-Adventurer's Guild-

"......."

The party stared at me while I watched the little girl eat her boar stew.

"By the Gods... He's worse than I thought."

"Hey Jin, I could hear you."

I let out a heavy sigh while I took a swig of ale from my cup. 

"S-Still... You spent quite a bit of money for that girl."

"A-And you bathed with her..."

Olivia and Maria glanced at the Catgirl then back at me with a worried expression.

Before the two of us went here, I bought the Catgirl some fresh clothes and took her to the bathhouse. Thinking back on it now, I think I could've been mistaken for someone who just bought a slave.

"W-Wait, no... It's not like that! I just picked her up from some alleyway."

"..."

The four of them had dissapointed expressions across their face as they stared at me from a distance.

"M-Mister... I'm finished with my meal."

The little girl showed me an empty boal with a smile on her face.

"Do you want anything else?"

"Er... A glass of milk... please?"

"Sure, sure. Excuse me! Can I have a glass of milk for the little girl?"

The barmain nodded as she took the empty bowl and plates from our table. 

"Anyway, how about you introduce yourself to my friends?"

"Oh, yes. My name is Miia... Mister picked me up from the alley and treated me to a meal."

The little girl squeaked from beside me while she tried her best to hide her nervousness.

Too bad her tail is showing it to us.

"Nice to meet you, Miia. Anyways, where are your parents?"

Zel asked in a gentle tone. Her kind eyes locked intently at the girl before her.

"..."

Miia fell silent at her query. I could see her hands curling into a fist and her tail hanging limp. 

"T-They're... They're gone..."

"...I'm sorry to hear that."

Maria chimed in, her tone soft and full of pity. She extended her hand and placed it atop Miia's small hand.

"Her village was wiped out a month ago."

I interjected before drinking my ale.

"Well, villages being wiped out by demons are a commo-"

"They were wiped out by raiders."

Miia snapped loudly as she gripped the table tightly.

The table fell silent, Miia's yellow eyes now blazed with anger while her tail is puffed up.

"Miia... calm down."

I spoke in a calm yet firm voice before placing a hand on her head.

"...Sorry."

Miia immediately settled down and released her grip on the table. Still, I could feel the sad air around her while she kept head hung low.

"Look, this girl is homeless and alone so I decided to-"

"Y-You don't even have a house of your own and you're trying to become a foster parent?!"

Jin cried out in disbelief as she slammed her cup down on the table.

"W-Well... yeah... I guess."

"Hmm, that is troublesome."

Olivia stroked her cheek while she looked at Miia intently. Suddenly, she snapped her fingers and pointed at the confused and worried Catgirl.

"You can sleep at the Church for now!"

"...What?!"

I immediately stood up and objected to this Archpriest's idea.

"Well, we do have some spare rooms in the dormitories and there is an orphanage near here-"

"No! I want to stay with Mister!"

I felt a soft warmth near my waist. It was Miia tightly holding onto me with slight tears in her eyes.

"Oh my... Well, instead of the church, maybe the little one here could stay with me for a while until Arthur hre can find a permanent lodging."

Maria smiled gently at Miia while she petted her.

"N-No! I stay with Mister!"

This girl! It's like that time a kitten imprinted on me and refused to stop following me. Well, at least my family gained a new member that day.

Still, this is a person we're talking about! There's no way I can bring this girl on adventures with me.

"Guess it can't be helped. Let's just accept this girl as a new member."

Jin piped in while she chewed on some Frog Skewers.

"A-Are you sure about that? Miia here is just a little girl-"

"And a Beastman."

Jin cut off Zel as she looked at Miia, specifically her hands.

"Beastmen are one of the toughest races and they could even bring down an entire pack of Dire Wolves on their own. I'm pretty sure this kid can do that as well."

"Kid? Aren't you a kid as well, miss?"

Miia asked with an innocent tone. Her yellow eyes firmly glued on Jin while the Thief looked at her with a blank stare.

"How old are ya'?"

"I'm 11."

"Ah... Is that so..."

Jin's soul seemed to drain away in her eyes while she glanced at Miia.

"A-Anyway, I think it would be best if we let this kid join us in our adventures."

Jin's tone is blank and empty.

"Y-Yeah... I guess..."

"....."

"Mister, did I say something wrong?"

"No, Miia. Just sit there and wait for your milk."

----------------------------------------

-Inn-

"Argh! I lost again!"

Jin threw down her cards in frustration while Olivia snickered at her.

"Sucks to be you! Hahaha!"

"Shut up! Are you even a priest?! Why the hell are there people like you in the Church?!"

"Fufufu~! You shouldn't look down on me, Jin! I am a person who has memorized the sacred texts of the Prophet Elierre as well as a person blessed by the Goddess!"

"Tch. Fine, fine."

Jin slumped back on her chair before stretching out her arms.

"Anyways, so this is the place you'll be sleeping in? Seems pretty cozy."

Jin tilted her head towards my direction with a slight grin on her face. She was watching me brush Miia's hair.

"Y-Yeah... It's cheap but at least it's good. Anyway, I'm planning on earning enough money "

"M-Mister, will we go on an adventure tomorrow?"

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Miia's question made me stop for a moment. 

"I guess. Do you want to go on an adventure tomorrow?"

"Y-Yes..."

"I see..."

I couldn't help but smile at this little Catgirl sitting on my lap. 

"Well..."

I finished brushing her hair before petting Miia. 

"You better sleep now so that we can go to the guild tomorrow morning."

"Okay!"

Miia stood up and hugged me before jumping onto the bed. 

"Mister, are you not going to sleep?"

"I'll sleep later. You can go ahead."

"O-Okay... Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Miia pulled up the covers and tucked herself in. She glanced at us one last time before closing her eyes.

"Lolicon."

"Shut up. You picking a fight or something?"

Jin chuckled while she looked at me with a sly smile.

"No. Just thought you looked like a butler or something."

"Now, now. We shouldn't pick fights with our party members. Anyway, want to drink with me?"

"I'll pass. I need to be in top shape tomorrow. I'm going to be hunting goblins."

"Ah, goblins. I always hate those kinds of quest. Dirty little shits."

Jin sighed as she stared at into the distance. 

I pulled out the chair and sat amongst them while I pondered whether or not to take up Olivia's offer. Looking at the bottle in her hands, I could see that it's a pretty good bottle of wine.

Ah fuck it.

"Hey Olivia. Give me some of that."

"Hehe, I knew you were going to join me sooner or later. Here, it's a good wine!"

Olivia popped open the cap followed by the hissing of air and the scent of something strong and fruity. Jin took out some cups and placed them on the table.

Olivia kindly poured me some of the alcohol into my cup. I observed the contents as it poured down into the cup, it's red and bubbly appearance and its strong smell felt like it was some sort of red wine.

The Archpriest placed a bottle of water beside us. It's probably the chaser.

"What is this?"

"It's a wine we brew in the Church during the autumn seasons! It's called "The Fruit of Illyria's Love" and it's a sacred drink among the priests."

"T-This sounds bad..."

Jin looked at the small amount of wine in her cup while she swirled it around. I could feel her hesitation to drink this wine since I am having second thoughts about this as well.

"Legend says that if you drink this wine, you would be able to hear the commands of Illyria herself!"

"Sounds like a blast. Well..."

Without hesitation, I raised my cup and smiled.

"Bottoms up!"

Olivia looked at me, wide-eyed and horrified as I downed the small amount of wine she gave me.

"Arthur! W-W-What have you done?!"

"Yeah, you didn't even taste it properly!"

"Was I supposed to?"

Olivia's eyes focused on mine as I settled down on my chair.

"N-No, well, yes... but you're... you're supposed to drink it slowly and water it down before drinking it."

What?

"E-Excuse me?"

"The wine is pretty strong. I'm surprised that you could even drink it like that."

"A-Arthur... are you feeling alright?"

I was about to answer Jin when I felt a slight throb in my chest. Followed by another, then another.

"G-God, why is it getting hot so suddenly?"

"Arthur, you looked flushed. Are you alright?"

"I-I think it's the wine. Olivia, can't you cast Heal or something?"

"E-Everyone, shut up. It's getting too loud, I don't... I don't..."

"Arthur?!"

I could fucking feel my head spinning as I tried to hold myself together.

"Damn it. I'll just go lay down on the floor for a while."

The sound of my chair sliding and a loud thud made Jin jumped up from her seat. I was already at my knees at this point so I was doing my best to understand just how did this wine do this to me.

"G-Guess I'm going to sleep on the floor tonight."

"Arthur, stop joking around!"

Jin grabbed me by the shoulders and turned me towards her while I tried my best to stay conscious. Seeing two of her didn't really help me calm down.

Shit, I think I'm falling asleep.

"Wake up. Wake up!"

So, this might be the dream Olivia was telling me earlier.

At this point, I'm not even surprised that shit like this might happen. It's probably standard procedure to meet the gods of the fantasy world or whatever.

The rustic room I passed out in was no more, replaced by a bright space devoid of any buildings except for a small desk with what looks like to be a computer on top of it. I could see someone's brown hair poking out from behind the screen and the sounds of what seems to be Korean drama poured out from the speakers on the table.

"I'm awake. Let's just get this over with..."

I pulled out the chair in front of the table and waited for the person to look at me.

"Impatient. That's a first."

A girl's voice spoke out in an irritated tone as the sounds stopped. She shifted her seat so that she would be looking at me instead of her computer.

She was wearing a typical yet expensive looking pajama and her brown hair was tied in a simple ponytail but she still looked beautiful. Her brown eyes scanned my features as she eyed me from head to toe. 

I'm not really getting the same feel with Ea with her.

"Hmm... Not that strong physically, higher than average intelligence, what else..."

This girl! Is she really a goddess?!

She let out a sigh as she looked at me.

"I was supposed to be resting right now but then I felt a hero drinking some of my sacred wine... Imagine my surprise to see some regular looking guy just standing infront of me with that dazed look of yours."

"Are you really Illyria?"

"Yeah, I'm her."

"S-Seriously? No... No grand dress or something?"

"Eh, shit like that is a hassle. Besides, the only people here are the people that came from your world."

Illyria grabbed some potato chips from underneath her desk and popped them open.

"Want some?"

"N-No thanks."

All of my expectations for the Goddess of Humanity was crushed while I looked at the shut-in in front of me. 

"W-Will I get some sort of blessing or whatever?"

"Nope. You already got one from me."

Her reply caught me off guard for a moment. 

"Is it the sword?"

"No, that's the Dwarves' God gift to you. I'm talking about the language thing."

She pulled out her phone while she ate some chips in front of me. She seems to be scrolling through her social media.

"I see...Can I ask for another?"

"No. Do you have any other questions? I was in the middle of watching something."

"Y-Yeah... Can I at least be sober when I wake up?"

Illyria laughed at my question.

"Yeah, yeah... Arthur, I have question for you before you go."

"What is it?"

"... Nevermind. I forgot about it. You can go ahead now. Sorry for bringing you here."

"Thanks, I guess."

"Sure. Oh, and tell that Archpriest to stop drinking so much of the wine."

"Arthur! Arthur! I think he's finally coming around."

I opened my eyes to find Olivia and Jin looking down on me. I let out a groan as I pulled myself together and got up.

"Illyria told me that you should stop drinking her wine."

I said as I patted myself off. God, that was a waste of time. I didn't even get anything out of it.

"Eh? Stop joking around. How the hell are you sober already?"

"Don't know. Look, how about you pour me some and water it down as well."

I let out a sigh as I sat back on the table. Maybe another round of wine will be good.

"You sure?"

"Yes, Jin, I'm sure."

Maybe I should get wasted tonight. Yes, I'm definitely getting wasted tonight.

----------------------------------------

-Adventurer's Guild-

"Is the food delicious?"

"Yes!"

Zel and Maria doted on the cute girl at the table. Maria watching her eat some porkchops and mash while Zel braided her hair.

While those three looked like a trio of sisters doing wholesome things, the three of us looked half-dead after a night of heavy drinking. 

Olivia rested her head down onto the hard, cold table while Jin's head hung low. I myself met Illyria a total of 5 times last night, each time making her more and more annoyed. Olivia was just dead, like straight up dead at this point. Jin and I are still alive, barely, but that Archpriest is probably meeting with her Goddess right now.

A groan left my lips as I reached for my cup of tea. 

Gods, that's some good shit right there.

"Is Mister alright?"

"Hopefully. We wouldn't be able to go on a quest if they remain like this."

Zel's cool and mature tone seemed to pierce through me. Even if I wasn't looking at her, I could feel her sharp stare.

"I-I'm alright, Miia. Just give me some time to rest."

I drank the cold tea right after I reassured the worried little girl. The cold sensation as it ran down my throat was soothing and helped alleviate the throbbing sensation in my head.

"Jin... Order some more tea... or something."

"Why me? I can't even open my eyes properly."

"E-Excuse me, 2 orders of tea. Cold tea... Hmm? Oh, and a glass of milk."

Maria ordered for the two of us without delay. She let out a sigh of worry while she watched Jin with a concerned expression on her face. 

"T-Thanks, Maria."

"Sigh- You were supposed to be responsible for these two..."

Zel sighed in resignation while she watched Jin toil in her seat. The poor girl looked green and weak and was in no position for a long argument.

"Couldn't help it. Besides, I should enjoy myself from... time... to... Ugh..."

Jin buried her head in her hands. 

"G-Gods... My head..."

"Arthur, maybe we should rest for today..."

Jin mumbled out from behind her hands. The only response I could give her was a slight nod and even that felt heavy and nauseating.

"Y-Yeah... I think we should sleep-"

Just then, the doors of the guild burst open and a haggard and bald adventurer came dashing in with a manic and fearful expression. His eyes darted around the guild while he panted and wheezed to catch his breath. He took a few steps forward before collapsing onto his knees. Yet the man crawled on towards the reception desk.

Upon further inspection, most of his leather gear had either scratch marks or was torn away and in shreds. His small shield had a large chunk of it missing and his sword is already bent and filled with large chips.

This isn't good.

"Eluke! What happened to you, man?" 

A fellow adventurer a few tables ahead of us stood up immediately and tan towards the exhausted man on the floor.

"B-Bad news! A swarm! A swarm of undead!"

The entire place went silent and even Olivia perked up immediately to hear more.

"W-What? What do you mean?!"

The man that was on his knees immediately grabbed the man beside him by the collar. His eyes wide and full of fear as he pointed outside the door.

"A horde of undead is swarming towards Lorren! Ryoka's caravan is being surrounded as we speak!"

"R-Ryoka!"

"O-Oi! That's bad!"

"By the Gods! We need to help her!"

The guild burst into an energetic yet chaotic flurry of action. Everyone immediately prepared their gear to head out and meet this threat. Some even abandoned their drinks and were prepared to go out with just their swords.

But they were all stopped by a few staff members of the guild.

"E-Ehem... Since the undead are a dangerous kind of enemy and Ryoka is a valuable member of our town, this operation must be carried out in an organized manner."

A familiar Elf spoke up loudly with a clear and precise voice.

"Thus, the Adventurer Guild, shall oversee this entire operation!"

The Elf stretched out her hand in a dramatic yet smooth manner. The adventurers within the guild let out a roar of approval as they guild immediately went into a flurry of action as well.

I was about to sit this one out when I heard the chairs of our table scrape against the floor.

Zel and Maria had a serious expression on their faces. Zel had that deadly aura surrounding her as she lifted her heavy shield while Maria had that concerned and worried look in her eyes. Jin and Olivia were already standing unsteadily but I could see that they were ready to sally out and go with the other adventurers.

"Shit. This is bad."

Jin scoffed as she tried her best to stand straight.

"Undead in this part of the kingdom? That's unheard of..."

"Hehehe, as an Archpriest of the Goddess and the Prophet, it is my duty to send this lost souls into the afterlife!"

Only Zel remained quiet with her cold and serious expression, the rest of them were fretting on how could such monsters appear in this town. 

I let out a sigh as I forced myself up. Miia immediately scampered to my side and helped me to my feet.

"Thanks."

"A-Are you going to fight?"

"Heh, of course! It's my job after all!"

I ruffled her hair as I tried my best to hide how fucking nauseous and dizzy I am. I need to look cool after all.

The adventurers quickly gathered in the lobby while Trish organized everyone into two groups. According to the adventurer, they were ambushed in the plains outside the city by a large horde of undead that consisted in the hundreds. The caravan itself consisted of 5 wagons and a handful of adventurers but even with that handful of strong veteran adventurers, the man estimated that they will be overrun in 2 hours.

The strategy was simple, one group will fight the undead while the other escorts and protect the precious caravan back to the safety of the town. Everyone seemed to agree that this would be the best course of action so everyone had no qualms about it.

The tension in the air was palpable and I could sense the desires of everyone to rush towards the plains already. Perhaps Trish noticed this as well because after that brief but concise planning phase, she slammed her hand on the table.

"Now that the plan is settled, I declare this operation a go! Everyone! The Emergency Quest, Undead Extermination and Caravan Escort, has begun!"

With that, the adventurers in the guild, 57 in all, burst out of the building with their weapons and charged towards the Lorren Plains with bloodlust and determination in their eyes. Even my party was filled with this determination as we kept up with the pace of the adventurer's march.

And here I am, hangover and carrying a small kid on my back as we march off to fight some enemy I'm probably underleveled to even fight.