In all the wooden towns I've journeyed through so far, this is the first building of glass I've seen.

The Adventurer's Guild.

I have heard that every office of the Adventurer's Guild is a bustling place, townsfolk always entering and leaving to post commissions or to receive them, or to relax at the pub which is supposedly a necessary part of every guild office.

That is probably the reason why only a few people bothered to turn their heads when my travelling companion threw open the glass doors of the guild office and strode in with a stride as wide as her smile. If what you're doing is normal, then people ignore you. Not out of malice, but simply because it makes everyone's lives simpler.

But, alas, unlike me, Natsuki is not so normal, and so the few people who did turn their heads towards her were unable to turn them back away.

"Those horns... is that a demon?!"

A fearful cry came from a corner of the room, and all at once, everyone's eyes turned to face her.

—How rude. The horns protruding from her skull a few centimeters above her ears look nothing like a demon's. With a twisting triangular cross-section and a coiling structure so perfect that it itself should be the definition of the golden spiral, her horns are much more reminiscent of a mountain sheep. I can say this as someone who has, unlike most of these onlookers, actually seen both demons and mountain sheep.

Uninterested in the attention, Natsuki strode forward to the reception counter, and I followed behind her. The counter was made of granite. Or maybe it was made of marble, or maybe quartz; all I could tell was that it was not made of wood and it looked expensive.

"Hello. I'd like to register an adventuring party."

The clerk, whose attention had been consumed by paperwork, drew her eyes up until they met with Natsuki's horns, and then she flinched, and for a second I thought she might fall out of her chair, but she quickly regained both professional posture and composure, and responded stoically, "Apologies, but you cannot register a party alone. There is a bit of a definitional problem, you see."

"Alone?" Natsuki tipped her head to the side. "I'm not alone, though?"

Ah, that's right. This does happen quite often. Compared to Natsuki, my presence is quite weak, after all. People often just don't notice I'm around.

I stepped out from behind her, and in between her and the clerk.

"Um, sorry. I'm here too."

And that is how, in a building made of glass two month's travel away from our homeland, did begin the adventure of my attention-grabbing travel buddy and my exceptionally unexceptional self.

—is what I thought would happen, but matters didn't proceed so simply.

That night, while we were relaxing in one of the town's few inns, someone came knocking on our room door.

"At this time?" Natsuki frowned at the door. "Well, whatever. I'll get it."

She got up and opened the door. In the hallway stood three people who looked like priests. As soon as she came into their sight, all three fell to their knees, and bowed their heads before her.

"We greet the Saint."

Knitting her brow, Natsuki looked around the room, but the only people in it were, as expected, herself and me, though they probably hadn't noticed me.

"The Saint? Who would that be?"

"Your Holiness, of course."

She brought her hand to her forehead, and began rubbing it, slowly but thoroughly.

"Can you, like, look up for a second? Can you see these? These horns? Demon horns, you see? Given that demons are the incarnation of evil— your rules, not mine— you can't really make me of all people a saint, can you? Makes sense? Next time you want to play jokes on people, please do it during the daytime."

The priests only turned their gazes further downwards.

"Please, do not say such words! You have received the blessing of the God-Emperor!"

"Prove it," she responded instantaneously.

A bead of sweat trickled down the priest's forehead.

"The prophecy states that the Saint will have two grand horns spiraling out of their skull. There can be no mistake."

She sighed.

"Fine. I see how it is. I—"

Wait, wait. If she were to go with these priests, then we'd end up being separated, right? That absolutely cannot happen! I left my hometown to travel the world with Natsuki! I don't want to journey alone, so I can't let these priests separate us now!

So I jumped off the bed, and stepped in between them, and shouted.

"Do you have a warrant?!"

The priest in front looked up at me as if he hadn't known I was in the room.

"A warrant? Well, for that we would have to return to Wetzlar, so it is not possible to procure one at the moment..."

"If you don't have a warrant, then we don't have to do anything you say. That's what it means to have civil liberties, isn't it?"

I slammed the door shut.

And then, I was struck by a terrible sense of guilt.

I turned to Natsuki with my head drooped, so I too couldn't see her face.

"Sorry..."

"Hm?" A nonplussed response. "Why are you apologizing?"

"Because... if they're actually going to make you the Saint, wouldn't that be easier for you? You wouldn't have to do this adventuring with me..."

She wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly.

"Yuki, don't misunderstand. The reason I'm travelling with you isn't out of some sense of obligation. It's because I love you, and I'd rather be with you than anyone else, let alone those weirdos."

"Then..." I hid my relieved and reddened face in her breast. "Then, I won't let anyone take you away...!"

She chuckled, and ran her fingers through my hair.

"If you say it so cutely, then I can't go anywhere, can I?"