(Melon)
Mr. Gabab, Mr. Kulontan, Mr. Laurence, and Miss Mirabella.
Master refers to them as the Four-Person Party, and they are members of the [$Eyes of the Night Cat$ B Team] and have been missing one member for a long time.
After being rescued by Master during a jungle mission, they didn't like to participate in combat missions anymore.
Every two weeks, they invite me to join them on a mission and each time they divide eighteen gold coins among us. It seems like they can also profit from the missions we undertake together.
They never explicitly said so, but perhaps they think they are using me. Nevertheless, they always give me more than half of what we earn.
It doesn't really bother me, as I know that most of them are struggling financially. Mr. Gabab has a wife and children that he need to support, Mr. Kulontan has to support his elderly parents in addition to his wife and children, Mr. Lawrence is saving up for his wedding, and Miss Mirabellal often donates to an orphanage, for some reason.
For me, there's no downside to helping them out as much as I can.
"Melon, how did you become so strong?" A woman with silver hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a black jacket and leather hot pants, with a black eye patch covering her right eye and cheek, asked me.
Today's visitor is a bit special. She is the Second Princess of this country.
"Well... I guess by doing a hundred push-ups, a hundred sit-ups, a hundred squats, running ten kilometers every day, and practicing against a Spinning Iron Dummy every day..."
"Okay, I have no idea what you're talking about." The Second Princess suddenly twirled the spear in her hand and impaled a goblin that had run up to us.
The group of four stood to the side, looking very nervous.
The one who joined us in the battle was the famous Valkyrie of the Wind, whom I also admire.
We were surrounded by the bodies of the defeated monsters, so it seemed that today's adventure had come to an end.
Although she was a princess, she still had to pay the party thirty gold coins.
"Well, I think that's about it for today," I said.
"Huh? Wait a minute, it's not worth it to end it like this after paying thirty gold coins... That's several days worth of meals for me," the princess said.
"What would you like to do then, Your Highness?" I asked.
"Just call me Derisha. Well, actually..." Princess Derisha scratched her head and looked at the group of four standing nearby.
Suddenly, Princess Derisha's spear spun around and pointed at me.
The spear had a beautiful shine to it, but it was still far inferior to the kind of spear that Master could make in his free time.
"I want to challenge you to a duel," Princess Derisha said, her eyes becoming sharp.
"....Why?" I asked.
"Why? well, you know... as a hot-blooded person who's also a [Fighter], don't you ever want to fight strong opponents?" Asked the princess.
"No, I don't," I replied. Fighting at the drop of a hat would cause trouble for Master.
I've never thought about anything that would cause trouble for Master.
"Huh? Haven't you fought against equal opponents before?" Princess Derisha asked.
"...The [Spinning Iron Dummy] maybe," I replied.
"What's that?" Princess Derisha asked.
"Nothing," I said.
"So?" Princess Derisha asked.
"Sorry, I can't do that," I said.
"...Then, if I insult your master, would you be willing to duel with me?" Princess Derisha asked.
If she insulted my master?
Just imagining it made me feel like my body was on fire, my blood felt like it's boiling.
"Very well, I accept your duel request, but please don't insult my master. If you do..." I said, raising my hands and assuming a defensive posture in front of my body while slightly crouching.
Miss Derisha wants to fight, and yet she is also a customer.
So, since we've taken the money, we have to satisfy the customer's needs within our ability; that's the golden rule of the service industry.
That's what Master told me.
Although I don't know what the service industry is, I still remember it, since every word that my Master said is full of wisdom.
"I will kill you."
So now, Princess Derisha has changed from a customer to a sparring partner.
I accelerated and appeared near her. I launched my fist at her, but my fist was blocked by her spear. The tip of the spear is rushing toward my face, trying to pierce me.
However, it changed angle in mid-air and swung from another direction.
I blocked the spear, when it suddenly retreated back and changed its direction to a thrust into my abdomen.
I jumped back away from the thrust.
I saw a circle drawn by the spear on the ground, a solid and almost impermeable circle that was like an impenetrable shield that protected the princess from all harm.
Just almost, no shield is impenetrable, unless it's made by my master.
So, I accelerated much faster than before and went past the second princess spear.
"We are done" I said, my clenched fist placed right in front of the chest, right at where her heart was at.
"Ah...you're really strong."
"May I ask you a question, princess Derisha ?"
"Before that, call me Derisha instead of Princess Derisha."
...
We must satisfy the customer's needs, so let's call her Miss Derisha.
While continuing our conversation, Miss Derisha and I walked together on the road back to the capital.
"So, Miss Derisha, why don't you have any teammates? You're an adventurer after all."
Fighting without any companions is a behavior that does not value one's life, I think. After fighting alone in the jungle, I was scolded by my master.
"Like you, when I'm on an adventure, I had some temporary party. I don't have a fixed party member, when I try to join some party, my status doesn't fit well with them, and most people, after knowing that I'm a princess, will distance themselves from me or try to flatter me... How can these people become life-or-death companions?"
"So, you became an S-class adventurer by yourself?"
"Yes... Sometimes I envy people like you and your companions."
I see, so Miss Derisha is also very lonely.
"By the way, I met your master."
This sudden sentence made me wary.
"Don't be so nervous, he's much younger than I imagined."
"Master is very powerful."
"You admire your master very much. Indeed, I can feel that he is very strong." Miss Derisha smiled, "There are very few slaves like you who look so fulfilled, at least none of the ones I know looks a tenth as happy as you do."
"I owe my master's everything, he's the reason why I am able to grow to who I am today." When we arrived in the capital, I suddenly remembered something.
Master invited the four of us to dinner tonight, and he told me that if I had any friends, I could invite them too.
I remembered Miss Derisha's lonely expression earlier.
"Miss Derisha, can you drink alcohol?"