Volume 2 Chapter 12 Pastor Visits the Branch. Coincidentally, Why Does He Come When Horace Is Here？
It might be a coincidence, but seriously, why did they have to show up while Horace was around?
Of all things, 'Excalibur' got arrested for messing with Horace. Talk about a bad move.
That hit harder than expected... or maybe they finally realized the hero's master is just that──her master. He's not some total ally to every Adventurer out there.
Lots of folks were pretty shaken about how the hero community views the Adventurers in Jewel City Lapis, especially since some still don't get it. But it seems more are holding back than before.
A few days later.
Horace was at the Adventurers' Guild to pitch the 'air purifier' for testing.
"Big sister!"
"Narsha!?"
Narsha had just returned from a dungeon, and there she was, leaping toward a pink-haired loli with a glorious chest.
"──Ah, I wish I could jump in there."
"So you really do have an older sister, Narsha."
Horace seemed to decide to just ignore Ellie's words.
"Their dad got seriously injured, and then Ris-Ris, the older sister, started working at the guild. The problem? That guild is 'Worldsworn,' and she's stuck working under Cedal..."
"It's been a struggle, but somehow I managed to get to where I'm now."
"Sounds about right."
"Are your dad going to be okay?"
"He should be fine; they doused him with a high-rank potion."
"That's a bit careless..."
Being true to one's desires is a way to grow stronger, but just imagining the atmosphere back then makes Horace's cheeks twitch.
"Big sister! It's been a while!"
"Been a while! You been doing okay?"
"Of course! Everyone here is so nice!"
"That's great to hear!"
Risha, smiling as she pats Narsha's head, shares the warmth of the moment.
A scene like this──a loli with a busty older sister──would send 'those people' into a frenzy.
(I wish they'd hug more, and I'd love to bury my face between those 4 thighs.)
Though some really had wild thoughts...
"Ellie, don't go tarnishing your crush like that."
"What are you talking about?"
"...Never mind."
Seeing no way out, Horace gave up.
Just then, the entrance door swung open, and in walked a man in an expensive suit.
He looked to be in his early twenties.
Behind him was a soldier in a black coat, exuding an aura of intimidation.
In an instant, the air on the first floor turned tense.
"...So this is the branch office of this town. What a shabby interior."
He scanned the surroundings with a contemptuous gaze.
"Well, as an executive of the headquarters, I'm here on Pastor's orders. I'll have all of you in this branch join under the 'Cedal Alliance's command."
"Wha──what's this all of a sudden?"
Tracie at the counter shouted, but in the next moment, a spear of ice was heading for her left chest──until Horace caught and shattered it.
As Horace tightly gripped it, the ice spear crumbled and vanished.
"So this is the strength of the headquarters' soldiers. Pretty shabby magic."
"...Consider that a greeting. It'd be a hassle if you couldn't block something that simple."
"Yeah, sure."
Horace stepped away from the counter and started walking towards Pastor.
Seeing this, the 5 soldiers behind Pastor stepped forward.
They had seen Horace catch and effortlessly shatter the ice spear, a phenomenon that shouldn't be possible, and realized he was a 'powerhouse.'
The soldiers' expressions were tense.
In contrast, Horace's expression was relaxed.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Horace. To make it simple, I'm the 'hero's master.'"
Upon hearing this, Pastor's gaze wavered for a moment. He spotted Ellie and, seeing that she didn't deny it, seemed to realize it was the truth.
"Hmph... Indeed, you're not Adventurers. Then, register here as Adventurers and become my subordinates."
"You're pretty pushy."
"Hah! The hero community is part of the Adventurers community. Therefore, you're under my command as an executive of the association headquarters."
"Sure, the Association makes the rules, and that's fine. But I have no intention of becoming an Adventurer."
"You did take down the Gai Gigant, right? That means you're strong. Adventurers have a role in easing the people's fears and frustrations. Turning down that call just means you'd use your strength only for selfish reasons. Don't you think that's pretty selfish?"
"...sigh."
Horace didn't even try to hide his exasperation.
"What's with that attitude?"
"You know, one reason the Adventurers' Association was founded was to protect the freedom of powerful 'travelers' from interference by nations or religions. For such an organization to 'force service'... have Adventurers forgotten that they're supposed to be free travelers?"
"That old story doesn't cut it anymore! Adventurers are just cogs in society now! And it's because the Association headquarters manages these cogs that the world can thrive!"
At the Pastor's words, the Adventurers on the first floor frowned.
Naturally, they'd be irritated to be labeled as mere 'cogs.'
But whether the world really thrived was another question altogether.
"The world will thrive... I see your ambition peeking through. You think the Adventurers' Association can manage everything just fine, ignoring Divine Blood Travels? Seriously?"
"Of course!"
"...There are 2 billion people in the world. Adventurers make up just 20,000 of that──one ten-thousandth! It's ridiculous for the Association, with such a tiny piece of the pie, to dismiss the scale of the world."
Conversely, managing just that one ten-thousandth while building power on par with 'Divine Blood Travels', 'religions', and 'bloodlines' is utterly impressive.
But it's true that this creates a huge misconception.
The 'managers' only have as many people as they can handle relative to that size.
Still, to not lose the right to speak at the 'Bloodline Nation's gathering'—the world conference—shows just how powerful they are as a collective force.
In other words, because they handle such massive power with so few people, each individual's authority becomes huge.
Pastor's one of the executive members.
Still young, so he won't be an 'upper-level executive' yet, but even so, he could probably move around about 10,000 gold coins without breaking a sweat.
"The master of the hero community is going to mock the Adventurers' Association?!"
"Yeah, that's right. I like Adventurers, but I can't stand the Association's headquarters with people like you running it."
Horace stares at Pastor, his eyes cold.
Even with five soldiers in front of him, the pressure Horace gives off is enough to make them seem like nothing.
"Adventurers exist for 'proper freedom.' I couldn't care less about whether your moral views are good or bad, but don't forget that."
He applies just a little pressure.
It's not crushing them—it's more like slowly suffocating them with fear, a subtle kind of intimidation.
Pastor steps back a few paces, clearly shaken...
"I-I'm leaving today, but listen here, Horace! Don't get cocky just because you're the hero's master! You may have been an Adventurer, but you quit to work at the castle and you've already quit working there, too. You're just a regular civilian now—nothing special!"
The next moment, Pastor and his five soldiers are pressed down by Horace's overwhelming presence.
"I'm just a regular civilian, huh? That's funny. I can tell you think I'm all talk, just because you're an executive. You probably think you can walk all over me, because of your big power and the fact that you've almost never been confronted."
Slowly, Horace walks forward, closing the distance between them.
He passes right through the soldiers, walks up to Pastor, grabs him by the collar, and lifts him up.
"Wha—what the hell..."
"Well then... I'll let you off with just one hit. Don't worry, I won't leave any scars—just the pain."
"Wha..."
Horace swings his right fist and punches Pastor square in the cheek.
Pastor goes flying, crashing through the doorway of the branch, thrown outside with a heavy thud.
"...You guys, grab the Pastor and get out of here. Got it? I'm the one who runs this town. Don't get too cocky."
The tension broke.
The soldiers staggered a bit but left the branch, took the Pastor, and headed back.
"So, what are you up to, Ellie?"
Ellie had Risha and Narsha facing each other, pressed their ears to her chest, and covered the other side with her hand.
"So, they can't see these ugly adult things."
Ellie said this flatly as she stepped away from them, but her true feelings were obvious.
"Well, I'm not gonna say anything. But damn, that guy's gotten pretty full of himself..."
Horace muttered while staring outside.
"...That jerk's the one behind the Dragonstone Kingdom and the Court Adventurers. Such a damn mess."
Horace let out a heavy sigh one last time.
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