Chapter 6

We arrived at the town below the Ristoria Kingdom Castle in about three hours.

Since it was still before noon, the shopping district was particularly noisy.

"Hey... isn't that person—"

"Isn't she the Silver Princess? Wow... she's beautiful."

"Who's the guy next to her?"

As I walked through the shopping district with Lei, various people directed their gazes at us.

Sure enough, being a celebrity has its perks.

However, it's quite tough to be the center of attention as well.

I could even hear various speculations, which made me feel quite uncomfortable.

"Sorry, being with me makes us quite noticeable."

"…There’s nothing we can do about that. It's not Lei's fault. Still, you're really famous."

"It's just the S-rank. There are so few of us, that's why we get so much attention."

I'm not very familiar with the adventurer situation, but apparently, S-rank adventurers are so rare that there might be only one in a thousand.

To reach A-rank, one needs to achieve a level of merit that earns a commendation from the country.

Once you reach that level, you could be considered a national treasure.

"Like taking down a dragon so easily... I can see why you're so admired."

"Yup, it feels good to be praised."

I didn't mention that her appearance is unimaginable—decided to keep that to myself.

"That building right there is the Adventurer's Guild. I forgot to mention this, but it's better to take off your armor before entering."

"Why?"

"Some adventurers don't like knights. Knights often treat adventurers as enemies. So it's better to take it off to avoid trouble."

"…I see."

I remember Bram and my colleagues often referring to "adventurers."

Adventurers are people who take on requests from others to earn money.

Some, like Lei, take on monster hunting requests, while others handle dungeon exploration or herb gathering.

But generally, most of their work involves hunting monsters, which makes many knights feel like they're losing their jobs.

To me, it's all about gratitude to have people taking on such dangerous tasks.

I avoided the crowd and took off my armor.

Now, the question is where to put it—

"You can put it in my bag. Don't worry about the capacity."

"Got it, thanks."

I pushed the armor into Lei's magic bag and stored it.

Despite the size of the dragon she had put in, the bag still had plenty of room.

"Let's go in."

Lei opened the door to the Adventurer's Guild.

The inside of the Adventurer's Guild was even noisier than the shopping district.

People were fighting, drinking during the day.

There's a lot of freedom here.

Adventurers... maybe I could register when I have more free time from housework.

"Whoa! It's Lei!"

"Welcome back, Lei!"

"You look beautiful today, Lady Lei!"

—What is this?

The moment we entered, all kinds of cheers were directed at Lei.

Even those who were fighting or drinking turned to her and spoke.

Honestly, I was scared.

What should I do? Maybe I should walk away.

"Hmm."

Lei, the subject of all this attention, briefly acknowledged the adventurers.

"Hmm"… I can't help but think her reaction is a bit too thin.

"Teo, this way."

"Ah, okay…"

Lei grabbed my hand, and I immediately realized this situation was not good.

"..."

The gazes of everyone around me were piercing.

If such a popular person brings an unknown man, everyone would be curious.

However, Lei didn't seem to care at all and led me to the counter where women were seated.

"Welcome back, Lei."

"Hmm. I completed the request. I want my reward."

It seems this is the reception area. Lei handed a card to the receptionist.

I remember it's called a Guild Card, used to check request statuses, confirm completed requests, and even store and withdraw money.

"Sure. It was the dragon hunting request, right? Do you have the materials?"

"Hmm. I'll get them out now."

Lei pointed at a slightly open part of her magic bag.

A severed dragon's head flew out.

The guild erupted in cheers again.

If I were seeing this for the first time, I might have been just as excited.

"And this..."

Two dragon arms flew out next.

Looking at them calmly, they were also enormous.

Thinking back to when I almost died, I felt a cold sweat run down my spine.

"They're bigger than I imagined..."

"Besides this, there's the body. I'll bring the scales later."

"Understood. I'll give you the reward and the value of the materials you have now."

The head and arms were collected by guild staff.

After a short evaluation, the receptionist returned with several documents.

"The evaluation results in a reward of 10 million G, plus the value of the materials is 30 million G. The total payment is 40 million G."

"Hmm, understood."

"Would you like to keep it in the guild's account as usual?"

"I want to withdraw 1 million G."

"Understood."

…Am I really living in the same world as Lei?

The unit of money is so different from what I'm used to.

As I mentioned, a low-ranking knight's salary is 200,000 G per month, which is enough to live on.

So, without any luxury, Lei's reward could sustain her for over sixteen years.

"Here is 1 million G."

"Thank you."

Lei, who received a bag presumably full of gold coins, pulled me away from the reception.

Every time Lei grabs my hand and leads me, the gazes from around become even more suspicious.

"Here."

"Huh?"

Suddenly, Lei thrust a bag full of gold coins at me.

For a moment, I didn't understand what was happening and became flustered.

"Salary. Advance payment."

"Y-You... are you really giving this to me here?"

"I'm forgetful. So I want to give it to you early."

The heavy bag was placed in my hand.

I've never held such a large sum of money and almost dropped the bag in my awkwardness.

On the other hand, Lei seemed to think it was just like giving pocket money.

She looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"I'll pay you at the beginning of each month. If you want more, let me know. And if you run out, just tell me, and I'll give you more."

"Isn't this too luxurious...?"

"Since you're living with me, I want you to be as spoiled as possible. I don't want Teo to be uncomfortable."

"Ugh..."

I feel incredibly pampered.

It's nice to hear this, but it makes me feel guilty about being spoiled.

I'll save the salary and work hard.

I reaffirmed this to myself.

"Hey... living together...?"

"Eh?! So... is he Lei's lover...!?"

—Crap.

Because we were talking here, a few people around us heard.

I quickly tried to deny it and looked at the adventurers.

"…That's not acceptable."

A man pushed through the crowd.

He looked like a swordsman, with a high-quality armor and sword.

He was tall and had a handsome face, giving off an impression of both strength and character.

"Alvin, it's been a while."

"It's been a while, Lei. Congratulations on the dragon hunt."

"Hmm."

The man called Alvin approached Lei and bowed slightly.

He then directed a displeased gaze at me, only with his eyes, which felt quite unpleasant.

"Teo, this is Alvin Bruno. A member of my family."

"Ah, I remember. A family is—"

Adventurers form groups called families to take on high-difficulty requests.

Some requests can't be taken on alone, so they tackle them as a family.

"Lei, who is this guy?"

"His name is Teo. He will be living with me from now on."

"…I don't understand."

Alvin muttered and suddenly reached out his arm towards me—.

※Note

I received feedback that 3% was too high, so I changed the description to "one in a thousand."