Too Good to Refuse
There were far too many reasons to refuse.
“Um…”
“…I don’t talk to traitors.”
“No, just hurry up and take my request already.”
Irene was pouting hard and had declared she wouldn’t speak to me. She couldn’t do that. This was her guild and she was the guild receptionist. What was a receptionist supposed to do if she refused to talk? Where was I supposed to submit my requests?
“You got me scolded by the guild master because of what you did.”
Irene brought up the flower-viewing trip from a few days ago. This girl’s sulk was really dragging on. I wished she would just let it go already.
“Why is that my fault?”
“Because you used me as bait.”
That part was true. Still, it had been entirely Irene’s fault. The whole catastrophe happened because she couldn’t hold in her laughter. Of course, I did feel a little guilty for using her as bait and sacrificing her in the process. It made my chest ache for no reason. My conscience was stinging. Maybe I really did share some of the blame.
“Then what do I have to do for you to forgive me?”
“Hmm……”
Irene thought for a long time. She closed her eyes, completely absorbed in her thoughts. That was when heavy footsteps sounded behind her.
…It was Kirke. She was walking up behind Irene. When she got close, she called out.
“Irene.”
Irene’s eyes flew open. She turned around to face Kirke.
“Yes, Guild Master. Did you need me?”
Her voice was completely different from the one she used with me. She was showing the polite demeanor reserved for superiors. Had Kirke scolded her that much? She hadn’t been this formal last time.
“I’ll be stepping out for a while. Keep an eye on the guild while I’m gone.”
“Uh… yes. Safe travels.”
“And no funny business. That goes for both of you.”
Kirke pointed at me and Irene. What had I even done?
“You’ve been marked, Noel.”
“It’s your fault. I’m guilty by association.”
Kirke was pitiful. Having to manage subordinates like us.
Kirke suddenly seemed to remember something and called my name.
“Ah. That’s right. Noel.”
“Yeah?”
“Did you deliver the potions to the church today as well?”
“I did. I’m on my way back from there now.”
“I see…”
“Why do you ask?”
“Follow me for a moment.”
Kirke led me to the alley behind the guild. Once we arrived, she glanced around, scanning the area. Was she checking to make sure no one was nearby? What did she want to say that required this much secrecy?
“What is it? What’s going on?”
“Noel. Listen carefully. And don’t misunderstand.”
“Huh?”
“Recovery potions keep disappearing. Several at a time. I had them stored in the warehouse.”
She suddenly started talking about the guild’s internal problems. I had no idea why she was telling me any of this.
“Only three people have access to that warehouse. You, Irene, and me.”
Was she suspecting me right now? Was that why she had dragged me all the way out here?
“It wasn’t me! I didn’t ste—”
“I told you not to misunderstand.”
Kirke tapped my head lightly with the edge of her hand. It didn’t hurt. She had clearly held back.
“I believe this is someone else’s doing. Most likely one of the adventurers.”
“……”
That was probably true. It was a reasonable assumption.
“It’s likely an adventurer suffering from recovery potion dependency. We have quite a few suspicious ones in our guild.”
A normal adventurer wouldn’t need to steal recovery potions. They could just ask for them at the reception desk. The fact that someone was stealing them meant they were trying to abuse the potions without any legitimate reason.
“Have you told anyone else?”
“No. I’m the only one who knows. I’m considering handling it quietly on my own.”
“Really?”
If that was the case, there was nothing more I could say. Guild matters were Kirke’s responsibility. But if she was going to handle it alone, why tell me at all?
“What I wanted to say is this. Be careful.”
“Careful? Of what?”
“It means someone is secretly entering the warehouse. And the chances are high that it’s an addict adventurer.”
“That… makes sense.”
Kirke wasn’t wrong. It was better to stay alert.
“I’ll keep it in mind. Thanks.”
“That’s all I had to say. If you’re done with your business, head back quickly.”
Kirke turned her head sharply and started to walk away, picking up her pace. I called out to stop her.
“Hey, Kirke. Where are you going?”
“To Cecily’s church. I want to check on how things are going there.”
Cecily’s plan had been prepared smoothly. They were now in the early pilot stage, implementing it bit by bit. Several adventurers were already staying there.
“I hope it goes well.”
“I hope it proceeds without any trouble.”
Kirke scratched her head roughly as she spoke. She seemed to have a lot on her mind. Her burden must be heavy in more ways than one.
I stepped closer and patted her back gently.
“Hang in there. You’re always working so hard.”
“…About half of my suffering seems to come from you and Irene.”
“You’re not being honest at all.”
I put more strength into the hand patting her back. I smacked it as hard as I could. Kirke didn’t even flinch. Of course. These small hands probably couldn’t hurt her no matter how hard I tried.
Kirke gazed down at me. Then she bent slightly, lowering herself to my eye level.
“Noel.”
The look in her eyes was strange. It was the gentle gaze an adult might give a child.
“To be honest, I’m worried about you.”
“…Have I really done anything that worrying?”
I hadn’t done anything stranger than Irene. Was there something specific that had Kirke so concerned?
“I worry about you more than someone like Irene. I’m afraid you’ll do something unnecessary.”
“You worry too much.”
I wasn’t that much of an idiot. I didn’t do foolish things that would seriously trouble others. If anything, I was the one who cleaned up accidents, not the one who caused them.
I reached up and placed my hand on Kirke’s head. Since she had bent down, it was easy. I stroked her hair slowly, following the flow of her long strands.
“You don’t need to worry. You know who I am, right?”
I was a former hero. My body might look like a child’s, but I wasn’t one. There was no need to worry about me like I was some kid.
Kirke muttered in a sullen voice.
“…It’s because I know exactly who you are that I’m even more worried.”
Kirke ended the conversation and left straight for the church. I went back inside the guild and returned to the reception desk where Irene was.
She was sitting there spacing out, so I whispered to her like I was sharing a secret.
“Hey. Your guild master just left.”
Irene shot up from her seat. She smiled brightly and asked again.
“Really?!”
“Yeah. She went to Cecily’s church. She won’t be back for a while.”
Irene’s face lit up for a second before clouding over again.
“Ah… but I can’t slack off today. There’s too much work.”
“If you’ve got that much work, then hurry up and take my request.”
Irene glared at me silently, her face scrunched up in a deep frown.
“I’m not taking requests from a traitor.”
I really wished they would replace the potion receptionist at this guild. Working with Irene was exhausting. She was such a pain.
She should have just let a little thing like that slide as a joke.
“Fine. I’m sorry. Happy now?”
I tried to smooth things over with a half-hearted apology. That should be enough.
“…You really mean it?”
“Of course.”
So please just take my request already. I wanted to finish this and go home.
I hid my real feelings and kept acting sorry.
“I’m reflecting on what I did. I won’t betray you like that again.”
“Hmm…”
Irene muttered, deep in thought about something.
“The guild is short-staffed right now, and……”
“Short-staffed? What does that have to do with—”
Irene cut me off and shouted. It was clear she had no intention of listening to me.
“I’ve decided! This is perfect!”
She grabbed my arm and yanked me to my feet.
“Wh-what?! What are you doing?”
“Noel, you don’t have any plans after this, right?”
“Well, no, but…”
“Just follow me for a bit. Then I’ll forgive you.”
She dragged me off somewhere by the arm. I shook it wildly, trying to break free. She didn’t budge.
“First of all, you can read, and you can do basic calculations, right?”
“Uh… yeah, I can?”
“And you’re good with customers. From what I’ve seen at the potion shop, you’ve got decent work instincts too.”
A bad feeling washed over me. Just where was she trying to take me?
“Plus you’re cute, so you’ll probably be pretty popular. Everyone likes you, Noel.”
“You… where exactly are you taking me?”
Irene grinned slyly and made her request.
“Noel, become a guild receptionist for a while.”
“What?! No, why me?!”
“Be our one-day guild receptionist. We’re really busy today.”
“That’s not my problem!”
“You said you didn’t have anything else to do after this.”
She was right. Submitting the request had been my last errand for the day. But I really didn’t want to work as a guild receptionist. It looked difficult just from a glance. It would be way harder than running errands at the potion shop.
“No way! I want to go home and rest!”
“Not happening. I’m working, so you can’t be the only one relaxing, right?”
No, what did her workload have to do with me? Why was she trying to drag me into her mess?
“I’ll pay you daily wages too. Just help out for one day, okay?”
“How much?”
“About five silver coins?”
…That was actually pretty good. It was generous pay. All that for one day’s work?
“…Really? You’re actually going to pay me? You don’t need Kirke’s permission?”
“I have discretion for something like this. I’m the highest authority in this guild after the guild master.”
It was far too much money to turn down. With that kind of pay, I could have happily cleaned sewers, never mind working reception. I let Irene drag me along without resistance. There was no point fighting it. I’d just close my eyes and get it over with.