Page 195

Chapter 196 - Volume 5 Chapter 31: The Princess's Massager

(Walson)

And so, I held Tanaya's hand and, guided by Mitty, climbed the stairs to reach room 125 on the second floor of the guild building.

As I looked at Mitty's back along the way, my heart was filled with mixed emotions.

Clearly... It's only been three years, but the freckle-faced brat has turned into a bearded man... This, this is really...

Honestly, I don't even know what to call these feelings....

"Boss Alice, I've brought the princess's massager," Mitty said as he knocked on the door.

"Wait, you've been talking about this 'massager' since earlier, are you talking about me?" I furrowed my brows.

"Of course, I'm talking about you. Who else could it be?" Mitty turned around at my words and said, "You're dating the Second Princess, aren't you?"

"Wait, who told you that?"

Well, we're at least mutually interested in each other... probably.

"I heard it from Boss Alice! You don't even have a noble title; marrying a princess is unrealistic. Being the princess's male companion or comforter is more like it... So, isn't that a 'massager'?" Mitty explained with a straight face.

"..." I realized I couldn't find any words to refute that.

"Walson, what's a 'massager'?" Tanaya, who was eating a small cake, raised her head and looked at me with innocent, big eyes.

"Well, Tanaya, it's something that can make girls very happy."

"Walson makes me very happy too. Is Walson Tanaya's 'massager'?" The little loli said innocently.

Hm? I think I heard Mitty laughing.

"Tanaya, of course not... You'll understand when you grow up. By the way, absolutely do not say these things to Grace, or something terrible will happen." I twitched the corner of my mouth, put on a friendly smile, and at the same time, I raised my middle finger at Mitty. Darn it, teaching the kids bad things.

"But, like, dating a princess and all that was just a childhood dream, and you actually made it come true..." Mitty said, and suddenly he seemed to think of something. He put on a slightly wicked expression and asked quietly, "Hey, what's it like to have nighttime activities with the princess?"

"Huh? Uh... haven't done that yet."

"Come on, don't lie. There must be something, right? Tell me, you know, with my wife..." Just as Mitty's words were about to finish, the wooden door of room 125 suddenly swung open.

A hand shot out at lightning speed, grabbing Mitty's ear.

"Oh my, why didn't you invite me for a reunion?"

"Waaah! I'm, I'm sorry, my dear wife. I know I messed up..." Mitty wailed as he was dragged into the room, and the door slammed shut with a bang.

...Like a cricket dragged into a spider's lair by a cave spider.

After a few seconds, the door opened again, and before me stood a smiling short-haired woman.

She had a slender figure at 1.65 meters tall (still taller than me), short brown hair, dressed in the standard guild receptionist attire, exuding a vibrant aura with a hint of professionalism.

However, other features on her body made me take a closer look involuntarily... Her left eye was covered by a black eyepatch, and her right hand was a steam-powered mechanical prosthetic with gears whirring.

Had she suffered some kind of injury before?

"Walson, it's not a good habit to be late for our long-awaited reunion." She turned to the side and invited me into the private room.

...

...

...Finally, it took me a few minutes to remember who this bionic woman was.

In the elegantly decorated room with a wooden theme, there were four sofas.

I sipped the herbal tea that was served and looked at my fellow townsfolk.

"Your attitude is really hurtful, considering we spent over ten years in the same orphanage!" the short-haired receptionist with the eyepatch complained.

"We didn't have much interaction to begin with, did we? You two have changed so much, it's only natural I didn't recognize you right away," I replied without embarrassment.

The short-haired girl... should be called Dean Vissara.

We were both orphans from the same orphanage, the same age as me, and we left the orphanage in the same year... My last memory of her was during the bandit attack on Sadin Village, where she was the little kid captured by the leader of the thieves.

...Well, I admit that until today, I had no idea she was a girl, and I really messed up as a fellow townsfolk.

"Tsk tsk, it's been three years, and I never expected you to have four girlfriends," Dean said.

"Four? No, that's not true. Barella isn't my girlfriend." I shook my head.

By the way, I arrived late, so it seems that Barella and the others had just finished their discussion and moved to another place, not in this room.

"Barella?" Dean looked puzzled.

"That, um, that... Oh, right, her name is Aurevia, I think."

"...You just spent those few seconds trying to remember the elf girl's name, didn't you?" Dean's expression suddenly turned somewhat disdainful.

"Well, we usually use nicknames, so... What's the matter?"

"...It's nothing. I just didn't expect you to be this type of guy." Dean's gaze suddenly turned cold.

Hey, hey, what's with this disillusioned expression towards me!?

"Let's not talk about me. I didn't expect you guys were getting married," I changed the subject, looking at the engraved bracelet on Dean's hand, which I had seen a matching one on Mitty earlier.

Huh? You're wondering where Mitty, who was dragged in earlier, went?

Well... if you slightly shift your gaze, you can see behind the table, where Dean is standing on something that looks a lot like Mitty.

"Huh? Don't keep staring at this flawed carpet. Ugh, this carpet is so annoying." Dean kicked it forcefully, and a wailing sound came out. "It even cries out in pain, ridiculous."

Well, serves him right.

"Forget about that. How did you become a receptionist for the Adventurer's Guild? And what happened to your hand and eye?" I inquired.

"Well, a lot has happened... If it weren't for Miss Alice here..." Dean began but was interrupted.

"Cough cough, I believe I mentioned that I don't like it when people call me that, didn't I?" Sitting elegantly on the nearby sofa with a tea cup in hand, Alice coughed a few times and wore a refined smile.

"I'm very sorry! Oh, right! We should get down to business!" As soon as Dean heard Alice's voice, she seemed to be quite startled, and she immediately handed a stack of parchment to me. "These are the relevant documents for registering as temporary adventurers."

...Why does she seem so afraid of Alice?

As I picked up the parchment, I glanced at Alice.

Now that I think about it, Alice hardly spoke during our journey together, and I didn't pay much attention to it... Seeing how both Mitty and Dean address her as 'Boss' and their respectful yet fearful attitudes, it's clear that this receptionist from the Lamia race is not an ordinary person.

"Mr. Walson, generally speaking, the services and bounty payment methods for temporary adventurers differ from regular adventurers. However, the content of the Guild's contract actually leaves a significant room for negotiation between the receptionist and the adventurer... Before going into the details, do you have any objections to entrusting your adventurer business to me?" Dean explained.

"Wait a moment, Miss Alice– uh, I mean, Sister Alice, it's really embarrassing for you to come personally...!"

"What's the big deal? It's been a long time since I worked, and my bones are getting rusty... Ah, don't worry, I'll handle Melon's part for you. I know you're eager to repay her." Alice patted Dean's shoulder lightly with her snake tail swaying gently as she 'stood' up.

"So, now let this little lady explain the general operations of the Adventurer's Guild to Mr. Walson," Alice said.