Jared, a B-rank adventurer, finished a request and headed to his favorite tavern. The homemade ale was so exquisite that even the picky drinker Jared praised it without reservation. He visited the tavern five times a week.
As he headed to his almost exclusive seat, he spotted a familiar face.
"Bagas, you're in an unusually good mood. Did you win big in gambling? C'mon, treat me to something."
"Jared, huh? Too bad, but I'm broke."
Bagas and Jared were former party members for 20 years. Although Bagas retired as an adventurer three years ago, he continued to guide the younger members as an instructor.
Bagas had a strong affinity for gambling, and he was either flush with money or completely broke. Jared had thought Bagas was well off and wanted to treat him to a meal, but it seemed he had guessed wrong.
"Oh yeah? Then why the good mood?"
"Well, I met an interesting guy today. I loaned him ten million gold."
"Huh?"
Bagas explained the details of the contract with Haruki, sounding as nonchalant as ever. To Jared, the details sounded like a scam. He considered warning Bagas, but he held back considering Bagas' character.
Jared couldn't sense any intention from Bagas' tone to deceive and turn Haruki into a slave.
"Do you think there's a chance he'll succeed?"
"Yeah, in my estimation, it's about fifty-fifty."
"That much!?"
Earning ten million gold in a month as an F-rank adventurer was like an impossible dream. Even with exceptional luck, he wouldn't even come close to two million gold. Ten million gold was the amount mid-tier C-rank adventurers and above would earn.
Even if Haruki's combat ability was equivalent to C-rank, his lack of experience would likely lead to either hesitating and not earning much, or recklessly charging in and facing a high risk of dying.
Just as Jared was about to say that it was reckless, Bagas interrupted.
"Hey, have you heard the name Haruki before?"
"Huh? Never heard of it. Is he from a magic academy?"
"No, he's the guy who killed Gwen."
"Gwen!?"
Jared was shocked. He had taken a request together with Gwen's party in the past and knew a bit about him. Gwen used to be a C-rank adventurer. He had become a wanted criminal for killing a teammate over a dispute about the reward money a year ago, but Jared had heard recently through rumors that he had been killed.
The name of the killer was supposed to be kept hidden, but Bagas, who had connections in the guild, somehow managed to find out the name. And he had obtained detailed information about the incident.
"Wait, you mean that even though Haruki just became an adventurer recently, he had enough combat experience to kill Gwen?"
"No? It seemed that fighting and killing Gwen was his first combat experience. Also, he apparently discovered his magical talent after that."
"What!?"
Jared exclaimed in disbelief once again. Gwen was a skilled fighter, and even among C-rank adventurers, he was top-notch in terms of physical strength alone. He can't imagine a newbie killing Gwen who was a skilled adventurer. Jared was confident he could defeat Gwen now, but he couldn't even imagine his past self before becoming an adventurer winning against him.
As Jared was trying to process this, Bagas began to explain the details he had learned from Haruki. Jared was amazed by the story that sounded like walking on a tightrope, and he felt a sense of reverence toward Haruki, who had executed it and succeeded.
"There does seem to be a possibility of him being able to earn such a large amount of money. He possesses both bravery and caution."
"Yeah, for you, it's better if he fails. If he fails, you can have him work for you."
"I see, we need more mages, after all."
Jared responded this way and realized that Bagas was genuinely rooting for Haruki's success.
If Bagas succeeded, he would gain very little. Even if he lent money, due to the risk involved in case of failure, it wouldn't be a big favor. At best, it would be like connecting him to a promising rookie.
The risk of Haruki dying and losing ten million gold wasn't worth it. Jared noticed that Bagas was quite invested in Haruki.
"Hey, what's with you being so invested in Haruki?"
"Oh, it's because his dream is interesting. He wants a harem."
"A harem? I thought you disliked guys with lame dreams. Weren't you more into people with big dreams like aiming to become nobles or leading the guild?"
Jared found the answer surprising. He had known Bagas for a long time. He knew that Bagas liked people who had big dreams and a strong ambition for advancement.
At one point, Bagas himself had big dreams, but they had become unattainable dreams now. Perhaps because of that, whenever he saw someone pursuing a lofty dream, he would support them or frequently present them with challenges.
"His goal is to aim for an A-rank for the sake of his harem."
"Huh? Why isn't he satisfied with C-rank? Even at C-rank, he'll have plenty of women flocking to him. Is he that ugly?"
"No, he's actually quite good-looking."
"Then why? Just tell me without dragging it out."
Bagas chuckled as he unnecessarily prolonged the explanation.
At that moment, Bagas recalled the exact same question he had asked Haruki. Haruki had answered so earnestly and matter-of-factly that Bagas had started doubting his own common sense.
"Haruki wants to protect his women at all costs, from overwhelming violence like that of a dragon, and even from the power of a king."
Jared's jaw dropped. Bagas had the exact same reaction he had when Haruki told him that. Bagas found it amusing and burst out laughing.
And then, he remembered that Haruki didn't actually have a single woman.
