The Returnee’s Guild Must Grow Properly

It felt as though they were overwhelmed with emotion or perhaps lost in rapture.

“Northern Grand Duke, you… You’re not somehow acquainted with that crazy Dragon Slayer, are you?”

“Of course not!”

If it’s not the case, there’s no need to get so defensive.

“Both of you, stop fooling around and focus,” the Hero said, clicking her tongue briefly as she adjusted her grip on her sword. A sharp, piercing sound soon began to resonate.

“Are you kidding me…?”

At the Grand Duke’s words, I found myself nodding unconsciously. There was no other way to react.

That insane Dragon Slayer was relentlessly trying to shatter the Grand Duke’s magic, entirely indifferent to the pain of his skin being torn apart.

“…This is strange.”

Every time the Dragon Slayer swung his sword, his blood splattered erratically along the trajectory.

[Private Chat: Northern Grand Duke]
Grand Duke: Guild Master, what do we do? That guy seems utterly unhinged!

The Grand Duke turned to me, unsure whether to release his magic or not. My face twisted into a grimace as I glared at that lunatic Dragon Slayer.

I knew he was a bit unhinged, but I hadn’t realized it was this bad.

“It’s strange, I tell you,” he muttered ominously.

The golden magic circle restraining him cracked audibly and began to splinter apart.

When magic is forcefully destroyed, the caster’s body suffers damage. That’s a universal law, no matter where you go.

Realizing this, I shouted urgently at the flustered Grand Duke.

“Grand Duke! Cancel the spell!!”

But before he could fully dispel the magic, a blood-soaked hand shattered it and reached out toward me.

“Strange, isn’t it? Erosia subdued me so easily before.”

As he smiled with his eyes, I spat out a string of curses under my breath.

This lunatic.

I grabbed the hand reaching for my face. The blood coating it made my grip slippery, but there was no way I could afford to let go of this damned hand.

“Guh…!”

“Grand Duke!”

― Mama!!

The impact of his magic being destroyed caused the Grand Duke to lose his balance. If I let go of this hand now, that damned Dragon Slayer would surely aim a punch at the Grand Duke.

I couldn’t let that happen.

Harim flitted nervously around the Grand Duke, her large, teary eyes brimming with panic. Seeing her like that, I called out to the only person here who could move freely in this situation.

“Hero!!”

“You don’t need to tell me twice!”

The Hero easily picked up the Grand Duke and quickly retreated from the battlefield. The Dragon Slayer watched them leave with a disapproving look in his eyes.

“Hey.”

His gaze turned back toward me.

There was no discernible emotion in his stare. I immediately moved my chains, aiming for him.

Before the chains could wrap around him, he swatted my hand away and took a step back.

“That won’t work a third time.”

“Oh, really?”

I won’t let you get away a third time either.

Fixing my grip on my sword, I kicked off the ground and swung toward him. However…

“You bastard!”

Rather than blocking my attack as I expected, the Dragon Slayer dodged narrowly and threw a handful of shattered debris from the ground in my direction.

The dirt and finely ground powder stung as it got into my eyes. My vision quickly blurred, and tears welled up uncontrollably.

“Ah, damn it!”

Seriously? You’re resorting to this kind of cheap trick?!

Before I could even rub my eyes, a sword came slashing toward my neck. I instinctively raised my own blade to block it.

Clang!

The sharp sound of metal meeting metal made me wince.

I tried my best to steady my blurry vision, but there was no stopping the tears streaming down my face. I wanted to rub my eyes, but the damned Dragon Slayer’s antics made that impossible.

I tried using chains to restrain the bastard in front of me, but—

“I told you, that won’t work.”

Somehow, the Dragon Slayer bastard sensed it and swiftly retreated before the chains could even manifest. Truly infuriating.

Taking advantage of the brief moment when the Dragon Slayer backed off, I pressed my palm against my eyelids. While there weren’t any wounds thanks to the Saintess’s power, the dirt and dust that had gotten inside made them sting persistently.

[Private Chat: Hero]
Hero: Yoo Daegong is fine.

The message that came through at such a chaotic moment was surprisingly comforting.

[Private Chat: Godslayer (Guild Master)]
Godslayer: Thx.
Godslayer: But just in case, keep an eye on the kid’s condition.

[Private Chat: Hero]
Hero: You sure you don’t need my help?

[Private Chat: Godslayer (Guild Master)]
Godslayer: Yep.

Blinking once, tears ran down my cheeks.

“Hey, Guild Master,” the bastard called out.

“So you do know I’m the Guild Master?”

Wiping the tears trailing down my cheeks, I glared at the damn Dragon Slayer, my breathing harsh. My blurred vision finally began to clear, and I could see his smirking face mocking me.

“Of course I know. Why else would I attack you?”

What kind of crazy person just admits to something like that?

I expected him to deny it or offer an excuse, but his straightforwardness only made me angrier. The Dragon Slayer twirled his sword casually and spoke in a voice laced with amusement.

“I know you’re the Godslayer, the Swordmaster, and the Saintess.”

“…How do you know all that when I never told you?”

Honestly, I didn’t need to ask. The answer was obvious.

That bastard who used Gloria’s magic must’ve tipped him off.

The Dragon Slayer didn’t respond, simply grinning silently.

“I need the Godslayer.”

“Can you stop saying creepy stuff like that?”

“Not you, Guild Master. The title.”

The moment he finished speaking, something sharp and deadly flew toward me. Reacting instinctively, I deflected it and dodged the kick that came right after. Judging from the sound of the air splitting, taking that hit head-on would’ve left me in pieces.

“Why aren’t you using the chains this time?”

The Dragon Slayer bastard sneered as he retreated once again.

“Is it because I’m too far away? Should I come closer?”

“You’ve gotten awfully chatty.”

Why had this guy, who used to be so terse, suddenly turned into a chatterbox? One chatty magician was more than enough to deal with.

Noticing my irritated expression, the Dragon Slayer smirked and raised the corners of his lips.

“Guild Master, if you hand over the ‘Godslayer,’ I’ll leave you alone forever.”

“Are you insane? How would I even give that to you?”

“Not you, Guild Master. The title.”

This conversation was going in circles.

The Dragon Slayer seemed to realize it too. Stroking his chin, he pointed at me with his index finger.

“Give me the title you hold—‘Godslayer.’”

“And how am I supposed to do that?”

Was there even a way to hand over a title?

At least one thing was clear now. There was no reasoning with this lunatic.

I swung my sword with all my strength, sending a brilliant blue trajectory flying toward the bastard. He kicked off the ground, trying to evade the attack.

Mama?

“…!”

Did you forget who your real enemy is, you damn Dragon Slayer?

“Rim! Breath!!”

I could only hope my cute little dragon understood what I was saying.

Mama—aahhh!!

Thankfully, Harim got the message. Her breath attack struck down from the sky with devastating force, whipping up a violent storm.

The winds calmed, and I began searching for any trace of the Dragon Slayer bastard.

He wouldn’t be dead.

There might be a hole in his stomach, though.

“Cough…!”

I followed the faint, intermittent sounds of coughing. The Dragon Slayer bastard was lying half-buried in the ground, clutching his blood-soaked abdomen while coughing up more blood.

His face was pale, as if he might die at any moment. I descended into the shallow crater and stood before him.

Mama…?

Harim, who had been circling the Dragon Slayer, landed on my head.

I gently stroked Harim’s head before kneeling in front of the bastard. Then, using the power of the Saintess, I began to heal his wounds—slowly. There was no way I’d heal this bastard all at once. What did I owe him to go that far?

The Dragon Slayer grimaced, clearly surprised that I was even using my powers, and looked at me with a questioning expression.

“Why…?”

“Why else? If you die, it’ll be a problem.”

I had dozens of things to figure out. Letting him die here was not an option.

As soon as his stomach wound began to heal, the bastard glared at me, his eyes boring into mine. It was intense enough to make me wonder if he’d lash out.

Whoosh!

“….”

Just my luck. I hadn’t even said anything aloud, but my thoughts had somehow come true.

Clicking my tongue, I stared at the blood-soaked fist that had stopped just short of my face.

With his entire body bound in chains, the Dragon Slayer ground his teeth audibly. Hearing that, I let out a quiet sigh and spoke.

“Dragon Slayer, you really want my title, ‘Godslayer,’ don’t you? Then tell me. How exactly am I supposed to give it to you?”

“…Your neck.”

“Neck?”

“Offer your neck.”

“….”

This bastard.

Even though I had healed him partially, not fully, he was still coughing up blood. I debated what to do: give him another internal injury or simply add a fresh external one.

The decision didn’t take long.

“Gah…!”

I chose the former—or more precisely, I chose to wound him again after treating him.

With his body tightly bound in chains, it was easy to strike the same wounded spot twice more. Gasping for air, he erupted into a fit of violent coughing.

Grabbing a handful of his hair, I used the Saintess’s power again. He seemed utterly humiliated by the gesture.

“You…! I’ll make sure—”

“Make sure what?”

His venomous glare almost made me want to stick out my tongue mockingly. But if I did, he’d probably find some way to break free from the chains binding him.

“Dragon Slayer, I’ve got a question for you.”

The bastard clamped his mouth shut as if determined not to answer, but it didn’t matter.

“Erosia. That name…”

His entire body flinched, and he bared his teeth as he growled, “Don’t you dare utter that name.”

“Why not?”

“You…!”

The chains clinked as he struggled, and a blue current began to crackle around them.