The streets of Rundia are cleaner than expected, with cobblestone pathways, scenic trees on both sides, and public benches. There are tall lampposts every few meters, probably streetlights? This world doesn't have electricity... so maybe they are magic lamps?

The vendors on both sides are enthusiastically calling out to the crowds, and the business seems to be thriving. There are many things that I find interesting and novel, but Lucia remains silent, walking without any confusion. It seems like she doesn't want to go shopping.

Not long after leaving the guild, she held my left hand with her right hand, walking on the street as if we were lovers. Passing through the streets always attracts a lot of attention. Have we really become that intimate? We've only known each other for a few days, and she seems to purposefully pretend to be close... Actually, I don't mind the pretense, but the main problem is that I haven't bought any clothes yet. I'm only wearing my upper body, and Lucia is carrying a rare scythe-like weapon in her left hand. It doesn't feel good to be stared at all the time.

Upon careful consideration, could it be that she wants to back out of the marriage and is using me as an excuse? If that's the case, should I refuse my friend's request? She should be considered my friend, and we've even gone through life and death situations together... My left hand accidentally touched Lucia's chest. The feeling was great, and I didn't plan on saying anything to refuse. I'll just take advantage of the situation.

After turning a few more streets, the crowd dwindles. The number of women increases, with a few men accompanying them, and I am one of them. Finally, we reach our destination, a building with a sign that only has a heart symbol on it. Looking at the people going in and out... I seem to understand what kind of place this is. It's a hospital, and it's a gynecology clinic. Why did they drag me, a man, here? I stopped in my tracks, not yet asking...

"Can you please accompany me inside? And can you lend me a gold coin?" Lucia whispered in my ear.

"A gold coin doesn't matter, but is it something strange? Are you going to knock me out and sell my organs?"

I half-jokingly said as I took out a gold coin and nine silver coins and gave them to her.

"Selling organs? What are you talking about? We're still friends, so please accompany me. Honestly, it's my first time coming to a place like this, and I'm a bit nervous."

After accepting the gold coin, Lucia forcefully pulled me inside. As soon as we pushed open the door, everyone's gaze fell on us. I didn't mind much; I'm almost used to being looked at.

"You wait here for a moment..." Following Lucia's instructions, I sat on a chair in the temporary waiting area. She placed her huge scythe beside me and walked towards the reception desk.

The staff here are all women, and most of the people coming in and out are women too.

"An unusual weapon..."

The man sitting next to me struck up a conversation.

He had messy brown short hair, black eyes, and notably, he had a stubble mustache and a unique weapon at his waist.

"You too? It's my first time seeing a sword belt."

"Not bad, I'm Kude. And you?"

"Lan, nice to meet you."

"Ah, me too. Is that lady your lover? She's A-ranked, and you're F-ranked?"

"No, she's not-"

"Please don't ask such rude questions! Sorry, this guy has always been straightforward."

A woman walked over and interrupted my words. She had shoulder-length golden hair and a pretty face, but she looked quite serious.

"It's alright. This guy is my teammate, Elisa."

Kude introduced her generously, and Elisa bowed slightly. "Although it's not a decent place to meet, I'm Elisa, an A-ranked adventurer, and the third seat of the Hydra Mercenary Corps."

"I'm Lan, nice to meet you."

"Forget about the ranking. Anyway, we're leaving. If we meet at the guild next time, I'll treat you to a drink."

"I'm looking forward to it."

"Excuse us..."

After Elisa bowed to me, she followed Kude, who was acting carefree, and walked out.

Now, I'm sitting here alone. It seems like Lucia went somewhere with the female staff. There are also quite a few men waiting at a distance.

A few tens of minutes pass.

"That shop is too extreme. Won't those little imps hurt you?"

"No problem. I've tried it. It's powerful, but it's a bit troublesome to get pregnant..."

Note: The translation may not be completely accurate as the original text is in a specific fictional context."Buy more bottles of medicine. I will also..."

A female adventurer dressed in adventure attire passed by me, seemingly talking about goblins...

Perhaps it was the goblin that almost roasted me alive?

"Lan, sorry to keep you waiting."

Lucia walked over with a middle-aged woman in a white uniform. I stood up, and the middle-aged woman in the white uniform leaned in closer with a wicked smile: "It's a good thing for young couples to have needs, but don't be too intense. Women are delicate. If you don't plan on having it, remember to handle it seriously after you're done. This is an added bonus..."

The middle-aged woman whispered and stuffed something into my left hand before walking away with a smile.

I looked at the round bottle in my hand, about 15 centimeters long and 3 centimeters wide, filled with thick liquid...

"Um, what is this?"

"Let's go..."

Lucia grabbed my left wrist with her right hand and held her scythe with her left hand, heading outside.

Away from the hospital.

"I mean, I feel like I've been misunderstood..."

"Hmm?"

"Don't you have anything else to say? It concerns my image."

"Sorry."

"Of course, I'm not saying that it's damaging to my image to be your man. Lucia, you're beautiful, and it's an honor to be misunderstood. But what I want to say is, if one day someone discovers that I'm still a virgin while my girlfriend frequents places like this, how will others see me..."

"I don't come here often! It's my first time too. If Lan thinks being a virgin is embarrassing, let me handle it... Besides, I've already..."

"No, thank you. I promised to give myself to the one I love for the first time. I don't want to get involved in your muddy abyss..."

"That's too harsh. You're making it sound like I'm promiscuous. I was still a virgin three days ago..."

Three days ago!?

Um, that means... when I rescued her from the goblin, the white liquid on her thigh...

"Um, I'm sorry, really. It wasn't intentional. Anyway, I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I knew about the dangers when I made up my mind to start adventuring. I should thank you for saving me and Lena. Thanks to you, I didn't lose too much face. If we had returned to the city a few days later, it would have solidified, and I would have become a laughingstock as an adventurer and as a woman. Well, thank you. Let's not talk about this topic anymore."

"Okay."

Trying my best to go along with Lucia's intimate gestures, we walked among the crowd, feeling a bit awkward and unsure of what to say.

When we reached near the guild, Lucia let go of my hand.

There was a noisy commotion coming from the guild... "Seems like there's a lively atmosphere in the guild?"

"Yeah, seems like it."

Is there a banquet?

As soon as we entered—"The protagonist of the banquet has returned!"

"Oooooh!!!"

A group of adventurers cheered along with Eiru's words. Eiru herself stood tall, holding something like a loudspeaker. Isn't she afraid of revealing what's under her skirt to those guys?

"A concert?"

"End of summer festival?"

Lucia and I guessed, not understanding what was happening.

"It's neither of those! The SS-ranked monster, Martial Bear, has been defeated! Zone B is now open! It's a celebration banquet! By the way, please welcome the guest, the new adventurer and the killer of the Martial Bear, 'Lan'!"

"Ooooooooooooh!!!"

As the adventurers cleared a path, Lucia and I walked towards the center.

We walked straight to the table where Eiru was standing and looked towards Milia and Silena sitting on the side.

"What's going on?"

"Um..."

"Lan, Miss Eiru said you wouldn't refuse because you're her good friend, so..."

"I see."

Before Milia finished speaking, I raised my hand to stop her.

Being considered a good friend by such a beauty is an honor for me.

"Now, let's invite the heroes to say a few words!"

Eiru pulled the four of us onto the big table one by one. Unimaginable strength - is this the power of an S-rank?

"Now, let's have the youngest member of the team, Silena, say the first words."

"Don't call me Silena-chan! I'm Silenadesu~"Causing a cheer among the crowd, especially amongst those who have a special fondness for young girls...

"Great, next up is the beautiful silver-haired archer, Milia! Please say a few words."

"It's all thanks to Lan..."

"It seems like she's a very humble beauty, alright, next is 'Grim Reaper' Lucia, please speak."

"We couldn't have done anything without... our leader! It's thanks to Lan."

"Alright, next up is the finale—the one who was gloriously injured in this battle and received the highest praise from her teammates—'Lan,' please say a few words."

Eilil handed me a paper megaphone.

The atmosphere was so lively that I didn't want to spoil it.

"What else can I say? Today, I'm treating everyone, eat and drink as you please, let the banquet begin!!!"

"Aoooooo!!"

Several guild hostesses-like characters brought over large beer mugs filled with beer from the bar. The yellow liquid and foam indicated that it was beer.

The festive atmosphere was quite nice.

"Alright, everyone, quiet down. At the start of this banquet, we will distribute SS-rank special monster extermination rewards, a total of fifty Shan Coins!"

"Wow!!"

Amidst the excitement of the crowd, a woman wearing a guild uniform brought a stack of rewards in front of us.

Milia took them.

Shan Coins were supposed to have a higher value than gold coins, shining like diamonds on transparent coins.

We made our way through the jubilant crowd and headed upstairs.

Eilil was still setting the mood downstairs. There probably weren't many people upstairs, mostly those who wanted some peace or those who stayed downstairs to be happy.

Milia placed the reward on the round table.

"Great job, desu~"

"I've never seen so many Shan Coins before."

"Let's deduct the money for this banquet from the total."

"Whatever, it doesn't matter even if I'm treating everyone."

We each took our seats.

Not long after, several guild staff members, all women, came in carrying a box.

Eilil also joined us.

"These are the Shan Coins obtained from selling demon cores and converting gold coins, a total of 307. Please count them. Also, the guild's special craftsmen will be making armor for Lan using the materials from the martial bear. Let me measure your size..."

Milia and the others were busy counting the Shan Coins, while Eilil touched my body with her hands.

"Miss Eilil, what are you doing?"

"Measuring your size, and don't be so formal, just call me Eilil. I heard from Milia and the others that you saved them and helped them rank up to Class A within two days."

Eilil asked me while touching my body.

"Don't make it sound so easy, they fought the battles themselves, I didn't do anything."

"You're really modest. You must be an excellent combat commander. I've encountered similar situations when I was still active. As long as the command is good, teammates can be unstoppable. But remember, don't get careless, especially when entering high-level areas. A small mistake can lead to irreversible consequences."

Of course, I knew about that.

I never let my teammates die when playing any single-player game. I always have this restraint.

My body flinched instinctively when Eilil suddenly touched me. "Do you really need to measure that part?"

"Stand up straight, comfort is important here—"

"Ah!"

The precise measurements lasted for several minutes, and it seemed like there was a mischievous element to it.

Eilil showed a satisfied smile as she wrote something down on her notebook.

"The measurements are complete. The best armor will be delivered to you in a month."

"Does it really take that long?"

"After all, it's made from materials of special creatures, and we have to conduct some research. Don't worry, there won't be any shortcuts. By the way, what's in your hand... please put it away."

Blushing slightly, Eilil pointed at my left hand.

I looked down and saw the bottle that the middle-aged woman had given me, still in my hand.

From Eilil's reaction, it seemed like those female adventurers blushing at me earlier was because of this.

I really wanted to ask what it was for... but I had a feeling it might turn into sexual harassment, so I put it in my pants pocket."It really is Lan! Such a strange name, I don't think there would be another person with that name."

A familiar male voice echoed.

If you have any complaints about my name, please go talk to my parents.

Looking towards the stairs, there was a man with a moustache, a belt with a sword around his waist, and a spear in his hand, slowly walking up.

"Oh! Isn't this Uncle Kude?"

"I'm not an uncle! I'm only 29 this year!"

"29 is already an outstanding uncle, isn't it?"

A woman with short golden hair appeared from behind and kicked him to the side. It was Elisa.

Then, seven men and women walked up one by one, making a total of nine including Uncle Kude and Elisa.

"Woah! So many Shan Coins, I've never seen such a large amount since becoming an adventurer—"

"It's not yours, why are you so excited?"

"If you were more disciplined, we wouldn't have to work so hard."

A sister with long black hair and glasses joined the conversation, looking at me and saying, "I am the second seat of the Hydra Mercenary Corps, 'Cerise'. Thank you for taking care of our idiotic leader."

"I didn't take care of anything, I'm 'Lan'. Let me introduce my partners, Milia, Silena, and Lucia, er, and also Aelir..."

After introducing everyone, Aelir glared at me and quickly made up for it.

Uncle Kude grabbed me and pulled me aside.

"You, did you do anything to our guild idol?"

"How is that possible? She's just Lucia's friend. Are you also a fan of Aelir?"

"Not really, I'm more worried about whether you'll be assassinated."

"Is that true? Please help spread the rumor that we are just friends of friends!"

"Okay, leave it to me."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing. Today, let's not be polite. Eat and drink as you please, I've reserved the guild."

"Alright!"

Uncle Kude's party members cheered and sat down at the round table.

Milia and the others put the Shan Coins into a box and dragged it to their feet.

"We were going to treat you to a couple of drinks, but it looks like we'll have to wait until next time."

"We have plenty of opportunities. Let's have a good time today. Elisa and Cerise, please have a seat."

"Thank you."

Elisa and Cerise also sat down.

To my left was Uncle Kude, followed by Cerise and Elisa. They seemed to care about their seating arrangement.

To my right was Milia, Silena, Lucia, and Aelir. We all started to order food around the table.

"By the way, I heard you guys defeated the Martial Bear?"

Uncle Kude curiously asked, and I couldn't be modest about my kills.

"Yes."

"That's really impressive. We saw it from afar once, and I never thought a human could defeat such a monster..."

"It was indeed very dangerous. As you can see, my right hand is still bandaged. Even healing magic couldn't fully heal it."

I pointed to my immovable right hand.

"That's really..."

We talked about our adventure stories as the food and drinks were served one by one.

They were all meat, bread, soup, and fruit.

No rice, which was natural, as it's better without chopsticks... Anyway, my right hand couldn't move.

I could use my left hand to pick up pieces of meat to eat, but it was a bit of a shame that there were no "ah~" feeding scenes.

It's okay. Compared to those trivial matters, the other world is truly amazing!