Chapter 40: The Seduction of Kati Grimbel

“Master, the setup of the local investigation base has been completed.”

Kati burst into the new branch manager’s office on the top floor of the brand-new adventurer guild building. Just like I was appointed as the guild master, this receptionist seems to have been formally appointed as the secretary and has been in a good mood ever since.

“Kati, can you stop calling me ‘Master’ already?”

“It’s impossible. After all, you are the guild master.”

“Do something about that.”

“I won’t!”

Smiling, Kati strongly refuses. In fact, Kati played a part in my current predicament. Apparently, during an interview with investigators, she said something like, “Jurg-san is amazing!” and that might have contributed to my current situation. If only she had portrayed me a little worse, but I guess that’s how it goes.

“Oh, well. Starting from tomorrow, I’ll be away for a while, Kati.”

“For the investigation of the dungeon, right? Please return safely.”

“Hey, don’t say reckless things to adventurers. I won’t come back until I’ve handled it properly.”

Investigating the dungeon is crucial for determining Malhas’s future development and colonization policy. I can’t afford to mess things up halfway.

“But, it’ll feel a bit loose without you, Master.”

“It’s the job of the secretary to handle that properly.”

“Oops, logical arguments are forbidden!”

“Why is that?”

Chuckling softly, Kati starts massaging my shoulders. Her strength won’t loosen me up much, but I enjoy this time when she does it. Well, it might just be because Kati is beautiful, and I’m fond of women.

“But, really, please be careful, Jurg-san. I’m worried, you know?”

“Have I ever caused you unnecessary worries?”

“You were carried in unconscious not long ago, you know?”

I had completely forgotten about that. Out of sight, out of mind, as they say. Kati is right; maybe I need to be more cautious.

Probably, I’m too relaxed because I’m stuck doing paperwork all the time. I need to be in a place where the killing intent of monsters is flying around. I should resign as guild master sooner rather than later.

“Our branch master always says and does reckless things, so sometimes I worry that he won’t come back.”

Saying such things from behind, Kati embraces me gently.

I didn’t expect to make her worry so much. It’s somewhat unexpected and makes me feel slightly apologetic. Even if Kati is my subordinate, I feel like I’ve allowed her this much familiarity.

“As soon as possible, I’ll come back. Then, let’s have a drink.”

“You say that all the time and you haven’t treated me even once.”

“At the moment, there’s no bar or private inn suitable for you in Malhas.”

“Well! As expected, those with nicknames in the city are skilled at this.”

Behind me, Kati laughs softly as if snickering. This strange cheerfulness is her proud characteristic. In the still tense Malhas, there are quite a few people saved by Kati’s smile.

“But…”

Kati tightens her embrace around my head, whispering into my ear.

“It’s not good to tease a country girl too much, you know?”

“Don’t make me feel like that too much. If something happens, I won’t take responsibility for you.”

“I’m fine with being irresponsible, you know?”

“Don’t say silly things. A great woman like you can’t be easily won over.”

Lightly laughing, I half-jokingly respond. Though we haven’t known each other for long, she is a woman working for my hometown of Malhas. She has enough kindness, and I’m allowing her to be this close without any aversion.

“Come on. Our guild master is so tight!”

“It’s good to have self-control. Don’t lose your confidence; it’s just one more push.”

“That one more push is still far away. …Today, it’s another defeat.”

Releasing me with a soft touch, Kati moves away. Even though I feel a bit reluctant to part from the sensation of her fullness, this distance feels just right for now.

“Well then, I’ll leave you with work as harassment.”

“Have mercy.”

With a small laugh, Kati leaves the office after placing several sheets of parchment on the desk. As I pick up those papers while grumbling about the new paperwork, I see that they contain various materials related to the investigation of the dungeon. I see, it’s indeed my job.

“Well, let me finish everything I can by tomorrow.”

Muttering to myself, I lift the stamp high in the still barren branch manager’s office.

◆◆◆

“This is… from the Rajai era, or a bit older. Given the burial conditions, it’s probably a relic from the Third ‘Culling’ era that turned into a dungeon.”

“Every time, you manage to figure out things like that.”

As Saran speaks, examining the relief at the entrance of the dungeon, I let out a small sigh. To me, lacking scholarly knowledge, Saran’s depth of knowledge is like magic.

“Everything is about knowledge and experience, Jurg.”

“Unfortunately, I lack both.”

“No, it’s just a different direction. For example, that Poison Toad shattered over there… why did you blow its head off with a side attack?”

Saran points to the frog monster that attacked earlier, lying in a gruesome state.

“Well, if you hit it head-on, the poison might splatter around, right? I learned that the hard way once.”

“That’s knowledge and experience.”

I mutter “I see” to Saran’s words. In short, both Saran and I are not that different; it’s just that our areas of expertise and experiences vary. When put that way, I feel like I’ve become a bit smarter.

Just a feeling, though; the lack of education still bothers me. After all, even basic reading and writing are questionable for me, and I’ve ended up delegating most of the guild master’s work to someone else. To avoid becoming just someone who stamps papers, I need to allocate a bit more ‘learning’ effort.

“The initial entry will be done by us, ‘Mercia.’ We’ll leave the remaining party to conduct the planned perimeter survey.”

“Alright. Well then, I’ll go for the advanced alert.”

Raising my hand lightly, I head towards the entrance of the labyrinth dungeon. Behind me, Rolo and Fimia cast enhancement magic. Although I subtly put spirit into our usual routine, I feel a little melancholy at the absence of one person behind me.

“Take care, Jurg.”

“Don’t start a battle on your own, please.”

Nodding lightly to Rolo and Fimia, I take a step into the dim dungeon. The chilly air swirling from the ground tightens my body with a sharp tension.

“It’s been a while since the last dungeon attack. We need to be cautious…!”

I start walking carefully on the wide path with neatly stacked bricks, muffling my footsteps.

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