Chapter 214: Phonia and Ivan
“Hoh, so that’s how it is…”
“While we shouldn’t let our guard down, it seems there’s no immediate danger.”
“As expected of an S Rank…”
Once the conversation concluded, each person reacted in their own way. It wasn’t even that significant of a discussion, yet the Guild Master seemed intent on dragging it out for as long as possible.
“Still, I never expected a little girl to be part of an S Rank party.”
“S Rank… party?”
I couldn’t help but tilt my head at Hagen’s words. The tamer over there—Meteor—was tilting her head in confusion as well.
“Huh? Isn’t it a party? I heard from the Guild that the party name is ‘Moon’s Drop.'”
“Moon’s Drop?”
“Hey, hey, that’s your own party name, isn’t it?”
“Ahahahahaha!”
As I tilted my head in confusion, Rio burst into laughter. Phonia looked up at Rio from her lap, tilting her head in curiosity. Ivan covered his forehead with his hand, but if he had something to say, I was all ears.
Now that I think about it, I do remember registering under that name. I took ‘Moon’ from Rio’s name, Yuzuki, but now… it feels like ages since I mentioned that name after forming the party.
“Well, it’s the first time I’ve heard that name since we formed the party.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Gyahahaha!”
It seemed Meteor didn’t find it amusing, but Hagen and Darts were laughing heartily.
“Since we’re adventurers, the party name is what sells, right?”
“Is that how it works?”
Honestly, I wasn’t that interested.
“Also, ‘Moon’s Drop’ is a duo party, right?”
“Eh? Is that so?”
Did they think the four of us were part of the same party? Hagen and Darts looked utterly shocked.
“I thought the bear brother was in it, at least.”
“No, I just found out that I’m in a party too.”
“Buahahaha!”
The two of them started laughing uncontrollably, banging on the table. “No way!” they exclaimed, clutching their stomachs as they gasped for air. Aren’t they overreacting a bit?
“Hey, big sister, what is ‘Moon’s Drop’?”
Phonia tilted her head, watching the two of them laugh uproariously. Even while laughing, Rio was answering her with a gentle smile, which was quite heartwarming.
“Haha, but keeping up with two S Ranks must be tough.”
“Seriously, it’s super hard! Will you listen to me!?”
“Come on, you’re the older brother, so you should toughen up.”
Just as he was about to vent his frustrations, Darts cut him off. Ivan really was just like Ivan.
“I’m doing my best too!”
“Oh, oh, you’re a good girl, aren’t you?”
“That’s right. Make sure you don’t lose to your brother.”
The two men were acting like doting grandfathers. Phonia was indeed adorable. However, the tamer Meteor showed no signs of softening toward the cute Phonia.
“Hmph, that girl should be fine, right? After all, she’s S Rank.”
“Huh?”
The two of them were taken aback by Meteor’s words. In an instant, the doting grandfathers vanished.
“You were the one who said that an S Rank party is a duo, right?”
“That’s true. Besides, kids can’t become adventurers.”
Meteor sighed dramatically at their words. While there are no age restrictions to become an adventurer, you can’t rank higher than F until you turn twelve.
“It’s rare for you two to be deceived by appearances. That girl, despite how she looks, is an S Rank Tamed Monster.”
“…Huh!?”
“See? She’s got a Mithril tag around her neck.”
“Huh? …Ehehe.”
As Phonia blushed under their attention, the two of them wore strange smiles. However, they suddenly adopted serious expressions and directed sharp gazes at Ivan.
“What are you thinking, treating such a cute girl as a Tamed Monster?”
“Even if it serves as camouflage, isn’t it a bit much for an S Rank?”
“Why me!?”
I reflexively stood up in response to their unreasonable attacks, activating my retort. It felt like I had developed a passive skill for this by now. I wanted to be able to appraise skills as quickly as my master could.
Nil, who had been shaken off, perched unhappily on Ivan’s head.
“Muu, don’t pick on Ivan-nii! Ivan-nii is kind!”
As I pondered this strange situation, Phonia instinctively defended her brother.
“F-Phonia…”
Ivan was moved to the point of tearing up, but was it really that touching? Hagen and Darts looked utterly bewildered.
“Well, uh, sorry about that.”
“Yeah, we didn’t mean to pick on your brother, kid.”
“Are you stupid? The Guild wouldn’t issue a Mithril tag for such a reason. I believe that girl is genuinely a Tamed Monster.”
Meteor looked at us as if to say, “What is this farce?” but I mostly agreed with her.
“Yeah, yeah. That’s right. Ivan-nii is kind.”
For some reason, Rio seemed moved too, gently stroking Phonia’s head. What on earth was going on?
…Wait, could it be that she was still hung up on what was said in the bath about Ivan not being kind?
“Gahaha, then that means big brother has to work even harder!”
“Seems like he’s already being left behind by his little sister.”
“Gyahahahaha!”
As the two men laughed heartily, Ivan slumped his shoulders in defeat.