I never thought this would happen. We are in the modern era, not medieval times. But I suppose bullying exists regardless of the era. Since this adventurer knew Yuuno, he should be a member of her guild, right?
"… Mister Touka. Here are my new teammates, Makoto and Noelle. Makoto here is indie, while Noelle belongs to the Arcanciel Guild."
"Whoo, hi there, cutie. Nice jugs you have there. I see. Arcanciel, huh? Where are your guildmates? How about I take you on a tour? I'm better than this eternal noob here." He smirked.
I was stunned speechless. I probably had the same thoughts when I met Noelle for the first time. Noelle's melons were hard to ignore. With every step she took, those puddings jiggled.
However, I wasn't so brash as to say it out loud. I didn't want to get sued. Moreover, it was rude. This guy was different, though. He said it so brazenly. I guess he thought that becoming an adventurer gave him immunity from the law. The law often ignored these kinds of small misdemeanors for adventurers, but that doesn't excuse him to be rude.
Yet, I decided not to interfere. I wasn't some cheat protagonist. I had no power. I was weak. I didn't think I could beat Yuuno in a sword fight, and he must be at least stronger than her.
That's why I chose to stay out of the radar. Trying to be invisible.
At least until I gained more power.
"Um… No. I am done for today. Um… My seniors allowed me to adventure with them and no one else. You will have to ask for guild permission if you want to adventure with me. My brother said I must not travel with anyone else."
"Tch! Then what about this guy?" He pointed his finger at me.
I felt anger rising, but I held it in.
Remember, Makoto. You're just a small fry. A mediocre adventurer. If you want to stay alive, stay silent.
"I mean… Yuuno said he was okay…" Noelle said.
"I am Yuuno's guildmate! That also means I am okay too, right?" the guy said. Just as his harassment was rising, a shout came from behind.
"Noelle! Are you okay?" A man in different adventuring gear approached. I looked at him, measuring him from head to toe. He obviously had more expensive gear than Yuuno's acquaintance. This guy was a high-level adventurer. No doubt about it.
"Brother!" Noelle ran to him and hid behind his back.
"Is there any trouble, Yuuno?" the man asked. His eyes swept from Yuuno to the bully. His eyes soon rest upon the bully.
"Ah. Are you her brother? Nothing. I was just asking your little sister to go adventuring together. That's all. Sorry to disturb you," the bully said. He then turned sheepish and left, clearly intimidated by the brother's aura.
For clarification, adventurers usually didn't emit visible auras or anything. Unless they had unique permanent skills such as beastification, they looked like ordinary humans from the outside. I judged them based on their gear alone. High-level adventurers usually had more expensive equipment.
This guy was either extremely rich, buying his gear with billions of dollars, or he was a genuinely powerful adventurer. where he gained his gear through effort by diving deep into the dungeon.
"So, Noelle. Did you have a good experience today?" the brother asked.
"Dunno. We stayed on the third floor, so we basically had the same experience as before," Noelle said.
As she reported to her brother, I inched closer to Yuuno.
"That's good. Safety is number one. No matter how strong you get, if you die, it will all be for nothing," the brother patted her head. Meanwhile, I whispered to the greedy blue girl beside me.
"He looks important. I didn't know you had such connections, Yuuno," I whispered. I glanced at the brother and sister. Damn, God really was unfair. They had looks, money, and even blessings. Blessings were supposed to be random, so family members rarely got blessings together.
"Don't underestimate me, junior. I have been adventuring for three years, after all!" Yuuno said.
"So you say, but I bet you just met him in a café or something," I teased her.
"T-t-that's not true! We met in a dungeon! I swear."
"Ah. Did I interrupt something, Yuuno? Is my sister a handful?" the man said. He gave me a side glance. "Moreover, could you introduce me to this man? Are you two an item?"
"No, sir. I am just an indie adventurer. I'm Makoto! I study at Altair Academy!" I gave a salute.
"… I see. Indie, huh. That's rare. Do you know me, by any chance?"
"Erm… no. I am new to this adventuring business. I just became an adventurer two weeks ago, so I don't want to join any guild yet." I tilted my head at his question.
I answered honestly, but damn. Is he someone important? Adventurers, being blessed by literal gods, tended to have inflated egos. Yuuno's guildmates were the prime example. I didn't think he would stoop to that level, but he might be the type who indulged in praise.
"… I see. Hahaha. Just call me Seraphine then." He patted my shoulder, seemingly satisfied with my answer. "Sorry, but Noelle is my precious sister. It is rare for family members to become adventurers together. With my status as the guild leader of Arcanciel, people have been eyeing Noelle for nefarious purposes. So I have to be careful."
With those boobs, of course people would eye her. Especially men. I didn't say it out loud, though. I valued my life. He seemed to be the protective older brother type. I should just target someone less protected. I have Sakura, after all.
"I see. It must be hard. She must be bullied in school," I said. "She is in such an enviable position, after all. She is a strong adventurer and has a powerful and caring brother."
"… That's right. In fact, my guildmates have been pestering me for giving Noelle preferential treatment. That's why I let her adventure outside with Yuuno."
"Why not just hire a strong adventurer to guard her? You know the term, right? Power leveling? Yuuno is an F-rank adventurer, and since I am new, I am even lower in terms of strength."
"I can't do that. Not only would it spark outrage within the guild, it would also destroy Noelle's future. Adventurers who are power-leveled tend to be reckless or develop bad habits. In higher-difficulty dungeons, they might get killed instantly by ambushing monsters or freeze when things go wrong," Seraphine said.
"I see."
"I didn't hear Noelle complain about any of you, so I assumed you were a girl. I never expected she would be okay adventuring with a guy. She was shy, after all," Seraphine muttered.
"Don't worry, mister. If Makoto ever gives weird looks to Noelle, I will personally smack him!"
"Seeing you guys reminded me of my adventuring days when I was a beginner. Good luck, Makoto. If you become successful one day, I will let you join my guild. Sorry, Yuuno, but I can't poach another guild's member. If you can terminate your contract, I will be happy to accept you."
"Understood. The guild I am currently in isn't so bad right now, so I don't think I will be moving. But even if we are in different guilds, we could always party together, right?"
"Yes, you are right. Alright. Let's go home, Noelle. See you next time, Makoto, Yuuno," Seraphine said. He then made small talk with her as they walked to their car. "Did you have a good teammate?"
"… Yes." Noelle gave a brief nod as they got into the car.
Phew. At least I am safe. I wouldn't survive as an indie adventurer if I angered a guild leader. I don't know much about Arcanciel, but even the weakest guild is not something to be trifled with. A guild needed at least an A-rank party to be officially authorized by the government. A party—not just a single adventurer.
"Phew. That gave me a fright. I never thought Noelle knew someone so important. So, Yuuno, what's with that guildmate of yours? Is he someone important? Well, even if he is important, wasn't the way he spoke a bit rude?"
"My guild, Shadow Realm, has over 200 members. He is about average, I guess," Yuuno said with a shrug. "Well, that's about what adventurers would say."
"I see. Okay, then. See you next time." I frowned. Well, true. he seemed like a typical mediocre adventurer. I wonder if I would become like that. My skills and blessings also supported such behavior.
"Bye!"After we waved goodbye, I rode the bus home.
That was pathetic. If not for Noelle's brother showing up, that could have ended badly. But what can I do? I am just a nobody. My blessing was not geared for combat. What can I do?
No… that was just an excuse. Even if I am powerless, there are other ways to handle things. Not everything has to be solved with strength. Maybe I could just praise him or treat him to food. Or maybe I could cite the adventurer's rulebook to him. We were right at the dungeon's entrance. Others were watching. There is no way he would want to make a scene with so many people around.
"Hah…" I sighed. Even after receiving a blessing, I still have this kind of mentality. A coward's mentality. How can I change? There is no way I can be a proper master for my harem with this attitude. No, let alone a harem. I don't think I can even be a proper master for Sakura. I refuse to dump my girls and ignore them when trouble comes, just like today.
As I plopped onto my bed, my mind drifted back to Sakura. I checked her status. It said that she was awake. Of course. The sun had set only a few hours ago. There is no way Sakura would already be asleep when it was barely 7 PM.
When I cast my Dreamscape skill, I didn't actually need to sleep. Only the target did. I will dive into her dream tomorrow. For today, I just want to sleep.
As I dived into dreamland, my thoughts wandered. Will I ever become strong with this power? Will I be able to protect what's mine and not lose anyone else?