Isekai Yururi Kikou - Chapter 475 (Patreon)

Joining Up
After finishing our shopping, we headed to the inn, guided by Patrick-san.

"Here it is."
"Wow~"

The inn we arrived at clearly had a "for nobility" atmosphere.

"I am back."

The inn had rooms that could be rented by entire groups, with a main lounge that branched off into several private rooms. So, we were guided to the lounge of the room rented by the group from the country of Guardia.

"Risner-dono! 'I am back' is not the right response! Why did you move around on your own? Didn't we tell you not to leave the main building!?"

There were three people in the lounge, and as soon as we entered, one of the knights in a navy blue uniform rushed over to us.

"As I mentioned in my message, I had a reliable escort with me."
"That's beside the point!"

It's understandable why the knight rushed over. If something happened to the person they were supposed to protect, it would be a failure on the knight's part.
... Well, even if the Dungeon Management Headquarters is a national facility, it's not absolutely safe. I feel that leaving Patrick-san alone in the first place seems like a mistake~ Oh, but if he was the person in charge, the knights might have had to follow his orders. In that case, I can sympathize with this knight a bit, I guess?

"Ah... Regarding that matter, we should have returned to the inn when I heard about it, but I prioritized the shopping instead. I'm sorry."

We could have waited at the headquarters or come to the inn directly, but we prioritized our personal errand.

"N-No! It's not your fault, Takumi-sama! Please don't apologize! It was my fault for leaving Risner-sama alone!"

When I apologized, the knight panicked.

"Oh, Takumi-san, let me introduce you. The blonde knight who just approached is mainly my assigned knight, and—"
"Nice to meet you! I'm Lancer Gallon!"
"I'm the assistant civil servant to Risner-dono, Matthew Cronin."
"I'm Eugene!"
"So, the fourof us will be assisting you, Takumi-san. As I mentioned earlier, if there's anything you need help with, especially negotiations, Matthew and I will handle it, so please don't hesitate to ask."

As Patrick-san tried to introduce the knights, they introduced themselves, interrupting him. Additionally, another knight and the civil servant approached and introduced themselves. Cronin-sama and Gallon-sama seemed to be around the same age as Patrick-san, while Eugene-sama seemed a bit younger.

"I am Takumi, an adventurer."
"I'm Allen!"
"I'm Elena!"
"I am called Kaiser."

We introduced ourselves in turn.

"Um... thank you for coming all the way here. And I'm sorry for the extension of the work."

First, I apologized for the delay in the assignment.

"No need to apologize. The minimal introductions are out of the way, so unless there's a specific request from you, Takumi-sama, we don't have any pressing duties. It's almost like a vacation for us."

Just like Patrick-san said, Cronin-sama also reassured me with a gentle smile. It seemed they didn't mind coming here and didn't view it as a hassle.

"That makes me feel a lot better. Thank you, Cronin-sama. Oh, and please drop the ‘-sama’ when addressing me."
"Then, I'll call you Takumi-san. Feel free to call me Matthew."
"Matthew-san it is."
"Please call me Lancer as well!"
"And just call me Eugene!"

Lancer-san and Eugene also seemed approachable and easy to get along with.

"Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention, within our group, Takumi-san has the highest command authority."
"... What!?"

Just when I was feeling relieved, Patrick-san dropped a bombshell. I was utterly shocked by this revelation.

"W-What is that about!?"
"The second in command is me, and Matthew is third."
"No, no, no! Wait a minute. I'm not asking about the command ranking! Why do I have any command authority at all!?"

Patrick-san, anticipating my shock, calmly explained the rankings.

"Well, Takumi-san, you have the authority equivalent to a Royal Guard, right? Naturally, that places you above the two knights here and also above us civil servants."
"Huh? The authority of a Royal Guard...?"
"Yes, that's what I was told."
"Oh! So that's what that was about!"

It suddenly dawned on me.

I took out the Royal Guard uniform from my Infinite Storage. I had not only the white Royal Guard uniform, but also the black Dragon Knight and the regular dark blue uniforms. I was told the uniforms would be handy to have, but I wasn’t informed that they came with authority!
Wait, when I went to the country of Creta, I did work as a bodyguard for Austin-sama. Does that mean I was effectively contracted as a knight at that point? Though no formal documents were signed.
And when the bodyguard mission ended, there were no termination procedures since we parted ways during the trip back to Guardia!

“I have a bad feeling about this…”

Strictly speaking, I don't think there was a formal contract. It’s probably just Tristan-sama and Austin-sama making it up as they go.

“Still! The command authority of knights and civil officers should be separate, right?”
“The main reason we're here is to support you, Takumi-san. Naturally, that means you are the central figure.”
“... Seriously?”

So, if something happens, does that mean I have to assign tasks to Patrick-san and the others?

“Wait, I hadn't thought about it, but how long is your stay here? You're not staying the whole time we're here, right? Just checking things out for a bit, and if everything is fine, you’re done, right?”
“Of course, we'll be here the whole time.”
“Really?”
“What if something happens after we leave because we thought everything was fine?”

Patrick-san looked at me with a slightly exasperated expression.
As a timid person, I couldn’t help but wonder why they would use four castle-employed individuals just for an adventurer like me!

“Okay, Allen, Elena, should we head back to Guardia?”
““Ehh~ We don’t want to!””

When I suggested we should just return to Guardia, the kids protested.

“It's a well-paid, relaxed vacation, so there's no need to rush. Let us enjoy ourselves a bit.”
“… Your wife will miss you.”
“I’ll get a proper vacation after this job is done, so I’ll make it up to her then.”

It seems the other three are single and were looking forward to this time. Therefore, it appears I don’t need to worry about their extended stay.

“And if you’re concerned about salary, like the lodging costs, it’s covered by the branches you found.”
“… Alright, I’ll double the amount of branches I’m giving to Tristan-sama as a souvenir.”
““Then we'll do our best!””
“Umu, I don’t quite understand, but if you need branches, we shall gather plenty!”

The kids and Kaiser, enthusiastic about the idea of doubling the branches, motivated me to make sure that any branches we collect from now on would be sent to Tristan-san.