Chapter 50

As the man suddenly placed his hand on my shoulder and declared himself a companion, Narsena's eyes widened in surprise.

"…Big brother?"

And in the next moment, she directed a gaze at me, unhidden in her questioning, as if asking me to explain what had happened.

…But it was I who wanted an explanation.

In my memory, there was no acquaintance with such a voice, and I had no companions other than Narsena. In other words, I had no idea who this man was.

If I thought about it normally, this man was probably lying, but I couldn't understand why he would lie in this situation, or why he had appeared here in the first place.

Considering the situation, this man, who seemed to be trying to separate Narsena from me, might be on our side. However, even if our party gained a male member, there was no way the guild staff, including Narsena, would give up on us. Therefore, if this man was trying to help us, it would be futile to call us companions.

That's why, with a sense of doubt about why he had suddenly called out to us, I turned around.

"───!"

…And it was then that I realized the abnormality of the man who had called out to me.

The man in front of me had a robust build and a well-defined face. While the bodies of front-line adventurers are often strong, his body was a size larger and would surely attract attention. However, that was trivial to me.

…What had captured my attention was the sense of intimidation I felt from the man.

That sense of intimidation reminded me of Ronaldo, the top-class warrior who had trained me. I realized that the man's sense of intimidation was of the same quality as the one I remembered from Ronaldo.

"Guild's direct adventurer… sir…"

"……Huh?"

…The fact that he was a direct adventurer momentarily stunned me, and it was Narsena's words, her face tense, that brought me back to my senses.

A direct adventurer is said to be the closest to a top-class adventurer among the best adventurers. Unlike exclusive adventurers, direct adventurers can be recognized even without forming a party, and their treatment is incomparable to that of exclusive adventurers. Generally, they are considered to be above exclusive adventurers.

I was surprised that such an adventurer was in the guild of the labyrinth city. At the same time, I understood that it was because he was a direct adventurer that he possessed such power.

"As a direct adventurer, my movements would be hindered if I were made an exclusive adventurer."

Despite the sudden turn of events, I had realized that the man was trying to help me.

A direct adventurer is said to have authority on par with a branch manager. Of course, in the labyrinth city, which has independent authority from the guild headquarters, he wouldn't have that much power. Still, a mere guild staff member like Narsena wouldn't be able to talk back to him. He was using his position to intimidate Narsena and the other guild staff.

To stay away from me.

"But, I…"

However, even after receiving that warning, Narsena spoke up. It was clear that she hadn't given up on me, and she spoke to the man.

"Do you have a complaint?"

"! No… no…"

But Narsena's words were cut off by that one sentence. There was a sense of irritation in his voice, and Narsena's face turned pale. I realized that she wouldn't be able to talk back to the man any further.

…And no guild staff member tried to speak to me after seeing Narsena's state. Some people directed resentful gazes at me, but no one tried to cause trouble with me, who was being protected by the man.

"Come on, let's go."

After confirming this, the man smiled at me and Narsena and said so.

"Um…"

Narsena's face showed confusion at the man's words. She wasn't unaware that the man had helped us, but she still had many questions about his sudden appearance.

"Narsena, let's just follow for now."

"Yes…"

But I stopped Narsena. It wasn't the time to ask questions yet. And so, at the man's urging, I left the guild…

◇◆◇

"I think I caused confusion by suddenly acting like a companion without saying anything. I'm sorry."

The man, a direct adventurer of the guild, bowed his head in apology when we reached a place out of sight after leaving the guild.

"No, no! Don't worry about it!"

"That's right!"

His actions were completely unexpected, and both Narsena and I were flustered. We tried our best to convey to the man that we didn't mind at all. Honestly, I had some questions about why a direct adventurer of the guild had helped us, but I didn't want him to apologize at all.

"I want to thank you!"

"I'm glad you say that."

The man raised his head with a relieved look after I told him that.

"I thought it was the best way, but it was a bit forceful…"

It seemed the man was more concerned about pretending to be a companion than I had imagined. Indeed, I had been sensitive to forceful party invitations from other adventurers, so I was quite surprised when he called us companions. However, I had no bad feelings towards the man. On the contrary, I was grateful.

"No, I really appreciate you taking me away at that time."

"Thank you so much! I don't think we could have escaped from the guild staff on our own…"

So, Narsena and I expressed our gratitude to dispel the man's concerns.

"That's good to hear. But there's no need for thanks."

The man smiled, a bit embarrassed. However, he didn't accept our gratitude.

"It's only natural for a senior disciple to help a junior disciple, right?"

"…Huh?"

"…What?"

…And in the next moment, Narsena and I were stunned by the man's words.

I had realized that there must be a reason for the man to go to such lengths to help us. But I never imagined that a senior disciple would suddenly appear.

However, a part of me was also convinced. After all, the reason I had felt the same sense of intimidation from the man as I had from Ronaldo was now clear. And when I thought of this, a name came to mind. It was the name of the disciple whom Ronaldo had praised as the most skilled among his many disciples.

"Zig, sir?"

The next moment, I timidly called out the name, and the man, now known as Zig, smiled and nodded.

"Yes, nice to meet you."

That was the first meeting between me and my senior disciple, Zig.

◇◆◇

After that, Zig and we moved to a café in the city to talk. During the move, Zig explained various things, including why he had recognized us as junior disciples.

It seemed that Zig had visited the labyrinth city with his master and had heard our names and characteristics during the journey. And then, when we became famous, Zig had come to know us unilaterally.

…Incidentally, when asked why he had come with his master, Zig only smiled in a troubled way and didn't answer.

It seemed to be a topic that shouldn't be discussed. I had noticed that the master had been doing something with the guild of the labyrinth city regarding the disaster wolf, but it might be more serious than I had imagined. In this case, offering our help might only complicate matters.

"…If that's the case, it's probably best not to get involved."

I made this judgment and muttered it in the café.

Actually, before we arrived at the café, Narsena and I had discussed and concluded that we needed to do something to thank Zig. That's why I was now thinking about how to thank Zig while drinking tea in the café.

…But I had no ideas other than offering to help with his current task, which I had just learned I couldn't do. It was our first meeting, and there was not enough material to think about what to do.

"Zig, sir, I want to do something to thank you…"

After a while, I gave up on coming up with a way to help on my own and spoke to Zig.

"Yes! Anything would be fine… though I might not have time for the next few days."

And Narsena, seemingly unable to come up with anything either, joined in, speaking to Zig.

"No, you don't need to worry about it… but I'm sorry. Is it okay if I ask you for a favor? As a formal request."

In response to our words, Zig added, with a somewhat awkward expression.

"I want to form a temporary party with you two."

"……Huh?"

"Temporary… party?"

The next moment, Narsena and I were taken aback by Zig's words. A temporary party, meaning Zig wanted to tackle a quest with us temporarily. But for a person of Zig's caliber to form a temporary party, what kind of quest could it be? I was momentarily confused.

"!"

But I understood the reason for Zig's request when I recalled a certain request.

If we were going to face that monster, it made sense for Zig to be extra cautious. It was the high-difficulty monster that had appeared in the lower levels of the labyrinth, which Narsena and I were planning to tackle soon.

"I want your help in defeating the Phoenix."

Upon hearing Zig's words, Narsena and I understood that our targets were the same, and we were speechless.