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~~ - 7. I’ll show you what happens when you look down on an Enchanter

7. 7. I’ll show you what happens when you look down on an Enchanter

As usual, with my hair all messy from sleep, I head to the Adventurers’ Guild.

Once I enter the busy main street, people who casually talk to even someone like me start showing up.

“Hey, Lux, going to the guild again today?”

“Yeah. I wish I could start getting requests without even showing my face, like the Silver Blade.”

“You’re getting ahead of yourself. Just keep at it steadily.”

The old man who runs the shoe shop seems lively today too.

Didn’t he say he fought with his wife yesterday? Judging by how he looks, they probably made up.

A woman at a vegetable stall with bright veggies lined up calls out to me,

“Lux! You’ve got that gloomy face again today. Failed a request?”

“No, I didn’t. I’m S-rank, you know. How’s business on your end?”

“It’s so-so, I guess. I’ll give you a bit of a discount, so why not buy something from me?”

“Then just fill a paper bag full of vegetables like usual. If you take it to our base, Felice will pay for it.”

“Thanks as always.”

The veggie lady looked pleased.

She’s probably happier about getting to meet Felice than making the sale.

Kids start clinging to my legs.

“Hey, it’s Lux. Still not popular?”

“Shut up. Get lost.”

“Kyahaha! Lux is mad!”

Man, even kids treat me like a joke.

Hah, like I care. Of course I’m not popular. I’m 23 and still single. Just you wait, brats. I’ll get a super hot girlfriend someday and rub it in your smug faces.

After passing through the market, the Adventurers’ Guild sign comes into view.

By this point, most people I pass are adventurers. Not just humans — there are a fair number of beastmen, too. Elves and dwarves are rare. Sometimes you see dragonewts. But they’re wanderers. So they never stay in one place long.

Just before reaching the guild, a familiar veteran adventurer stops me.

“Heading to the guild?”

“Yeah. You look like something’s up.”

“There’s some guys giving the receptionist a hard time. Seems like they’re from out of town.”

“And you just ran off without doing anything?”

“Come on, give me a break. I just had a baby. It’s an important time. If I get caught up in weird trouble, I’ll make my wife and kid cry. You’ll handle it better, right Lux?”

“So I’m allowed to get dragged into it, huh!?”

“You’re one of only two S-rank parties in this town. I’m counting on you.”

He patted my shoulder with a big smile and ran off.

Do they think an S-rank party is some kind of convenient handyman or what?

Well, I guess I can at least check it out. Depending on the situation, even guild staff might not be able to handle it.

Besides, it wouldn’t feel right for Avantale’s guild or adventurers to be disrespected.

This town has its own rules.

If outsiders come barging in and act high and mighty, we have to teach them what happens.

…If possible, I’d like to resolve this peacefully, though.

—

“What’s wrong with this guild!? That was a pristine Spike Rat! Why is it only worth five silver coins!? It should be at least twenty!”

“As I’ve explained repeatedly, the materials you brought were full of wounds and in terrible condition. The preservation state was also bad. So the quality was the lowest. That’s why the price was as such.”

“Full of wounds!? Don’t screw with me! It was pristine when I brought it in! These guys saw it too. You’re trying to scam us and rip us off!”

“We would never do such a thing—”

Four men were arguing at the reception.

The guild worker looked troubled.

I moved to the wall as soon as I entered and observed the situation.

Guys like that show up sometimes. Probably from the royal capital. Over there, there are tons of new staff and the total number of adventurers is way higher. So to avoid wasting time and effort, guilds tend to just add a bonus and tell them to leave. These guys probably got used to that and assumed they could do the same in the countryside.

It’s a real pain for us locals.

Now then, what to do…

“Pristine? It was full of arrow wounds.”

A clear voice rang out — it was a red-haired female swordsman.

She looked about fifteen. Big eyes, lively expression, adorable and charming.

No need to double-check — it was the swordsman girl I saved yesterday.

“Stop it, Akane. I heard those guys are a C-rank party.”

“I can’t ignore something like this. You stay back, Bell.”

“Rinoa will help. Bell, move. You’re in the way.”

“I’m in the way!?”

The magician girl tried to stop the swordsman.

She had green braided hair and a calm, well-formed face. With a wide-brimmed pointed hat, a robe, and a long staff, she looked just like a textbook mage.

The blue necklace around her neck was proof of graduation from the Royal Magic Academy.

Looks like she’s a fresh rookie from the Academy.

The thief girl was also battle-ready like the swordsman.

She had short black hair and half-lidded eyes that constantly scanned her surroundings. Her emotionless face was so beautiful that anyone would call her a stunning beauty.

But maybe because she’s a thief, her presence was faint — you wouldn’t even notice her beauty unless you focused on her.

“Who the hell are you brats? Just starting out? Hey, check this out — a bunch of snot-nosed kids are trying to pick a fight with us. Typical hick guild. No manners at all.”

“Hick or not, what you’re doing is extortion. Threatening the guild to get money — that’s criminal. I’ll turn you over to the guards.”

“That’s slander. The materials I brought were intact. The guild’s the one trying to cheat us. If you’re that confident, how about you make up the difference? You could even pay with your body, if you want.”

“I’ll pass, you trash.”

“Oho, gonna fight? You think newbies can beat a C-rank party like us, Mad Snake?”

A burly man drew his sword. And the others followed.

The swordsman girl and the thief girl also readied their sword and knife.

“Now now, let’s all calm down and put away our weapons.”

“Who the hell are you?”

I couldn’t stand by and stepped in between.

The girls noticed who I was and looked surprised.

“I’m the leader of Unknown.”

“No way, *the* S-rank!?”

“This guild doesn’t scam adventurers. Ask anyone. The price you were given is fair. If you still want to push it, I’ll be your opponent.”

When I said that, the men started laughing.

“Unknown’s leader is an enchanter. He can’t even attack! He’s gonna fight *us*? What a joke.”

“If we take him down, we’ll be famous.”

“He’s S-rank, after all.”

“Even we could beat him! Let’s do it!”

The men didn’t back down — they got even more fired up.

“Enchanters are just people who couldn’t become mages. All they can do is enchant. They’re inferior to mages. I’ll show you what happens when a weakling picks a fight with real attackers.”

“Looks like there’s no avoiding a fight. Mind if I do it here?”

I asked the guild worker behind them for permission.

She smiled and silently gave me the go-ahead.

“He’s probably just some lucky guy who made it to S-rank by chance. Let’s get him!”

More like minions than party members, the three other men drew their swords.

Before they could move, I used my short staff to draw magical characters.

‘Headache’

‘Nausea’

‘Diarrhea’

The men dropped their weapons and collapsed.

One clutched his head and groaned, one covered his mouth and froze, one turned pale and held his stomach.

“What are you doing!? Get him!”

“Probably impossible. If they move, they’ll end up with a memory they’ll never forget. I hit them with three debuffs: headache, nausea, and diarrhea. It’s perfect for fighting people. The only downside is that it’s a bit vulgar and gets complaints.”

“No way… He cast all that in just a moment!? I thought enchanters were worse than mages!”

“Seems like you misunderstood. So let me clarify. Enchanters aren’t a downgraded version of mages. We’re specialists in enchantment. Our enchantments far exceed those done by mages.”

“What—?”

I instantly drew the symbol for ‘Paralyze’ and cast it on the last man.

“Gah!?”

“I just paralyzed you. How does it feel to be taken down by an enchanter you mocked, Mr. C-rank party ‘Mad Snake’?”

I could’ve paralyzed all of them at once. But one of them was a mage. So I had to shut his mouth. Mages can’t cast spells if they can’t speak.

Now, for a bit of warm-up too.

For an enchanter, the speed of writing directly affects casting speed.

Even outside of work, if I don’t keep practicing like this, I might freeze up when it counts.

—

“Enchanters are this strong!?”

That surprised voice came from the swordsman girl.

The magician and the thief looked impressed too.

“Lux-san, thank you for saving us the other day!”

“Ah, yeah.”

“Rinoa only came back alive thanks to Unknown. Much gratitude. Your enchantments were… amazing.”

“There was a bit of a pause there.”

They all looked about fifteen.

Surrounded by cute girls, I got a bit flustered.

Uh… can someone help me out here?

I glanced at the guild worker, and she just smiled sweetly.