Chapter 48

The seasoned party, "Young Sapling's Staff," which had come from the capital, drew attention at the Regal Guild.

Just the fact that they had several mages was enough to make them a topic of conversation, but the added details that they were from the "capital" and were "returning" only fueled the gossip.

It wasn't necessarily in a bad way.

Thanks to their base being in Regal three years ago, they had many familiar faces, and the majority of the reactions were along the lines of "Good to see you back." Those who treated them as strangers were few and far between.

Because of this, a natural space for "Young Sapling's Staff" to gather was formed in the guild's tavern... and as a result, there were also those who were pushed out of their usual spots.

"What are those capital people doing here now?"

"Only coming back to Regal when it suits them, huh..."

Occasionally, I would hear such conversations in the tavern. It was mostly backhanded compliments or jealousy.

The guild members who had been working hard in Regal didn't like the idea of the returnees taking over the guild as if it were their own.

Honestly, I didn't understand the fuss, but such attitudes were quite common among guild members. The city they called home was like their territory... even though they weren't actually yakuza, many still felt a sense of ownership.

Especially "Young Sapling's Staff," whose members were mostly mages.

They had no archers and only a few melee fighters. From start to finish, they relied entirely on magic, which was like a party that had taken the "ideal" to the extreme, laughing at the reality that "there are no such mages."

It was similar to a situation where a group of people with top-tier gear stormed in while the locals were still grinding away with budget gear from the local weapon shop.

Approaching them was quite hesitant, and their polished demeanor, likely due to their long stay in the capital, made it even harder to build camaraderie.

I could understand why some might feel like sighing.

Due to this atmosphere, "Young Sapling's Staff" was somewhat isolated in the Regal Guild.

...But still. I thought it was wrong to target them for harassment just because of that.

"Hey, you're one of those 'Young Sapling's Staff' mages, right?"

"Come play with us."

"Where do you live?"

"Um... well..."

Outside the guild, I heard a somewhat ominous conversation.

It seemed that a group of three men were harassing a girl.

The area near the guild was supposed to be relatively safe, but they had targeted a spot with less foot traffic.

The men had appeared in a place where the guards were conveniently absent, a perfect spot for a bit of mischief.

"Cute girl, huh?"

"Is this the one you mentioned before?"

"Yeah, that's her."

"Um, um..."

...I hadn't been to the guild much recently, but these men were unfamiliar faces.

Actually, I had a feeling. They were probably from another city.

The quality of their boots and gloves was familiar. They were from the neighboring city of Bayson, right? Their gear was good and affordable.

But it was wrong to gang up on a single woman.

"The Gold-ranked party must have money."

"Since you're from the capital, you probably don't know Regal well. We can be your guides. Don't worry, we'll give you a discount."

"...Hey, don't run. Haha, why the sour face?"

With "Young Sapling's Staff," a bit of mischief was considered acceptable.

They probably thought that they could harass them without repercussions. It seemed they were acting on a light-hearted impulse.

...But I found it incredibly irritating to watch people bully the weak with twisted logic.

"Stop it."

"What?"

"Who's that guy?"

"Shut up."

I slung my bastard sword over my shoulder and stepped into the alley.

...That was strange. Normally, people would react with "Oh, crap" when they saw me. These guys didn't flinch at all.

Are you guys new here, maybe transferred from the spring?

"Come on, let's play. Sound good?"

"...Please stop..."

"Come on, it'll be fun."

"Your scared face is cute, too."

Huh? They're ignoring me?

That's not good. Ignoring someone who just made a dramatic entrance is a no-no.

"Hey, you there, 'Young Sapling's Staff.' Leave this to me and go home. Just take this route."

When I pointed to a nearby spot, the girl, grateful, ran out of the alley.

...Seeing her use the opportunity to escape and reposition herself, I realized that even as a mage, she could move well.

No wonder she was part of Sally's party.

"Hey, wait!"

"Wait, you guys."

"Who the hell are you?"

"My name is Mongrel. I'm the strongest guild member in Regal."

"Never heard of a white-haired Bronze guy."

"Die, Mongrel."

"The girl got away. What are you going to do about it?"

The men... despite mocking the Bronze rank, two were Bronze 3 and one was Silver 1.

But all three had longswords. They seemed confident in their skills and showed no fear towards me.

"If you want to flirt, why not do it one-on-one instead of ganging up? Three men..."

"Shut up."

Oof. I tried to say something cool, but got punched in the face.

"Ow... Hey, is my nose bleeding...?"

"You're weak. Let's beat him up."

"Leave it to me."

"We'll make sure he can't fight back."

"Hey, gheh..."

I was about to enjoy the verbal sparring when I got grabbed by the collar and punched.

And they surrounded me, kneeing my stomach and jabbing my sides, showing no mercy at all...

"Isn't he tough...?"

"We'll beat him up even more, hehe... Hey, look up."

Ah, my bangs were grabbed.

"Don't touch my hair."

"Guh!"

I accidentally landed a powerful body blow on the guy who tried to lift my face.

He vomited and went down, but it couldn't be helped. You don't mess with a man's hair, especially when he's in his thirties.

"Hey, hey..."

"You did it!"

"Don't underestimate Regal's guild members, you newbies from Bayson. I'll show you how strong Regal's Bronze can be. And it's free."

They hadn't drawn their swords yet. Good. Let's settle this with a peaceful fight.

But if it escalates, they might get serious and draw their swords, so I'll end this quickly and decisively.

"Drop dead, old man!"

I was going to take a novice punch to the forehead to hurt his hand... but I got hit in the cheek and was thrown back. That hurt, man.

"Haha, fall over..."

"Turn-based, you know."

"Ugh!"

I kicked the guy who thought he had won in the stomach. Another one down.

But fighting coolly is hard.

I don't have the knack for combat. I knew that, but...

"Hey, you...!"

Ah, he's reaching for his sword. No, no.

"Cancel the draw!"

"Ugh!"

A sword fight is out of the question. That's a real crime.

Take this kick as a favor.

"Swear you'll never do anything sneaky in this city again. If you can't, stand up and fight me again. I'll face you as many times as you want."

"..."

"Huff... huff...!"

"...Guh!"

"This isn't a break."

"Ugh!"

I kicked the Silver-class guy who was looking for an opening.

...He was tough. I felt the impact of his reinforced body, but my power overcame it.

But that heavy kick showed my strength.

"Sorry... I won't do anything sneaky... I won't pick a fight with you...!"

"Please, let it go..."

"Why is there such a guy...?"

"If you don't like me, come at me again. I haven't returned the hits I took earlier. I still want to beat you up a bit more."

"! I won't do anything! Let's go, guys!"

"Really, sorry...!"

"Wait! Don't leave me behind!?"

When I intimidated them, the men hurriedly fled the alley.

...Phew. I guess I just played the hero, huh?

...I thought the girl I helped would come back to thank me, but she didn't.

It seems she had thoroughly escaped. She's a cautious one... but it's the right choice not to return to a dangerous alley.

There's nothing more pointless than a heroine deliberately putting herself in danger.

It's best to leave everything to the hero who came to help.

"...Good, no nosebleed."

I checked my face in the dull blade of my bastard sword, saw my usual face smiling, and left the alley.

"Ah!"

"Huh? You came back?"

When I stepped out onto the main street, the girl was waiting.

I thought she was a smart heroine, but she's the type who jumps into danger... I guess that's good in a way.

"Um... thank you very much. I was in trouble... you really helped me."

"Don't worry about it. Tell the leader, Sally, that 'Mongrel helped you, so you owe him one.'"

"Owe Sally... Okay."

"Walk the main streets for a while."

I ended up sounding a bit preachy, but it's fine.

"...Thank you so much."

"Sure thing."

"Young Sapling's Staff" shouldn't waste time on trivial matters. It's best for them to quickly establish their presence.

That way, Regal and the guild can focus on future development and large-scale projects.

That's the first step. From there, we can push the city forward, increase the population, and boost production.

That way, more stores will be able to take on Lord Chaos's product development.

Make Regal a better place to live.

And if possible, increase the guard patrols...