#550 And He Became a Master

Thus, the exhibition race at Orkubo’s Castle resulted in a huge comeback victory for Silver Wolf.

“Silver Wolf! Silver Wolf! Silver Wolf! Silver Wolf! Silver Wolf!!!”

The crowd gave a generous chant to the winner, congratulating him on his victory.

After all, this is Silver Wolf we’re talking about.

Only when a virtuous person claims glory that everyone congratulates them. If it had been Golden Bat, I bet people would just bash him.

That’s right. Results aren’t the only thing that matter. 

Harmony that unites everyone’s hearts is also important!

Forgetting that was the cause of that bat’s defeat!

Rather than forgetting, he just didn’t know it from the beginning!

“Wow... That was such an impurressive battle!”

Another S-class adventurer, Black Cat, appears.

In the end, what did she contribute to all this?

“It was just as I anticipated. I knew you’d beat that selfish bat to a pulp, Wolfie.”

“Huh? You were rooting for me?” asks Silver Wolf, surprised.

I’d be surprised too.

I mean, you couldn’t tell which side the cat was on.

...

That said, I’m becoming more acquainted and more casual in my interactions with these S-class troublemakers.

Nonetheless, my respect for Silver Wolf has increased.

“I thought you were just messing around and came up with a weird match for the sake of it... I see now. You simply didn’t like Golden Bat, so you were on my side?”

“That’s true, but I also genuinely wanted you to win. This match concerned an even bigger matter.”

“And what’s that?”

Black Cat says in a sonorous voice, “The winner of this match will be appointed the next guildmaster!”

“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!”

Silver Wolf is the most shocked, but why?

“I didn’t hear a single thing about this!”

“I planned to announce it after the match ended.”

“You’re supposed to inform us of such matters BEFORE the match! Surely you weren’t expecting an ex-post-facto approval from me and calling it a day there?!”

He has a point.

Isn’t the guildmaster the most important person in the Adventurer’s Guild?

Being appointed as the successor to such a position must be incredible.

“Well, I was going to let it slide without saying anything if that idiot won, so this was purractically like a test for you to become the next guildmaster. And you passed with flying colors! Look at you go!”

“I have zero intentions of taking over the guild, though?!”

“I would like to see the head of the organization with the courage and ability to control the most stubborn members. You showed that today by defeating the troublemaker.”

By ‘troublemaker,’ she must be referring to that bat.

Everyone has zero respect for him, huh.

“You’ve shown your purrowess, so you’ve earned every right to be the guildmaster. You’re the only one who can lead the Adventurer’s Guild from now on, Wolfie.”

“Even so! I don’t want this! If I become the guildmaster, my responsibilities will only double!”

Poor Silver Wolf.

He’s already carrying enough responsibilities as he is.

“It’s exactly because of that that we can entrust the position to you. The one who carries the most burden will carry even more.”

What a brutal rule.

“Anywhoo, you’re guildmaster now. This is your destiny, Wolfie.”

“No, it’s not! The world will change rapidly, and the Adventurers’ Guild must adapt to it! It’s a hassle to be the leader in such a period of reform!”

“That’s why the current master wants to retire early. The only person he can trust is you. Destiny dwells in the heart, right? And your heart is willing to take on that hardship.”

“Noooooooooooooooo!!!”

I’m amazed they can progress this conversation even without the guildmaster around.

I mean, we’ve yet to meet him once.

“The old man’s always like that! Even during the S-class adventurers’ meeting and the competition against the demons, he just throws everything at me and never shows up! That’s why I always end up being in charge!”

“Then all the more reason for you to become the leader in both name and reality, huh, Wolfie?~”

“I want absolutely nothing to do with this whole guildmaster business!!!”

Silver Wolf frantically tries to escape from his destiny.

“I’m sure you’ll do great, Silver Wolf!”

“We’ll be there to support you too!”

Those statements came from Mamoru the demon and Zoth Syra the mermaid.

The three of them are dubbed the “Selfless Workaholics.”

“Mamoru? Zoth Syra? What brings you two here?!”

“I also came to participate in the event. So did His Majesty.”

“I’m one of the organizers.”

Three people entwined by a strange fate.

“You can do it. Besides, it will be easier for us to follow through if the responsibility is all on you.”

“I’m the Prime Minister back in my nation, so you could say we’re on the same boat here.”

Comrades who clung to each other.

Hardworking people seek companionship, and because of this, they are willing to fall deeper together.

If you try to crawl up, they drag you down, and even if you don’t crawl up, they will still drag you down!

“Silver Wolf! Please be the next guildmaster!”

“We can rest easy knowing you’re the leader!”

“Protect the adventurers!”

Voices calling for a good leader arose from the audience, pressuring Silver Wolf.

At this rate, he can’t escape the dilemma he’s in.

“F...”

“F?”

“Fine! I just have to be the guildmaster, right? Happy now?!”

“Yayyyyyy! Woohooooooooo!!!”

Thus, a new generation of adventurers was born.

Silver Wolf—both an S-class adventurer and a guildmaster.

“You won’t stop adventuring?”

“I’m still eager to explore. I’ll just be semi-active for a while.”

“That won’t ease your burden!”

He sure takes the initiative in increasing the workload for himself!

“Thank goodness. Now, everything’s going as I purredicted.”

“What are you scheming?”

Speaking of which, what purpose did this cat-girl have for steering the story in this direction?

She’s the one who set up the competition as if it were a guildmaster inauguration test for Silver Wolf.

What could have led a single adventurer, albeit top-class, to set up such a plan?

“It’s ‘cause I’m the guildmaster’s daughter.”

“I see... Wait, what?”

“I’m the guildmaster’s daughter.”

“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!”

The one who was the most surprised Silver Wolf.

Again, why?

“I hadn’t the slightest clue! You never told us about this!”

“‘Cause I didn’t tell you. It’s adventurer manners not to purrobe into each other’s backgrounds, anyway. I didn’t want to be treated like a princess, so I kept my mouth shut!”

“But your father...Isn’t the old man a pureblood human?”

“I take after my mother.”

A shocking revelation.

But if you’re related to the current head of the guild, it’s possible that you’ll be involved in choosing their successor.

Does that mean the events up to now were meant to lead to this situation?

“And now that you’re guildmaster, I’ll be your wife.”

“Huh?!”

“The family runs the guild’s upper management. You have no idea how much my parents kept hounding me to look for someone fit to be guildmaster if I didn’t want to follow their steps. You really saved my hide by sacrificing yourself!”

“Did you just say sacrifice?!”

“Oh, don’t worry! Despite appearances, I can be quite suppurrtive!”

“I bet you’ll just force me to do all the troublesome things at the end of the day!!! I don’t want thissssss!!!”

Here we witness another man’s entire life being controlled by a woman.

Meanwhile, I wonder more than anything what kind of child would be born to a wolf and a cat.

“Congratulations!”

“Felicitations to the new guildmaster and his wife on their marriage!”

“Both husband and wife are S-class adventurers! I know we’ll be in good hands with veterans in charge!”

“They seem to get along well with the demon race, so I’m sure they’ll make great masters!”

The audience at Orkubo’s Castle was also witness to the unexpected celebration and spared no time to applaud in congratulation.

Lastly, there’s Golden Bat, mumbling to himself.

“If I had won, she would have married me and made me guildmaster. Yeesh, that was a close call...”

Nah, dude, I doubt it.

You should really know your place.

* * *

Anyway, although we got off to a rocky start, this year’s Orkubo’s Castle has only just begun.

The real fun is yet to come!