The Unaware Harem Adventure Tale of the Strongest Enchanter ~~I Don’t Know My Companions’ Faces or Identities, but I’m Pretty Sure They’re All Guys~~ - 1. I want to consult with someone, would you listen to me?

Chapter 1

1. I want to consult with someone, would you listen to me?

Folding my arms, I kept groaning.

Unconsciously, I kept going around the same place in circles.

On the relatively busy road in front of the church, I had been worrying like this for nearly thirty minutes.

“Should I consult? Should I not? Wouldn’t they laugh if I talked about something like this? No, they’ll definitely laugh. If it were me, I’d definitely laugh. But I don’t know anyone else I can talk to. Aaaah, fine, let’s just go for it.”

I crossed the magnificent gate and opened the heavy church door.

The inside of the building was filled with a solemn atmosphere. And the silence heightened the tension.

The people prayed to the goddess of earth. She governs fertility and prosperity. The statue was likely modeled after the goddess. She was a beautiful woman. The figure was draped only in thin, fluttering fabric that couldn’t even be called clothes. It was very erotic. I got excited.

“Erotic.”

My inner voice slipped out.

The people who were praying all glared at me at once.

Ah, crap. Slipped up.

Before the believers could grab me by the collar, I headed for the confessional, which was my objective.

—The confessional. It’s a place of confession that the church accepts regardless of internal or external faith. The soundproofed magically-enchanted private room guarantees a certain level of anonymity and privacy. The priest who listens is also bound by confidentiality and will not divulge anything. In other words, it is the optimal place to consult about things that can’t be told to anyone.

A wooden, old-fashioned box. Judging by how it wasn’t replaced, the surface had faded and the paint was peeling in places. Who knows how many people had held it—the doorknob was worn and glossy.

I gulped and opened the door to the confessional.

＊＊＊

Suddenly, a bell rang.

Someone had come to the confessional.

Unfortunately, the priest was not present at the moment. Sister Clarissa quickly entered the other box.

“This is a confession of sins, yes? The goddess forgives all sins. Please, go ahead.”

In front of Clarissa, there was a small window. It was blocked by a board so that the other side couldn’t peek through.

The person who was probably on the other side of the wall seemed to be male from his voice. A male about the same age as Clarissa.

“I came not to confess, but to consult.”

“A consultation… of course, that’s fine. Please go ahead.”

“Before that, may I ask a question? Isn’t it usually the priest who listens, not the sister? I’m wondering if I can trust you.”

“There’s no problem. In our church, sisters also hear confessions on behalf of the goddess. We absolutely will not speak of it.”

“If that’s the case, then… please, absolutely don’t tell anyone.”

“Of course. I swear to the goddess.”

Clarissa straightened her posture. She was now fully ready.

Consultations in the confessional are extremely rare. She didn’t know how it was in other churches. But at least in this town’s church, it was a rare occurrence. Just coming here meant it was something that couldn’t be told to anyone.

What kind of content would it be?

“I formed a party in this town. But, well, I don’t know the face of a single one of my comrades. Am I not trusted?”

“…….”

“Sister?”

“Sorry, I just couldn’t grasp the situation very well. Can I take it that you’ve never met them?”

“No, that’s not it. My comrades are properly working as adventurers. It’s just that all of them hide their faces and I, their leader, don’t know what they look like. But they’re all incredibly reliable people. Just… they’re unidentified.”

Clarissa rapidly began to understand. She pressed her fingers to her brow.

(What is this? Comrades whose real faces he doesn’t know? Is this person being scammed??)

While Clarissa was confused, the man on the other side of the wall kept talking.

“I started out working solo. Due to certain circumstances, I ended up forming a party. Then, as I added everyone who came along, it somehow became the strongest party in this town.”

“The strongest party in this town would be ‘Silver Blade’ or ‘Unknown’, right?”

“Please don’t pry.”

“Sorry.”

At the man’s calm reply, Clarissa held back from prying further.

But in her mind, the face of the man beyond the wall clearly floated up.

—‘Unknown’.

An adventurer party that reached S-rank in a short time after its formation.

Its entirety is shrouded in mystery. The group is literally unknown. But their strength is guaranteed. They are rivals to the other S-rank party, ‘Silver Blade’. And the two are constantly compared.

Naturally, the party leader is a super famous person.

Even Sister Clarissa remembered his face and name.

The leader of ‘Unknown’: Lux Thirdwood.

A skilled enchanter who performs incredible enhancement techniques.

However, his reputation is not great. His mouth and attitude are bad. And he’s sloppy. He constantly hits on new recruits at the guild, is a habitual dine-and-dasher, and is considered a fairly big scumbag despite being a top-class adventurer.

The person most in need of drinking the scrapings from under the fingernails of the perfectly-behaved “Sword Saint” who became the best swordsman at the youngest age and defeated the Demon King alone.

—Or so the rumors go. “Not that I think any of that,” Clarissa thought. She was smiling while flipping the bird in her heart.

“Are you listening, Sister?”

“Of course. So, the consultation is that you want to know your comrades’ identities, correct?”

“That’s right. Maybe it was a mistake to allow any race, appearance, or background as long as they were strong and sensible. But really, they’re all good people. That’s why it’s even harder to ask.”

“If you set no conditions, isn’t that fine to leave it as is?”

“Once I started worrying, I kept thinking about it over and over. Sister, wouldn’t you be curious about the face of someone you know who wears a mask 24/7?”

“I don’t have anyone like that among my acquaintances.”

A brief silence occurred.

But the man resumed speaking as if nothing had happened.

“Our party has four members. Every one of them hides not just their face but also their race and gender. Isn’t this, possibly, a sign of looming disbandment?”

“Why do you think so?”

“If they can’t reveal who they are, then it means they never planned to stay here forever, right? Isn’t that proof that I’m not trusted? Once I realized that, I could only sleep for about six hours a night.”

“You’re sleeping plenty.”

“If even one of them leaves, there’s no way I could find them. You know, I’m most comfortable with this current life. So I wonder if there’s a way to keep things as they are.”

Clarissa focused herself upon hearing the man’s earnest wish.

The man beyond the wall was a half-assed scumbag. But as a follower of the goddess, she had a duty to reach out and help anyone. Besides, if the S-rank party protecting the town from monsters disbanded, it would be a big problem. Treating it as her own issue, Clarissa decided to give him advice.

“What you need to do is build a deeper trust with your comrades. How about having more serious conversations and facing them sincerely? There might be a reason or concern behind it.”

“I-I see! If they truly trust me, they’ll show their faces and won’t disband!”

“I can’t guarantee the not disbanding part.”

“Thank you. I’m glad I consulted with you. Can I come for consultation again?”

“Of course, we’ll always be here for you.”

The man happily left the confessional.

The sister left behind let out a sigh.

She hoped he wouldn’t come again if possible.