Gauss had expected him to make some other request, and had prepared himself for it.
But he had never imagined he would hear such an unrelated question.
It had the peculiar charm of answering "or" to "yes or no?"
So for a moment, he was stunned.
Seeing that Gauss had been silent for a long time, the half-snake person's face briefly betrayed a hint of disappointment. He quickly hid it, however, and said with forced calm,
"Sorry for being so presumptuous. If it's difficult for you, then—"
"No, no. It's just that there are other members in my party, after all. I need to ask her opinion before I can give you an answer."
Seeing the other man turn to leave, Gauss hurriedly called out to stop him.
With the half-snake person's speed, if Gauss had been even a moment slower, he might have already been gone.
Still, Gauss really was surprised by the half-snake person's request to join the party.
A Bronze-ranked adventurer with an apparent three-star badge, and a priest whose class was similar to a Cleric—how could he not have a regular party? It genuinely baffled Gauss.
But the confusion only lingered in his mind for a moment. He didn't suspect the half-snake person of anything.
Before today, they had met only three times, but Gauss could already tell that beneath his unapproachable exterior, he was actually a decent person.
The first time had been at the inn. Faced with the owner's blatant refusal to let him stay, the half-snake person hadn't shown the slightest anger. He'd simply left without a word.
The second time had been on the first floor of the maze. When dealing with a group of hostile adventurers, he'd had the upper hand but hadn't gone for the kill. He'd merely taught them