After all that, I finally left the Guild behind.
I'd gotten a decent grasp on what happened yesterday. My body was still heavy with leftover fatigue from the fight, so I figured I'd head straight back to the inn and sleep off the rest of the day.
*(I should probably stop living out of an inn soon and find a proper place to rent...)*
I reached the inn, slipped past the front counter, and was heading up to my room when the receptionist called out to me.
Apparently, I had a visitor.
Given the timing, I could already guess this was going to be a hassle, but I couldn't exactly ignore it. Following her directions, I made my way to the dining area attached to the inn—and there was Selma-san, waiting.
"Sorry for dropping in unannounced. How's your body holding up?"
I'd half-expected her to be wary of me after everything, but she spoke with the same straightforward tone as before. It didn't feel forced, though I couldn't read her completely.
"I'm fine. Nothing that gets in the way of daily life."
"Good to hear."
She let out a small, relieved breath. Then she stood from her chair and bowed deeply.
"Thank you for yesterday. Because of you, not a single one of us was lost. I'm truly grateful."
Her action caught me completely off guard.
Gratitude was one thing, but I never expected her to actually bow her head.
"I've accepted your thanks—so please, lift your head. Isn't it bad for someone like you to bow in public like this?"
Selma-san was a top executive in the country's largest clan. On top of that, she was a nobleman's daughter—countess rank, if I remembered right.
For someone of her standing to lower her head to a commoner like me was unthinkable in normal circumstances. You never knew who might be watching.
Nobles couldn't afford to show weakness. Even if it wouldn't ruin her position outright, there was always a non-zero risk.
She'd be better off not doing it at all.
"I know full well I'm not in a position where I can bow easily. But even so, this is one time I *have* to. You saved the lives of our clan's promising newcomers—including me. Letting that gratitude end with just words would go against everything I stand for."
She really was straightforward to a fault.
The eldest daughter of a count household *and* a high-ranking member of a major clan—you'd think she'd have at least a little cynicism or calculation. But apparently not.
...Ah. Maybe that's exactly why she's so respected.
"Thank you. Hearing you say that... it means a lot. Honestly."
"Now, about the other reason I'm here—I'd like to discuss your reward from the guided expedition. If it's no trouble, would you come with me to the clan headquarters right now?"
I'd actually been wondering how to collect that reward, so her timing was perfect.
"I don't have any plans. Sure, let's go."
"Great. We'll continue there, then. Follow me."
◇
When we arrived at the clan headquarters and stepped into the assigned room, Vince-san—the leader of *Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky*—was already waiting.
...This felt oddly familiar. Déjà vu.
More importantly—how did he know I'd be coming today? He didn't strike me as the type to waste time waiting around on something uncertain.
"You're here. Thank you for saving our members this time. Truly."
The moment he confirmed I was inside, Vince-san gave his thanks and bowed his head as well.
"No need. I took on the guided expedition, so I just did what was expected."
"No—that wasn't 'expected.' In that situation, no one could have blamed you if you'd fled alone. Yet you stayed, fought, and won. You should hold your head higher for it. ...Anyway, you're here for your reward. Here it is. Take it."
As he spoke, Vince-san pulled a cloth-wrapped bundle from his storage artifact and handed it over.
Probably filled with gold coins.
"Thank you."
I accepted it and carefully unwrapped the cloth to check.
Inside were ten platinum coins.
...Platinum?
"Um, I thought the agreed reward was ten gold coins... Did you mix up the denominations?"
The original deal had been ten gold.
One platinum equaled ten gold.
So what I was holding was literally ten times the promised amount.
"You saved our members from a black dragon. Ten gold would be far too cheap for that. No mistake."
He probably wouldn't take no for an answer even if I tried to refuse.
In that case... I'll gratefully accept.
Money's always better to have than not.
"I see. Then thank you very much. In that case, I'll be—"
"Wait. There's one more thing I want to discuss. Frankly, this is the real reason I came here personally."
I was already turning to leave when Vince-san stopped me.
Whatever came next was clearly more important to him than the reward.
I had a pretty good guess what it was.
"Let me be direct. Orun-kun—would you consider joining our clan, *Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky*?"
Exactly what I figured: a recruitment pitch.
And coming straight from the clan leader himself? They were serious.
"If you join, we'd welcome you as an adventurer, of course. You'd be assigned to the First Unit—the strongest party in the clan, led by Selma. We'd like you to take the role of frontline attacker."
Frontline attacker, huh.
Guess that black dragon kill really left an impression.
Otherwise, no one would want me up front like that.
"Furthermore—though it would require the approval of at least two-thirds of the clan executives—I'd like to nominate you for an executive position as well. With your track record, and the experience and knowledge you gained effectively running the Hero Party, I believe you'd be more than qualified to serve as one of our clan's leaders."
Clan executive meant heading one of the major departments.
In the overall hierarchy, that put you right below the clan leader.
Normally, you climbed the ranks from within after joining and building achievements over time.
Getting fast-tracked to executive right at entry was an unprecedented promotion.
If I became an executive, would that mean Selma-san and I would essentially co-lead all the clan's adventurers?
This offer was incredibly tempting.
I never imagined they'd accept me as a proper swordsman.
*(Now... what do I do...?)*
What *Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky* really wanted was probably my knowledge of the 92nd and 93rd floors of the Southern Great Labyrinth—plus all the know-how and techniques I'd built up over time.
Those were things I'd earned through sweat, blood, and more than a few brushes with death.
Handing them over so easily didn't sit right with me.
"...That came out of nowhere. You don't have to answer right away. Take your time and think it over carefully?"
Vince-san must have sensed my hesitation and threw me a lifeline.
"Thank you. I'll consider it for a while."
With that, I left the *Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky* headquarters.
◇
I wandered the streets aimlessly for a bit until I found myself in front of a familiar shop.
It was Grandpa's general store.
*(I've still got some stuff weighing on my mind... Maybe talking to Grandpa would help clear it up.)*
Thinking that, I stepped inside.