Welcome to the Special-Grade Guild! ~ The Beloved Elf Poster Girl Soothes Everyone’s Hearts ~
Chapter 137

137. Return

“…I’ve lost interest.”

A single sentence. He muttered just this, then turned on his heel and left. …Eh?

“Eh? Eh?”

As I stood there, bewildered, Mara-san, who’d been watching Schelmelhorn leave, approached me, letting out a light sigh.

“He’s not going to target you anymore. Or rather, I don’t think he’s going to do anything at all anymore. …He’ll probably even stop running the guild in the human world.”

“But is there a chance… that this is just a facade, and he’s going to come up with a new plan?”

Kron-san questioned Mara-san’s words. It’s a reasonable question. After all, he’d made the guild so big. It must have taken a long time, right? He’d even achieved the title of special-grade. Besides, was he really going to give up on his dream of becoming a god, which he’d been so obsessed with, just because of something like this?

“That child is… well, a child. He gets obsessed with things, but then, at the slightest provocation, he’ll lose interest. And once he does, he never goes back.”

So, basically… he’s bored? How can he be so fickle? He is a child, but still, it felt unsatisfying.

“Meg’s words were the trigger. I don’t know what he thought, but it must have resonated with him. So, thank you, Meg.”

“Eh, I didn’t really say anything special…”

It was just something Dad had said. I even thought I was being cheeky! As I was flustered, I was patted on the head. It made me blush!

“Well, maybe it was a good thing. But what about Nemo? I’m sure the Don has them backed into a corner. …Is he planning to abandon his responsibility to the remaining guild members?”

“Not everyone will be arrested and punished. They’ll probably be questioned.”

It was true, what Nika-san and Kron-san were saying. If Dad had them on the verge of collapse, then the remaining guild members would be left with nothing, whether or not they were punished. How would they even live? I hoped they could find new guilds, but would switching jobs really work in this world?

“We’ll take over.”

Lost in thought, we heard Mara-san’s voice. Several other High Elves were also expressing their willingness to help.

“It’s also our responsibility. And I’m his older sister, It’s not good to just ignore it, is it? Besides…”

Mara-san paused, looked at me, winked, and then continued:

“We’re just ‘a little bit amazing’ Elves, you know? I don’t think it’s wrong to venture out into the world.”

“H-Hawa…! ”

I messed up! I thought they’d be offended, but they all chuckled, so that wasn’t the case. Uu, I’m sorry!

“Rebuild Nemo…? But they’ll probably lose their Special-grade title.”

That’s right, they’d caused this much chaos. And I’m sure Dad had found all sorts of evidence of their misdeeds… But Mara-san didn’t seem to care at all, she answered happily:

“It’s better that way! We might poach some members, but it’s more fun to start over from scratch. And we’ll change the name.”

She said she’d ask, but would only take those who wanted to join. And that she’d forcibly take those who would probably end up living miserable lives if they were left alone. H-How reliable!

“And we have people who are willing to help. I’m sure there’s a lot we don’t know, and it’ll be difficult. But together, we’ll make sure the remaining guild members reform.”

Several High Elves nodded firmly when she said this, turning to face them. Yeah, it’s truly reassuring to have friends!

“…Is it really okay to leave Schelmelhorn like that?”

Then, the Demon King, who had been silent up until now, hesitantly asked this. I understood how he felt. I was still worried too.

“The curse doesn’t work on us anymore. He’s given up on everything. Even his title as patriarch. We’ll stay in contact with those who are staying in the village, and watch over him.”

“Even his title as patriarch? How do you know?”

“I can feel it. The shackles that were binding our hearts, they’re gone.”

Shackles that were binding our hearts? Now that she mentioned it… Hmm, I wasn’t sure if I understood.

Come to think of it, I’d been able to disobey the patriarch’s orders earlier, right? It had been unintentional, but…

“Meg, do you understand? If not, then you must have broken free yourself. …It’s something only you could have done.”

“Now that you mention it, Meg was acting on her own will in the middle there, wasn’t she?”

“I see. I’m sure it’s because half of Zahariash-sama’s blood flows through her. So the power of the curse was weaker than it was for the other High Elves.”

Mara-san agreed with Kron-san’s deduction, so it was probably true. Because I couldn’t imagine myself doing something that even Mara-san and the others couldn’t. Thinking about that,

“I’m gwad Father-shama is… Father-shama.”

Yeah, I’m glad I’m the Demon King’s daughter. I said this, because that’s what I honestly felt, but…

“Guh…! To think my own daughter would say such a gratifying thing…!”

“I understand how you feel. But you’re not harming anyone right now, so please feel free to squirm as much as you like, Zahariash-sama.”

It seemed like I’d managed to capture the heart of a doting father. The Demon King, clutching his chest, his other hand covering his face, kneeling and looking up at the sky, was as hopeless as ever. Well, that’s how he is!

So this is the end, I guess? The solution was strange, and I still had some thoughts about it, but I couldn’t help but to smile.

“…Let’s go home.”

“Yeah, I’m worried about the guild!”

Ah, that’s right! Saura-san, Juma-kun, Dr. Ludo, Reki, Maryla-san… I wonder if they’re all okay.

“Shouldn’t you inform your Don about this?”

“That’s wight!”

I almost forgot! We had to let him know, or he’d come here, and it would be a waste. And since we were doing that, I’d send the same message to Carter-san’s Jiggle-kun. I hurriedly called out to Fuu-chan and Homura-kun. And then, after a few minutes, a reply came from Schlie-san.

『We were on our way, but if everything’s fine, then we’ll return to the guild. Tell us everything when we get back. Everything! That’s what he said! 』

“Wow, I’m not surprised.”

The Demon King grimaced when I told them the message.

“W-Well then, I guess I should head back to the castle…”

“Eugene-sama will lecture you, even at Demon Castle. It’ll be worse if you just return to the castle without him.”

“Let’s go back to Ortus.”

“I’m impressed that you understood so quickly, Zahariash-sama.”

The Demon King’s shoulders slumped. Ah, well, he might get scolded. Good luck.

“Alright, let’s go home!”

Nika-san said this. I asked them to wait for a moment, then ran over to Mara-san. One last thing!

“Are you weaving soon, Mara-shan?”

“I’ll talk to everyone for a bit, then leave. I can’t go now.”

I already knew, but it was still a bit lonely. But I’d see her again, if she left the village!

I turned to face Mara-san and the other High Elves and bowed deeply.

“Thish might be a selfish request, but… could you please fix Mama-shan’s grave? Pwease!”

“Meg…”

Yenna-san’s grave had been shattered. It would be sad to leave it like that. I wanted to fix it myself, but we didn’t have time… so I had to ask them. Then one of the High Elves, a young man, said, “Please look up.”

“Of course, we cherish our friends.”

“Th-Thank you sho much!”

“And… you can come visit anytime. Come pay your respects. We promise to welcome you, always. Of course, we can’t open it to just anyone though…”

I blinked, taken aback. Are they really letting me come back? I couldn’t help but to look up at Gil-san. He was still carrying me, so our faces were close. He smiled gently and nodded.

“Okii! I’ll be back!”

When I answered cheerfully, everyone smiled gently and said, “We’ll be waiting.”