The Returnee’s Guild Must Grow Properly

“That’s not it!!”

“Ouch!”

I smacked the mage on the back loudly, who was leaning against the Spirit Master. The Spirit Master laughed at the sight, clearly enjoying the mage’s misfortune. The mage pouted their lips and suddenly snapped their fingers.

At the sound, the Spirit Master flinched violently, seemingly thinking a spell might have been cast on them. But the mage hadn’t targeted the Spirit Master.

A red magic circle enveloped the cramped room, and in an instant, the previously small 5-pyeong room expanded significantly.

“Oh.”

I pursed my lips, impressed. The Spirit Master, equally awed, added, “This is why those damn mages are good at their tricks.”

The mage grumbled, complaining about being called “damn” and then smirked, directing a comment at me.

“Should’ve done this earlier, right?”

“Yeah, why didn’t you do this earlier?” I retorted.

The mage pouted again and responded sulkily, “Well, the Guild Master didn’t say anything, so I thought it was fine!”

“Fine, my foot,” I thought. I felt like I’d been suffocating in that cramped space all this time. I collapsed back onto the sofa.

But then—

“This is something I can do as well.”

With a hum, a new magic circle spread across the room. The sunlight streaming through the small window was suddenly blocked by blackout curtains, plunging the room into darkness. Candles appeared out of nowhere, casting eerie flickers of light. Cobweb-covered skeletons began to hang from the walls.

“…Wow, looks like a haunted house,” I muttered.

“Even ○○land’s haunted house wouldn’t go this far…” the Spirit Master quipped.

Feeling the chilling draft that followed, I rubbed my face and sighed deeply.

“Turn it back to normal.”

The Demon King, pouting slightly, dismissed the magic. The blackout curtains disappeared, and the sunlight returned, lighting up the room once more.

“Guild Master, by the way.”

“What?”

The mage spoke, shoving a snack they’d stolen from me into their mouth as they chewed.

“I think I found those guys you were after.”

“…What?”

The mage stuffed the rest of the snack into their mouth and grinned brightly.

“I said, I think I found them.”

“…….”

Mage, you little…!

“Good job!!” I shot up from my seat.

“Great, Guild Master. Praise me more,” the mage said, puffing out their chest with a smug grin. I furrowed my brow at the sight. The insufferable mage tilted their head and spoke in a feigned pout.

“I risked detection infiltrating enemy territory, and yet our Guild Master is so stingy with compliments.”

“Praise aside, how exactly did you find them? And how do you even know it’s them?”

At my question, the mage grinned slyly.

“Remember the guy who attacked you at the set? I memorized his face perfectly.”

“You remembered him?”

“Yeah. The one with the short, blunt haircut. I’ve got his face locked in my head.”

The confidence in their voice didn’t sound like a lie. I narrowed my eyes and muttered to myself.

“…They were supposed to be untraceable.”

The mage shrugged. “I stumbled upon them by chance. I was out on a job with the Demon King when I spotted them.”

Hearing this, the Demon King, who had been silent, curled his lips into a smile and asked the mage, “Are you saying I contributed to finding them?”

“Not really.”

At this, the Demon King shot a sharp glare at the mage, who casually ignored it. Caught awkwardly between the two, the Spirit Master sighed and spoke with a troubled expression.

“The Demon King and the mage seem to have a truly strained relationship,” the Spirit Master commented with a light chuckle.

“The mage wants to get along with the Demon King, but the Demon King keeps pushing the mage’s buttons!” The mage declared with exaggerated innocence.

A blatant lie. You don’t even have the intention of getting along, and besides, it’s you who keeps poking at the Demon King’s nerves.

Following the annoying mage’s declaration, the Demon King, clearly displeased, retorted.

“Spirit Master, is there any reason I, as the Demon King, should get along with this mage?”

“Th-that’s not what I meant…” The Spirit Master stammered, shaking his head hastily with a bewildered expression.

The mage, now sulking, yelled, “Demon King, that’s too much! The mage only wants to be friends with you!”

“Silence.”

Yes, silence indeed.

But the mage, undeterred, started teasing the Demon King again, insisting that he just wasn’t hearing the mage’s sincerity. Seeing this, I grew worried the mage might get grabbed by the collar yet again, so I quickly changed the subject.

“So, you said you’ve located where the people I’m looking for are gathered?”

“Yup. If you want, we can go there right now,” the mage replied nonchalantly.

I tapped the table thoughtfully for a moment before shaking my head. “No, that’s fine.”

No sooner had I answered than a chorus of protests erupted.

“What do you mean, fine? What’s that supposed to mean?” The mage frowned in confusion.

“What are you saying?!” The Spirit Master shouted, startled.

“Do Haun, strike while the iron is hot,” the Demon King advised, his tone serious and firm, as though reprimanding me. The mage widened his eyes in genuine surprise.

“Demon King, you know that saying?”

His shock seemed genuine, as if he never expected the Demon King to be familiar with proverbs.

The Demon King’s face twisted in irritation, clearly displeased by his reaction. Trying to lighten the mood, I spoke up.

“Mage, the Demon King isn’t stupid; he’s just full of unblemished beauty.”

The mage let out a theatrical “Ohhh,” nodding as if he had just learned something profound about the Demon King.

The Demon King, his expression sour, asked in a clipped tone, “Is that supposed to be a compliment?”

“It is.”

“…Thanks.”

“No need to thank me,” I cut him off casually and continued.

“They don’t know much about us yet. Remember, they specifically asked if there’s a ‘Hero’ here.”

Yes, that’s right. The guy who barged in and caused that explosion had asked if there was a ‘Hero’ in this place.

If they truly knew about our guild, they wouldn’t have asked something like that. Hearing my explanation, the Spirit Master furrowed his brows and asked hesitantly.

“Does that mean the Dragon Slayer didn’t sell out our information?”

“That’s correct. If he had, they would’ve already known there’s a ‘Hero’ here.”

“…That’s unexpected,” the Spirit Master muttered, clearly surprised.

“Right?” I responded with a bright smile, though it seemed my answer didn’t sit well with him.

“In any case, they don’t know about us,” I continued. What was important, however, was that they seemed to know something about me specifically. No, it was clear they did.

“Which means we wait,” I said with a grin.

“Until all their cards are on the table.”

It’d be great if the Dragon Slayer provided us with information, but that didn’t seem likely. I’d have to dig for it myself.

“And what if you’re caught off guard?” A low voice interrupted my thoughts.

I turned to see the usually carefree mage looking at me with an uncharacteristically serious expression. At his gaze, I shrugged lightly and replied.

“What do you mean, ‘caught off guard’? Like that’s going to happen.”
Even if something did happen, they wouldn’t target “us” as a group—they’d target only me.

So.

“Don’t worry.”
There’s no chance of them coming after you all.

I swallowed the rest of my thoughts and smiled faintly. Though my expression was dubious to the mage and everyone else present, the atmosphere shifted before anyone could question me further.

[A request has been issued by the Constellation, Minister of State Jinju Kang Clan.]

“……”

At the appearance of the request, silence fell over the room. It was the Spirit Master who finally broke it.

“Ah, seems it’s time to head out for work.”

“Indeed. Time to head out for work, Spirit Master.”

“……”

Where do you think you’re running off to?

I smiled warmly at the Spirit Master, and the mage and Demon King also turned their gazes on him, their looks mirroring mine.

Faced with our collective scrutiny, the Spirit Master made a sour face and protested.

“I’m swamped with work right now!”

“Who was it that boasted about taking on seven requests a week?”

“T-that was…”

“It was you, wasn’t it?”

The mage’s words were promptly reinforced by the Demon King.

“Promises exist to be kept, Spirit Master,” the Demon King added gravely.

The Spirit Master, perhaps interpreting this as a form of praise, scowled even harder and replied.

“It feels… very odd hearing that from you, Demon King.”

The Demon King, evidently perceiving it as genuine admiration, lifted his chin imperiously, his expression haughty.

The Spirit Master rubbed his face in exasperation before finally yelling, “In any case, I can’t! I’ve been run ragged by Vice Guild Master Do Hain, and there’s a backlog of work!”

“What kind of backlog?” I asked lazily.

With a voice full of urgency, the Spirit Master began to explain.

“First, I need to talk to Director Na about the drama filming.”

“Ignore it.”

“Oh, Ifrit above! Have you been ignoring Director Na’s calls this whole time? That’s why he’s been pestering me nonstop!”

Yelling at the Demon King, the Spirit Master took a deep breath before continuing.

“And then, I need to talk to Doby. He’s been trying to see me, but I’ve been turning him away.”

Because of Vice Guild Master Do Hain, no less.

The Spirit Master’s irritated tone made me narrow my eyes slightly.

“All of that can wait until after you’re done with the request, can’t it?”

“Guild Master is right. It’s all stuff you can do after finishing the request, isn’t it?”

“Indeed,” the Demon King chimed in, nodding in agreement.

“…You two are so in sync at times like this.”

Well, that’s because if you don’t take the request, either the mage or the Demon King would have to take it on instead.

Though, knowing the Demon King, he’d probably find a way to avoid it under the guise of “training.”

“Hey, Mahun. Spirit Master says we’re perfectly in sync—shall we do a high-five?”

“Begone.”

“……”

Whatever had happened during the previous request, the Demon King clearly had no intention of taking another one anytime soon.

“Alright then, Spirit Master? Off you go to handle the request,” I said cheerfully.

The Spirit Master whimpered, eyes brimming with unshed tears, but I was unmoved. I sprawled back on the sofa without a care.

“Spirit Master, don’t feel too bad,” the mage said, in what sounded like a rare display of compassion.

Oh? That rascal actually has a heart?

“I’ll open the portal for you!”

Never mind. There it was.

One point scored.