“Yes? Is there more to do?”

The Guildmaster walked to the desk and brought something.

It was a small pouch.

“Take this with you.”

“What is this?”

The Guildmaster pointed to his cheek with his fingertip.

“We can’t let a pretty face be scarred.”

“……”

It seems the cheek that Rosie hit this morning was still swollen.

I felt awkward and rubbed my cheek.

The Guildmaster chuckled softly and placed the pouch in my empty hand.

“Apply it twice a day, morning and evening.”

“Honey, are you perhaps a player? Like, the type who’s good at seducing women?”

I thought he seemed too skilled in dealing with women.

“Listen, darling.”

“Yes.”

“You’re the only customer I call ‘darling’.”

“……”

“Do you understand?”

So, he’s saying I’m the only one he wants to call darling?

As soon as I realized this, I felt my cheeks burning.

It seemed even hotter than when Rosie hit me.

Even though I thought there was no way the Guildmaster, whose identity I didn’t know and whom I’d only met twice, could like me, I wanted to hope. That he was interested in me.

I stepped back before my vain expectations could grow.

“I-I’ll be going now!”

“The door you’re leaving through is open.”

I waved goodbye to Minky and then entered the elevator.

My heart was beating rapidly.

I couldn’t tell if it was because I had walked quickly, or if there was another reason.

***

The Guildmaster persistently watched Yerena leave as if she was running away.

Yerena blushing just because he gave her some medicine was quite cute.

‘Well. She did say no one at the Center takes care of her.’

He sat down languidly, crossing his legs on the desk.

“Did you really like Guide Yerena? Darling, you say! I almost died from cringing.”

Minky, who had transformed into human form… no, Evans, made a fuss.

“Well, you can call a business partner ‘darling’ if you want.”

“Then Master must have about 50 darlings?”

“……”

The Guildmaster stared at Evans with a sharp gaze.

“Minky. Why are you so discontented?”

Evans shrank under that gaze but still continued his words stubbornly.

“It’s pitiful, isn’t it?”

“Yerena?”

“Yes. Guide Yerena might misunderstand that Master likes her!”

“……”

“She’s already pitiful enough… You saw it today too, right? Her cheek was all swollen!”

Indeed.

The Guildmaster recalled the report he received from Chelsea Center.

According to his subordinates, Rosie had barged into the Center and slapped Yerena’s cheek.

Benjamin, who hadn’t shown his face for a while, appeared consecutively, and each time he was with Yerena, which must have angered Rosie.

‘Since Yerena is a guide for the Allen Knights, it’s not strange for them to be together.’

The Guildmaster thought it was strange that Rosie was so devoted to Benjamin.

She couldn’t seduce Benjamin herself, but taking it out on Yerena was odd too.

The strangest person was Benjamin.

He knew all of this but didn’t mediate the situation.

Since becoming a guide for the Allen Knights, Yerena had been harassed by Rosie multiple times.

It was well known within the Center that Yerena was a pushover for the Allen Knights and Rosie.

“…It must have hurt.”

“If you want to help, just help. Don’t do anything weird.”

Anything weird.

He gave her medicine because she looked in pain.

He called her darling because he wanted to call her darling.

He couldn’t understand what was wrong with that.

It wasn’t like he had 50 darlings as Evans said.

Yerena was the first business partner the Guildmaster had called ‘darling’.

Why was that?

“I didn’t do anything weird though?”

“Then are you interested in Guide Yerena?”

He was interested. But it wasn’t a romantic interest.

How should he put it…

A non-romantic curiosity about Yerena, the person who tamed a monster bird?

“I am interested. At least I don’t intend to bully her like the Allen Knights.”

“Well, that’s a relief, but……”

“And I might come to like her.”

“What?”

“It might not be a misunderstanding on Yerena’s part, Minky.”

A languid smile formed on the Guildmaster’s lips.

In his mind, he pictured Yerena as he had seen her yesterday.

That Yerena who had stared intently at his face. Yerena, who looked like a pitiful small animal drenched in rain.

Yerena, who didn’t know what to do with herself in the jacket he had draped over her.

She seemed somewhat naive, yet full of bright energy, and he found her cute.

She was the most interesting woman he had ever met in his life. He couldn’t even remember his past self who had no interest in women at all.

“Evans. Let’s stop talking about Yerena and draft the contract.”

***

A week had passed since the Honey Guildmaster proposed the transportation business.

I was incredibly busy during that week.

First, I wrote the contract as discussed with the Guildmaster, and it also took a lot of time talking to the birds the Guildmaster had introduced me to.

In the midst of all this, I had to go on missions from time to time.

Of course, there were some fortunate things as well.

First, Benjamin had disappeared again.

Whenever Benjamin appeared, it always seemed to be accompanied by some noisy incident that gave me a headache.

Second, Lambert hadn’t requested any guiding since the kiss when I was soaked in the rain.

Lastly, even the grumbling Baron was quiet.

It would be nice if every day could be this peaceful.

Thanks to the three men being quiet, it was incredibly convenient for me to handle my work.

On the outskirts of Pandora Forest, Sector F.

In that area, closed off to the general public, there was a large cave.

Inside the cave were ten ‘Pteros’ that I was currently negotiating with.

This cave was one of the Pteros’ habitats, which the Honey Guildmaster had found for me.

I’m not sure how he managed to secure an area that was off-limits to the general public.

It seems the Guildmaster’s confident assurances to trust only in him weren’t false.

The Pteros had an appearance so similar to pterosaurs that one might think their ancestors were dinosaurs.

Long, sharp beaks, long eyelashes, big eyes, long necks, backs just right for an adult to sit on, and two large wings.

Pteros were quite large, but their temperament was generally gentle, making them perfect for the transportation business.

The blue-headed leader Ptero standing opposite me opened its beak crudely.

―Kyaaagak kyaak!

‘Bird rights must be guaranteed!’… it says.

“I’ll guarantee them. What do you want?”

―Kyak kyak!

‘Five-day work week!’

“Okay, good.”

―Kyaaak!

‘Provide a certain number of vacation days!’

“That’s okay too.”

―Kyaaak…! Gyaak…!

‘And…! Also…!’

The leader Ptero seemed flustered. It was probably because I was agreeing to their conditions so easily.

I smiled and mentioned conditions that would appeal to the Pteros.

“Incentives, sick leave, holiday gifts… I’ll provide all of that. The hourly wage will be a bit higher than the empire’s average.”

After all, this will be a highly profitable business once we start operations.

―Kyaak, kyaak.

‘You’re a human I like’… it says.

It was a passing grade.

Since Pteros don’t need human currency, I agreed to provide food equivalent to their allowance.

Of course, all these trivial matters were to be handled by the Guildmaster.

He’s taking a whole 50 percent, so he should do it.

“Soon, my business partner will come with the contract. You know to stamp it with your foot then, right?”

The Pteros raised one of their feet, signaling their agreement.

The business preparations were going extremely well.

It was at that moment that my wristwatch, which had been quiet for a while, suddenly vibrated.

「Code Zero, Code Zero!

S-class monster m, mass appearance!

Location is Pandora Forest, Sector B-1!

Espers and guides who receive this message, please deploy.」

My expression furrowed as soon as I checked the message.

My gaze lingered on ‘mass appearance’ for a while. My mouth went dry.

A mass appearance of S-class monsters meant that Yerena’s death was imminent.

‘Usually, S-class monsters appear one at a time… how many have appeared this time?’

This was a very dangerous situation where I would be held accountable if I didn’t deploy.

I prepared to go to Sector B-1.

It wasn’t too far from Sector F where I was now.

“Pteros. Something’s come up, so I have to go now for today.”

As I took a step, a thought crossed my mind.

I turned back and looked at the leader Ptero.

“Leader Ptero. Could you perhaps give me a ride nearby? I’d like to do a sort of test run, what do you think?”