"Um... everyone, aren't you standing a bit too close?"

"Hm? I don’t think so, Big Bro Masayoshi."

"Indeed, it must just be your imagination, Master Masayoshi!"

"It's all in your head, nyan!"

"Hey, all three of you! Back off already!"

Lilith called out loudly, trying to pull everyone away. Yeah, you’re right—it’s definitely too close!

Currently, my right arm is linked with Nonoh, who used to carry the big shield, while my left arm is being held tightly by Rurune, the magician. And on my back, Nena is clinging to me like a koala.

While the back is fine, the other two... their, uh, "softness" is fully pressed against me. It's way too overwhelming for a high school boy like me. If I wasn’t wearing armor, I'd probably be doubled over right now.

"Well... if you insist."

"...Fine."

"...nyana."

Phew, finally, all three stepped away. The constant glares from passing men were starting to wear me down. Walking around with "flowers in both hands" and even one clinging to my back? Yeah, getting stabbed wouldn’t be surprising.

Honestly, if I saw someone in this situation, I might do more than just glare. Still, I’m a bit sad they let go... I’ve never been this close to girls before.

We left the adventurer's guild, and the five of us headed to their base. I wanted to keep the dragon incident a secret, and speaking in public places like the guild or square risked others overhearing.

Their base turned out to be a modest, ordinary house. They explained that their party had purchased it together, using the rooms as personal spaces—a "party house."

Entering a home where four women lived? Yeah, I was nervous.

"Let’s start with what happened after that incident," Lilith began.

"Alright."

In the large living room, they recounted the events. After delivering the dragon’s liver to the lord's mansion, an alchemist used it to craft the cure for Zolanuuk disease. The potion was successfully administered, and the lord's condition gradually improved. When they visited today, she had recovered enough to walk around.

"We’d like to tell her that you were the one who helped us. Would that be alright?"

Well, the lord herself wouldn’t be blabbing secrets left and right.

"Of course, that’s fine."

"Thank you. Once she fully recovers, she’ll probably want to thank you in person. I hope you can spare a little time then."

"Sure, let me know when that happens."

It’s not like I’m too busy with work—just hobbies.

"Thanks. I’ll let her know. Now, here’s the potion."

Lilith brought out five small vials.

"...Um, what’s this for?"

"This is the cure for Zolanuuk disease. It also works for a few other illnesses. One vial was given to the alchemist, five to the guild, and the rest are yours to keep."

Oh, so they made quite a few. Then again, considering how big the dragon liver was, producing only this many shows how rare and potent it is.

"Thank you. I’ll take four and leave one with your party."

Having one on hand seems wise in case someone close to me falls ill.

"Don’t worry about us. If we ever need it, we can get one of the guild’s vials."

"Alright then, I’ll take all five."

I stored the vials using storage magic. I doubt I’ll ever need them, but there’s no harm in keeping them safe.

"And here’s the payment for delivering five vials to the guild."

Clink, clink.

Wait, am I seeing things? That’s a massive pile of gold coins—specifically, large gold coins worth 1 million G each!

"There are 100 large gold coins, totaling 100 million G."

"100 million G!?"

"Yes. If the dragon’s liver were auctioned in the capital, it could fetch 300 million G. The guild would also gladly buy the vials back at the same price if you need cash."

50 million yen... You could buy a house with that. Plus, selling the potions would bring another 50 million. I don’t need money right now, but still.

"And here’s our party’s personal thanks—another 100 million G."

"Wait, what!?"

Why does this suddenly double the total? The potion was worth 20 million G per vial, right? Even counting the alchemist’s share, that’s only 40 million G at most.

"We all agreed on this. Worst case, we could’ve been wiped out back then, and the lord wouldn’t have survived either. You saved all our lives, so this is everything we can afford right now."

"If we sold our house and equipment, we could probably gather another billion G, but..."

"nyana!"

"No, no, no! I don’t need that much!"

Seriously, people in this world are way too generous with their gratitude.