The Guild Master begrudgingly agreed for them to infiltrate.

His jaw tightened, the muscles in his neck tensing visibly as he surveyed the motley crew that had invaded his sanctuary.

His red eyes flicked towards Heka—who was now examining a decorative vase on a side table with theatrical interest.

He let out a long, slow breath through his nose, the kind of sigh that spoke of years of dealing with difficult people and learning to pick his battles.

There we have it: my comrade in arms are all here to support me! I’m so darn happy.

...Except every single one of them knows I’m absolutely fine, and they just wanted to get the exclusive access to the front row seat where they’ll learn about my adventurer class.

They weren’t here to support me—they were here for the spectacle. They were even gossiping openly if I might turn out to be Star class, their voices carrying across the room with absolutely no attempt at discretion.

"Did you see what happened to the artifacts?" Sophia whispered to her brother.

"Three of them!" her brother replied, his eyes wide with wonder. "That’s not normal, it’s unprecedented."

"Star class for sure," Aria murmured, her gaze fixed on me like I was a fascinating specimen under a microscope. "Maybe even beyond, haha. What’s above Star, I wonder?"

"Nothing," Katana replied, her voice soft but certain. "That’s the end. Star is the end..."

Please hide your ulterior motives a bit harder, guys.

I wanted to groan out loud. They weren’t even trying to be subtle.

They were clustered together like excited children at a festival, their attention fixed on me with laser focus, their earlier claims of friendship exposed for the transparent excuses they were.

"Ahem. Let us start all over," the Guild Master said, his voice cutting through the murmurs.

A vein was popping on his forehead as Heka snooped around his office like a new pet, her fingers trailing over the spines of books on a shelf, her head tilted as she examined a framed portrait on the wall.

He said; "My name is Armstrong. Armstrong Schwarzenberg. And this beautiful woman here is..."

Armstrong gestured towards the... well-endowed half elf standing beside him, with her cute monocle on her left green eye.

Her silver hair was pulled back in an elegant twist, her green eyes sharp and intelligent behind the glass of her monocle.

Her figure was generous, her dark green uniform straining slightly in a way that seemed almost intentional, and she carried herself with a poise that suggested she was used to being the most capable person in any room.

"I am Ivyrine Evergreen Schwarzenberg, Armstrong’s assistant and deputy... and only wife. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, God-touched," She gave a majestic bow and was polite, her movements fluid and graceful, her voice melodic and warm.

Uwah. The "and only wife" seemed to be a type of territory marking against me. I’m not a rival or anything.

"Thank you for having me," I responded from my seat with a nod, my voice carefully measured. "My name is Benjamin Mark, and as you have said correctly, a god-touched from another world. However, I am NOT a ’her’ like my companions make me out to be. I am a man!"

I stressed the final word, letting it hang in the air, hoping to finally correct the bizarre misconception that had taken root.

"Bwahahaha!"

Trust me, this was everyone’s reaction, including the composed Ivyrine... and that Heka!

The laughter erupted like a sudden storm, filling the office with a cacophony of amusement that seemed to shake the very walls.

Armstrong’s deep belly laugh rumbled like thunder. Ivyrine’s polite chuckle was more restrained but no less genuine.

Sophia and her twin brother were doubled over, clutching each other for support.

Maria’s stern facade cracked into a grin. Aria was covering her mouth with both hands. Even Katana’s shoulders were shaking with suppressed mirth.

And Heka—she was practically howling, her hand slapping against the couch cushion as she gasped for air!

They found something honestly funny about me being a man, and I seriously didn’t understand what exactly.

I stared at them, my brow furrowed, my confusion growing with each passing second of their unexplained hilarity.

Were they pranking me or something? Was this some elaborate joke that I wasn’t in on?

I looked down at myself, at my clearly masculine... well, a bit androgynous form, and found nothing that would justify their reaction.

Thankfully, Yuki didn’t give much of a reaction. I’m willing to forgive the huff she she made.

I bet she believes me!

Her face remained neutral, her lips pressed together in a thin line, her eyes betraying nothing.

She was the only one who hadn’t laughed, the only one who seemed to take my declaration seriously. I felt a surge of gratitude toward her, a warm feeling of vindication... maybe even love...

"Ah, you sure are one funny lady, Benjamin Mark! But enough jokes now..." Armstrong said, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye.

His face was still flushed with amusement, but he was making an effort to compose himself and return to the matter at hand.

Wait, I’m the one supposed to be saying that!

Feeling a bit embarrassed about being the only one not in on an inside joke, I shrugged and paid attention to the Guild Master.

There was no point in fighting it—not now, not in this setting. I’d correct them later, when the stakes were lower and the audience was smaller.

"This is the first time in about 40 years that we are seeing a god-touched visit our city," he began, more serious now, his laughter faded.

His expression hardened, his red eyes boring into mine with an intensity that would make one want to look away. "And we fear that your appearance which coincides with the strange events happening in Thaad is truly connected. The unusual monster activities started roughly around the time you arrived, or so our records suggest."

"But I seriously don’t know anything about it," I answered calmly, keeping my voice steady and my expression neutral. "I just want to become an adventurer since it’s been my dream."

Well, it’s been my dream since just a few hours ago, but it still counts, I guess.

A dream was a dream, regardless of how long you’d held it. And this one felt right.

"I understand what you are saying, Benjamin," he clasped his hands on the table and leaned forward. "But these are all just words. The real culprit could similarly say the same thing without a reliable proof of innocence. Personally, I would simply like to keep an eye on you, but this is a city. The Mayor would want to protect the people rationally and would not be satisfied with the words of your mouth alone. There are procedures, protocols, systems in place to ensure that potential threats are treated properly."

Ah, I see what’s going on here. This politics thing again.

I had dealt with it with the Ogre princess in Fairylynch, and also with Renard in the Higher Realm.

The song and dance was familiar—the careful dance of words, the veiled threats, the implication that I was being given a chance to prove myself before they took more drastic measures.

I think I know what to do.

"Mr. Armstrong—"

"Just Armstrong, please." He smiled and interrupted my formality, his expression softening slightly. "I prefer informality. It makes the interrogations feel... less hostile."

His smile widened just a fraction, and I could see the glint of humor in his eyes. He was testing me, probing to see how I would react to his casual invitation.

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