Subjugation Request

"Cough... Forget it, forget it. Things are pretty good as they are."

Galan flexed his muscular arm as if showing it off.

"It's a shame I don't have a talent for that, but a strong body is the foundation of everything. I think being a tough, thick-skinned warrior is pretty good."

Duncan glanced sideways at him. He seemed to find it amusing, as though it were his first time hearing a warrior describe himself that way.

"Come to think of it, Lia seemed to have a pretty good handle on it at first. Why did she lose control afterward?"

Galan had been a little nervous himself when he saw her about to fly off the cliff.

Fortunately, his long years of training had brought his physical abilities to a new height, far beyond what they had been when he first came to this world. That was how he had managed to rush to her rescue with astonishing speed.

By now, he had essentially inherited the original owner's strength. If he faced Charas again, his chances of escaping from him had at least increased considerably.

"I saw you freeze up just now. You got distracted, didn't you?"

Duncan adjusted his monocle out of habit and fixed Lia with a piercing gaze. He looked just like an old teacher scolding a student, and even Galan found him strangely impressive.

Come to think of it, his homeroom teacher used to give him that same look when he was scolding him at school.

Terrifying.

"...I was wrong... I won't get distracted again..."

Lia hurriedly hid behind Galan, leaving only half her head visible as she looked at Duncan.

"You're so strict today, Duncan..."

That said, Duncan really did care about Lia. He was doing his best to nurture her, both in daily life and in her studies.

When he noticed something was wrong just now, he had acted immediately, too.

And Galan could clearly feel the changes taking place in Lia—not just her progress with magic, but a fundamental change in her very bearing.

She was changing from an inexperienced girl into a mature person.

As the saying went, it took ten years to grow a tree, but a hundred years to nurture a person.

In just a few months, the little tree that was over three hundred years old had begun to show signs of growth. It was easy to imagine how much of his heart and soul Duncan had poured into her.

"It hasn't been easy, Duncan..."

Galan rubbed his head and gave him an embarrassed, conciliatory smile.

"I was the one who used a little trick to make you stay, but you're still taking this so seriously."

"Hmph."

Duncan gave a soft snort, seemingly still harboring some complaints about that incident.

"But I do have my own reasons, too... This child... She's too much like Lecktire..."

Galan was taken aback, while Lia failed to understand what he meant and simply looked at the two men in confusion.

"So... you still haven't made up your mind? About taking the First-Class Mage Exam. This year's exam is already over, but you'll have another chance in three years."

Duncan paused, his voice carrying a distinct hesitation that was completely unlike his usual decisive manner.

"...That's the one thing I've never been able to make up my mind about... Maybe I'm running away from it... But I still want more time to think..."

"Mm..."

Galan asked no further questions and offered no more persuasion. Having transmigrated, he naturally knew what that extra time to think really meant.

It wasn't a night spent racking his brains, nor a sudden awakening at some particular moment.

It was a fleeting glimpse decades later; it was casting everything aside and throwing himself into it after weathering the ups and downs of officialdom for many years.

But only that Duncan could truly fulfill the obsession in his heart.

Galan didn't want to disrupt the original course of the story.

Human lives were so short that, at a few important turning points, we were pushed into making major decisions that would affect the rest of our lives.

Those were among the most important decisions of Duncan's life. An outsider like Galan shouldn't interfere.

Fortress City Rogley

Adventurers Guild

The large notice board was covered with all kinds of requests. Many people crowded around it, scanning the request sheets and hoping to find a good job.

Quite a few people would even quarrel bitterly after setting their sights on the same request.

It was manageable enough if they were individuals; at worst, they could band together or join one side. But if two parties had their eyes on the same request, a clash was probably unavoidable.

There was no shortage of vicious adventurers. They spent their lives on a knife's edge, and some might even have killed people in secret. There was no telling what they might do to snatch a well-paying request.

To prevent people from coming to blows inside the guild, quite a few guards were usually stationed there to maintain order on the surface.

"Hey! Galan, over here!"

Galan had just entered the packed Adventurers Guild and was wondering where to find Glenn when he heard that familiar voice.

At a few small rectangular tables in a corner of the guild, four people sat with their heads down, apparently discussing something.

Some of them carried wands, while others had longswords and holy scriptures. They covered a wide range of classes and looked to be members of the same party.

"Hey!"

Glenn stood by the table next to that party.

He waved a large hand and called out to Galan.

"Being big has its advantages. I spotted you right away."

Galan chuckled and teased Glenn.

"Heh heh, you little rascal!"

He laughed heartily and gave him a slap on the back.

"This time, we're joining forces with the party next to us to subjugate a group of monsters that recently overran Windmill Village."

Glenn pulled out a sheet of parchment bearing the Adventurers Guild's red seal and handed it to Galan. It detailed the request and the reward.

"The reward is fifty Shtrel Silver Coins? That's pretty generous... But shouldn't something like that be left to the army? Why is it up to adventurers to deal with it?"

Although surprised by the Adventurers Guild's generosity, Galan still asked in puzzlement.

"Because remnants of the Demon King's Army have been active so often lately, most of the army has been reassigned to take part in the campaigns against them. A lot of famous adventurers have been called up too. The reason I was able to come back..."

He pointed to his right arm, which had already healed.

"Was thanks to that demon."

"So that's how it is."

Galan nodded thoughtfully.

He looked at the other two people at the table. Like those at the neighboring table, the two had their own roles.

"This is Teresia. She's a very experienced Second-Class Mage. She's worked on a lot of requests with me, and she's quite reliable."

Glenn began introducing Galan to the members of his party.

The girl named Teresia was very young, with long, bright red hair that reached her waist and a pretty, youthful face. She looked about Galan's age.

"She's only twenty this year, but she handles things more steadily than some veterans... Uh... I hear she's still single, too, and she's so pretty. Hey, Galan, I think you're a pretty good kid. How about I set you two up?"

As he went on, he leaned closer to Galan, his voice growing quieter. He even nudged him with his elbow, wearing a sly look that left Galan both annoyed and amused. He's still an old bachelor himself, and he wants to find me a partner? This guy...

Though Glenn had deliberately lowered his voice, the other two still heard what he said at the end. Teresia, who had been sitting primly, went bright red. The simplehearted man had made her so uncomfortable that, for a moment, she couldn't get a word out.