The Water Magician

Two days later.

Kona Village was flowing quietly without any incidents.

The villagers would occasionally find the "demon insects" and exterminate them... peeling them off trees and squashing them.

The four members of Room 10 helped with this, sometimes training, sometimes drinking coffee, and helping again.

The five from Dragon's Agito entered the Eastern Forest every day for some unknown reason.

"Hey, those five... do they care about the client's wishes or..."

"Shhh!"

Ryo stopped Nils, who was about to say something, by raising a finger to his lips.

"W-what is it?"

"You mustn't say any more. If Nils says it, it could become a flag."

"A flag... what is that?"

"It's a terrifying phenomenon where words become reality. For example, if Nils gets turned down by Nina..."

"Hey, what do you mean!"

Nils got angry at Ryo's words.

"Wouldn't you hate that? That's why words are very important. Let's stop saying weird things recklessly."

"I don't really understand... but I'll stop."

Although Ryo's explanation didn’t really clarify what a flag was, he had a bad feeling.

If Nils continued to speak, something was bound to happen...

Of course, this was just Ryo's arbitrary assumption.

However, assumptions sometimes become reality.

That afternoon, the first additional reinforcements arrived from Kairadi.

As if they had been waiting for it, the five from Dragon's Agito appeared before Ryo and the others, accompanied by the newly arrived five.

The four in Room 10 all had displeased expressions on their faces.

This situation only brought about a sense of foreboding.

The first to speak was the swordsman Dogon.

"These are the members of Kairadi's C-rank party, 'Five Stars.' They are the most veteran party in Kairadi."

(A veteran in C-rank means they don't have the ability to move up to B-rank...)

Ryo grumbled inwardly.

The five-man party consisted of men all in their mid-thirties.

(All five have villainous faces.)

As Ryo entertained such rude thoughts, the spear warrior from "Five Stars" spoke up.

"You guys are from a D-rank party, right? That means you must absolutely listen to everything we C-rank party says."

"Is that so?"

Ryo asked Eto next to him.

"There's no official rule about it, but it's customary. If we take on a bodyguard request together, the leader of the higher-ranked party will take charge. Just like that."

Eto replied with a hint of annoyance.

It was very rare for Eto to speak that way.

Usually, he is calm and carefree.

"I see."

After hearing Eto's response, the spear warrior smirked and said:

"And we're tired from moving here. So, could you give our legs a bit of a massage?"

Saying that, the other four from "Five Stars" and the five from Dragon's Agito burst into laughter.

"What the hell?"

Nils squeaked out in a small voice.

"Huh? Did you say something?"

The spear warrior said threateningly.

Ryo stepped in front of Nils and spoke.

"Um, understood."

"Hey, Ryo!"

Nils was surprised and grabbed Ryo's arm from behind.

Ryo ignored this and continued.

"However, I'm not really sure if you are actually C-rank..."

"What do you mean by that?"

"So, could you show us your Guild Cards?"

"Sure. After confirming it, we'll argue."

"Yes, if I 'can' confirm it, I will."

Ryo nodded vigorously.

As the spear warrior walked over while retrieving his Guild Card... he tripped.

"Guaah!"

It was a spectacular fall...

Of course, it was due to Ryo's Ice Path.

He figured it might be the most used spell in a human context...

"Are you okay?"

Ryo pretended to be concerned and called out.

Of course, he only called out and did not actually run over.

"Damn it, I slipped out of nowhere. What the hell is going on?"

Saying this, the spear warrior tried to put weight on his feet to stand up... and fell again.

"Guha!"

"A-are you okay?"

Ryo once more pretended to be worried and called out.

After the second fall, the three in Room 10 began to understand.

'This is Ryo's doing.'

Furthermore, after the third fall, the three were convinced.

They didn’t know how, but they knew 'Ryo was doing it.'

So, they decided to play along.

"Are you okay?"

The other three, aside from Ryo, also called out to the fallen spear warrior.