The Guild Master Whose Hobby Was Helping People Found Himself Surrounded by the Strongest, Overly Attached Members - 38-39

Chapter 38: Youth Is Bad for My Heart 2

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“Aah… It’s huge…”

A towering monster, at least three meters long. It was a bear covered in black fur. No… With those unnaturally developed fangs… If I had to name it, I’d call it a Killer Bear.

There shouldn’t be a monster like this around here.I had never seen this species before, so I couldn’t judge its exact strength—but with that size, there was no way it was below B-rank. It should be A-class. 

Just a single strike from its foreleg would be instant death. Bones crushed, flesh pulped—I could easily imagine it happening to me. I instinctively stepped back. 

If I were alone, that would’ve been the end of it. But Iris was here. She still had little combat experience. Even if her rank was higher than mine, starting off with something like this was far too much against the odds.

“…Iris, fall back.”

I said, never taking my eyes off the Killer Bear.

First, I would use my superior mobility to distract it. During that time, Iris would escape. Then I’d look for a chance to run away too. We’d get back to the Guild, bring Lisette or Ragnar, and have them deal with it. A perfect plan if I might say so myself.

“I’ll act as the decoy now, so Iris, you go ahead and run.”

That was the optimal solution. There was no other.

“…No.”

But Iris shook her head slightly—and, as if crushing my words underfoot, she stepped forward.

“Wha—!? Hey, what are you doing!?”

I reached out reflexively.

At the same time, the Killer Bear let out a threatening growl, raising its massive arm to show off its power. This wasn’t just a mere bear foreleg. It was like a tree trunk. The sharp claws glinted in the sunlight, and if it swung down, it would tear the ground apart.

And just when I was about to get its attention, there was a sharp whoosh as the air split. Iris’s arrow of light pierced cleanly into the bear’s joint.

“—Lux Bind!”

The chant spilling from Iris’s lips manifested as white, glowing chains. They slithered like snakes around the bear’s limbs, constricting its enormous body. The step that should have split the earth stopped mid-knee. With a metallic groan like iron being hammered, the monster’s movements were completely pinned down.

“—Lux Arrow!”

Arrows materialized one after another, three flashes of light firing in rapid succession. With a dull groan, the massive body toppled backward. The ground shook the forest, and within the billowing dust, the monster went still.

“…Phew.”

Iris brushed back the bangs clinging to her forehead with her fingers. Her breathing was only a little unsteady, but her expression was fresh and composed. It was as if she was trying to say this outcome was well within her expectations.

Meanwhile, I just stood there dumbstruck, my mouth hanging open.

Holy crap, she took it down instantly…

While my mind lagged behind, Iris walked toward the bear’s corpse. Inspecting the spots her arrows had pierced, she spoke nonchalantly.

“Bear-type monsters have weak shoulder joints. If you shoot there, no matter how strong they are, they won’t be able to support their own weight.”

Her voice was calm, reciting the fact as if from a textbook.

“…Where’d you learn something like that?”

“I observed while traveling through the forest with my brother. Then I just considered whether it applied to this monster too!”

“Ah, I see…”

She had frightening powers of observation. While I had been panicking about the threat to my life, Iris had coolly analyzed the weak point and acted on it.

“All right! Then, Shin-san—please, one more time!”

With the Killer Bear’s corpse behind her, Iris ran up to me.

“One more time”

… She probably meant pat my head again, right? Sure, she looked cute, but… The thing behind her totally ruined the mood.

Still shaken, I hesitantly reached out and placed my hand on her head. Her silky hair slid gently under my fingers, and Iris closed her eyes in bliss.

“…Ehehe.”

Cute. Extremely cute… As long as I didn’t glance at the carcass collapsed behind her.

All right, that should be enough.

I thought so and started to pull my hand away—

“Wha!?”

My wrist was suddenly grabbed tight. Why did those slim arms have such incredible grip strength?

“…Not yet!”

Her voice carried a sing-song lilt, but her grip strength was absurd. I swear my bones were creaking under the pressure.

“Eek! O-of course!”

I answered instantly. My life was precious, after all. The gap between her smiling, eyes-closed face and the crushing grip on my wrist… This was the borderline between romcom and suspense.

“…Mmm! Okay, I’m satisfied for now! Thank you!”

At last, her strength loosened, and I let out a deep sigh of relief. Then, lowering her gaze with a slight blush, Iris added—

“Next time too, please, Shin-san!”

She said it with a smile.

“Haha… If the chance comes up…”

Next time, I’d make sure to bring someone else to guard me. For now, I decided to just forget about it. Tonight’s dinner would be bear hotpot.

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Chapter 39: Overwhelming Wealth

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Plagued by a mysterious stomachache, I put off Ceres and Rovan-san’s request until the next day. I enjoyed a bear hotpot, and went to bed――or so it should have been. But from the morning, I felt something was off.

When I went down to the lobby, the whole room was filled with the smell of perfume and sure enough,lining the hallway were absurdly extravagant vases.

“Ohohohoho! At last it is complete, the Guild White Lamp’s Prestige Enhancement Project!”

My bad feeling had proven correct. In the center of the lobby, Young Lady Ceres stood laughing triumphantly. She spread her arms wide, and above her head a glittering chandelier shone.

“…Ceres, what is this?”

“Good morning to you, Shin-sama! I thought this guild was a bit plain as the castle of someone as noble as yourself. So I have come to the rescue!”

“No, uh… Being plain is actually just perfect for me, you see.”

“What are you saying! ‘To hide a tree, place it in a forest,’ isn’t that how the saying goes?”

Ah, so she’s just talking purely out of her delusion. 

She had no intention of listening to my objections from the start. Still, for my sake she had… I didn’t know where she even got it, but she’d had a heavy chandelier installed. To tell her directly, “Take it down,” would feel awkward, and with the old man standing behind her, I’d probably be killed, so I wanted to ask Lisette instead…

“Good morning, Shin-sama. I’m just thinking up a design for a chair worthy of you, so please wait a moment.”

Lisette appeared, sketchbook in hand, a serious look on her face.

“My, my, Lisette-san, you can design furniture as well!? And perfectly suited to Shin-sama, too!”

“That’s right. You do have a decent eye for things yourself.”

I see. Lisette is on her side too. What about the others?

“This sofa is sooo fluffy!”

“It really is! Even with Sera-san and me sitting, there’s still space left… Big brother, you sit too!”

“Uh, y-yeah――oh, wow, it’s a little unsettling, but it really is soft.”

The three youngsters, Sera, Iris, and Leon, were completely absorbed in the sofa. Distracted by the chandelier, I hadn’t noticed that a bunch of other things had been brought in too.

Where had the calm warmth of wood gone…

That left just Ragnar and Rovan-san. They were the stern type, so maybe they wouldn’t like such flashy decor. There was still hope.

“Uh, where’s Ragnar―”

“Hnn! Hnn! Man, this closet is just perfect for training!”

The muscle freak was squatting while hefting a closet as tall as I was. I didn’t even have the energy to make a retort. The last one was Rovan-san. As usual, he was brooding at the end of the counter.

Good sign. If an SS-rank like him were to give them a warning…

Just as I was thinking that, Rovan-san suddenly stood and headed toward Ceres.

“…Hey, girl, can I ask you something?”

“Oh my, what is it?”

“If I said I wanted to drink all sorts of liquor… Could you get some brought in?”

“But of course! As a comrade who protects Shin-sama alongside me, there’s no need to hold back~!”

No good. Ceres was being far too generous. Rovan was no match for her. Even as I stood there in despair, people who seemed to be Ceres’s servants kept carrying in more furniture. I gave up and sat down in the Guildmaster’s chair and only then noticed that it was different from the old one too.

The leather backrest, the seat that sank softly beneath me. The comfort was strangely good. The instant I sat down, my spine seemed to shout with joy, as if to say, “At last, I have found civilization!”

“How is it, Shin-sama? It feels like a throne, does it not!”

“…It’s nice.”

Ceres puffed out her chest proudly, and I could only nod. Perfume wafted from both sides, a chandelier sparkled above me, and in front of me hung the White Lamp crest in a magnificent frame. I had ended up in a situation like a child playing at being king.

Ceres clapped her hands together.

“Then, next let us prepare Shin-sama’s attire! You are beautiful as you are now, but I intend to polish you up even further~!”

“Eh, wait, wha―”

Before I realized it, her servants were surging forward, carrying glittering fabrics and half-finished jackets in their arms. And just like that, they herded me into my room.

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