"By the way, we're heading to the guild, but are we just leaving this guy lying here?"

"...Ah."

The adventurer's comment reminded me of the unconscious Nord lying on the ground.

Leaving him there seemed wrong, so I decided to bring him along. Once that was sorted, we resumed our journey to the guild.

"Ah! Ike-san! You came!"

"Ayla?"

As soon as we arrived at the guild, receptionist Ayla ran up to us, looking panicked.

"Actually, we just received word that a demon appeared in town. We’ve been urgently calling for adventurers, but hardly anyone has shown up. I’m so glad you’re here, Ike-san! …Wait, there’s quite a crowd with you."

Seeing the group of adventurers trailing behind me, Ayla’s eyes lit up.

"With this many adventurers, we might stand a chance. There’s no time to waste! Let’s start planning how to defend the town!"

She puffed up her chest confidently, ready to act.

While her enthusiasm was commendable… there was some news I had to break.

"Um, well… about the demon. It’s already been dealt with."

"...Huh? Dealt with? What do you mean? By whom?"

"The demon. It's already defeated. By me, and…"

"It was me!"

"Totally me."

"And of course, myself, the rightful wife of our master!"

"..."

As Flare and the others stepped forward to claim their part, Ayla just blinked at them in silence.

Right, Ayla was already aware of my dolls' appearances. She seemed utterly baffled that they were speaking.

"I... I’m sorry. This is… so much information…"

"Ayla!?"

Before she could collapse, steaming from the ears, I quickly caught her.

Maybe it would be better to explain everything later.

A few hours later, after briefing the guild about the situation, we held a celebration party.

The guild hall was lively, filled with the clinking of glasses and laughter, with most of the attention centered on us.

"Still, I can’t believe it. How are these dolls even talking?"

"Uh, well, you see, after basking in Ike’s love for so long, a heart just kind of… bloomed!"

"I see! …I don’t get it!"

Flare’s explanation didn’t seem to clear anything up. Not that I fully understood it myself. Some things are best accepted as is.

"But seriously, I can’t wrap my head around it. The idea of dolls gaining sentience is one thing, but defeating a demon? That’s something else entirely."

"Was it you attacking the demon in the sky? It’s hard to believe you have that kind of power."

The attention turned to Tetra.

Her slender frame and delicate appearance made it hard to imagine her overpowering a demon.

Tetra calmly placed her cup on the table and leaned on her elbow, assuming an arm-wrestling stance.

"Care to test it?"

The challenger was the burliest man in the room.

"Haha! Little lady, you’re underestimating me. I may be a C-rank, but in terms of strength, I’m on par with B-ranks. I’d hate to break that delicate hand of yours… Guh!?"

He was sent flying, body and all, in one swift motion.

Wait, since when did arm wrestling involve people being launched into the air?

"No way! That guy lost!?"

"Next is me! No way am I gonna—Gwah! Sorry!!"

One by one, the strongest adventurers tried their luck, only to be effortlessly hurled aside by Tetra.

At this point, it felt more like an amusement park attraction.

"Now that everyone’s distracted by Flare and the others, it’s the perfect chance to…"

"Lycia, why are you suddenly clinging to my arm? And what are you slipping into my drink?"

Lycia smiled innocently despite my string of questions.

"Don’t sweat the small stuff, Master. Instead, let’s have a nice, long chat to deepen our love for each other!"

She was too strong. There was no defeating her.

But, now that I thought about it, I did want to have a proper conversation with her.

"Lycia, can we talk for a bit?"

"Of course, Master! My time is all yours!"

"It’s just… I’ve been wondering. Compared to Flare and Tetra, I haven’t used you as often in battle, right? So how did you develop sentience so quickly?"

Lycia was a Priest doll, and her primary role was healing magic.

But because I focused on evasion in combat, her opportunities to shine had been few and far between.

That’s why her rapid development puzzled me.

Unfortunately, I immediately regretted asking.

"Oh! Oh! If my Master insists, then I shall share everything in detail!"

"Uh, what…?"

The atmosphere shifted.

Lycia stood up and began passionately recounting her tale for all to hear, heedless of the crowd around her.

"It all began the day I first met my Master! Unlike others who treat us dolls as mere tools, my Master gently patted my head and said, ‘I’m counting on you.’ I was smitten! And during battles, when he bravely took the lead as a decoy, my heart nearly burst with worry and admiration! Even when he used Flare and Tetra more often, I believed it was to keep me safe! Oh, my love for him grew and grew! And now, I must share every single memory we’ve created together—each a shining star in the sky! Yes, yes, yes! Let me recount it all, from beginning to end, until the morning light! Our tale of love! Our tale of love!!!"

Lycia’s endless "tale of love" continued… until the guild unceremoniously kicked us out.