Author: Suisei
Translator: Rinkage

Character page: Here

Special thanks to Andres.S for the contribution, and to all the loyal readers for your unwavering support. Every visit, comment, and moment spent reading here meant more than you know. This site exists because of all of you. m(_ _)m

-Rinkage

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Chapter 204 – I tried cooperating with the guardian deity

Why the hell is he bringing that up now?! 

I could feel my mind unravelling under the weight of the situation. Everything was spiraling out of control, and I had no idea how to pull it back together.

When did Sheik even hear that? He must’ve overheard me saying it at some point. This is the worst. But panicking won’t help. If I back down now, it’s all over.

“It was just something from the past, so it’s fine. What really matters is who you are now, Gai. If you can stand tall and be proud of the person you’ve become, then even if you used to be a freeloader… it’s not a big deal, right? That’s all behind you.” [Youki]

“Screw you! Stop bullshitting me!”  [Gai]

“I mean, we can’t change the past, but if you show them how you live now… won’t that count for something?” [Youki]

“Spare me your nonsense! Look at the head maid! No matter what we say now, we’ve already lost her trust!”  [Gai]

Gai had a point. The way Sophia-san was looking at us wasn’t any different from how she’d look at a group of shady trespassers. At this rate, we might not be allowed back into the mansion at all. My own reputation was hanging by a thread, and Happiness was dangerously close to being dragged down with me. I could already see a double scolding coming our way… We’re in serious trouble.

At this point, I was desperate enough to wish for a miracle – like Cecilia conveniently showing up to save the day.

The only one who seemed completely unfazed by the tense atmosphere was Sheik, still smiling innocently. Looking at him, I couldn’t help thinking… man, if I could get away with it, I’d be laughing too.

“Why’d everyone suddenly go quiet? Oh wait… I forgot to put away the herbs I was drying. Welp, see ya, Captain. Bye bye~”  [Sheik]

Don’t drop a bomb and run awayyyy!!!

I nearly shouted at Sheik as he waved goodbye behind his back and strolled off.

“…Work.”  [Happiness]

“Indeed. You still have cleaning to do, don’t you, Happiness? Break time is over. I’ll speak with Youki-sama.”  [Sophia]

“…Captain, see ya.”  [Happiness]

Happiness disappeared into the mansion, back to her duties.

Asking for help only made everything more complicated.

“I shall return to my duties as well.”  [Sophia]

“Huh?”  [Youki]

“I’ve heard plenty from Tiel, so I have a general understanding of the situation. From now on, I suggest you refrain from saying things that might cause such misunderstandings.”  [Sophia]

With a graceful bow and a polite, “Excuse me,” Sophia-san also returned to the mansion.

In the end, was she just messing with me? Or… maybe she decided to let it slide?

“Hey kiddo, let’s go. If Tiel’s already headed out, she might be at the Adventurer’s Guild by now. We must convince her before she registers.”  [Gai]

“Y-Yeah. Right. Let’s go.”  [Youki]

I hurried off with Gai towards the guild, feeling grateful to Sophia-san in my heart.

“If we’re too late and she’s already registered… that would be bad.”  [Gai]

“We’ll be fine. If she just got there, we’ll probably catch her while she’s still filling out the paperwork.”  [Youki]

Surely if we explained the situation and pleaded our case, they’d let her cancel the registration… probably. Clinging to that faint hope, we rushed into the guild, and there she was… Tiel, standing right at the reception desk.

“…Alright then. Whatever happens, it’s your own responsibility. You’ve signed the consent form, yeah?”

“Yes… So this means my adventurer registration is complete now, right? I thought there’s be more explanations and checks involved.”  [Tiel]

“Ah… yeah, well, if you want the detailed rule and regulations, go ask the lovely lady at the next counter.”

“Um… does it have to be the person at the next counter?”  [Tiel]

“Yeah, of course, I could explain it myself. But, you see, I’m the Assistant Guildmaster. I’ve got a mountain of tasks to deal with. Also, the woman there is still green, so I want to see how well she can explain the rules to a newbie in simple terms…”

“You’re just making excuses to dump your work on her!!!”  [Youki]

Clayman… That bastard. He was so casually trying to pawn the job off on Sierra-chan. And of all receptionists, Tiel-chan had ended up at his counter?! That meant the registration was already complete. We were too late.

“Ah, Guardian Deity-sama! …And Youki-san, too. Are you two heading out on a guild mission together? If so, I want to come with you! Look – my guild card! With this, I’m officially an adventurer, just like Guardian Deity-sama!” [Tiel]

Beaming with pride, Tiel-chan held out her newly issued guild card towards Gai, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Even with a mask covering Gai’s face, I could tell exactly what kind of expression he was making. He was clearly torn. There was no way he could brush her off when she was looking at him like that, showing off her accomplishment with so much joy… and yet, he couldn’t bring himself to celebrate it either, honestly.

“…Do your best.”  [Gai]

“Hey, don’t make it sound like it’s already too late. We’ll just cancel the registration right now.”  [Youki]

“Huh? Cancel it right after she just registered? I personally handled it, me! There’s no way I’m letting that slide. Don’t go piling more work on me, dammit!”  [Clayman]

Clayman shut the idea down without hesitation – understandably so. Cancelling a registration right after it was completed would be incredibly rude.

“Now then, Guardian Deity-sama. No matter where you go, I’ll follow! From now on, we’ll face everything together!”  [Tiel]

“…Y-Yes. That’s right, Tiel.”  [Gai]

Gai gave in almost immediately. Maybe he realized there was no turning back at this point. Or maybe he just couldn’t say no when faced with Tiel-chan’s sparkling, determined eyes.

“I get that you’re worried. But she won’t be allowed to take on dangerous request right off the bat, so she should be fine. I’ll make sure nothing too risky comes her way.”  [Clayman]

“That’d be a big help. She still got a long way to go. But, are you sure about this? It’s just gonna add more work for you.”  [Youki]

For someone like Clayman, whose motto was to breeze through work and laze around the rest of the time, having his own workload increased was clearly a nuisance.

“Yeah, I heard Sophia’s taking care of her. She’s a maid, right? She’s never even held a weapon before, but Sophia’s giving her the full-blown Spartan training.”  [Clayman]

“She’s getting help from my acquaintances, too.”  [Youki]

“Figured as much… Still, it’s not like people suddenly get strong overnight. But apparently, she’s insanely motivated. And the driving force behind that…”  [Clayman]

Clayman glanced over at Tiel-chan, who even now was hovering near Gai, calling him “Guardian Deity-sama” with pure affection. It couldn’t have been more obvious.

“Yeah, that’s pretty much it.”  [Youki]

“Ahh, youth. She’s been quite the center of attention lately. Though, weirdly enough, none of the guys have tried hitting on her. Usually, there’d be a few annoying ones…”  [Clayman]

If Gai weren’t in the picture, some fools might try their luck, but knowing Tiel-chan, it wouldn’t end well for them.

And just as our conversation was starting to veer into questionable territory…

“Guardian Deity-sama, I’m officially an adventurer now. I may not be strong yet, but I’ll do my best to become someone you can rely on.”  [Tiel]

“S-Sure.”  [Gai]

“Before this, Young Mistress and Youki-san told me they were against this. They said I should think about you, about how it might burden you. I know I’ve always been sickly, but I still want to stand beside you. I want to help, even if only a little. Of course, I won’t overdo it. If I collapse, that would only trouble you more.”  [Tiel]

“Y-Yeah. Naturally.”  [Gai]

“I am prepared to be scolded. I admit that I went behind everyone’s back, and I’m truly sorry for that… But I promise I’ll listen to my body while I support Guardian Deity-sama in any way I can.”  [Tiel]

“Y-Yeah.”  [Gai]

“Leave it to me. I’ll crush anything that gets in Guardian Deity-sama’s way. There will be no exceptions to anyone who tries to interfere.”  [Tiel]

The moment Tiel-chan said that with a straight face, the entire mood inside the guild shifted – like a sudden drop in temperature. The usually boisterous guild fell completely silent, with not a single soul daring to speak.

I was used to this by now, so it didn’t rattle me. But even I had to admit… she was way more intense than before. This had to be the result of Sophia-san’s infamous Spartan training. Who could’ve thought that hardened adventurers, people who had braved countless deadly requests, would be intimidated by the words of a girl who had just become an adventurer?

“…That guy’s got it rough.”  [Clayman]

Clayman muttered, casting a sympathetic glance towards Gai.

“He’s not being dragged along against his will. Those two have their own way of being happy together. That’s all that matters.”  [Youki]

“Is that so? Well, whatever. Overthinking other people’s relationship doesn’t suit me anyway. Work’s done, so I’m taking my break.”  [Clayman]

With a carefree wave, Clayman disappeared into the back of the guild, escaping the front desk like a man on a mission. However, Sierra-san immediately chased after him and dragged him right back out.

“Why do you always try to sneak into the back the moment there’s a lull!? There’s still plenty of work to do.”  [Sierra]

“I know, I know. Here, these documents… processed, processed, processed. I’ve already compiled that investigation report we talked about yesterday, and I even made a request list tailored for beginner adventurers. Also, the complaints from clients… I sorted them by urgency, so just go through them in order.”  [Clayman]

“Wait- Hold on a sec…”  [Sierra]

“Come on, you’ve got a line at the counter. Get to it.”  [Clayman]

“…If only he could keep up that enthusiasm all the time.”  [Youki]

If he could keep that energy from the beginning, things would run way smoother. Then again, when Clayman really puts his mind to something, he moves so fast that no one else can keep up.

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