Yun quickly found the pair of a magic swordsman and an assassin she had mentioned. The moment they entered the guild, the other adventurers began murmuring.

While separated from Yun and searching, Nord perked up his ears.

“Look, it’s the B-Rank party, Twin Blades.”

“Yeah, and with that beauty and skill, they’re enviable, all right. If I could party with them, that’d be a dream come true.”

“For us, they’re practically untouchable. I heard that a C-Rank adventurer once begged to join them and got a cold stare from the silver-haired one. When he didn’t quit, he was totally beaten down and kicked out.”

“Seriously?! Maybe I should give it a shot…”

“What?”

“Huh?”

Nord listened to the adventurers without much interest and nodded thoughtfully. Up until now, he’d never really paid attention to any party outside his own, but it seemed these two were well-known. Their strength—and even their appearance—suited his plans perfectly. He had to recruit them.

“Looks like they’re not here yet.”

“Yeah, let’s go sit over there and wait.”

The pair scanned the area, then began to walk toward the tavern. Nord, sensing the opportunity, moved closer to them.

“Look, Nord’s going up to them.”

“Is he… recruiting them?”

“Maybe it’s his… taste?”

Ignoring the whispers, Nord approached them with a sweet smile.

“Hello, could I have a moment of your time?”

“…? Yes, what do you need?”

“…”

As the adventurers had said, the silver-haired girl scowled, but the blonde had a soft demeanor. She seemed receptive.

“Well, I heard about your skills as a magic swordsman and an assassin. I came to invite you to join my party. The only hero’s party in this town, if that rings a bell.”

“The hero… Are you Nord?”

“! Yes, that’s me! I’m honored you’ve heard of me!”

Thinking he could easily recruit them, Nord pushed the conversation forward.

“So, what do you say? It’s not a bad offer. To become part of the hero’s party—that’s an honor most adventurers will never have.”

But the blonde girl shook her head.

“I’m sorry. We’ve been working together as a pair for a long time, and we have no intention of changing that. We’ll have to decline.”

“What…?!”

Taken aback, Nord was momentarily at a loss for words.

As if they thought that was the end of the conversation, the girls made a small bow and started to walk away.

“Wait! Then how about just working on a quest with us first, without joining? Please, just lend us a hand!”

“Help you?”

“Yes, exactly!”

Managing to stop them, Nord explained their situation.

“We had a terrible member in our party. Betrayal, stealing—you name it, they did it. The party morale is still low because of that. They were completely useless, a dead weight. I can’t believe they dared to treat their party so badly after we took them in.”

“Dead weight…?”

The silver-haired girl reacted to those words, sparking hope in Nord that maybe she had some personal connection to dead weight members. Feeling emboldened, he continued speaking.

Little did he know he was treading on dangerous ground.

“Yeah, the most useless of useless skills—a puppet master. His name’s Ike, and because of him, our party—”

“—Don’t mock him.”

“—Wha…?!”

Suddenly, the ground beneath Nord’s feet gave way, trapping one of his legs up to the knee in shadows.

“Ike isn’t like that. I won’t forgive anyone who insults him.”

“!”

To his shock, the silver-haired girl drew a dagger and brought it close to his throat, leaving him immobilized.

“Whoa, a B-Rank duel?”

“Should we step in? Not that anyone could, though…”

“Maybe we shouldn’t. This seems… exactly what he deserves.”

Amidst the murmuring adventurers, the blonde girl stepped between them.

“Stop it, Sheena. You’ve gone far enough. Fighting in the guild will get us penalties—”

“Even so, I can’t forgive what he said.”

“I understand how you feel. But if this goes any further, it might trouble Ike too, don’t you think?”

“…Fine.”

At the mention of Ike, Sheena reluctantly sheathed her dagger, and Nord’s foothold returned to normal. Unbalanced, he collapsed onto the floor.

“What? It’s over already?”

“Not much happened after all.”

“…I’m jealous!”

“Keep that to yourself.”

Amid the raucous murmurs of the guild, the sound of the door opening drew everyone’s attention. To Nord’s dismay, the person entering was none other than Ike, accompanied by two of his puppets. Ike looked around the guild, appearing to search for someone.

“—Oh! Ike!”

The silver-haired girl’s expression instantly brightened, and she ran over to him, sparking a dark, bitter feeling in Nord.

…Why not me? Why would they choose him?

I am obviously the better choice, that’s just common sense. But I can’t let this end with rejection. I’ll convince the blonde girl, at least, to join us.

“Hey, you—”

“Don’t touch me.”

His outstretched hand was deflected by her sheathed sword. The blonde girl spoke with a cold finality that turned his mind blank.

“I held back because of Sheena, but… Ike is someone I deeply respect and cherish. Insulting him is unforgivable. Now, if you’ll excuse us.”

With that, she joined Ike, running toward him.

“Don’t mock me…”

Watching them, the words slipped out unconsciously.

“Don’t mock me…!”

No way he could just stand for this. No way he could endure this humiliation.

“I will never forgive you, Ike!”

Unable to contain his anger, Nord dashed after Ike and the girls as they left the guild.