“Please, you’ve got to help us!”
The party’s leader, Lucil, bowed deeply.
Help them?
I sized up his party carefully. None of them were visibly injured, which meant this wasn’t a plea for healing. That was the only kind of support I could possibly imagine one party asking another for in the field. I would have to ask them more about their exact situation.
“We refuse,” Soulgros announced, cutting me off. I wasn’t expecting her to be so blunt with them. “The obscurity of thy plea aside, that is not how you ask a man as powerful as my lord. Do not return until thou hast paid for thy insolence with thy lives.”
I had asked my guildmates not to call me Master on the grounds that my identity as a dark guild’s master may be revealed, but “my lord” grated on my ears all the same. Lucil and his companions were likewise flustered by her words. I didn’t mind that, of course—Lucil himself was a good deal shorter than Yuuto, and I assumed he was still a child, or at least a race that aged differently from humans.
I told Soulgros there was no harm in at least hearing them out, as long as she didn’t mind.
“Should thou insist, my lord, I shall not defy thee.”
Her expression was masklike as she stepped behind me to the side once more. I noticed that she was poised to react should anything untoward happen. While I seriously doubted the strangers meant any harm, I appreciated her vigilance.
“Well?” Soulgros urged. “State thy business.”
At that, I noticed the party glance about uneasily. Only after ensuring we were alone did they begin to speak in hushed voices.
“Anyone could be listening to us here,” Lucil whispered. “Come on back to our guild, we’ll talk there.”
Soulgros’s gaze hardened. “Watch thy tone, child.”
Her hostility aside, I wasn’t keen on following an unknown guild into the heart of their base.
“Whatever business thou hast with my lord’s power,” Soulgros continued, “we would be loath to follow strangers such as yourselves anywhere.”
Until we knew what they were after, we wouldn’t be following them anywhere. I wasn’t about to run the risk of an ambush, even if the group didn’t seem the type at first blush. Being dark guild members made us especially appealing targets, as the law would do nothing to cover for us should the worst come to pass.
“Y-You’ve got it all wrong!” Lucil pleaded. “We just—”
“Lucil.”
The oldest member of their party laid a hand on the youth’s shoulder and shook his head firmly. The latest exchange had not only him but the other two guildsmen fidgeting uneasily, eager to leave. Before they could talk him down, Lucil shrugged off his guildmate.
“No, you have to—er, please! I’m begging you, at least hear us out!”
Then, Lucil dropped to his knees and bowed so deeply that I could hear the dull thud of his forehead hitting the mud.
“L-Lucil?!” his companions cried.
I began to question the boy’s sanity in earnest.
“No,” Soulgros gasped. “Could it be?!”
Something about her reaction was too grave to ignore, and I hurriedly asked her what was amiss.
“Look, my lord, he hath prostrated himself! The technique originated in the Far East as a means of showing utmost humility. While I knew it existed, never did I think I would meet a user!” She furrowed her brow as she stared down at the boy.
I wasn’t sure it was worth all that—and more importantly, I’d assume her ninja-inspired garb spoke to origins in the East. Either way, it made the boy that much harder to turn away.
“Thou must remain cautious,” Soulgros added with a sidelong look. “Something is amiss.”
That was obvious. He hadn’t dispelled any suspicion from himself yet, especially since he hadn’t breathed so much as a word about his objective. They could easily be a gray guild of brigands. Something about his manner, however, told me that wasn’t the case, and finally I conceded.
“Really? You’ll come with us?!”
All four adventurers seemed beside themselves with glee, though Lucil was clearly the happiest from his place in the muck. The glee in his eyes had a distinctly childish quality to it.
I smiled a little to myself. Not too long ago, I would have prioritized my guildmates’ wellbeing above all else and gladly abandoned the boy at any hint of danger to Soulgros. Yuuto’s determination to bring happiness to all must have rubbed off on me somehow.
Soulgros shot me a stern look. “My lord…”
It was odd seeing her so clearly since she spent so much time in the shadows, but I assured her it would be fine. Should any danger arise, I would protect her at any cost.
“M-My lord!”
It would be fine; I was sure of it. I could simply send her back to the guild should the need arise. In fact, I was already starting to worry about her—tears were welling in her eyes, and even through her face scarf I could tell her mouth was open and she was panting desperately. She clung to my arm, grasping it tightly as if to prevent me from moving.
“M-My lord,” she breathed in my ear. “I am unable to contain myself any longer.”
I had no idea what that meant.
“Hey!” Lucil called from the path ahead, waving to get our attention. “You coming or not?”
“Damn!” Soulgros swore under her breath. “If not for them, I would surely have pushed Master down by now!”
That didn’t make much sense to me, but at the moment, we had something far more pressing to deal with.