At night, a bar specializing in beer, Villadièche.
　I came here by myself.

　Sometimes I want to drink quietly by myself, and sometimes I want to drink alone because every day is busy and fun.

　That's why I came here alone.

　The waiter shows me to my seat and orders a coffee-beer, one of my recent favorites.
　I'm looking forward to it being brought to me.

'Huh. ......'

　I heard a deep sigh from the seat next to me.
　A sigh of the type often heard in bars - or rather, taverns.

''Huh?　Leon, isn't it?
'What?　Ah.

　The other guy is surprised to see me.
　It was Leon there.
　He had ordered the orthodox menu of beer and yakitori, but he hadn't touched the yakitori at all, even though he'd had five or six drinks from a puddle ...... made of water dripping from a glass on the table.
　I'm just stirring up the booze, that's all.

'What's the matter with you, sighing so deeply?'
'Oh no ......, well, thank you for the other day.'
You don't sound like you're saying thank you, what's going on?
Yes, ......, that was actually a great help, the client was so pleased with it that they decided to ask for it in the future.
Good for you.
That's why ...... all the credit goes to the boss.
Yeah?
'Boss ...... Joel, you've taken the credit alone. Well, he's the boss of the family, so I don't blame him. ......

　Leon gulped down more beer.

'Your boss took the credit for it: ......

　Leon nodded, the scene seemed to come to life.
　The boss who didn't do anything, who only came out when a project was successful and acted as if he had done it all and therefore succeeded, taking all the credit for it.
　In my old world, when I was in the company, there were people like that.

'That's okay, I'm the boss. But you know what?

　Don!　and slams the cup down hard on the table.
　He blushes and his eyes are sitting up.

'So I'm thinking about getting another job. And a job that won't make any money that the rest of the family won't want to take.
Ah, .......

　I understand that, I've seen some of those.
　There are guys who take jobs without thinking about the field and whether or not they'll make any money.
　It's always this one that gets divided by that: .......

　I know what it's like to want to giggle in a bar after being hit by a compound technique, Leon.
　I move to your seat, accept the beer brought by the waiter, and gesture to tell him that I'll be sitting with him.
　As I do so, I ask Leon, "Why don't you go out on your own?

"Why don't you just go out on your own?　Wouldn't it be better to do this alone than to be in the family?　I'm an adventurer, and I think I can still get by.
'No. ...... I'm the number two in the family, and if I stop now, it will be a problem for the rest of the guys. And I still have a lot of work to do to teach the younger kids.
That's what happens when you're asked to do something, or if you're .......
Yeah?
What if you pull all your guys and go out on your own?

　As he said it, Leon's eyes widened.
　There was a brief glimmer of hope in his eyes.

'That hand--oh, no. ......
Why?
'I don't have it anymore, but every youngster has debt. Debt for equipment.
"Debt for equipment?

　My eyebrows are squeezing together!　I found myself saying.

'We have a lot of kids who come in with nothing, you know, and the first time we give them a weapon, but they usually break it right away. So the new ones pay for themselves, but ...... usually go into debt there.
To Joel?
Not directly. My boss is a guarantor and borrows it from the Dungeon Society.
From the Dungeon Association: ...... You did that too?
My boss is my guarantor, so of course I'll have to return the ...... family as soon as I can. We don't have that kind of money. ......

　Leon sighed more and gulped his beer in one go.
　There are many reasons why I want to change jobs, but I can't, and some of those reasons are called "money".

　I have debts to pay, I'm worried about my life, and my salary might go down.
　In many cases, "money" is what holds us back.

　I think about it for a minute and say to Leon.

"Come with me.
'What?　Where?
I don't care.

　I didn't wait for Leon's reply and walked ahead.
　My destination is the Dungeon Association.

　　　　　Stars

　Clint welcomed me and Leon, out of the blue at night and with a heavy drinker, with open arms.
　Inside the chairman's office, Clint asked with a smile on top of his surprise.

'What's up with you, Satou, on a night like this?'
I hear the Dungeon Association owes money, too.
'It's not a moneylender, call it the Adventurer's Mutual Aid. We offer a much lower interest rate than those moneylenders. Of course, as an adventurer, you'll need a certain amount of credit in order to borrow from them. ......

　Clint compared me to Leon.

'Does Satou need a sum of money?'
No.

　I shook my head and then told him about Leon.
　I explained that he was part of the Joel family and that he wanted to start his own business but couldn't because of the debt of his friends.

'I see ...... that Joel's ......'
You know what?
The...

　Clint nodded, glanced at Leon and said.

'They're famous for their tactics of giving newbies inferior weapons and armor for free, but after it breaks, they're known for making them buy something awfully expensive by saying, 'You'd better replace it with a properly good one. It's not a rip-off, but it's not something they can afford, and that's usually what gets young kids into trouble for a long time.
Is that so?
......

　Leon nodded gravely.

'It's not like I'm being tricked or anything, because it's long and strong: ......
But it's malicious.
......

　Leon was silent, and I'm sure he felt the same way.

　I turned to Clint.
　I could pay him, and if it was enough money to tie up a new adventurer, there was nothing I couldn't pay him.
　But I knew that wasn't quite right.

　I turned to Clint and asked him what he was thinking of doing.

"Is it possible for me to be the guarantor on that debt Joel has signed for?
Not normally.
What's normal?
Usually.

　Clint said it off, and next to me I could feel Leon's disappointment in the air.
　Leon took "normally" at face value, but I read between Clint's lines (gaze).
　If it was really bad, he wouldn't be looking at me like this and saying 'normally'.

"You're going to have to do something about that.

　I put my head down.

"You know, you don't have to--
I understand.

　Clint said, and Leon said, "What? I was surprised.

'If Satou says so much,'

　Clint nodded and did us a favor.
　I don't know why he made me read between the lines, though, and why he made me do this roundabout thing.

......

　Looking into Leon's thrilled eyes, I was certain that I had removed all his obstacles.

　　　　　Star.

　A few days later, the rumor of a dumb leader who had been run off by all his friends (buka) spread throughout the adventurers of Ciclo.