So, what happened?"
"That's..."
Still on his knees, Endou tried to explain the situation to answer Hajime's question, while he hung his head. However, a hoarse voice interrupted him.
"Please continue your conversation inside. After all, you are my guests."
The owner of the voice was a powerful man with a good body build, and had a large scar on his left eye who was around 60 years of age. It was obvious his eye had the ability to perceive the situation, polished for years, and ambition was overflowing from his body.
With the previous receptionist by the man's side, Hajime guessed the man must be the head of this guild branch. And because Endou's wails and shouts made the guild atmosphere returned to one of high tension similar to the time Hajime's party entered the hall, he thought this was not an appropriate place to have such a talk, and obediently followed the man.
Endou had probably already made such a commotion earlier, and exposed that something had happened to the Hero's group and the Knights. And that was the cause of the strange atmosphere when Hajime's party entered the guild.
The man Hajime thought of as the branch head grab Endou's arm to force him to stand up and lead them to the guild interior without saying anything. Endou was considerably emotionally unstable, and currently had lost all of his strength.
Because the content would not be something pleasant, Hajime's party moved after the man while expecting the unpleasant.
* * *
"... Demon... race, huh."
Hajime's mutter rang out inside the reception room of Holad branch Adventurer guild. Seated on the sofa before him were the Holad branch's head, Lorr Vauabith, and Endou Kousuke, and seated beside Hajime were Yue, Shia with Tio at Shia's side. Myuu was sitting on Hajime's lap.
Hajime's first response after hearing the situation from Endou was something Endou had said during his explanation. The talk of how the Hero's party was attacked by the demon race and was in pinch, made Endou and Lorr's put on serious expressions, and the room was filled with an oppressive atmosphere.
...Or so it should be, but the little girl sitting on Hajime's lap was munching on the snacks, and it made her cheeks swell up like a squirrel, so she didn't even notice the serious atmosphere. The conversation between Hajime and the others was slightly difficult for Myuu, and she could feel the uneasy atmosphere. However, Hajime gave her a snack so to divert her attention from being uneasy.
"More importantly! What's with that!? Who's that child!? Why is she eating the cake!? Doesn't she understand the situation!? Everyone might have be dead, you know!"
"Eeek!? Papa!"
Unable to endure Myuu's existence, who destroyed the mood in the room, Endou stood up and said with an angry voice while pointing at her. Surprised, Myuu raised a small scream and clung to Hajime.
Naturally, bloodlust far above an ordinary person could emit, overflowed from Hajime. Papa would not forgive his daughter's enemy.
"Bastard... Who are you to snarl at Myuu, ah? AH? Should I kill you?"
"Eeek!?"
Screaming just like Myuu, Endou dropped into the sofa. Because of what Hajime said, "...Really, Hajime is completely a Papa now," or "Before, Hajime-san casually said "our child", right~," or "In the end, this one wonders whether Master will be able to separate from this child once we arrive at Elizen~," could be heard only to be ignored by him. It was more important for him to calm the frightened Myuu.
While Hajime calming Myuu down, he leered at trembling Endou trembling after he had collapsed into the sofa. Lorr entered the conversation with an amazed expression.