A few more days passed. Today is September 29th, and the moment we arrived at the guild, we were greeted by loud chatter and excitement everywhere. We asked Sally what was going on.
"It's because Jessica is getting married. She's in Dad's office right now, handling her resignation."
No wonder only the men looked heartbroken while the women were clearly delighted. Jessica was a beautiful woman with waist-length hair. At just twenty-three years old, she was the guild's ace receptionist—efficient, capable, and the object of admiration for all the juniors.
Because of her tall, curvy figure, she was nicknamed the "sexy big sister." Jessica was also very smart, and she liked to joke around to make people feel closer to her, which was why she was so popular.
I had once seen Jessica get proposed to ten times in a single day—and she rejected all. Just who was the lucky guy who had won her heart? Any man who did that was bound to be dragged off and sacrificed by jealous male adventurers. I could only pray that he was someone formidable.
"Then you'll probably get really busy now, right?"
Lina glanced at Counter No. 2, where Jessica usually worked, and asked Sally. Since there were many adventurers in the capital, there was basically a line every day. And whenever other receptionists took time off, the lines grew even longer.
Now that the ace receptionist was gone, processing requests would definitely slow down.
"Yeah, but I'll do my best! After all, I was trained by Jessica herself!"
Sally answered Lina confidently. I knew Sally had improved, but at best she was probably only about half as fast as Jessica.
"Sally, good luck."
"Thank you, Lina! I'll really do my best!"
Lina clenched her fists to cheer Sally on, and Sally happily grabbed Lina's hands in return. They really got along well. Then Sally suddenly remembered something and spoke to us again.
"Oh right, I'll tell you something. Recently, there's been a client who requested black water from level 46 of the dungeon—an enormous amount of it, and as a regular quest.
Apparently, he also made the same quest in nine other countries. Don't you think that's strange? What do you think that black water is used for?"
Past level 40 was the desert zone, and level 46's theme was oil. Why would someone need oil? Had he discovered some use for it?
A regular quest—one that required monthly deliveries. This is bad. This world is going to get polluted…!
"Maybe he discovered what black water can be used for?"
"What kind of use?"
"I'm not a researcher. How would I know?"
While Lina and Sally were talking, Jessica came downstairs.
"Ms. Jessica, congratulations on your engagement."
"Congratulations, Ms. Jessica. May I ask how you met your fiancé?"
Lina immediately offered her congratulations. I did the same, partly out of courtesy, and partly because I wanted to know whether her fiancé was someone who could survive the incarnations of jealousy around him.
"Jessica, I'm curious too!"
Sally raised her hand enthusiastically. She loved gossip—there was no way she'd miss something like this.
Jessica rested her hand against her cheek and shook her head with a mature smile.
"Honestly, what am I going to do with you all?"
She explained that he was her childhood friend—they had played together since they were little. He was a kind but somewhat slow person who had always dreamed of inheriting his family business and becoming a carpenter.
So it was him—the man we'd commissioned to make a chinese chess set before. His name was Ben. With his very average build, he probably wouldn't survive if things turned ugly.
After Ben finished the chess set, I taught him how to play. He then asked me to sell him the rights to the invention, because everyone like playing games. I didn't see a problem with that, so I sold it to him and helped promote it at the guild.
Finallt, It was a huge success—apparently even nobles played it now.
Back to the point, the reason Jessica fell for Ben was because he once saved her like a hero. After that, she kept trying to show her best side, hoping Ben would come to like her and eventually be the one to confess his feelings to her.
After all, many girls still want the boy they like to be the one who confesses. But Jessica's feelings never reached Ben, and things stayed that way for over ten years.
Then, just yesterday, Ben proposed to Jessica in the plaza. Some guild members happened to witness it, which led to today's uproar.
Jessica said she was embarrassed, but her face was overflowing with happiness. It was wonderful when love finally bore fruit—but wasn't her decisiveness a bit too extreme? She agreed to marry him yesterday and quit her job today. Was she planning to become a full-time housewife?
"Waiting really does pay off in the end."
Lina said this empathetically to Jessica, then looked at me. I more or less understood why, but I chose to look away. It felt dangerous.
"Yeah. It just took so long—I almost couldn't wait anymore."
Jessica agreed with Lina and complained about Ben's dullness, then turned her gaze toward me.
"Mr. Karen, could I borrow Lina for a moment?"
It seemed like she wanted to talk privately. Lina didn't mind, and since Jessica wasn't a man, I decided to agree.
"Sure."
Jessica led Lina away, leaving just Sally and me behind. Watching the two of them, something crossed my mind.
While I was lost in thought, Sally leaned over with a mischievous grin.
"Karen, after hearing that Jessica is getting married, didn't you feel an urge to marry Lina too?"
That was a tricky question. No matter how I answered, Lina would eventually find out. What should I say…? Ah, got it—change the subject.
"Everyone probably feels that way after seeing how happy Miss Jessica looks."
"Jessica's expression is really beautiful. If Mr. Ben ever dares to make her sad, I never forgive him! I'll make him taste my fists!"
Sally gushed over Jessica like a fangirl, then threw punches at the air, imagining a version of Ben who made Jessica cry.
The bare minimum would be cheating, I guess—but I felt like Jessica would make it impossible for Ben to leave her. I pointed toward the group of men crying their hearts out over Jessica's marriage.
"Mr. Ben probably doesn't have the nerve for that. Just look at Miss Jessica's admirers over there—every one of them is crying their eyes out. If they ever heard that Miss Jessica had been hurt, Mr. Ben might not even get the chance to beg for forgiveness."
If they ever saw him make her cry, Ben might not survive.
"That's true. If someone married such a wonderful wife like Jessica and still wasn't satisfied, he deserves a beating—death wouldn't even be enough."
Sally threw a few more punches into the air. Does she just love Jessica that much, or does she actually hate Ben? Maybe I should say something in his defense.
"It's too early to say that. Mr. Ben seems like a devoted person. Maybe he's not interested in other women at all."
"That would be best."
Sally still didn't seem satisfied. Just then, the voice I knew best reached my ears.
"Karen, Sally, what are you two talking about?"
I turned to see Lina, jogging over. It looked like she had finished talking with Jessica, who was now chatting with the other girls.
"Lina, we were saying that if Mr. Ben ever hurt Jessica's feelings, we'd tear him to pieces."
"Mr. Ben wouldn't do something like that, would he? After all, Ms. Jessica is such a charming person."
"That's true. Ben would definitely be completely captivated by Jessica's charm."
Sally's face lit up with a satisfied smile at Lina's words. How strange—exactly the same thing, yet her attitude was completely different. Could it really be because of person the topic was about? …I see, Sally didn't like Ben.
At that moment, I noticed someone unfamiliar running upstairs in a panic. Had something happened?
After chatting with Sally a bit longer, Dex came rushing down hurriedly, shouting:
"Karen! Lina! Are you two in the guild?!"
Dex was flustered—what happen?