Chapter 47 ….
The kind of “cooperative relationship” I wanted was a form of mutual aid.
I would provide my abilities to the Veratis Guild, and in return, the Veratis Guild would offer me military strength or financial support.
It was beneficial to both sides—a good arrangement.
There was just one thing that bothered me…
“Hmm…”
Dante let out a low hum as he stroked his chin.
“Our guild belongs to the Grastea Empire. As you already know.”
“Yes, I heard from Rishian.”
“The Grastea Empire tends to allow guilds a fair amount of freedom. Even if your abilities become known in the future, Miss Muriel, the imperial family likely won’t interfere. They’ll take interest, of course.”
I met Dante’s eyes and silently nodded.
“But other kingdoms may be more troublesome. And the Parkai Church—well, that goes without saying. Practitioners and priests from temples all over will flock to your residence, insisting on meeting the Saint.”
“……”
Just imagining it was horrifying.
Especially since I was currently living in an unprotected, single-story house without even a proper fence.
‘I wasn’t planning on upgrading my house just to build up fame…’
But maybe I’d need to, if only for safety.
“What you want, Miss Muriel, is for our guild’s rankers to control those kinds of people for you.”
“That’s right…”
“Hmm. Well, actually, about that part…”
“…?”
For some reason, Dante trailed off and glanced sideways at Rishian.
Rishian stared back at him expressionlessly, but when his eyes met mine, they softened into a gentle smile.
Dante clicked his tongue at the sight before continuing smoothly.
“Unless a giant over eight meters tall comes charging in, Rishian will handle everything himself. No—actually, even if a giant did show up, he’d probably take care of it.”
“……”
It didn’t even sound exaggerated. If it were Rishian, it felt entirely possible.
Was his overwhelming martial prowess the result of effort? Or was it something innate—bloodline, talent, something like that?
“So in truth, there’s no real need for our other guild members to step in. However… we can assist you in other ways.”
“…!”
I read the affirmative signal in Dante’s kind gaze.
When he brought up my background earlier, he must have been testing the waters—trying to figure out what kind of person I was.
‘This conversation is going surprisingly smoothly.’
I couldn’t help smiling brightly, my delight showing plainly.
Dante leaned forward slightly and curled the corner of his lips up in return.
“Miss Muriel.”
“Yes, Mr. Dante.”
“To be honest, our guild does not engage in external partnerships. There are too many scoundrel nobles out there. Not paying their fees and the like—it’s happened more than once.”
“What? Then…?”
As I fidgeted nervously with my hands, Dante’s smile deepened at the sight.
“There’s a simple way for ‘us’ to cooperate. Miss Muriel—join the Veratis Guild. Become a guild member.”
And so, what happened?
To put it simply—
“A welcoming party for our new guild member!”
“Wooooo!!”
“Miss Muriel! Congratulations on joining the guild!”
“I knew this would happen! There’s no way Dante would let talent like this slip away.”
The loud chatter coming from all directions left me completely dazed.
As of today, I was officially a member of the Veratis Guild. My position—for now—was pharmacist.
Rishian had joined along with me, but he didn’t seem entirely pleased about it, and that worried me.
“Miss Muriel! Come, come! Sit over here!”
“We brought these dishes from the most famous restaurant around here—eat as much as you like!”
In any case, since I was attending my own welcoming party, I smiled sociably to match the mood.
The long, wide table was filled with delicious-looking food. In one corner, someone was playing a lively tune on what looked like a guitar or ukulele.
“So how old are you?”
“Twenty-one.”
“Wow~ You’re young!”
“Is your hair naturally pink?”
“Oh, this… I actually dyed it…”
Questions poured in from every direction.
Everyone at the table watched me with eyes full of curiosity.
Some of them asked rather sensitive questions.
“So are you really going to divorce the Duke of Winterberg? You’re not returning to the Terni family either?”
“Um, yes…”
“There was that fire in the Winterberg Castle greenhouse last September, right? Were you really the one who started it?”
“No…”
“Hey! Why would you ask something like that?”
“I’m just curious…”
Well, I suppose they could be curious.
I brushed it off calmly.
But the next question nearly made me spit out the juice in my mouth.
“Unnie! Are you going to marry Oppa Rishian?”
“Pff—!”
Startled, I hurriedly covered my mouth and swallowed the liquid.
But I’d swallowed too quickly and ended up choking, coughing for quite a while.
Rishian, who was seated beside me, patted my back. Only after drinking the full glass of water he handed me did I finally calm down.
I looked at the person who had asked the question with bewildered eyes.
It was a small child—no more than seven years old.
‘Why is there a kid in the guild?!’
Thinking she might be someone’s daughter, I glanced around for clarification—but no one stepped forward.
If she wasn’t a guild member’s child, then who was she?
“Nike, it’s rude to ask something like that out of the blue.”
Someone wrapped an arm gently around the child’s shoulders.
She was a beautiful woman with long brown hair cascading down to her waist and a warm, gentle impression.
She smiled softly at me and explained.
“Nike is a child under our protection. Her age is… around seven, I believe. Nike? You should greet her properly.”
‘So her name is Nike.’
She had black hair and skin as pale as snow.
The most unusual thing about her was her mismatched eyes.
Her right eye was a deep ocean blue, while her left was pitch-black like obsidian.
Nike stared at me intently, then grabbed both sides of her skirt with her maple-leaf-shaped hands, bent one knee, and greeted me elegantly.
“Hello, I’m Nike. I’m probably seven years old!”
“Yes, hello. My name is Muriel.”
“I know!”
I chuckled and gently patted her head.
“Who taught you to greet people like that?”
“I just know.”
“…?”
Tilting her head, Nike reached across the table, grabbed a cup, and gulped down some juice.
“Ahh. So refreshing.”
“……”
She really is seven… right?
‘Even the children in an adventurer guild are full of personality…!’
I was introduced to many others as well.
The Veratis Guild had about twenty members—rather few for a high-ranking guild.
Was that because they were an elite force?
In any case, about six people left particularly strong impressions on me.
First, the guild master—Dante Veratis.
“Hey, wasn’t that gambling den where the Guild Master lost 900 rubels blown up at dawn today?”
“Gambling…? Who said gambling?!”
He usually seemed perfectly normal, but the moment gambling was mentioned, his eyes went wild.
A man like this should absolutely never play games with probability-based items.
“Guild Master! Why are you being so picky even at a party? Just eat!”
“No. It’s dirty…”
He even had germaphobia.
As Dante subtly avoided snacks that others had touched, someone suddenly appeared in front of him.
It was none other than Nike.
The child grabbed a snack with her tiny hand and mercilessly shoved it into Dante’s mouth.
“…! Mmph—! Mmgh!”
“Guild Master Oppa! You can’t be a picky eater!”
“It’s not picky eating—ugh!!”
Watching it all unfold, I couldn’t tell whether this was a guild banquet or a sitcom.
“Miss Muriel, try this too. It’s really good.”
Next was someone I’d grown fairly close to—Allen Moore.
Among this group of colorful personalities, Allen was relatively normal.
He had light brown hair like milk tea and fresh green eyes like sprouting seedlings.
With his gentle, puppy-like impression and constant smile, simply looking at him felt healing.
Though I called him ordinary, Allen’s influence within the guild was tremendous.
Everyone readily agreed with him, and even the roughest members quieted down if Allen intervened.
‘How should I put it…’
He felt like a mom…?
“……”
Not that I’d ever had a mother, so I wouldn’t really know.
But if an “ideal mother” existed, wouldn’t she be something like him?
As I tasted the food Allen had placed on my plate, someone plopped down in the seat to my left.
It had originally been Dante’s seat, but apparently someone had stolen it while he stepped away.
‘Who is it?’
When I turned my head, I recognized her.
Daphne Winzel.
“Miss Muriel, can you drink?”
Her rose-colored eyes gleamed dangerously as she grinned at me.
