Musou Slime 61

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61. Tongue Battle At The Entrance

The next day, I was at the guild for a meeting with Raize.

I noticed something odd about 15 minutes past our meeting time.

Strange. Has Raize ever been late for a meeting before?

She usually arrives a bit early, often making me wait.

"Did she catch a cold?"

Since we had plans to go as far as we could in the dungeon today, I couldn't go alone.

I got up from my seat and started walking towards Raize's house.

Raize's house, surrounded by white walls just like last time, stood firmly.

I rarely visit such large houses, so I feel nervous.

As I passed through the gate and approached the lush garden, I heard voices.

"Let go of me! I'm going!!"

"Stop it! Raize, playtime is over!"

The shouting came from beyond the entrance door, one voice belonging to Raize and the other to an unfamiliar man. Given that the voices came from inside the house, I could easily imagine who they were.

Well, this seems to be getting a bit complicated.

Feeling a bit intimidated, I knocked on the entrance door.

"Hey, anyone there!? ...Yes, coming."

The commotion between Raize and the man stopped, and the man responded.

The doorknob turned, and the door slowly opened from the other side.

Peeking out was a middle-aged man with thinning silver hair.

He glared at me suspiciously.

"Who might you be?"

"I'm Arx. I assume you're Raize's father?"

"Yes, but... a friend of my daughter's?"

"Raize and I are in a party together. Since she didn't show up, I came to fetch her."

"Arx! You came!"

Raize popped her head out behind her father. She seemed genuinely happy.

However, the middle-aged man in front of me was different. As soon as the word "party" came out of my mouth, his eyes sharpened, and veins popped on his forehead.

"It's you! The one who's been dragging my daughter around!!"

His angry voice echoed throughout the premises. Raize's father grabbed me by the collar.

"...Let go, please."

"Let go?! Because of you, my daughter has gone astray!!"

"Dad, stop it! I haven't gone astray. I've become an adventurer!"

I had heard about this from Raize beforehand, but it's worse than I thought.

Raize's parents oppose her becoming an adventurer. They only allowed it to get in good with the Dan family.

Deep down, they probably want to raise Raize as a noble. Understandably, they'd be angry with me barging in.

But that's a separate issue from this.

"Ouch, that hurts a bit."

"What are you... Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!"

I lightly twisted Raize's father's arm. Instantly, he grimaced in pain and started making a fuss.

"What are you doing!"

"You were the one who laid hands first. Can we talk for a moment?"

"No need to talk! I'll never accept you as an adventurer!"

He's quite stubborn. He won't even listen to me.

"Let me tell you! I don't like Dad! I don't want to become someone who sits in power like you!"

"Don't say foolish things! Listen, Raize, you have the right to stand above others. You don't need to become strong; that's someone else's job!"

Both sides argued, and there seemed to be no solution in sight.

Alright, let's try to find a compromise here.

"I'm curious. Why did you accept adventurers once if you hate them so much?"

"That's because... I thought I could trust the Brutal Blade of the S-Rank party Brutal Edge! And they've delivered!"

Ah, so he's trying to hide his true feelings.

Wait a minute. If that's the case...

"So, you're okay with letting Raize be an adventurer as long as she's with a strong one, right?"

"T-That's... none of your business!"

"It is. Because I'm stronger than Dan."

When I said that, Raize's father's eyes turned red, and he leaned in close, exerting immense pressure.

"Do you not understand what's appropriate to say or not? A bottom-tier adventurer like you can't be stronger than an S-Rank party!"

I'm stating facts, but this middle-aged man just won't get it.

"Don't boast without visible results! If you claim to be stronger, then prove it with results!"

"Fine, then I'll prove it. Right now, Raize and I will defeat the floor boss on the 25th floor of the Ash Dungeon. If we succeed, will you accept Raize becoming an adventurer?"