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~~ - 2. We will have an interview. Please open up about your worries (1)

2. We will have an interview. Please open up about your worries (1)

The home base of ‘Unknown’ is in the town of Avantale in the Kingdom of Falnas.

It is one of the most developed cities in the kingdom. And it is also fairly well known as a town where adventurers gather. The local specialty is grilled marbled lizard.

There are two top-ranked parties in this town.

One is ‘Silver Blade’.

And the other is ‘Unknown’.

Unlike the Silver Blade, which took time to steadily build up achievements, Unknown rapidly rose in the shortest and fastest time. And so to speak, it is a “newcomer.” Because of that, they are still shunned at times and have many enemies within the country. Well, since we’ve beaten them all back each time, there hasn’t really been any trouble.

The home of our Unknown is quietly located in the residential district of Avantale.

A fine gate and a brick mansion. It also has a large garden and a training ground where we can test out techniques or magic. We chose a building with many rooms so that all members could live here. And it turned out like this.

It’s said to be a former noble’s mansion. But the design isn’t flashy and has a calm atmosphere—I like it very much. It was quite expensive, but I have no regrets.

The spacious living room of our home.

There, I was sitting alone on the sofa. I was waiting for the time.

“I’ll be fine. I can get them to talk. Just relax.”

From now on, I’m going to conduct interviews with my comrades.

New recruits? No. I will be interviewing each and every current member.

Of course, it’s for building trust.

To be honest, I have no starting point at all.

If asked what I’ve been doing until now, I’d have no comeback. But a party is a work-related relationship. And unless it’s formed between childhood friends or actual friends, there’s no reason to step into personal matters. In fact, we’ve made it this far like that. And as long as they’re strong, sensible, and have at least some teamwork, that’s usually enough.

But recently, I’ve come to realize something.

Isn’t it kind of bad to know nothing at all…?

The trigger was an incident that happened three months ago.

A certain mid-level party recruited a new member as a porter.

The newcomer was modest in personality but incredibly capable. However, that very fact became the root of the problem.

The entire party gradually misunderstood their own abilities and grew overconfident.

Their treatment of the newcomer also worsened by the day. And eventually, they even resorted to violence.

From a certain day onward, the newcomer disappeared without a trace.

Of course, they all searched. But they never found them. It was later revealed that the newcomer had been using a false name. The background they shared was also made-up.

Having lost a capable comrade, the party fell into disarray, began to quarrel among themselves, and eventually disbanded. Because it was a well-known party in the country, this incident became huge news and spread far and wide.

You probably understand by now.

That my situation isn’t all that different from theirs.

Everyone in my party is extremely talented. Naturally, as the leader, my ego has inflated quite a bit.

I didn’t mean to treat anyone poorly. But it’s not impossible that I might have done so unconsciously. Or maybe I’ve unknowingly stepped on a tail that shouldn’t be touched. If anyone disappears, I have no way to track them. As a result, we could end up in discord just like that other party. In other words, it could lead to the risk of disbanding.

Thinking that, I realized—I should get to know my comrades’ true selves.

If possible, I’d also like to understand their backgrounds.

Once I started thinking about it, I couldn’t stop wanting to know their faces and identities.

I don’t even know their species, let alone their gender. Even their names might be fake.

Things I never paid attention to before started gnawing at me once I became aware of them. It was stirring my curiosity.

I’m curious, curious, curious, curious, curious, curious, curious, curious, curious, curious, curious, curious, curious, curious, curious, curious, curious, curious, curious, curious, curious, curious, curious, curious, curious, curious, curious, curious.

Even if I wanted to consult someone, the content is too awkward to bring up now. And there’s no one else in this town I can consult other than my comrades. So I was at a loss. That’s when I came up with the idea of the confessional booth at the church. I could get advice without anyone knowing—truly a divine revelation.

And so, following that advice, I am now attempting these interviews to build true trust.

If I can even draw out one concern, that would be a good start. From there, I’ll deepen our bonds and learn their true faces.

The ultimate goal is to become the strongest party where everyone reveals their true selves.

There’s a knock at the door.

When I answer, the sub-leader enters.

“An interview? That’s quite unusual. May I sit there?”

“Of course.”

Looking like a proper knight, he sits naturally and gracefully on the sofa.

With long, silky hair like golden threads and a white mask over his eyes. Species: Human. Male. Age: 18.

[Felice]—attacker and sub-leader of Unknown.

His nickname is “Flame Sword”. He got it from wielding fire.

We’ve been together since the party was formed.

It’s only been three years since we met. But it feels like we’ve been together a long time. A partner I could call my best friend. The only member whose species and gender are confirmed.

With a slight smile on his lips, he looks completely at ease as if saying “go ahead anytime.”

“Okay, let’s begin. Any troubles lately?”

“Let’s see. If I had to say, it’s that the leader is being called a bit of a scumbag.”

“Hey.”

“As a teammate, it’s embarrassing.”

“This isn’t the place to air that kind of complaint.”

Next. Next.

If you joke too much, your bonus will get cut.

“Anything else?”

“The pantry’s food supply is running low. It’d help if you could restock. Also, as I’ve mentioned before, shouldn’t we get a pet soon? With this kind of work, our hearts can get worn down. A little healing would be nice.”

“Got it about the pantry. The pet is still under consideration. Depending on the animal, it might damage the walls or furniture. We’d have to repair it. And there’s no guarantee we’ll live here forever. It’d be bad if the resale value dropped.”

“That’s a fair point. Then how about this? Let’s get a pet. But let’s take our time discussing what kind of animal it should be. I’ll take care of it, of course.”

He leans forward with eyes full of hope.

He really wants a pet. Healing, huh. Maybe it is necessary.

Well, Felice often cooks and bakes for us. Last year he even gave me a handmade scarf.

He helps me a lot. So I’d like to grant him some of his selfish wishes.

“Alright. If it’s a pet that won’t wreck the mansion, I’ll allow it.”

“Fufu, Lux, you’re so understanding.”

Looking satisfied, he leans back into the sofa.

Doesn’t look like I’ll be able to draw out any more worries.

Now for the real question.

“Lastly, how long do you plan to keep wearing that mask?”

“I’m sorry, but I still can’t show you my face. All I can say is—when the time comes. Seems the interview is over. Excuse me.”

Abruptly ending the conversation, Felice left the room.

As expected.

“When the time comes” —when is that? Don’t leave with such cryptic words.

It just makes me more curious and uneasy.

◇

There’s a knock at the door. And the second person enters.

All in black. I instantly recognized it was him (?).

“W-What do you want to talk about?”

“Just sit over there for now. I just want to hear if you have any complaints or worries.”

“…………”

Speaking in a slightly hard-to-understand tone is [Zain Hernard].

Covered head-to-toe in black cloth and bound with countless belts on top of that. The only visible eye peeks through a hole in the cloth—species and gender unknown. They don’t speak much and is usually silent.

Because of that eerie and fear-inducing appearance, they surprisingly have many fans. And there are quite a few who became adventurers because they admire this figure

Zain sits on the sofa and stares at me intently with their bloodshot eye.

“How are things? Any problems or anything bothering you?”

“Y-Y-Yes. The fertilizer for g-g-garden flowers is gone.”

“Fertilizer, got it. Anything else?”

“Pa-pa-pa-pa—”

“Paper and ink?”

“Yes.”

Zain has been with me the second longest after Felice.

About two years, I think. I’m starting to understand what they want to say.

They’re the ones who take care of the flowers in the garden.

They tend to them every day and also manage the small field in the back.

They occasionally ask for paper and ink like this. But I don’t know what they do in their room.

That’s probably the problem.

Because I’m indifferent to what my comrades do, they don’t truly trust me and won’t reveal their identities.

“Any other worries? Requests are fine too.”

“More… bl00d.”

“You mean you’re not getting enough chances to act as a healer? Well, yeah, we haven’t been getting injured lately.”

“I—I want you all to get hurt more…”

“No way. Why do I have to go out of my way to get hurt?”

A healer uses holy and light-attribute magic power. They are a magician who specializes in healing wounds and illnesses.

Zain is an incredibly powerful and skilled healer. It’s something you couldn’t even imagine from that appearance.

On top of that, they’re also good at close combat and are a top-class fighter with no enemies in that area either.

“Come to think of it, the guild mentioned something about training newcomers. At that kind of place, there’ll be lots of injured people. So I think it wouldn’t be bad to participate once in a while.”

“I-I’ll go.”

“Alright, then I’ll let the guild know.”

Zain looks happy.

Of course, I can’t see their expression. It’s just a feeling I get.

I then start with “Lastly,”

“If it’s not possible, then it’s fine, but… you know, I’d be happy if you could start showing your real face soon, maybe…”

“A-aah, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”

“Hyah!?”

Suddenly standing up, Zain dashed out of the room.

“Guess that’s a no…”