I’d learned how to use my left hand for jobs in the past, so I didn’t have trouble adjusting to guild work with one arm. The only issue was that I couldn’t hold as many documents.
“Mr. Roland, would you like help eating?” Milia asked every time lunch rolled around.
“No, thank you. I should be able to manage with my left hand. Thank you for your concern.”
“R-really?” Milia looked somewhat disappointed.
The Welger Company and a Felind aristocrat named Barbatos Guerrera had conspired to take over the Duchy of Bardenhawk. They had supported each other while the Welger Company attempted to take control of the duchy and Barbatos schemed to overthrow Felind.
Though I managed to foil their plans, when I looked further into the plot, I found that Barbatos had determined Almelia, the hero of Felind, would be his greatest opponent. Amy, the woman who trained me to be an assassin, took a job from Barbatos to kill Almelia, the symbol of peace. Her death would’ve thrown the world into chaos. Knowing this, I went to great lengths to stop Amy. Fortunately, risking my life by challenging her proved worthwhile. Losing an arm to stop her was a comparatively small sacrifice.
However, this gave rise to another incident. The collar holding back Rila’s mana broke. Luckily, despite her being the demon lord, her mana didn’t have a negative effect on normal humans, so Rila was able to continue living with me.
Unfortunately, her freed mana would likely attract other demons who sought to use her power. We needed to mend the collar quickly.
Despite all the behind-the-scenes complications, the true reason I went to Bardenhawk—the broadscale quest—concluded without issue. The adventurers who came along to tackle the other country’s quests and the guild personnel I selected were compensated for their efforts. The adventurers received an amount that fit their achievements in Bardenhawk, and the employees received equal preset payments.
Neal and his young friend Roger returned and were doing well, but many other adventurers stayed behind. Some were Bardenhawk natives, while others found purpose in assisting the nation rebuild. Some even fell in love while abroad. It seemed they’d all found their place and were starting their own lives there.
When Dey and Ravi stopped by the guild, I realized I hadn’t told them what happened to my arm.
My physical state surprised Dey, but she spoke with a joking tone. “My oh my—if you’d died, we could have lived together forever as undead partners.”
She cast me a seductive look, and I replied with a strained grin.
“And who would perform the necromancy spell for me?”
“That’s obvious, isn’t it? Lord Rileyla.”
It was a risky idea, to say the least, but Dey didn’t look particularly serious.
I really couldn’t tell how much of it was a joke, though.
“Roland…is my teacher a bad person?”
Amy was the one who had taught Ravi how to use her skill.
“She’s not,” I said. “But her interests and work have collided in an unfortunate way.”
Amy should have backed off the moment her client Barbatos died. Instead, she pursued Almelia anyway. I could only imagine she was spurred on by curiosity and a personal interest in testing herself against a powerful opponent.
She’d been an assassin for much longer than me. Perhaps she’d grown bored of the job’s routines. I might have ended up the same way had I continued on that path.
“So she’s stronger than the hero…,” Ravi said.
“But Master Roland was sooo much stronger than her,” Dey interjected.
“You’re right!” Ravi looked at me, eyes glittering with surprise and respect. She almost seemed like Dey’s younger sister.
“Dey, I’d like to fix Rila’s collar. Do you have any leads?”
“Riiight…” She stared into the air as though in contemplation. “Maybe… Nope, I’ve got nothing. May I visit to take a peek at the item in question?”
“Yes. I’d appreciate it.”
“Oh, Master Roland. I can’t believe you’d collar her… You’re such a sadist… You send shivers down my spine…”
Ravi tilted her head, puzzled, when she saw Dey shudder.
“What does that mean? What’s a sadist?”
“You don’t need to know.”
“I’d like you to collar and do horrid things to me, too…,” Dey whispered, looking positively enraptured as she let out a sigh.
Ravi looked between us and held up both her arms.
“Roland! You can’t do anything mean to Dey!”
“Just keep your nose out of this, kiddo. You’re throwing a wrench into what we’ve got going,” Dey said.
I exhaled quietly to myself. “Rila said it’s fine to collar her.”
“Oh my, my, my…! Oh my! What will I do with Lord Rileyla now…? She’s all grown up. I sooo look forward to seeing her.” Dey smiled ominously, stood, and did an about-face. She seemed in curiously high spirits.
If I remembered correctly, Roje was coming by today. I hoped they wouldn’t fight.
As we watched Dey leave the guild, Ravi asked, “What does Dey do during the night?”
“She fulfills quests.”
“I know that much…”
“When someone is assigned to protect an important person, they naturally have to watch them at all hours, which is pretty exhausting. Dey is well suited to taking over the night shifts, and the daytime bodyguards can rest easy knowing she’s on the job.”
“She usually leaves after we eat dinner and then is in the bed next to mine by the time I wake up in the morning…”
Dey’s jobs could get complicated, so she probably kept the details from Ravi.
“Dey is a rare one. I feel relieved to know someone like you is around to protect her during the day.”
“W-was that praise?!”
“For your skill, yes,” I replied.
“Meanie.” Ravi stuck out her tongue at me.
“Did you want to see Amy…? I mean, your teacher?”
“I’m not sure. I do, but she probably doesn’t remember me…”
“I see.”
The same person taught Ravi and me how to fight. In a sense, we were like schoolmates. I didn’t know how long Ravi had been Amy’s pupil, but there was a chance our teacher only stuck around as long as necessary to copy Ravi’s useful skill.
A whole two months had passed since our fight, and Amy still showed no signs of waking.
“I’ll let you know if anything changes,” I said.
Ravi nodded. “Sure, thank you.”
“Dey received her reward for the broadscale quest, so she should be set for a while. What about you?”
“Well, I… My skill is what it is, so I can’t work alone…”
Although Ravi paired up with Dey on jobs, each one was recorded as Dey’s success, so Ravi was still an E-rank adventurer.
Force Field was a handy ability, but Ravi undoubtedly felt uneasy operating alone, knowing that creating barriers was all she could do. She protected Dey, but in a sense, Dey protected her, too.