was he?”

Lisette and Shin voiced their respective thoughts. Sera gasped, struck speechless.

“Still going? You do realize the odds are stacked against you.”

“All I did… Was feed him.”

Ignoring Shin’s words, the man slowly spread his arms, like a priest conducting a rite.

“I had him feed, and feed, and feed on people… And only then did what’s inside him finally grow.”

A slithering sound rose as a shadow seeped out beneath the man’s feet. It wasn’t that the blood-soaked ground “turned into” a monster. It was as if the ground itself was “transforming” into one.

“Now the time has come for him and me to become one. At last, we shall reach awakening.”

From within the shadow—the outline of the red-eyed monster that had already been defeated surfaced. But it was no longer the same beastly form as before. It was more grotesque. Its spine was clearly closer to human, with four arms, all tipped with claws that dragged against the ground with a grating sound.

“…Don’t tell me… You’re going to resurrect that thing…?”

Ragnar muttered. His voice carried not anger, but unmistakable fear. The man slowly closed his eyes.

“No, he was only a shadow. He has eaten enough. He has raged enough. So this time… He will become me.”

With those words, the monster overlapped with the man—flesh tore apart. The man’s back split open, and from it, enormous wings spread. Bundles of tentacle-like magical energy burst from his body, distorting the very scenery as they expanded outward.

“…Fusion.”

Shin murmured.

It wasn’t merely absorbing a monster. The man himself was becoming the monster. Neither beast, nor human, nor demon. It was something as though “abhorrence” itself had taken form.

“Fu… Fufuhahahahahahahahahaha!”

The man—no, It—laughed triumphantly and slowly rose into the air.

“―Now then, shall we begin, you foolish yet clever one!”

The abominable fingers pointed at Shin. From the tips leaked black miasma that rotted grass and crumbled stone at the mere touch. The one singled out—Shin—quietly asked Lisette.

“…Its strength?”

“Right now, about S-Rank. But it’s growing stronger by the moment. Eventually, it will reach SS-Rank.”

Even as she spoke, the floating creature continued to evolve. The wings on its back shifted from bone to flesh, and countless eyeballs sprouted, glaring to every corner within sight.

“…I see.”

Hearing that, Shin let out a faint smile.

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Chapter 24: Change of Players

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“…Its strength?”

“Right now, about S-Rank. But it’s growing stronger by the moment. Eventually, it will reach SS-Rank.”

“…I see.”

Hearing Lisette’s assessment, a smile naturally spilled out.

This is bad. I’m only B-rank. There’s no way I could handle this.

Earlier, my opponent had been A-rank, with the minimum difference in ability. I had only won because of their carelessness and shock. But SS-rank? Impossible.

In the first place, I had my limitations as a human. If we fought again, I would no doubt be slammed into the ground and reduced to bones. The effect of my skill had already worn off, and even if I tried to activate it again, I’d be killed instantly before it went off. In other words, there was nothing I could do.

…Which means…

“I’m sorry you went out of your way to appoint me, but my shift’s already over for today.”

“…What are you saying?”

“Do you know the saying ‘the right person in the right place’?”

I raised my voice. There was still a dull ache in my gut, but Lisette’s healing had worked well. It was better now. My breathing, my balance—both had steadied.

“It means putting the right material in the right place! In short, I’m not the one who should be fighting you!”

When I turned my gaze to Lisette, she immediately nodded. Not a trace of fear in her.

“This time, I will surely finish it off.”

“Yeah, I’m counting on you.”

Then I turned back toward Ragnar.

“Ragnar, we’re pulling back, so can I ask you to support them?”

“Buuut of course!”

Ragnar beat his chest with a sound like an earthquake, shouting with enough force to shake the earth itself.

“Leader, Leon-san, Iris-san, and Sera-san. Everyone’s safety, this Ragnar will absolutely—”

“―Master.”

A clear voice cut through his momentum. It was Sera.

“Will you let me fight too?”

“Sera as well…? Wait, are you sure you’re okay?”

That was what I blurted out. 

Her willingness to fight is a good thing, but in front of me… 

I had been about to think that, when I noticed the atmosphere around her was different from usual.

She wasn’t the girl who always laughed in a spoiled tone. Even the gaze she turned to me was as straight and hard as steel.

“Yeah, I’m fine right now.”

For some reason, her expression didn’t make me anxious. On the contrary, it almost felt reassuring.

“…Alright. I’m counting on you.”

“Thank you.”

With those words, Sera quietly drew her sword. It was a slender blade, but her movements held no waste. A sharp sound cut through the air.

She averted her eyes from me and fixed them squarely on the thing. Moonlight flowed across her back, and her bouncing ponytail traced an arc.

“I’ll kill it. No matter what.”

Sera muttered. Something cold ran down my spine. Because her voice was so quiet. She wasn’t angry. She wasn’t shouting. Her tone was like a vow.

“…Huh?”

I couldn’t help but ask back. Sera had never spoken like that before. Not once. And then, Lisette slowly began walking.

“Hmm. In that case, I’ll kill you last. After I slaughter the rest, I’ll watch you scream and cry while I carve you up piece by piece.”

A voice heavy with cruelty. From its body oozed black shadows with a sickening squelch. What looked like liquid writhed in the next instant as though it had a will of its own, thrusting up into the air.

Tentacles. No, not mere tentacles. They were sharpened into spear-like points, spreading across the sky like rain and lunging toward the two of them at once. But Lisette didn’t flinch.

The hem of her skirt fluttered as she spun, like a graceful dancer. Spear after spear of shadow passed by her, not one so much as brushing her body. Her slight bow, like a maid greeting a guest, carried nothing but composure.

Meanwhile, Sera kept moving forward, step by step. Each time she swung her blade, my eyes couldn’t even follow her hand, and the spears that were perfectly aimed at her shattered to pieces. Defense by way of offense.

So this is their true strength.

“Why is Sera…?”

I hadn’t been looking for an answer, but my muttered question made Ragnar respond.

“…Most likely, Sera-san is in a full trance.”

“Trance?”

I furrowed my brow, and Ragnar nodded quietly.

“Yes. With the single objective of eradicating the one who injured the Leader, she has eliminated everything else from her mind.”

That was a terrifying thing to hear.

“…Well, the Head Maid is the same. As am I.”

Ragnar’s words were delivered with almost joking calm. But the aura rising from his back was anything but a joke.

“Leader. I am quite confident I’m a muscle-head, but…”

Ragnar glanced at me.

“Even so, right now I’m holding myself back quite a lot.”

For a moment, I was at a loss for words. His eyes weren’t smiling. But then he softened into a gentle smile and continued.

“…Still, I doubt my turn will ever come. I don’t believe those two will fail.”

Hearing that, I turned my gaze back to the fight. Lisette danced. Sera advanced. Their movements were opposite, yet both were perfectly in sync.

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