By the time Shira finished the exorcism, it was already close to midnight. The results were quite impressive, reinforcing the holy light within both Hanako and Mary.
This level of exorcism…for someone with a max-level Exorcist profession and stamina skills, even if the last urban legend—the terrifying Slit-Mouthed Woman—showed up…he could only shrug and say:
"Not a single one of you is even a challenge."
"…"
Glancing over at Hanako and Mary, who lay sprawled and drained on the couch, Shira had no intention of sticking around.
The vacant rental apartment was already furnished.
Letting them stay here temporarily would avoid a lot of unnecessary misunderstandings—especially if Aunt Mio, who always cooked breakfast early, happened to see them.
How would he even explain that?
Shira honestly wasn't sure. Fortunately, this apartment building now served as the foundation of his budding harem kingdom—everything below the 10th floor was fully rented out.
As for the upper floors—they were currently home to Mio, Sagiri, the newly moved-in Miko, and Hana. All the urban legend girls were crammed into one room.
There were still plenty of vacant units.
Even if he invited every member of the Dimensional Chat Group to move in, there'd still be more than enough room. And if, by some miracle, he managed to fill every apartment…
It would be quite the sight.
Back in his penthouse suite—after finishing his nightly routine, Shira was about to get some well-deserved rest when a thought suddenly struck him.
"Right—I totally forgot someone messaged me earlier during the exorcism."
The Dimensional Chat Group had a private messaging function, but since everyone was still unfamiliar with each other, direct messages were rare.
Most interactions were just casual group chatter.
So, when someone actually DM'd him, Shira was genuinely curious—could it be Riselia from the Excalibur world, asking about awakening her sacred blade?
But—when he saw the glowing golden avatar and the title "Bronze-Rank Adventurer," he froze in surprise.
It was Lianne Viviette.
After the last group rescue mission, he hadn't interacted with her much. She was the future Sword Maiden, but they hadn't built a strong connection yet.
And now, out of the blue, she was messaging him?
Maybe she wasn't used to online chatting. Her tone seemed a little reserved.
[Bronze-Rank Adventurer]: Shira-kun, I wanted to ask… Did you leave a teleport anchor in our world after the last rescue mission?
[Normal High School Student]: Yes, I did.
Shira didn't overthink it. He had planted world anchors intentionally—to use higher-dimensional worlds to max out his [Holy Sword Wielder] profession.
As for why Lianne was reaching out, the specifics were unclear. The message was sent two hours ago, so she probably wouldn't reply until the next day.
Just as he was about to close the chat window—Lianne's avatar blinked again.
She was clearly watching the screen and responded immediately.
[Bronze-Rank Adventurer]: Actually… there's something I'd like your help with. The Adventurers' Guild is facing some trouble lately. If possible…
[Bronze-Rank Adventurer]: I can pay you, of course!
[Normal High School Student]: What's going on?
[Bronze-Rank Adventurer]: Some villagers nearby reported sightings of goblins… but none of the other adventurers want to take the quest.
[Bronze-Rank Adventurer]: My team is newly formed, and we're worried about running into trouble while fighting goblins. So we'd like to hire you, Shira-kun.
"…"
A quick skim through the messages told Shira all he needed to know. It was a party invite—but the specific details of the event were still vague.
Rural village… goblins…
That sounded oddly familiar. Could it be the same village where Goblin Slayer's older sister died?
He had no other plans tomorrow. Traveling between worlds didn't cost points. Hunting goblins would boost his experience, and he'd get a firsthand taste of the grimdark tone of the Goblin Slayer world.
Not a bad deal at all.
If he was lucky, and it was the village from the original story, then his interference might drastically alter the tragic plotline.
[Normal High School Student]: No problem.
[Bronze-Rank Adventurer]: Thank you so much, Shira-kun!!!
---
Goblin Slayer World.
Inside the Adventurers' Guild, Lianne had been sitting for hours. Her furrowed brow finally began to ease.
For new adventurers, goblins were the best training targets.
That said—after the near-death experience in the goblin cave, she didn't fear goblins anymore. She simply approached them with much more caution.
More importantly…she was excited to see Shira again—the one who had saved her life. In addition to completing the request…
She was hoping to take him around town for a bit.
"With Shira-kun around, nothing will be that difficult!"
Most importantly—she wanted to prove herself to him. That near-fatal mission in the goblin cave was just a fluke. This time, during the team-up…she would not be a burden.
Gripping her newly forged sword tightly—Lianne slowly rose to her feet.
The female mage who had accompanied her to the guild looked at her curiously. "Viviette, have you made up your mind?"
"Of course."
"We're taking that quest!"
Lianne's eyes were firm. Even if the other three members of her party refused to join, with someone as dependable as Shira on her side…
She didn't believe it would be dangerous at all.
Now the only problem left—what kind of reward should she offer him?