“Raaaaargh!”
The roar of a monster—an orc—echoed through the forest. The creature’s filthy, massive body was barely covered, exposing a distended, unhealthy belly. In one hand, it wielded a giant club, a weapon that had claimed many victims.
The orc had been wandering the forest in search of prey when it stumbled upon a group of five humans. Seeing that only one of them was an adult while the other four were children, it attacked without hesitation, disregarding the possibility that they might be adventurers.
“Yaaaaaah!”
The orc’s mighty club was skillfully deflected by one of the children, a red-haired boy. The weapon struck the ground forcefully, causing the orc’s hand to go numb.
“Lucika!”
“Yes!”
At the call of the boy who had deflected the attack, a girl with long red hair, similar in appearance to the boy, dashed toward the orc. Despite their resemblance, Lucika did not appear boyish; rather, the boy had a more androgynous look. Lucika was small and slender, hardly looking like an adventurer.
“Take this!”
“Raaaaargh?!”
Lucika’s movements were those of a seasoned adventurer. She swung her sword, slicing through the orc’s thick leg as she passed by. Although the cut wasn’t deep enough to sever the tendon, the unexpected sharp pain made the orc scream.
“Rooooooar!”
The orc, enraged, glared at Lucika and raised its club to strike her. Despite the looming threat, Lucika showed no fear. She trusted that her reliable companions would come to her aid.
“Ild!”
“Got it!”
Just as Lucika had anticipated, the boy’s voice rang out. He called out the name of the only adult in their five-member party. With just that call, Ild understood what was required of him and immediately cast his signature spell.
“Grrr…?”
The orc’s movements, which had been aimed at striking Lucika with its club, suddenly slowed. It seemed to lose sight of her, even though it had been about to attack her in a fit of rage. Of course, Lucika hadn’t moved from her spot, so there was no reason for the orc to lose track of her. This anomaly was the result of Ild’s illusion magic. The orc’s senses, which it normally relied on, were now being manipulated by Ild.
“Lucika, now!” Ild called out.
“Got it! Thank you, Ild!” Lucika replied, shaking her red hair as she darted away from the orc.
As she moved aside, the boy took her place and charged at the orc.
“Yaaaaaah!”
With a spirited shout, he slashed at the immobilized orc. Aiming for the creature’s neck—since the fat-laden belly wouldn’t take much damage from his sword—the boy delivered a precise strike, successfully decapitating the orc.
“That was amazing!”
Seeing the fallen orc, the two remaining members of the party, who hadn’t participated in the battle, rushed over to the boy and girl. One of them, a child about the same age as the boy, looked at him with sparkling eyes.
“Lucil, you’re incredible!”
“Hey!”
The girl, who hadn’t been involved in the fight, lightly smacked the boy’s head and puffed out her cheeks in admonishment.
“You have to call him ‘guildmaster’!”
“No, it’s fine,” Lucil said with a sheepish smile, feeling a bit embarrassed at being called guildmaster.
✦ ✦ ✦
In the end, Lucil’s guild did not dissolve. After losing Apollo, Ligg, and Pelorro, Lucil and Lucika couldn’t meet the minimum requirement of five members to maintain their guild. Even with the powerful illusionist Ild joining and boosting their strength, it wouldn’t mean anything if they didn’t fulfill the basic requirements. Typically, adventurers from disbanded guilds would join other guilds, but Lucil and Lucika had no intention of leaving. This guild was a precious memory of their time with Apollo and their family, irreplaceable by any other.
The fact remained that they didn’t meet the guild requirements though. They were deeply troubled about what to do until the solution came unexpectedly. They rescued two children from a monster attack outside the town, and those children expressed a desire to join their guild. These two were the same boy and girl who had been watching Lucil and the others fight the orc earlier. They were still novices as adventurers, and seeing the battle up close had inspired them.
“Lucika-san, you were amazing out there!”
“Uh, thanks,” Lucika replied, a bit overwhelmed as the girl, who was around her age, jumped up and down in excitement. Lucika wasn’t used to such reactions and felt a bit uncomfortable. Despite being the same age, the girl greatly admired Lucika for her strength and always praised her effusively. Lucil thought it was about time Lucika got used to the attention.
“The real hero here is Master! I’ve never seen anyone take down an orc so cleanly!”
“I told you to stop that!” Lucil, blushing, tried to quiet the boy who was innocently praising him. Though he was embarrassed, he appreciated being recognized for his skills and enjoyed the praise.
However, Lucil found it difficult to accept being called Master.
“You’ve been the Guild Master for a while now, so you should be used to it by now…” Ild remarked.
“Shut up!”
“Ouch?!”
Lucil, irritated by Ild echoing his own thoughts about Lucika, kicked him in the butt. It was one thing to think it himself, but hearing it from someone else was different.
“I really don’t think I’m cut out to be a guildmaster…” Lucil muttered, unusually pessimistic for his typically strong-willed personality.
In his mind, there were two guildmasters. One was the former master of their guild, Apollo. Despite his bad drinking habits, Apollo cared deeply for the guild members, treating them like family. Lucil had even looked up to Apollo as a father figure at times.
The other was the master of the dark guild, Yerkchira the Messianic Legion. This man had helped them break the curse placed on Lucika, demonstrating an overwhelming strength that easily subdued Luscelt, the guildmaster of Heinichen.
Both were very different, yet both were fitting guildmasters. Apollo had the kindness to cherish his guild members, while the Master had the strength to protect them. These were qualities Lucil felt he lacked, especially since he had endangered his guild members for Lucika’s sake and couldn’t stand up to Luscelt.
“Big brother, are you worried?” Lucika asked, her smile mischievous.
“I-I’m not worried at all!” Lucil quickly denied, but Lucika, being his sister, easily saw through him. She gave him a gentle smile.
“You might not be as great as Doctor, but you’re doing your best,” she said.
“O-Oh…”
Lucil couldn’t tell if he was being encouraged or insulted.
“Sigh… Doctor…”
Lucika let out a sigh filled with emotion, almost as if she were feverish. Ever since the Master had saved her, her behavior had been peculiar. It was natural to feel grateful for being saved, but her actions and words now resembled those of a dangerously infatuated young girl. She had cried, blaming herself for Apollo and the others’ deaths, but as she began to recover, her behavior took this odd turn. It seemed to have started after she drank the Elixir from the large flower worn by one of Master’s guild members, a little girl named Laladie.
“Leaving Lucika aside, I think you’re doing well, Lucil,” Ild said.
Lucil looked at the illusion magic user, who had joined their ranks after the incident. Initially, he harbored anger and resentment toward Ild for being part of Heinichen. However, as they worked together, Lucil came to understand Ild’s true nature and overcame those feelings. Now, Ild supported Lucil as the guildmaster and often took on the role of managing the four often unruly children.
“That’s right! I look up to you, Lucil!” the boy said, his eyes sparkling.
“Master might not be as amazing as Lucika-san, but he’s still great,” the girl added, though her comment included an unnecessary comparison.
“You guys…”
Hearing their words made Lucil rethink his doubts. It wasn’t about whether he could or couldn’t do it; he had to do it. He couldn’t let the guild, which bore the legacy of Apollo, Ligg, and Pelorro, disappear. He had to work hard to ensure they could smile down on him from the afterlife.
“All right! We’re going to make this guild so great that we can catch up to the Master and his guild someday!”
“Yeah!”
Lucil raised his fist, and Lucika and the others followed suit, raising theirs in unison. Lucil’s guild was embarking on a new beginning.
“Well, that might be a bit difficult,” Ild muttered, but his words didn’t reach the enthusiastic children.