The Returnee’s Guild Must Grow Properly

“A favor?”

Apparently, I had chosen my words poorly. Do Hain’s face twisted in fury, and he screeched.
“Hey!! Why do you just take things like that?! What if it was dangerous?!”

“It wasn’t dangerous!”

“Then what was it?!”

I couldn’t possibly tell him it was a baby dragon desperately searching for food. How could I explain that an unknown reptile had hatched, only to escape into the wild before I could catch it?

As I wracked my brain for a convincing explanation that might even earn me praise, the front door swung open.

“Hain!!”

It was my brother, who had gone out looking for me.

“Haun.”

The moment he spotted me, he strode inside. He stopped in front of me, pulled me into a firm hug, and delivered chilling words that made my heart sink.
“Haun, you’re grounded. No going out for the time being.”

“?!”

“I’m also cutting off all your cards, so you’d better get used to it.”

“!!”

What kind of nonsense is this, dear brother?!

I stared at him in bewilderment, but he simply patted my head and turned to leave.
“I’ll assign Hunters around the area, so don’t even think about sneaking out. Got it, Haun? Hain, come with me.”

As I stood frozen, Do Hain patted my shoulder as he walked past.
“Well, at least he didn’t cut off your phone. Be grateful.”

Grateful? Grateful, my foot!

As the front door quietly closed behind them, I smirked bitterly and sent a message.

| Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master) |: Dragon Slayer, you bastard, watch your back at nightㅎㅎ. I’m coming to stab you in the back^^!!

Naturally, there was no reply.

“Argh! You son of a—!!”

Grabbing my head in frustration, I screamed into the void of my miserable life.

*****

By the third day of my house arrest, I had somewhat adjusted to the situation.

They say humans are adaptable creatures, after all.

I handed off all guild requests to my guild members and decided to enjoy the unexpected leisure.

| Pr. Demon King |: Have you changed cafes?

The Demon King, who was handling over half of the guild’s requests, kept messaging me at random times. But that could wait until after my grounding was lifted—I could find a new cafe later.

Let’s see… maybe I’ll go cafe-hopping with Seoha once this is over.

Lying on the sofa, I turned on the TV. It was time to enjoy a rare break with some drama.

Bzzzz—

But of course, a message had to ruin my peace.

It was from a number I didn’t recognize. I was about to block it as spam when the message caught my eye.

[010―□X□X―X■X■]: Gloria.

If not for the name “Gloria,” I wouldn’t have given it a second thought.

I shot up from my seat, frowning at the screen.
The only person who would call me that was…

Bzzzz—

[010―□X□X―X■X■]: You said you’d contact me first, but I’ve heard nothing, so I took the liberty. Not that I was waiting for your call! My patience has reached its limit, so respond immediately.

“……”

It could only be that little punk, Doby.

Scratching my chin, I tapped on the screen and called the number. The phone barely rang once before the other end picked up. With a bright grin, I greeted him.

“Hello? Is this Doby’s number?”

― Yes, this is… wait, what?!

It seemed Kang Hasu, the man managing Doby, had failed to put a leash on him.

Still, considering Doby’s face popped up in the drama rerun playing in the background, it looked like Hasu had made an effort.

Whatever the case, I silently offered condolences to the Spirit Master’s tongue before opening my mouth to speak.

“Make time for me right now.”

The response that came back was dripping with irritation.
― Unbelievable. Do I look like someone with time to waste?

“You sent that message because you had time to waste, didn’t you? Saying your patience had run out? I’ll send you the location, so meet me there.”

If he didn’t show, that’d be that.
Except it couldn’t just be “that.” I had to find out how he knew I was the Returnee of Gloria.

Maybe he even knew the Dragon Slayer. Maybe they’d met.

― Fine. I shall grace you with my presence.

Then again, it seemed unlikely Doby would know the Dragon Slayer or have met him.

I hung up immediately and sent him a message.

Since my usual cafe had been commandeered by the Demon King, I needed a new meeting spot.

The place I chose was…

[010―□X□X―X■X■]: What a remarkable coincidence. I had business here anyway.

…the Hero’s shop.
It seemed like a bad choice.

I debated letting the Hero know in advance but decided there was no need—it wasn’t like I was going there to cause trouble.

After grabbing my coat, I called for someone who could help me make a clean getaway from the house.

| Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master) |: Mage.

I wasn’t just recklessly running off to meet Doby. Today was the perfect day for it.

First, the weather was fantastic.
The cloudless sky was so bright and clear it practically begged to be photographed and posted on social media. In other words, it was a great day to leave the house.

Okay, that was just an excuse. The real reason was the second one.

Second, my brother and Do Hain had gone out together to reward the mage for something gate-related.

This meant I could slip out without anyone noticing.

| Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master) |: Mage.
| Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master) |: Mage.
| Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master) |: Hey.

But this brat kept reading and ignoring my messages.

| Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master) |: So, you’re just going to keep ignoring me? Fine, I’ll call the Demon King to deal with your tongue^^!

| Pr. 9th Circle Archmage |: ｡•́︿•̀｡

Finally, a reply.

| Pr. 9th Circle Archmage |: Guild Master, you’re messaging me even though you know I’m talking to your family right now?

| Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master) |: Yep^^.
| Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master) |: Enough talk. Open a portal.

| Pr. 9th Circle Archmage |: Our Guild Master sure knows how to work a mage to the bone, huh?

| Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master) |: (૭ ᐕ)૭?

| Pr. 9th Circle Archmage |: Agh.

The mage was reaping what he’d sown.

Soon, a red magic circle appeared before me. Just before stepping through, I sent one last message.

| Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master) |: Stall my brother and Do Hain for a while.

| Pr. 9th Circle Archmage |: Guild Master, you’re so demandingㅠ.

Why did it feel like I could hear him whining through the text?

I rubbed my ear out of reflex and frowned.

| Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master) |: And let me know when they leave.

| Pr. 9th Circle Archmage |: •́ㅿ•̀

Was that a yes or a no?

If it was a no, I’d just go find the mage myself. My brother would know where he was.

For the record, the mage was technically on leave. He claimed he was laying low until the media calmed down, but who knew if his plan would actually work.

My brother seemed worried about it and wanted to meet him to discuss it, but… whatever, they’d figure it out.

Shrugging off unnecessary concerns, I stepped into the portal.

As always, the mage’s portal led to a quiet, deserted alley. Though there was little chance of being recognized, I pulled my hood up to cover my face completely and walked briskly toward my destination.

When I opened the shop door, what greeted me was…

“My dear, is the food to your liking?”
― Mam-ma!!
“I see. I’m glad it suits your taste.”

…the Grand Duke’s unmistakable use of “my dear.”

For a moment, I considered closing the door and walking out, but with a resigned sigh, I stepped inside.

Wasn’t the Grand Duke supposed to find it embarrassing to call people “my dear”? Then why did he throw that phrase around every chance he got?

The sound of the door chime made the Grand Duke glance up, and his eyes widened.
“Guild Master?”

“…Please watch your mouth. What if someone hears you call me that?”

“There are no customers right now, so I can call you Guild Master. If I can’t call you that, what should I call you?”

His stubborn tone made me frown. Come to think of it, I’d never properly told him my name.

“Do Haun.”

“Pardon?”

Pulling down my hood, I repeated myself.
“When there are people around, call me ‘Do Haun.’ Stop calling me ‘Guild Master.’”

The Grand Duke tilted his head slightly, then broke into a wide grin.
“Alright!”

― Mam-ma!!

Even the little dragon, nestled snugly in the Grand Duke’s arms, echoed his reply. Pointing to the dragon, I asked, “More importantly, why do you have that dragon with you? Did the Hero agree to this? Are you allowed to keep it here?”

“She gave her permission.”

The Hero, whom I thought was absent, appeared from the kitchen. Glancing at the dragon, she furrowed her brows slightly.

“Yoo Daegong caused such a fuss, insisting the dragon could be the shop’s mascot, that I gave in.”

Her words made me narrow my eyes as I asked, “A mascot? Not a test subject for research?”

“What are you saying about my Rim?!”

The Grand Duke shouted at me, his voice full of indignation. I replied flatly, unfazed by his outburst.
“But it’s still a dragon.”

Let me remind everyone: in this world, “dragon” is synonymous with a ferocious monster. If anyone saw it, they’d likely scream and report it.

At my comment, the Grand Duke pouted.
“I’ve already used illusion magic to make it look like a puppy, and its cries sound like barking!”

Apparently, such magic didn’t work on Returnees.

Regardless, the Grand Duke rubbed his cheek against the dragon—Rim or whatever its name was—his face overflowing with affection.
“And thanks to Rim, our sales have skyrocketed!”

What nonsense.

As I dusted off my seat and stood, Doby, who had been watching, gave me a look that said he’d seen it all now.