The Bear Guild Master
"Mm..! Nothing like a good stretch to shake off the cobwebs."
The bear was speaking. He rolled his shoulders just like a human. I stared, dumbfounded by the surreal sight. Even in an isekai world different from Earth, a talking bear felt like crossing some kind of line. Back 50 years ago, when the Abyss forces were running rampant, I'd never seen a talking bear.
"Hey. What're you staring at? First talking bear you've ever seen?"
The bear spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world. What the hell? Was I the weird one here?
"Ah..! Branch Chief!"
Rapi, who'd followed me in, spotted the bear and cried out.
Branch Chief? That thing? A bear?
"Oh! Rapi, is that you? Back already? Must've wrapped up the request quick."
The bear greeted her like a doting grandfather.
"Yes! Hehe.. Evan here helped me take down the orc!"
"Hm? This guy?"
Squish-!
"What!? How!?"
"Doesn't seem like an illusion mage, but it's a real bear."
While he chatted with Rapi, I reached out and touched the bear's fur. It was fluffy and warm, real hide beneath. I'd wondered if the Drift limiting my stats and traits had me under some illusion, but the texture was genuine.
"Grrraaah-!"
The bear roared in anger. His paw's claws gleamed sharply. He could even use mana.. Well, as an adventurer's guild branch chief, maybe that was par for the course. His fur bristled—a clear sign of an impending attack.
"Calm down, Bear Branch Chief. Sorry for touching without asking."
I took a step back. Fighting a talking bear might be fun, but him being the branch chief was a problem. I'd come to the guild for info—no need to pick a fight.
"Branch Chief..! You can't fight!"
Rapi flailed her arms, blocking his path.
"Tch..! Cocky bastard. I'll let it slide for Rapi's sake."
The growling bear eased off. He patted Rapi's head with his massive paw. She hugged him like a stuffed toy.
"Hehe, so fluffy.."
A bear twice her size hugging a person—it looked like the bear was clutching a doll.
"What the hell are you, sneaking up without tripping my senses? Assassin? Imperial Ranger?"
The bear looked baffled.
"Hero who saved the world."
"Crazy bastard."
The bear shook his head.
"Hmph. Whatever. Rapi, it's a mess down here—let's talk upstairs. You there! Follow."
The first floor was a wreck, as the bear branch chief said. Shattered tables and chairs lay scattered. He snorted and turned, lumbering up the stairs—his behavior rough, but his butt jiggling with every step.
"Yes! Evan, this way!"
"..."
Rapi followed naturally, clearly used to meeting the branch chief. It was intriguing—right after arriving at the guild, getting a private audience. The guards at the gate had treated her special too. What was Rapi's deal, getting this VIP treatment? I needed to revise my impression of the crybaby who'd wailed nonstop.
"Sit."
In the branch chief's room, the bear plopped down and gestured for us to do the same.
"Spilvena Emul. Branch chief of the Rimhold Adventurer's Guild."
The bear introduced himself with evident pride in the title.
"Unique name... Druid, right? I remember minority tribes living beyond the Great Forest."
I'd thought it was a talking bear, but a druid pretending to be one? Disappointing. After 50 years, I'd half-hoped real bears had evolved to talk. There goes my romance.
"Ha-! Our tribe's been out in the world for over 40 years. Whatever. What about you?"
The bear jerked his chin at me.
"Evan."
"Just a name, huh? Not telling me shit. You're basically screaming 'suspicious.' Rapi, this guy's trustworthy?"
Spilvena snorted, his yellow eyes brimming with suspicion toward me.
"Huh? But Evan saved me from the orc.. and gave me bread.."
Rapi tilted her head, puzzled. Unlike the paranoid bear, she was pure innocence.
"Hear that? I'm a nice guy."
Spilvena growled, glaring daggers.
"Resisting my nature sense is one thing, and you handled the first floor.. You've got skills. But why help Rapi, you shady fuck?"
Shady, huh. Fair suspicion from a druid. People in Adenia didn't extend help lightly. With the world hurtling toward doom under the Abyss, kindness was a luxury. Outside rare exceptions like nice guys like me, anyway. But that was 50 years ago. I'd crushed the Abyss. The rot eating the world was gone. Kids like Rapi wandering alone proved Adenia was at peace now.
Spilvena's tone held no real hostility toward me—just worry for Rapi.
"Don't worry, Druid. Does helping Rapi need a reason?"
"..."
"A little mage on the verge of mana exhaustion, bawling her eyes out in front of an orc—who wouldn't help?"
If it'd ended in a dark fantasy apocalypse, sure, heads would've rolled. But in this peaceful era, most would've saved her. Probably. I wanted to believe it.
"Evan!!! I didn't bawl that muuuch!!!"
"Gods..! That wasn't full-on? The heavens would've collapsed if you'd cried harder."
"Eeeeeek!!!!"
Rapi stomped, pounding my arm with tiny fists. Mage punches—zero pain.
"Hahahahaha!! Alright, needless worry then. Evan, right? What's your adventurer rank?"
Spilvena shook his fur and pulled out a medal. Where'd that come from? Hidden pocket in the fluff?
His medal was silver—the second highest from the ranks Rapi mentioned: White, Blue, Red, Silver, Gold.
"Red's knight-level, so Silver's like knight commander?"
"Can't measure strength that precisely by rank, but yeah, that's the common view."
Spilvena shrugged proudly.
"Branch Chief's super strong, right!? Top five in Rimhold by power!"
Rapi's hype made Spilvena's mouth twitch. Praise pleased even bears.
"Evan, was it? And you? What's yours?"
"Ah, yeah, I've got one. Hold on."
I had a black medal from the old guild days in my inventory.
"Whoa!? You have one..!? But you said you didn't, Evan!"
"I said I wasn't interested in the guild, not that I didn't have a medal."
"... Huh..?"
...The black medal wouldn't come out of inventory.
"Sadly, can't show it right now."
"... Rapi, this guy's really okay?"
Useless medal—must be Unique+ tier or something. Guild bastards were no help.
"But Evan says he's Red-rank strong!!"
Rapi lightened the mood.
"Oho.. Red, huh. Figures, fooling my senses."
Spilvena eyed me up and down. Beast gaze—like sizing up prey.
"Red strength without a guild medal? Not Imperial, then."
True, as an Earthling, no Imperial ties.
"Does Imperial origin matter in Rimhold?"
"Nah, just curious. Guild medals are the empire-wide standard."
Imperials always thought they set Adenia's benchmarks. No wonder half the capital got vaporized.
"Anyway, enough trivia. That all you called me for? To ask why I saved Rapi?"
"Sort of. If you were using the naive kid, I'd 'educate' you kindly."
The gate guards, this bear chief—why the fuss over Rapi?
"Rapi, you from some great noble house?"
"Huh..!? No? I'm from a border family."
Rapi sounded baffled.
"Hahahaha!! That reaction—you really don't know who Rapi is."
"Then spill it. An academy kid getting private time with the branch chief?"
Spilvena crossed his arms.
"Rapi's the disciple of my old friend, Ariel Calliope."
Who? Pride swelled in Spilvena's voice—like bragging about a catch.
But no clue who that was.
"Who? Ariel..? What does she do?"
"...!? You don't know Archmage Ariel!? Even non-Imperials know the young, renowned archmage!"
Spilvena gawked at my ignorance. Archmage, huh. Explained the hype around Rapi. Ariel must be big-time. The only archmage I'd met was the idiot tower lord from the Floating Islands Archipelago. Dumbass got his head blown off, but his power was legit. If sane, he'd have been prime Abyss-fighting material. In this threat-free world, reaching archmage meant surpassing that guy, maybe.
Rapi, disciple of such a figure? Crybaby on the verge of flunking..?
"Rare bloodline? Archmage's kin?"
"No? Pure human here.. Met Professor Ariel at the academy."
Accepted as disciple there—must have talent.
"... An archmage's disciple can't take one orc? Lies."
"Evan!! It's trueee!! I am Professor Ariel's disciple!!"
"Ah, sorry—inner thought slipped out."
"!!!!"
Rapi's jaw dropped in shock.
"Hahahaha-!"
The massive bear's booming laugh. With the mood thawed, I stated my purpose.
"Spilvena, got a question. Can you tell me about the Dark Lord?"
"Dark Lord..."
Spilvena rested his chin, eyes closing.
"Rapi said rumors say the Dark Lord's holed up around Rimhold. True?"
"Yeah. It's true."
Confirmation from the guild branch chief. Hayes was nearby.
"Where is the Dark Lord now?"
Spilvena opened his eyes. The yellow intensified—not savage, but wise and maternal.
"You want to know?"
Unlike before, he showed the druid's solemn side. I nodded, of course. Finally, news on Hayes. I'd see her soon. What to say first? Sorry for being late, probably.
"Before that—do you know about the Great Forest burning down?"
What the fuck?