Almost simultaneously, the Hero, Garcwoajosegiwat, approached Max to buy a map.

The scruffy-bearded man, who met our gaze briefly, chuckled with a wheezing laugh and nodded.

“Cluck, so you’ve come to buy a map?”

“Yes.”

“That’s right.”

“Since the Hero is well-known across the country, your identity is guaranteed… and this young lady here seems quite famous as well…”

“…”

“With that academy uniform and frills...? Ah, you must be the renowned maid of Lord Blackwood, right?”

“…That’s correct.”

“Cluck, I was planning to dangle a line for some decent customers, but to think two special guests would come at once. With how quickly the rumors are spreading, it looks like business will be good this year…”

Seeing how quickly he figured out information about both the Hero and me, it was clear that Max was indeed affiliated with the Information Guild.

Of course, given my status as a member of the Blackwood family and the vice president of the academy's magic department, it was expected I would be somewhat known.

“Are you going to sell me the map?”

“Cluck, yes, yes. Since the Hero will be bringing his entire party, you’ll probably need the map for the largest dungeon, right?”

“Yes.”

“And the maid will need a map for a smaller dungeon that she can enter with just her master.”

“That’s right.”

“Cluck, what luck! I just happened to have one of each left. One for the Hero and one for the Blackwood family's maid, so it should bring in quite a bit of publicity.”

With that, Max pulled out two maps of different sizes from his pocket and handed one to me and one to Garcwoajosegiwat.

I worried that he might try to incite a price competition between us, but thankfully, it seemed he had no intention of engaging in a pointless argument since we were entering different dungeons.

“That’ll be one gold coin for the lady.”

“Ah, okay.”

“And for the Hero, I’ll need ten gold coins for that map.”

“……”

“If you don’t like it, I won’t sell it. The demand for large dungeon maps isn’t high, and I didn’t make many, cluck.”

“…I’ll pay ten gold coins.”

“Good choice. Cluck.”

The Hero Garcwoajosegiwat wisely paid the ten gold coins without attempting to negotiate. If he had tried to haggle, I’m sure Max would have doubled the price right then and there, so this was the right decision.

Max, as a mapmaker, had a personality that wouldn’t allow him to be disrespected. Even though he could exploit high prices at the Information Guild without repercussions, he chose to come to the Adventurers' Guild to sell maps at a relatively lower price out of personal interest.

No matter how much he could profit from selling dungeon maps at the highest prices once a year, he still valued being a mapmaker. He hoped that his maps would be used meaningfully by a few students from the academy.

“Don’t frown too much. It’s worth at least ten gold coins.”

“…I know.”

“Cluck, I wish you both good luck. I hope I don’t see you fumbling around inside the dungeon after buying my map.”

With those words, Max waved his hand toward us, signaling us to leave quickly.

Following his gesture, we stood up from the mapmaker’s station and exchanged glances before walking together to another part of the Adventurers' Guild.

“Do you have time to talk?”

“…About 30 minutes.”

“Where’s Ethan?”

“He went to handle weapon maintenance and buy camping gear.”

“Did that Ethan let you come to the Adventurers' Guild to buy a map? I thought he’d stop you because it’s dangerous.”

“Are you crazy? He has no idea. He thinks I went to buy a cheap map at the general store.”

“…Wow. You really are getting bolder by the day.”

I wasn’t outright lying. It was just that Ethan hadn’t bothered to confirm where I had gone to buy the map.

I had dropped hints about the general store selling maps and that there was a general store near the magic tool shop, but I hadn’t specifically said I would buy a map there. I had only said I would go buy a map.

“If you end up marrying later, aren’t you going to be locked up somewhere in the mansion by Ethan? You know his character from the original story best.”

“…Well, Ethan is stubborn and suspicious, true. But since entering the academy, he hasn’t been overly stubborn or suspicious of me, so it’s fine.”

“That guy always seems to push you behind him and give me hostile glares whenever we meet?”

“That’s because it’s a problem that you’ve been hanging around with two or three harem members from the start.”

“…I don’t really have a reason to be close with Ethan, but it’s a bit hard to have to watch him every time I talk to someone from our hometown.”

“You only have to watch Ethan, but I have to keep an eye on three people.”

If this somewhat clandestine scene were to be discovered by Seraphim, I’d be facing covert pressure wielded by the power of a princess. And she would do it in such a thorough manner that there would be no evidence left of her involvement.

“Since Serista is a bonus member from the fourth part, one spot will open up… So who will fill the last spot in the Hero Party?”

“Hmm. Bringing someone from the first or second year would likely slow down our growth too much. The only one who could be useful is probably you…”

“Ah, don’t mess with me, please.”

“You don’t want to join, and most importantly, I don’t want to have a life-or-death duel with Ethan, so I gave up. The last spot will probably go to Orion.”

“…Well, Orion is a decent choice.”

Orion was indeed a valuable addition. He was a wizard capable of support magic and had some combat skills, making him a suitable alternative for Lilith.

However, as a fellow male, I hesitated to bring him along because of his polarizing behavior and speech.

His overtly androgynous appearance and oddly flirtatious expressions towards the protagonist resembled characters that were once popular in Japanese subculture, often referred to as “bocchi” characters.

‘Even though the domestic version doesn’t have it, the overseas version has dedicated H-scenes.’

Of course, as someone who had only played the domestic version, I had no interest in that and didn’t want to know. I had never participated in the discussions about the “Orion is possible” bait that occasionally popped up in the Lua Gallery.

But, since I wasn’t planning to bring Lilith along, Orion was practically the only viable substitute, so he didn’t have many options.

“In fact, Karaham was also a candidate, but I don’t think I can bring him along. He’s supposedly getting ready for marriage with Lyria right after graduation.”

“…I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Well, it’s fine. Lyria is someone I can’t take responsibility for, so it’s okay for her to find happiness that way. I told you, if it’s to make others happy, I’d rather ask for help.”

“……”

“So, how’s the matchmaking going for the remaining heroines? How many are left?”

“Kael, Angela, Princess Mezelren, and Princess Rainy—four in total.”

“What about Luke? He still doesn’t have someone he’s seeing.”

“If you leave him be, he’ll end up with Gwyn, so there’s no need to worry about him.”

“…Then I’ll try with Professor Angela. Since she’s the swordsmanship professor, it should be easier for me to approach her than you, who is from the magic department. You know the captain of the imperial knights that appears in the fourth part event? I’ve developed some connections with him, so if all goes well, I think I can set them up.”

Surprised by Garcwoajosegiwat's unexpected supportive comment, I expressed my gratitude for him offering to lighten my burden.

“In fact, out of the four, Angela was the most difficult… But if you’re willing to help, then fine. But don’t mess around and accidentally charm her.”

“I won’t. If I were going to do something like that, would I have put Thomas in the Hero Party?”

“…That’s true.”

“By the way, why is Angela the most difficult among your group? The princess and the queen should be the toughest ones to deal with.”

“I got quite close to Princess Mezelren early on through some events. And Princess Rainy… I think she might have found a hidden fiancé that isn’t in the original story.”

“Oh, really? That was a thing? Who is it?”

“……”

…How could I say that?

I didn’t want to be the one to reveal the strong possibility that Ethan was Princess Rainy’s hidden fiancé.

This uncomfortable truth was something I wanted to keep hidden until the very end, preferably until right before graduating from the academy and leaving the Blackwood mansion.

So, I decided to change the subject and pretended not to know.

“I heard from Natalie last time that you and Serista passed the compatibility puzzle. But you know that requires mutual feelings of love to pass, right?”

“…Yeah, that’s true.”

“Aren’t you supposed to return to your original world after defeating the Demon King? What does it mean that you have romantic feelings for Serista? Have you decided to give up returning since you’ve gotten attached to her after spending so long together? But then what about the other two…?”

“Hah, what?! What kind of whiny brat is making noise in the guild?!”

“……”

“……”

As I was about to ask a little about the relationship between him and Serista, a loud voice suddenly came from the direction of Garcwoajosegiwat and me.

It was clear that the comment was aimed directly at us, and when I turned my head, I saw a drunken man stumbling towards us, pointing his finger.

“Hey, what the hell?! Coming in all together like this and treating the dungeon entrance like it’s your land, and now you’re invading the guild too? Why do these damn academy brats go crazy every year at this time?!”

“……”

“Why are you bothering a humble adventurer like me, who barely makes a living day by day? Those whiny brats should just stick to their knife fights in the academy…”

“…What kind of idiot is trying to start a fight when he barely has a handful of hair left on his head?”

“……What?”

“A bald guy with fewer hairs than a newborn is picking a fight with me? Do you want to die?”

…My mood was already ruined thinking about Ethan's fiancé, and now this jerk.