The day had finally arrived.
I stood on the top floor of our new headquarters—a building that shared the grand silhouette of Japan’s National Diet Building—and gazed out the window. Early-bird workers were already beginning to cluster in front of the gate.
Substantial achievements required thorough preparation. To that end, I had spent the past week in a dense blur of behind-the-scenes negotiations and meetings. Today wasn't the end of that effort; it was the beginning. Finally, we could truly start.
As I was pumping myself up, a knock sounded at the door.
"Master Ryoma, excuse me."
Lulunese, one of our maids, entered the room looking slightly flustered.
"The doctors from the Ducal House have arrived. They wish to offer their greetings and receive their instructions."
The medical team was here? They weren't scheduled to arrive until tonight or tomorrow, but they must have made good time.
"Understood. Thank you, Lulunese. I’ll meet them right away."
"This way, please."
She led me to the newly finished reception room. I had commissioned Serge to provide high-quality furnishings, ensuring the space felt professional and established. Waiting inside were three young men and two women. The moment I stepped through the door, they rose from the sofa in unison.
"I’m sorry to keep you waiting. I am Ryoma Takebayashi. I hope your journey wasn't too taxing."
"Thank you for your kindness," the leader replied. "I am Mafrar, the son and disciple of the physician Alafrar. These are my junior colleagues..."
"I’m Tinto Cantelli! It’s an honor!"
"...Ector Moncada."
"I’m Isabel Rozada."
"And I am Clarissa Roniarty."
They all appeared to be in their early twenties, though Mafrar was an elf; he was likely much older than he looked. He was also quite handsome. The other four were humans. Tinto Cantelli was a bright, athletic type, while Ector Moncada seemed like a somber researcher. If anything, I felt a certain kinship with Ector’s reserved nature.
As for the women, Isabel Rozada had the clinical, capable air of a professional doctor, while Clarissa Roniarty possessed the gentle, soothing demeanor of a veteran nurse.
"We are deeply grateful for this opportunity to gain practical experience," Mafrar said. The five of them bowed deeply as one.
"The gratitude is mutual. I expect I’ll be learning quite a bit from all of you as well. I look forward to working together."
I offered my greeting, but a heavy silence followed once they straightened up. I realized then that they all looked incredibly stiff. They were nervous. Sensing my confusion, Mafrar spoke up.
"Master Takebayashi, the Duke informed us that you are a Disciple of the Sage—the student of the great Mellia."
"Ah, that. It’s true, I am her disciple."
I pulled my status board out of my Item Box for the first time in a while and showed them the "Disciple of the Sage" title. Their collective tension immediately shifted into profound respect. Reinhardt had likely shared that information to make it easier for me to manage a group older than myself, but being stared at like a living legend was a bit uncomfortable.
"Listen, everyone, you can be much more casual with me. Really."
"Is that truly acceptable?" Tinto asked, his eyes wide.
"I’d actually prefer it. My grandparents were the extraordinary ones, not me. To me, my master was more like the parent who raised me than some untouchable figure. Besides, I’m still young and inexperienced. As I said, I have much to learn from you. Please, relax. You can just call me Ryoma."
"Understood! In that case, please call me Tinto!" the athletic man shouted.
"I look forward to it, Tinto."
The man had a booming voice; it felt like I was standing next to a sports club during their morning drills.
"Is that alright with the rest of you?" I asked. The others nodded.
"...If I don’t have to worry about tedious social dancing, that’s a relief," Ector muttered. It seemed that even in the medical world, hierarchy and lineage were a headache.
"Right then. If you’re ready, would you like to see where you’ll be working? If there are any issues with the layout, I’ll need to fix them immediately."
"We would be honored."
I led the eager group through the building. When looking at the headquarters from the front, the right side—the House of Councillors side—served as the Security Company Hospital.
The first floor housed the outpatient reception, the waiting room, consultation rooms, a breakroom, operating theaters, prep rooms, a linen room, and a pharmacy with a secure vault. On the second floor, I had prepared private quarters for the five of them, a conference room, a nursing station, and inpatient wards.
After the tour, I turned to them. "What do you think? I tried to equip it as best I could."
"It is magnificent," Mafrar said. "It far exceeds the specifications we discussed."
"The pharmacy vault... it has all the basics, and even some rare herbs," Ector noted, his eyes scanning the shelves.
"We can handle almost anything short of a truly bizarre tropical disease with this!" Tinto added.
"The only thing we might lack eventually is more specialized equipment and more hands," Isabel observed.
"That will depend on our patient volume," Clarissa said softly.
"Your primary duty will be treating injuries sustained during security training or on the job, as well as providing health consultations for our employees," I explained. "The wards are mostly for serious injuries. I built them, but I hope they stay empty. Once we settle in, I’m considering opening the doors to outpatients, provided they understand that you are residents under Mafrar’s instruction. I think the variety would be good for your training. However, I’ll leave the final call to Mafrar—we shouldn't get so busy that the quality of care suffers."
"We thank you again for providing such an incredible learning environment," Mafrar said.
"I’m counting on you. I’ve prepared application forms for any supplies or staffing needs you have, so don't hesitate to ask. I’m also open to suggestions on how to improve the facility—"
"Excuse me, Master Ryoma," Lulunese interrupted, stepping out from the shadows. "It is nearly time."
"Time? Oh, right!"
I had nearly forgotten. "I’m sorry, everyone. I have interviews scheduled for our new security personnel."
The medical team laughed it off, assuring me they had simply arrived too early. Apparently, Mafrar’s weather prediction skill had warned of rain, so they had pushed the carriage to arrive before the downpour.
Leaving the doctors in Lulunese’s capable hands, I hurried to the opposite wing—the House of Representatives side. This was the heart of the security company’s operations, where the staff would train and wait for deployment.
"Sorry to keep you waiting!" I called out as I entered the briefing room.
"Oh, Ryoma’s here."
"Don't worry about it. We heard you were busy with the doctors."
Hughes and Jill, the men in charge, were already there. Fei and Li Ling had come from Bamboo Forest to help, along with a group of veteran adventurers I trusted to train the new recruits.
"We just finished going over the interview process and the post-hiring schedule," Roche said.
"Since the boss is finally here, why don't you give us a final word to fire everyone up?" Howard added with a grin.
Roche and Howard were from the party Guiding Light. I had worked with them during rookie training at the guild; they specialized in mentoring the next generation. Their teammates—Lucas, Lucy, and Mimil—were also present.
"Well... since I just walked in, I’ll keep it brief. First, thank you all for cooperating with this plan."
"Hey now, that’s too stiff," interrupted Jeff, a B-rank adventurer from the slums. "We’re part of this city too. You didn't even have to ask."
"Indeed. Protecting the town that supports us is part of an adventurer’s duty," said Asagi, the dragonewt samurai.
"Monsters are quiet in the winter anyway," added Raypin, the mage-researcher. "It’s a good time for study, but study requires a peaceful city."
"It’s a big help for us to have steady work this time of year," Welanna said.
"Requests usually drop off when it gets cold," Mizeria noted.
"The weather makes the roads dangerous, so people stay indoors," Silia added.
"We aren't starving for gold, but we don't want to get lazy either. This is perfect for the off-season, nya!" Miya finished.
The four beastkin women—Welanna, Mizeria, Silia, and Miya—all gave their support.
"See? No one’s here because they have to be," Gordon the dwarf rumbled.
"We all chose to be here because we heard your plan, Ryoma-kun," said Cher, the young adventurer who was a favorite among the townspeople.
Looking at them all, I felt a surge of gratitude. They were people I had met, befriended, and worked with since arriving in Gimul.
"Even so, I mean it. To be honest... when I first came to this city, I never imagined things would turn out like this."
I took a moment to find the right words.
"As most of you know, I lived as a hermit in the forest until this spring. I only came to Gimul because I met the Ducal House. When I first opened the laundry shop, I figured I’d just give it a try, and if it failed, I’d just go back to the forest. I didn't have any real attachment to this place. But after working as an adventurer, seeing the town’s festivals, and getting to know all of you... somewhere along the line, I realized I’d come to love this city. It became precious to me."
Precious enough that seeing it in turmoil while I was away had been unbearable.
"But I can’t protect it alone," I continued. "Even the preparations we’ve made so far would have been impossible without your help. I could have thrown money and authority around, but it never would have come together this quickly or this well. I’m only here because of you."
I took a deep breath.
"I won’t repeat my thanks again, so instead... let’s take back the Gimul we know. With our own hands!"
"YEAH!"
In that moment, as adventurers and workers of all stripes raised their voices together, our plan finally moved into its true phase of operation.