A week had passed since the Clay Golem incident.

The backlog of work had been dealt with, her overtime was over sooner than expected, and today’s Ifühl Counter was peaceful as ever. Alina should’ve been delighted, but as she looked at this morning’s paper, her face was white as a sheet.

“Is the Executioner an Ifühl resident? Where is the talented adventurer the guild has set its heart on?”

Reading the headline prominently featured on the front page, Alina buried her face in her hands.

I did it again.

Even though it had already been a week since the incident, the front pages were packed with news items concerning the Executioner.

The guild announced that it would offer the Executioner a substantial reward for defeating the Clay Golem and protecting Ifühl from danger, but, obviously, the Executioner never came to collect the bounty, and unsurprisingly the guild seems to have decided to limit its search to Ifühl from now on.

Aaaaaaah I did it again!

This all came about because Alina lost her temper over the destruction of her house.

What’s more, this time it didn’t take place in the confined space of a dungeon. It was bang in the middle of the town, under the noses of so many adventurers, where she went berserk.

‘Why does it always end up this way? In the first place, it’s all because that piece-of-shit golem destroyed my house!’

‘Ah, Alina’s being grumpy again.’

Alina’s shoulders twitched in reflex when she heard a voice suddenly appear behind her. She turned quickly to see the rookie receptionist, Laila, looking at her with her big round eyes, her twin tails swaying.

‘What the hell, Laila. You startled me.’

‘What the hell, “What the hell?” Is that how you greet me now? By the way, you’re frowning again!’

Laila’s cheeks puffed up sulkily for only a brief moment before she did a complete turnaround and faced Alina with a carefree smile.

‘That aside, Alina! Thanks for saving me from that guy the other day. You were like mega cool! If you were a man I’d definitely have fallen in love with you!’

‘W—well. Guys like that are tough to deal with for a rookie.’

Never in a million years could this junior have imagined that her senior, in the presence of so many people, was on the verge of sending Slay flying. Smiling wryly, Alina averted her gaze.

This wasn’t the first time that she had to clean up after Laila. Even considering how she’d started work here only recently Alina was reluctant to call her a competent junior, but her upfront attitude made it impossible for her not to like her.

‘But like mister Jade said, please don’t be too reckless. You have a surprising number of hidden fans, so it’d be awful if something happened to your face. By the way, what are you reading?’

‘Ah, nothing—’

‘Let’s see… Ah, it’s about the Executioner!’

The eagle-eyed junior, who had spotted the newspaper in her senior’s hands, lit up when she read the bold headline and came up to Alina, breathing heavily.

‘Which means! You’re an Executioner fan, aren’t you?!’

‘A what now?’

‘Goodness me, Alina. I’m talking about whether you are a Jade fan or an Executioner fan!’

‘What the hell’s with those two horrible choices?’

Facing the grimacing Alina, Laila raised her forefinger with an air of conceit and told her the most outrageous thing:

‘Don’t you know? Currently, mister Jade and mister Executioner are about equally popular with the girls!’

‘Huh?……Huh?’

‘Never saying a word, never revealing his identity, appearing out of nowhere, calmly doing what no ordinary man could ever do, saving the day and disappearing again. Isn’t that the coolest thing you’ve ever heard?! And he’s so strong! Of course people are supporting him!’

‘I—I see.’

‘You don’t have to hide it, you know? I’m an Executioner fan too.’

Laila said, narrowing her spellbound eyes like a maiden in love.

‘Even though you can’t see his face?’

‘There’s a handsome man under that hood. That’s as clear as day!’

Laila said with a humph.

‘He’s the hero who saved Ifühl, you know? Even though he was promised a reward, he never showed himself! You’re too cool, Executioner! Please hit me—ahem, please protect me with your big hammer!’

On the verge of letting her desires slip, Laila corrected herself as her mind wandered coquettishly to the Executioner of her delusions.

Seemingly, the Executioner had become a mysterious, righteous, handsome adventurer in the eyes of the public.

‘And then there was the unexpected joint battle with mister Jade against the Clay Golem! Did you see it? It was like a dream come true! Is there anything more magnificent than that?! The strongest handsome tank and the strongest handsome vanguard, together!’

‘I see. I’m glad you’re happy.’

For the time being, it seemed like nobody saw her face. Alina let out a sigh that was a mixture of relief and astonishment. That’s when:

‘G—guildmaster?!!’

Ifühl Counter echoed with the sound of a hysterical voice. The head receptionist, who was supposed to be sat at his desk in his office sipping tea as usual, came flying into the reception accompanied by a flurry of noise.

Nicknamed “the paperweight” for being practically glued to his desk, the head receptionist, who rarely (if ever) left his office, wore a pale complexion and was sweating like a pig as he greeted the unexpected guest.

‘Eh?! Isn’t that the guild master?!’

Laila gasped. She too was taken aback by the sight of this person.

It wasn’t just her. Every man and woman present at Ifühl Counter opened their eyes wide and looked in the direction of the ageing man, clad in a flowing mantle embroidered with the guild’s crest.

Sharp eyes beneath his neatly cropped hair punctuated his dark, sun-tanned skin. Wrinkles carved his face, but his physique would not be outdone by any of the young adventurers present.

Guild master Glenn Gallia?!

The arrival of this rare guest took Alina by surprise.

Glenn Gallia. In his adventuring days he made the most of his title of “the strongest”, and presently he serves as the highest authority in the adventurers’ guild, the guildmaster.

‘G—G—Guildmaster, what brings you to this place?’

The head receptionist’s obvious lack of composure was understandable. In Ifühl, a town built around adventurers, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the head of the guild is the true power of Ifühl. Not someone who just waltzes into one of the town’s many reception offices.

‘Be at ease. I had a bit of free time, so I’m just wandering around town.’

Contrary to his stern appearance, Glenn laughed merrily and patted the head receptionist on the shoulder.

‘But, if I’d known beforehand you were coming—’

‘Gahaha! Don’t worry about it. You don’t have to make a fuss over little old me. I heard the Executioner showed up around here, so I thought I’d pay you a quick visit to pass the time.’

Alina’s whole being froze when she heard the guild master’s words.

‘You mean the Clay Golem incident from the other day, correct?’

‘When I heard about the Executioner’s significant contribution to the battle, I too became intrigued with this person.’

Glenn looked around the counters and, seemingly on a whim, walked up to the one that caught his fancy.

It was Alina’s counter.

Wh—why are you coming this way?!?!

This man is the true power of the metropolis. It goes without saying that he is the worst possible person to have her secret revealed to. The tension drained all the blood from Alina’s face and sweat ran down her neck as the guild master arrived before Alina.

‘How do you do, receptionist dear?’

Now that he was only inches away from her, Alina could feel his tremendous power.

The strongest adventurer, whose name was once lauded throughout the continent. His aura was markedly different from that of the adventurers she dealt with at the counter on a daily basis. His eyes, which seemed to see through everything, caused her stress levels to soar. Under the watchful gaze of the head receptionist nervously checking if Alina wasn’t making an ass of herself, she somehow managed to put on her usual customer-service smile.

‘I am well, thank you very much.’

‘I see, I see. I’m glad to hear.’

Glenn laughed heartily. Then, as if something had suddenly occurred to him, he continued:

‘By the way, do you know of my skill?’

‘I do.’

Before she had time to think, Alina replied.

‘“Observator Temporis”. A transcendent skill that can both stop time and rewind it to observe past events—’

As she spoke, Alina felt a sense of ominous foreboding. Her voice grew fainter and fainter until fading to a voiceless whisper. Is this what déjà vu felt like? Yes, it’s just like the time when Jade Skleid came to her counter and announced that he’d seen the executioner’s face.

‘That’s right. As you’d expect from a receptionist.’

‘Th—thank you very much.’

Glenn narrowed his eyes as if peering into Alina’s inner turmoil.

‘Right. With my skill I could, for example, stop time at the main square where a certain unidentified executioner made an appearance, turn the clock back to a week ago, and take a peek under their hood.’

‘Oh! Guildmaster, that means you have come here to unmask the Executioner, does it not?’

‘You’re half right, chief.’

As he kept his eyes on Alina, the corners of Glenn’s mouth twisted into a grin before he made an unexpected announcement.

‘Truth is, I’ve already looked.’

Alina felt her heart leap out of her chest.

What did he say just now?

Alina froze, staring dazedly at the guildmaster standing across the counter as if to block her only path of escape.

All the while, Glenn’s sharp gaze remained fixed on Alina. Her heart pounded madly as his face seemed to drift off into the distance.

‘Then, you found out the Executioner’s identity?’

The head receptionist’s timid question sounded like it came from afar. Tension ran through Ifühl Counter as the identity of the Executioner who had shaken their world would finally be revealed. Not a murmur could be heard as all present waited for the guildmaster to answer.

Am I done for?

She thought in the back of her mind, as if it were someone else’s problem.

Is this where it ends?

After a long moment’s silence, however, Glenn suddenly looked away from Alina and shrugged his shoulders in a theatrical manner.

‘Sorry to be a disappointment, but I’m afraid I didn’t.’

Covering his face in a performative gesture and shaking his head wildly, he continued:

‘“Observator Temporis” only allows me to look at past events. It absolutely does not allow me to meddle with the past itself. That fox was wearing a bloody mask under their hood. Sly bastard must’ve anticipated my skill.’

‘Oh, what a shame. So even with the guild master’s power it’s impossible…’

The head receptionist slumped his shoulders in dejection, and Ifühl Counter returned to its usual hustle and bustle. Only Alina’s face remained pale as she stood there, frozen in place like a stone statue.

I didn’t wear a mask.

Of all those present, only Alina was convinced.

Ahh, he found out.

‘The Silver Blades are in desperate need of a new vanguard. I want to welcome that warhammer user into the Blades at any cost, but it seems that the Executioner has no intention of joining them.’

Glenn shot a quick glance at Alina. His eyes were the same as Jade’s when he discovered the identity of the Executioner. Eyes that knew who the receptionist standing at the counter before him truly was. His appearance at the Ifühl Counter was not merely to waste some free time.

‘Well then, I don’t want to keep you too long, so I’ll be heading back. Sorry to have bothered you, missus.’

Smiling with feigned ignorance, Glenn suddenly moved his face close to hers.

‘We can’t talk here. There’s a carriage out back. Come to the guild headquarters.’

He said in a hushed voice. Alina’s eyes widened. By the time she raised her face, Glenn had already left her counter, stopping the head receptionist who was about to see him off outside.

In the end, he left without telling anyone her identity.