The Guild Master Whose Hobby Was Helping People Found Himself Surrounded by the Strongest, Overly Attached Members - 26

Chapter 26: Dawn

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Sera slowly slid her sword back into its sheath and let out a small breath from her shoulders. The scent of blood, the remnants of magic, the smell of scorched earth lingered in the air.

“Master!”

When she turned around, her face was as bright as if the sun had risen.

“I… I fought! I really fought!”

Her voice carried nothing but pure joy. As if to express that joy with her whole body, Sera came running toward me.

“H-hey, Sera—”

Before I could even finish speaking, her small body leapt into my chest.

“Ehehe… I’m amazing, right? I really did it properly this time…!”

I noticed that her arms, clinging tightly to me, were trembling.

“…Yeah, I saw it. You did well.”

At those words, Sera happily lifted her face. Her eyes looked just a little red.

“Anyone who tries to scare Master, I’ll defeat them all.”

“Sera, you’re the most… No, you’re the most reliable of all.”

“Eheheh.”

When I gently stroked her head, Sera narrowed her eyes with delight.

“That was indeed a fine strike.”

Lisette stood beside me and gave a light nod.

“Right!? Do you think I got a little closer to you, Lisette-san?”

Lisette chuckled softly, then answered in a slightly stern voice.

“What can I say? If you don’t hit, it means nothing.”

“Ugh… Guh…”

Sera’s shoulders slumped, and her eyes drooped at the corners.

“Well then, Shin-sama.”

“Hm? What is—”

Just as I was about to turn, Lisette’s face suddenly drew close. Her usually composed expression was there, but tinged with a hint of displeasure. Her tone was as polite as ever, but deep within her gaze, there was the faintest thorn lurking.

“…Is there no reward for me?”

The air froze. Even as I searched for words, Lisette stepped in closer. She tilted her head just slightly, fixing me with a direct stare.

Her bearing as a maid hadn’t faltered. But that gaze… That gaze was definitely not one of mere servants to master.

“You patted Sera’s head, didn’t you?”

“T-that’s…”

I saw Sera quietly inching away from us.

“Eh, um… Well, by reward, I mean, something like words could also—”

“Do you intend to settle it with words alone?”

Lisette’s smile was gentle. Yet the pressure within it was sharper than a sword that could cut down an S-rank monster.

“S-sheesh…Fine, here.”

I slowly reached out my hand to Lisette’s head. Her silver hair slipped smoothly through my fingers.

“…Lisette, you did well too.”

As I stroked her, I said those words.

“Fufu… Thank you, Shin-sama.”

Lisette narrowed her eyes with evident joy.

“LEADER―!”

With a booming voice, a figure came running from the far side of the square. It was Ragnar, who had gone to check on the villagers. He was running with surprising speed for his massive body, flinging sweat everywhere.

“Leader! There are some minor injuries, but the villagers are safe!”

“G-good… But don’t shake me around so much…!”

His powerful grip on my shoulder, like a body slam, made the still-unhealed wound in my stomach throb sharply.

“Ah! Forgive me, sir! But… Thank goodness, truly…”

Ragnar suddenly dropped to one knee before me, bowing his head deeply.

“I, Ragnar, swear! Even at the cost of my life! I will protect the Leader’s life to the end!”

“Yeah… But also…You need to take care of your own life.”

“Understood, sir!”

No, please don’t say it like that. Your pressure is enough to kill me instead.

And then, footsteps came from behind Ragnar.

“Shin-san…!”

“Big Brother, you’re rushing too much!”

Iris and Leon appeared a little later. Leon’s body clearly hadn’t fully healed yet. He grimaced with every step, yet still came straight to me first.

“…Thank you, truly, for saving me.”

His words trembled. The suffering of the curse, the relief of survival—all sorts of emotions flickered in Leon’s eyes. Beside him, Iris bowed deeply.

“Not just Shin-san… Lisette-san, Sera-san, Ragnar-san… thank you so much, all of you.”

“You don’t need to thank us. We only did what had to be done.”

I gave a small wave of my hand, and I thought I saw tears welling in the siblings’ eyes.

“Truly… What a magnanimous person you are.”

“That’s right, Big Brother. He’s… Our savior.”

“Yeah, he is.”

The way the two of them looked at me—it was oddly warm, almost sticky, sending a shiver up my spine.

“Shin-san…We want to be useful to you.”

Iris’s eyes were beginning to melt with devotion.

Is this…Is this the sign of one of those bad flag moments about to happen?

If so, I had to break it.

“N-no, really, don’t worry about it! You two just keep protecting Envel Village like this, okay? Work on developing it, and do your best! Meanwhile, we’ll—uh—we’ve got a report to make!”

I bolted from the spot to escape.

“Ah, Shin-san!”

“Please wait, Shin-saaan!”

Voices called from behind me, but I couldn’t stop now. No, truly, they didn’t need to feel gratitude. I only saved them because of Noran-san’s request, I thought that as I rubbed my still aching abdomen.

The curse that man had cast… That was a good one. No matter how much pain it inflicted, it would never let me die. A kind of pain you could never feel in a normal life-or-death battle. The ultimate curse, irresistible to any masochist.

If I ever stopped wielding my sword, I would never be able to taste that ecstasy again. And if I did that, I wouldn’t be able to experience that joy.

In the end, I had fought for myself.

“Well then… Time to report to Noran-san.”

Above, a faint light of dawn spread across the sky. Still dark, but the eastern horizon was beginning to pale. It was as if my secured subsidies themselves were being blessed by the universe.

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