Chapter 47
The kind of “cooperative relationship” I wanted was simple mutual aid.
I would lend my abilities to the Veratis Guild, and in return, the Veratis Guild would provide me with force or financial support.
It benefited both sides. A fair trade.
If there was one thing that nagged at me, though…
“Hmm…”
Dante let out a low hum, stroking his chin as he spoke.
“Our guild belongs to the Grastea Empire. You already know that, I assume.”
“Yes. I heard from Lycian.”
“The Grastea Empire tends to leave guild affairs alone. Even if your abilities come to light someday, the imperial family won’t interfere. They’ll be interested, of course—but that’s all.”
I met Dante’s gaze and nodded silently.
“Other kingdoms, on the other hand, will be more troublesome. And the Parakai Church—well, that goes without saying. Practitioners and priests from temples all over will flock to your residence, insisting on an audience with the Saintess.”
“……”
The image alone was horrifying.
And in a defenseless, single-story house without even a proper fence like mine… even more so.
‘I wasn’t planning to build up fame just to upgrade the house….’
But if it meant living somewhere safer, maybe an upgrade really was necessary.
“What you want,” Dante continued, “is for our guild’s Rankers to keep those people in check.”
“Exactly….”
“Mm. But actually, about that.”
“…?”
For some reason, Dante trailed off and shot a glance at Lycian.
Lycian stared back at him expressionlessly. Then our eyes met, and he softened, smiling gently.
Dante clicked his tongue at the sight and continued smoothly.
“Unless some eight-meter-tall giant comes charging in, Lycian can handle it all himself. Actually, even if a giant did show up, he’d probably take care of that too.”
“……”
It didn’t sound like an exaggeration. Honestly, I believed it.
That overwhelming martial prowess of his—was it the result of relentless effort? Or something innate, like bloodline or talent?
“So in truth, our guild members wouldn’t even need to step in. However… we can assist you in other ways.”
“…!”
I caught the affirmative signal in Dante’s kind gaze.
Bringing up my background earlier—he must have been testing what kind of person I was.
‘This is going surprisingly smoothly.’
I couldn’t hide my delight; a bright smile spread across my face.
Dante leaned forward slightly in response, the corner of his lips curving up.
“Miss Muriel.”
“Yes, Mr. Dante.”
“To be honest, our guild doesn’t do external partnerships. There are far too many trashy nobles out there. Not paying their dues and the like—it’s happened more than once.”
“Huh? Then…?”
I fidgeted nervously with my hands. Dante’s eyes flicked down to them, and his smile deepened.
“The solution for ‘us’ to cooperate is simple. Miss Muriel—join the Veratis Guild. Become one of us.”
So what happened?
To cut straight to the point—
“Welcome party for our newest guild member!”
“Woooo!!”
“Miss Muriel! Congratulations on joining the guild!”
“I knew it would turn out like this. No way Dante would let talent like that slip away.”
The chatter came from all directions, loud and relentless.
As of today, I was officially a member of the Veratis Guild. My position—for now—was apothecary.
And Lycian had joined along with me. Though, judging by his expression, he wasn’t exactly thrilled about it. That kept tugging at my conscience.
“Miss Muriel! Here, here! Come sit over this way!”
“We had all this brought in from the best restaurant around here, so eat as much as you want!”
Well, since I was at my own welcome party, I put on a sociable smile befitting the occasion.
A long, wide table was laden with delicious food, and off to one side, someone was playing a lively tune on an instrument.
It looked something like a guitar. Or maybe a ukulele.
“So how old did you say you were?”
“Twenty-one.”
“Wow~ you’re young!”
“Is your hair naturally pink?”
“Oh, this… I actually dyed it….”
Questions poured in from every direction.
Everyone here watched me with unabashed curiosity.
A few even ventured into more sensitive territory.
“So are you really planning to divorce the Duke of Winterberg for good? You’re not going back to the Tierney family either?”
“Um, yes….”
“There was that fire in the Winterberg Castle greenhouse last September. Were you really the one who set it?”
“No….”
“Hey! Why would you ask that?”
“I’m curious….”
Well, I suppose it was natural to be curious.
I brushed it off easily enough.
At least until the next question nearly made me spit out the juice in my mouth.
“Unnie! Are you gonna marry Lycian-oppa?”
“Pff—”
Startled, I clamped a hand over my mouth and hastily swallowed.
But I swallowed too quickly and choked, coughing for a long moment.
Lycian, seated beside me, patted my back. Only after downing the entire glass of water he handed me did I finally calm down.
I stared at the source of the question in flustered disbelief.
The culprit looked no more than seven years old.
‘Why is there a kid in the guild…?!’
I wondered if she might be someone’s daughter and looked around expectantly for clarification—but no one stepped forward.
If she wasn’t a guild member’s child, then who on earth was she?
“Nikke, it’s rude to ask something like that out of the blue.”
Just then, someone wrapped an arm around the child’s shoulders and spoke.
She was a gentle-looking beauty with long brown hair cascading down to her waist.
Smiling softly at me, she explained,
“Nikke is a child under our protection. She’s… probably around seven. Nikke? You should say hello.”
‘So her name is Nikke.’
She had black hair and skin as white as snow.
The striking thing about her was her eyes—they were different colors.
Her right eye was a vivid blue, like the depths of the sea. Her left was jet black, like polished obsidian.
Nikke stared at me for a long moment. Then she grasped both sides of her skirt with her maple-leaf-like hands, bent one knee, and gave a graceful curtsy.
“Hello, I’m Nikke. I’m probably seven!”
“Mm. My name’s Muriel.”
“I know!”
I let out a soft laugh and ruffled her hair before asking,
“Who taught you to greet people like that?”
“I just know?”
“…?”
Tilting her head, Nikke reached across the table, grabbed a cup, and took a long gulp of juice.
“Ahh. So refreshing.”
“……”
She is seven, right…?
‘Even the kids in an adventurer guild are full of personality…!’
I was introduced to many others after that.
There were about twenty members in the Veratis Guild—surprisingly few for a top-tier guild.
An elite unit, I suppose.
Out of them, about six left particularly strong impressions.
First, the Guild Master—Dante Veratis.
“You know that gambling den where the Guild Master lost 900 rubels the other day? I heard someone blew it up at dawn today….”
“Gambling…? Who said gambling?!”
He seemed perfectly normal most of the time, but the moment gambling was mentioned, his eyes went wild.
This was not a man who should ever play a game with probability-based items.
“Come on, Guild Master! Why are you being so picky even at a party like this? Just eat!”
“No. It’s dirty….”
As if that weren’t enough, he was also a germaphobe.
Refusing snacks that someone else had touched, Dante was subtly avoiding a plate when someone suddenly appeared in front of him.
It was none other than Nikke.
The child picked up a snack in her small hand—and ruthlessly shoved it into Dante’s mouth.
“…! Mmph—! Mmph, mmph!”
“Guild Master Oppa! You can’t be a picky eater!”
“I’m not picky—ugh!!”
Watching it all unfold, I genuinely couldn’t tell whether this was a guild banquet or a sitcom.
“Miss Muriel, try this too. It’s really good.”
The next memorable person was Allen Moore, whom I’d grown fairly close to.
Among this crowd of strong personalities, Allen was relatively normal.
Light brown hair like milk tea, and fresh green eyes like newly sprouted leaves.
With his gentle, puppy-like features and ever-present smile, he was healing just to look at.
Normal as he seemed, Allen’s influence within the guild was immense.
Everyone readily accepted his words, and even the rougher members quieted down the moment he stepped in.
‘How should I put it….’
He felt like a mom.
“……”
I’d never had one, so I couldn’t say for sure.
But if something like an ‘ideal mother’ existed, wouldn’t it feel like that?
I tasted the food Allen had placed on my plate when someone suddenly dropped into the seat on my left.
It had been Dante’s seat. Apparently, they’d claimed it while he was away.
‘Who is it?’
I turned my head—and recognized her.
Daphne Winzel.
“Miss Muriel, can you drink?”
She grinned, and her rose-colored eyes gleamed with a dangerous sort of sparkle.