The Returnee’s Guild Must Grow Properly

I ignored the shouting voice behind me as I slipped into a deserted alleyway and summoned the Mage to act as my portal shuttle.

| Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master) |: Mage~
| Pr. 9th Circle Archmage |: •́ㅿ•̀
| Pr. 9th Circle Archmage |: The Mage is completely speechless right now! Totally baffled!
| Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master) |: Never mind, just open a portal for me ^^!
| Pr. 9th Circle Archmage |: This damn Guild Master really wants to turn me into a portal service, huh? ^^?
| Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master) |: Guilty of lying about sleeping~ (＾∇＾)
| Pr. 9th Circle Archmage |: The Mage was going to sleep! Then the Hero hit me with a truth spell! I was so startled!!!
| Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master) |: (૭ ᐕ)૭?
| Pr. 9th Circle Archmage |: (╬≖_≖)

I sent him the coordinates without another word. Almost immediately, a crimson magic circle unfolded before me.

| Pr. 9th Circle Archmage |: The Mage is going to actually, seriously sleep now!!!

I didn’t bother responding. Whether he slept or not wasn’t my concern—I just needed to get home.

Just as I stepped toward the crimson portal, everything changed.

The pain hit like a lightning bolt. A blade had pierced through me just below my chest. I couldn’t even scream; a hand clamped over my mouth made sure of that.

I tried to turn around, but my body was locked in place. Whoever was holding me twisted the blade slowly before pulling it out.

I staggered, sharp pain surging through me.

[Authority, ‘Healing,’ has been activated.]

The pain subsided almost instantly as my wounds healed and the bleeding stopped.

[The Holy Sword, ‘Sword of Glory,’ awaits its master’s command.]

Without hesitation, I gripped the sword’s hilt and swung it in one fluid motion.

“…!”

The man narrowly dodged the glowing blue arc, his expression tightening as blood trickled down his cheek.

Noticing the crimson streak on his face, he raised a hand to wipe it away.

I took a deep breath and stood upright.

“Hey,” I began, my voice low.

To echo the Mage’s earlier sentiment, I said, “What the hell are you?”

[The Title, ‘Swordmaster,’ has been forcibly unsealed.]
[Effect reduced by half.]
[Effect reduced by half.]

Half? Whatever.

| Pr. 9th Circle Archmage |: (૭ ᐕ)૭?

The Mage, who was supposed to be asleep, sent yet another message. Annoyed, I ignored it and raised my sword, gritting my teeth.

“Who are you? What kind of lunatic stabs someone out of nowhere?”

My mind spun, trying to piece things together. If this was an attack on my guild, they’d aim to capture, not kill.

That meant this man wasn’t part of a rival force targeting the Guild of Haun.

So… who the hell was he?

The man, seemingly hearing my unspoken question, finally opened his mouth.

“…Saintess.”

“…?”

I blinked, stunned.

The man who had stabbed me was definitely male—his XY chromosomes were undeniable.

Pale and shaken, he looked like the one who had been stabbed, not me. Yet there was no mistaking that he was the one who’d driven the blade into my body.

And now he was calling me what?

“Saintess? Yeah, right.”

I’d heard hunters with healing-type skills were sometimes called that in a metaphorical sense.
But this? It didn’t feel like he was using the term in that way.

Hoping my suspicions wouldn’t be confirmed, I raised my sword and stepped toward the unknown attacker.

“…!!”

Though I hadn’t intended to kill him, he dodged with ease. Immediately, his blade came rushing toward me.

With a sharp turn of my raised sword, I blocked his incoming attack.

Clang—!

The loud clash of metal echoed. His surprised expression showed he hadn’t expected me to block so effectively.

“Swordmaster as well…”

Hearing that name, my eyes widened. Of course. Of course.
My face twisted in frustration.

“You little… You’re a damn Returnee, aren’t you?”

“…”

The silence was answer enough.

Of all the Returnees whose faces I didn’t know, only two came to mind: the Dragon Slayer and the Greatest Martial Artist.
Both were notorious for being elusive in guild chat, barely showing up at all.

“If you’re supposed to be hunting dragons, why are you coming after me instead?”

It couldn’t have been the Martial Artist; they wouldn’t be swinging a knightly sword like this.

Judging by his slight scowl, I’d hit the nail on the head. Grinning, I tightened my grip and swung my sword with full force.

“―!!”

The sudden attack broke his balance, sending him stumbling backward. I kicked him in the chest, aiming to crack a rib, but the damn Slayer only slid back a few steps, seemingly unscathed.

Great. The elusive “Read-Ignore Master” from guild chat was here in the flesh. I couldn’t decide if this was cause for joy or despair.

As much as I wanted to beat him to a pulp, there were more pressing matters to handle first.

| Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master) |: Grand Duke, set up a barrier around the shop.
| Pr. Northern Grand Duke |: ??
| Pr. Northern Grand Duke |: Wait, you’re still there?
| Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master) |: Yes, now hurry up with the barrier!!

Golden magic circles unfolded in the sky and vanished almost instantly.

The Dragon Slayer’s gaze followed the magic, his expression momentarily melancholic.

So, he must’ve encountered someone with similar power in a dimensional transfer. He seemed lost in his memories. Smirking, I asked,
“Well, now that I know who you are, there’s just one thing left to ask.”

Gripping my sword tightly, I pointed it at him.

“What’s your reason for stabbing me out of nowhere, guildmate?”

This bastard knew I was the guild master of Haun, and yet he still attacked. No—he didn’t just attack; he intended to kill.

Calling me “Saintess” and “Swordmaster,” he must have thought my titles were still sealed, assuming I was just an ordinary “civilian” he could take out easily.

“…”

Yet the Read-Ignore Master remained silent, even face-to-face.

Suppressing my rising anger, I exhaled deeply and swung my sword lightly. The glowing blue arc traced through the air as the Slayer parried with his blade.

The split trajectory left a deep scar on a nearby wall.
Sorry about that, building owners.

I leapt forward, but instead of lifting my sword, I revealed the chains I had hidden all along.

“―!!”

Since he refused to talk, I had no choice but to subdue him. Time for some physical persuasion.
Not that I’d actually hit him. My fists aren’t worth the pain.

Though… maybe I’ll make an exception and land one solid punch on his gut. Fair trade for the hole he put in me.

Stopping my charge, I casually approached as the chains wrapped tightly around his arms, forcing him to drop his sword.

The Dragon Slayer, still restrained by the chains, looked at me with a slight scowl. His voice, slow and deliberate, cut through the tension.

“…Why.”

“That’s my question to ask.”

I scowled in frustration, my irritation bubbling at his maddeningly terse responses. His infuriatingly slow speech made my blood boil, and I decided the best way to calm myself was to knock some sense into him.

I began pulling the chains tighter when—

“Guild Master?”

“!!”

Damn it, of all times, the Grand Duke chose this moment to pop his head into the alley. It wouldn’t have been an issue…

[Authority, ‘Back Detection,’ has been activated.]

…if not for the surge of murderous intent I felt from behind me.

I quickly raised my sword, intercepting an incoming strike. I thought that would be the end of it, but it was a grave miscalculation.

“…What the hell.”

Above us, a vast blue magic array illuminated the sky. The sight was all too familiar, briefly unsettling me before the Grand Duke’s shout snapped me out of it.

“Guild Master!!”

A shimmering golden shield appeared before me, but it was clear that wouldn’t be enough to block the incoming attack.

I had no choice but to release the chains binding the Dragon Slayer and move forward.

The next moment, a dazzling blue bolt of lightning struck down toward me.

Boom—!

Blinding light burst from the chains I used to deflect the attack, making it impossible to see anything.

As I braced for the possibility of another ambush from behind, a familiar voice cut through the chaos.

“Excuse me.”

“…?!”

That voice—I’d heard it more times today than I cared to count. Turning, I saw none other than the Mage.

The Mage smiled cheerfully, his eyes crinkling as he raised a hand.

“Our Guild Master, fighting in the street like this—it’s so dangerous, right?”

“You…!”

Looking up, I confirmed it was indeed the annoying Mage. He waved his hand lightly.

“The Mage is worried he’ll become not just a portal service but also a cleanup crew at this rate.”

Before I could even register what he was saying, the massive blue array in the sky turned red and disappeared in an instant. The bolt of lightning vanished just as suddenly.

The sky returned to its usual calm, as if nothing had happened. Looking up, I saw the Mage gazing skyward, his expression casual.

“Weren’t you supposed to be sleeping? No, wait—that’s not the point. Where’s the Slayer?! Grand Duke!!”

“If you mean the person you were holding, they escaped!”

The Grand Duke quickly added, his tone panicked, “Don’t ask why I didn’t stop him! I almost got fried by that lightning!!”

Who said anything?

Grumbling in irritation, I released the grip on my holy sword, sending it back to its rightful place.

“And why are you here?” I asked the Mage, my voice sharp.

“Well, our dear Guild Master didn’t use the portal I opened, didn’t respond to my messages, and naturally, I got worried…”

“Cut the crap.”