17. Guild Master Gold
"Shall we head back?"
"Yes, let's."
Just as we were about to leave the room after finishing, three knocks sounded on the door. A low male voice came from the other side.
"Lorraine, are you in there?"
"Yes, I am."
"May I come in?"
"Please do."
After the short exchange, the door slowly opened, and the man stepped into the room.
He was human like me and about the same height, but he looked somewhat older. His hair was gray, and wrinkles were clearly visible on his face — most likely from age. What stood out most about him was his attire.
Unlike the borrowed clothes I was wearing, and even more refined than the guild uniform Lorraine wore, his clothing was formal and gave off a strong sense of discipline and authority.
The design was slightly different, but I had seen people dressed like this a few times before. Judging from his appearance and clothing, this man was most likely the Guild Master here. Or at the very least, someone of high position.
"Is something the matter, Guild Master Gold?"
"Nothing major. I passed by the reception desk earlier and didn’t see you, so I wondered where you had gone."
"I’m sorry. I was lending clothes to this gentleman here."
"Oh? And you are?"
Gold’s gaze turned toward me. It was the sharp, appraising look typical of older, experienced men.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Takuma."
I spoke clearly and bowed politely.
"I see. You seem like a spirited young man. So, why did you lend him clothes?"
His gaze quickly returned to Lorraine.
"His original clothes were drawing a lot of attention, so I lent him a set."
"Attention-drawing clothes… You mean the ones you’re holding right now?"
"Yes."
"I see. They do look rather unusual. Could you bring them to my office later?"
"Wh-why, sir?"
"Just curiosity. I’d like to take a look. Is that alright with you, Takuma?"
"Yes, that’s fine."
Since I was borrowing clothes from the guild, I couldn’t really refuse. Besides, if he just wanted to look, there was no harm in it.
"That’s what he said. Lorraine, bring them to my office later."
"Understood."
"Well then, I’ll take my leave."
"Yes. Thank you for your hard work."
As Gold left the room, Lorraine bowed. Because of that, my sweatshirt got sandwiched between her large breasts and her stomach.
*Next time this comes back to me, maybe I should just burn it.*
"Shall we go as well?"
By the time I noticed, Gold was already gone, and Lorraine had raised her head and was looking at me.
"Yes."
I replied slightly late to Lorraine’s words, and we left the room together.
We returned to the reception area, and Lorraine faced me once again. Naturally, she was still holding my sweatshirt as she spoke.
"Once you complete your quest, please bring the form back here anytime. The guild is open from sunrise until sunset."
"Understood. Thank you for everything."
"Not at all. I’m glad I could be of help to you, Takuma."
Lorraine’s smile remained gentle and beautiful the entire time.
I wanted to keep looking at her, but I still had things to do, so I turned my gaze away from her face toward the guild exit. But before leaving, I turned back one last time to say goodbye.
"See you later."
"Yes. I’ll be waiting for your safe return."
Given the nature of my quest, returning safely was basically guaranteed, but this was probably the guild’s standard farewell. Knowing that even simple quests carried the risk of death made the words feel heavy.
"I’m off!"
I answered Lorraine’s farewell energetically and stepped back outside once again.