Chapter 9

One morning, when I arrived at work, the guild hall was bustling.

"Roselia is back, it seems."

"The guild's strongest female swordsman, [Crimson Roselia]?"

"Really? Did she succeed in slaying the S-rank monster, the Fire Dragon?"

"Sure enough, she's an S-rank adventurer!"

At that moment,

"Guild Master! Oh, Guild Master!"

From the back of the guild hall, a figure pushed through the crowd and came running towards me.

With a thud, she kicked off the floor and clung to me.

"It's been so long, Guild Master!"

"Are you well, Roselia?"

The tall, beautiful girl with bright red hair kissed my cheek.

She is Roselia, our top frontline adventurer.

"I couldn't bear the nights without seeing you, Guild Master. I felt like I was going to die of loneliness."

"People don't die from loneliness."

"Well, maybe not for ordinary people, but to me, Guild Master is someone so dear...♡ Oh... Guild Master...♡"

Just as she was about to kiss me again,

"Hold it right there!"

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew in front of me.

When I realized it, a palm-sized woman had appeared.

"A fairy?"

"Shut up and listen, Master! Why are you being so friendly with this guy?"

The fairy called Roselia her master.

"What's this?"

"She's Mizari. I saved her when she was attacked by the Fire Dragon. Since she had nowhere to go, I took her in."

The fairy Mizari glared at me.

"Are you the strongest man in the world that Master talked about?"

"No."

"That's right. And I'm her future husband♡"

Roselia clung to my arm.

But a gust of wind blew towards me, and I fell on my butt.

"Mizari! What are you doing!"

"I don't approve. Master doesn't match with such a weak-looking guy! Bleh!"

It seems the fairy doesn't like me.

"I'm sorry, Guild Master..."

"Don't worry. It's not your fault."

"That's right! The one at fault is you for trying to deceive Master!"

"Enough! Mizari, you need to reflect on your behavior!"

"No way! I won't apologize to such a weakling!"

With the wind blowing, Mizari disappeared.

"A high-level wind fairy is rare."

"Yes, she's excellent as a support, so I thought of bringing her into the guild, but... she has a difficult personality."

"No problem. We don't choose based on personality."

"By the way, Guild Master, do we have any new quests?"

Roselia said with enthusiasm.

"It's too early. You just got back. Take a proper rest."

"No, I'm fine. I want to complete as many quests as possible to repay you."

I used my Appraisal Eye to check Roselia's health.

Indeed, her stamina, energy, and magic power were fully recovered.

She's still young, after all.

I took a quest scroll from my magic bag and handed it to her.

"A nearby town's guild has requested our support. A new dungeon has been discovered. I want you and your party to go there."

In our world, dungeons appear suddenly one day.

When a new dungeon is discovered, the nearby town's guild takes charge, dispatches an investigation team, and explores the inside.

"According to the vanguard, even in the shallow layers, there were A-rank monsters."

"I see... So it's our turn to step in."

Exploring shallow layers is one thing, but investigating deeper areas requires experienced adventurers.

"This is a request from a neighboring town's guild, and you just got back. It's fine to decline."

"No, I'll take it! It's a quest from my beloved Guild Master!"

Roselia said with determination.

"The main goal is to investigate the inside. I'll prepare the necessary supplies, but if you encounter the dungeon's master, absolutely do not approach."

"Yes, I understand. A high-level dungeon's master is a high-level monster. I know the risks of going in unprepared."

Roselia has been an adventurer for a long time.

She wouldn't act rashly and enter the dungeon's master's room.

...Or so I thought.

★

A few days after Roselia left to investigate the dungeon, this happened.

"Please! Help Master!"

The wind fairy Mizari had returned to the guild hall.

"What happened? What's going on?"

Summarizing the situation:

- Roselia's expedition team went to investigate the dungeon.

- They discovered the dungeon master's room.

- Mizari entered the room on her own.

- They are now struggling against a powerful boss monster.

- Mizari used magic to call for help from outside.

"Wind fairies can use the magic [Omnipresence]."

Omnipresence is essentially a cloning spell.

It creates a duplicate of oneself that can be controlled remotely.

The one calling for help is a clone, while the original is still underground.

"...Master tried to stop me from going back, but I thought it would be fine and entered... and there was a huge, powerful monster I've never seen before..."

Mizari, tears streaming down her face.

Perhaps she was overconfident and didn't use the clone to scout first.

"I know it's a selfish request, but please! Help Master, who's trapped underground..."

The guild members who overheard nodded in agreement.

"Alright, I understand!"

"Let's go! We help each other when a guild member is in trouble!"

"That's what we, the Raw Gems, are all about!"

Encouraged by the guild members, I said,

"No. I can't allow it."

"What...? Why!?"

"Even Roselia, the guild's strongest, is struggling with the boss. Can you defeat it?"

"Um, that..."

The Raw Gems members are not low-level, but compared to the guild's top, Roselia, they are several levels behind.

The danger level of the new dungeon and the strength of the dungeon master are unknown.

"I can't send you there and risk losing many lives."

"Then, are you going to abandon Master! That's terrible! For a Guild Master, that's the worst!"

Mizari glared at me, tears streaming down her face.

"Frederica"

"The preparations are complete."

The maid Frederica appeared silently in front of me, carrying a backpack.

"Mizari, let's go."

"What? What? What do you mean?"

The confused fairy was reassured by the guild members.

"Don't worry, Mizari! Our reliable boss will save Roselia-sama!"

Mizari looked at me, wide-eyed.

"But... but... you said you were going to abandon Master..."

"I never said that. Let's go."

I turned and left the guild hall with Frederica.

"Why... are you helping? I said such mean things to you..."

"Don't get the wrong idea. It's not for you."

Roselia is a crucial part of our team, and losing her would be a significant loss.

"Even though she took the quest, the responsibility for choosing is mine. Besides, it's too early to let her go."

"...I appreciate it, but what can you do even if you go?"

Frederica shook her head and said,

"You will see. Our Guild Master is not just compassionate."

【To the Readers】

If you find this interesting and want to know what happens next, please support us by clicking the stars below or bookmarking the story!