“Hey there, little ladies, you’re new adventurers, right?”

“Forget about that scrawny guy—why don’t you let us show you the ropes?”

“That’s right! We’re the D-rank adventurer party known as the Wolves of the Wasteland!”

“U-uh... okay...”

Honestly, just by looking at them, they seemed more like wasteland bandits than adventurers. But judging people by their appearance isn’t fair. Who knows? Maybe they genuinely wanted to help these fledgling adventurers out of concern.

"...Hey, those guys again," someone nearby muttered.

"Yeah, they were harassing some newbie adventurers not long ago."

"They’ve already got a bad rep—hogging rewards and trying to hit on female adventurers."

So, they were exactly as shady as they looked. Thanks to my Keen Hearing skill, I couldn’t help but overhear their infamy. It seemed they were notorious for all the wrong reasons. I couldn’t just leave the two rookie adventurers who had approached me to fend for themselves.

“Excuse me, but I’m in the middle of a conversation with these two.”

"Hah?! Who the hell are you to butt in?!"

"Yeah, you scrawny bastard! Back off—these ladies are coming with us!"

Their sudden hostility didn’t faze me. I’d faced down dragons before, so this was nothing. Still, I decided to activate my Calm Demeanor skill, just in case.

That said, I wasn’t exactly sure what to do. If I were an adventurer, I could simply guide the two of them myself, but I wasn’t registered, so technically, I was an outsider...

“Big broooother!!”

“Wha—ugh!”

“Gah!”

Something barreled into me at full speed, sending the entire Wolves of the Wasteland group flying in the process. The impact was powerful enough that if I hadn’t inherited the Great Mage’s strength, I might’ve been thrown into the wall myself.

“Oh, it’s you!”

It was the smallest member of the beastkin adventurer party I’d met before.

“Whoa, it’s Nena from The Verdant Cats! She’s as adorable as ever!”

“No way, the top-ranked adventurers of this town? I’ve never seen them in person!”

It seemed they were a well-known A-rank adventurer party. I hadn’t caught her name before, but apparently, it was Nena.

“Big brother, long time no see, nyan! I missed you, nyan!”

“It’s been a while, Nena. How’s the lord doing?”

“Master Masayoshi, I’m so sorry to keep you waiting! I just came back from visiting the lord. She’s safely out of danger and steadily recovering now.”

“That’s great to hear!”

The beastkin mage, clad in a robe and carrying a staff, had joined us and shared the good news. While I was genuinely relieved, the current situation was... awkward. The Wolves of the Wasteland were sprawled out on the floor, and the two rookies who’d approached me were completely frozen in shock.

“Nena, calm down already! Just because you’re happy to see Masayoshi doesn’t mean you can cause such a commotion. Are you guys okay?”

The speaker was likely the same beastkin warrior who’d worn full plate armor last time. Today, she was in lighter gear, which made sense for walking around town.

"Urgh... what the hell was that for?! You think you can mess with the D-rank Wolves of the Wasteland and—whoa!”

“You little—don’t think you can—gah!”

“I’m sorry about my companions. Are you injured? If anything is broken, our party will cover the cost.”

“A-A-rank adventurer Lilith?! N-no, nothing’s broken! R-right, guys?”

“Y-yeah! We’re perfectly fine!”

“We’re so sorry!!”

Somehow, the Wolves of the Wasteland—the ones who’d been causing trouble—were now the ones fleeing the guild in terror.

“...Did we do something to them?”

“Oh, right, we did catch them harassing some rookies last time and reported them to the guild.”

"Ah, that explains it. Masayoshi, sorry for making you wait."

They were so cool. While I was still deliberating on what to do, they resolved everything in moments. Honestly, I didn’t even get a chance to step in, but I didn’t mind.

“No problem, Lilith. I just got here myself. Also, Nena, could you let go of me now?”

Nena had been clinging to my chest the entire time.

“Ehh, but I wanna stay by big brother’s side!”

“Come on, Nena, give him some space. You’re making him uncomfortable.”

"...Fine," she pouted, finally letting go.

Not that I was actually bothered, but the stares from everyone in the guild were a bit much.

“Alright, let’s see what requests are posted today—whoa, what’s with the atmosphere?”

Perfect timing! It was Ian and his party, the adventurers I’d met before.

“Excuse me for a moment!”

After excusing myself from Lilith and the rookies, I approached Ian.

“Ian! Long time no see!”

“Masayoshi! It’s been a while!”

“Yo, long time no see! But, uh, what’s going on? You seem to be the center of attention.”

“It’s a long story... but I actually have a favor to ask.”

“A favor? Sure, if it’s within our power!”

“Yeah, we owe you big time from before!”

“It’s not a huge deal, but those two over there just became adventurers recently. If you don’t mind, could you guide them for today?”

Ian’s group weren’t just strong—they were good people. I trusted them.

“Oh, is that all? No problem! We’ve even done rookie training before.”

“Man, I thought you were gonna ask us for something crazy!”

It was a relief to hear their quick agreement.

“Thank you so much. I’m not an adventurer, so I couldn’t help them myself. How much would the fee for this kind of guidance be?”

“Fee? Nah, we wouldn’t charge you for this!”

“Exactly! You’ve already done so much for us.”

"Alright, but next time I ask for help, you have to let me pay you!"

After arranging everything, I explained to the rookies that Ian’s group, an experienced C-rank party, would take care of them. They seemed thrilled and even bowed deeply in gratitude to both me and Ian’s group.

With the rookies in good hands, I left the guild alongside Lilith’s party.