Chapter 50: The Goblin and the Dungeon Boss.

The Adventurer’s Guild. Bustling as always, as adventurers came in and out. The only thing new to it was the poster that appeared six months ago—the lists of names affected by the teleport incident as well as their current status—alive, dead, or missing.

This time, however, my work is related to another matter, to hire a skilled female individual who is capable enough to deal with a succubus. Of course, I’m sane enough not to ask the Guild Master to go; she’ll decline even if I did. Probably.

But considering her competence as well as her position, it was likely that she'd know a gal or two that would fit the criteria for this quest. And that’s what I was aiming for.

I walked through the crowds and entered through the staff room. Employees were moving about as paperwork came flowing in. Today seemed to be a particularly harsh day for the administrators.

For better or for worse, with money not being the main issue, I sent the kids to handle most of the work that was left overdue with little to no pay. Of course, it was partly due to the little ones’ lack of capability, but they don’t know that.

Anyways, thanks to the gruesome volunteering work, the staff looked favorably upon me since their overtime had been reduced. And since I’m highly active around these parts, I pretty much know every staff member here.

There I was, waving my hands and greeting the hard-working staff members who saw me. After moving about, I found someone I know that could give me clues on where the Guild Master might be—or rather, a pair of wings of someone I’m familiar with, to be exact.

“Ah, Mas—I mean, Mr. Laurel. How can I help you?”

“Hi, Angel. Is the Guild Master in her office?”

I have no idea who was bored enough to play with names, but this woman had yellow hair, a pair of white angelic wings, was of angelic race, had a personality no different from an angel's, and was even named Angel.

Along with a flimsy layer of white cloth that had barely managed to cover her outstanding figure, she literally looked like a character from a porn game; her clothes threatened to strip her naked at any moment. Not that it was my problem to care.

“Yup. You’re in luck. Guild Master was preparing to head out.”

Said Angel, the Guild Master’s personal secretary, as she happily flapped her angelic boobs—I mean, wings—at my face… Damn, it’s distractive. How come no one said anything about her outfit? Or was I the weird one since I came from a different world entirely? Whatever.

Judging from how she reacted to the air conditioner—by which I meant me, as well as the amount of paperwork she was holding in her hands… I can pretty much assume the Guild Master is in a bad mood.

“Hey Angel?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you happen to know what the Master might like or—"

“Begging for favors, I assume.”

The way Angel casually said that implied that I was not the first person, nor the last, to go around begging her. It might not be wrong to assume that the Guild Master was not someone who would be willing to dish out favors. Considering her status, it’s quite reasonable.

“…”

“Oh, no. Don’t worry about it. If it’s you, I’m sure the Master wouldn’t mind even if you go and sexually harass her.”

If it’s me? Are you secretly trying to get me killed?

“… Ahahaha… that’s quite the joke, ma’am.”

“Oh please, Laurel. I mean, what could the Master possibly do to you?”

That old hag literally cooked a dragon for dinner. Literally. I know because I saw her drag a dragon down from the sky with her black chains. She literally took her time skinning that thing alive! And you want me to try my luck to see whether she’d kill me or not?

“…”

… I have… a lot of thoughts in mind and a lot more words to say. But considering the nature of those words, it might be better to shut up and bob my head to every word she said instead. It's not worth antagonizing the Guild Master.

“If I had to make a pick, something cute might just work.”

“Cute?”

“Yup. Terrifying as she is, the Guild Master is still a girl, after all. Who knows, maybe if you act cute and beg her, she might relent.”

“… I’ll think about it.”

“Counting on ya~”

…

The door had been covered in thick ice as if even hell had frozen over. Next to the door were a pair of tribal flagpoles that hung the skulls of unknown monsters. Whether the flag was really red or was painted with the blood of these monsters, the goblin had no idea.

“… Fuck.”

After staring at the two flag poles, the goblin inevitably cursed out loud. To the little ones, he was their goblin king. But in front of this all-powerful being, he was merely an insignificant goblin; his life and death solely depended on the Master’s whims.

Behind that door was the master of this ice dungeon. It was a being with gargantuan black tentacles; its maw had swallowed countless myths, and its power was so great that even mountains would crumble like dust before its fists.

The goblin melted the ice that layered the doorknob. Behind him, the goblin could feel the pressure exuding from countless hope-filled gazes of other minions as their heated gaze stared at his small back.

“Good luck, Laurel.”

Hearing his comrades’ whispers, the goblin felt bitterness in his heart. Why me? The goblin thought to himself, and with a sigh, the little goblin gathered what little courage he had to knock on the door of the Boss Room.

“Enter.”

A cold voice of a woman was heard behind those walls. It was a being whose mere presence had caused the goblin to reach enlightenment of flow. That was the dungeon boss, the goblin’s master, as well as the Guild Master of the Adventurer’s Guild.

Whether the goblin could survive this encounter with the mistress… That would depend on his own fortune.