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Worlds that had monsters in them made finding work a lot easier. Sometimes monsters had bounties on their heads, and even when they didn’t, people were usually willing to buy their fangs, claws, or other materials. Some worlds had guilds or organizations that managed monster hunters, and some didn’t. In worlds that did, things were relatively convenient. Once you joined, the guild took care of most of the administrative hassle. But sometimes you needed an introduction letter just to join, and that made the whole process more annoying.

In worlds without such organizations, you had to negotiate with individual buyers after hunting a monster, which was a pain. The upside was that without guild membership, you had much more freedom to act on your own.

When I couldn’t get an introduction letter or ended up in a world that didn’t have monsters at all, I usually had three options: give up working entirely, take on some part-time job, or find rare items to sell. Technically, I could survive without working at all. But if I were going to stay in a world for an extended period of time, wandering around town without a single coin to my name usually drew unwanted attention.

So the usual setup was that Fumitsuki and Lullus took on part-time work, while I sold valuable goods. I was a god, after all. Having a few high-value items on hand wasn’t strange. And if I didn’t, I could always find something valuable in the world itself. I would sell those items in countries where I had no business, leave before anyone got suspicious, then either exchange the money in another land or spend it somewhere it was valid.

Still, it was mostly Fumitsuki and Lullus who worked hard. In this world, too, my default state was sleeping. They worked, earned money, and then used that money to drag me outside. I wouldn’t mind sleeping all day, but Lullus insisted that if I slept too much and couldn’t do my actual job, it defeated the purpose, so she would wake me up and take me out.

I was not a NEET! Sure, I made the two of them handle most of the practical stuff, but it was not like I did nothing at all. If anything, being a NEET sounded amazing. Sleeping all day, not needing food or anything, just a quiet place to rest. Actually, scratch that, I didn’t even need a place. As long as no one interrupted my sleep, I’d just float in midair and doze off.

Lately, though, Lullus seemed to be really enjoying trying out sweets from different worlds. She even changed her outfits occasionally and had started collecting accessories. She had really become… well, a girl. When I said, “You’ve become quite the young lady,” Fumitsuki agreed, while Lullus just tilted her head like she didn’t get it.

Because of this arrangement, to outsiders, it must have looked like I was just lounging around while the two of them worked. I didn’t deny that it looked that way, but that was exactly why we sometimes got dragged into annoying situations. Just like the one right now.

“Release those two.”
“Excuse me?”

A man I’d never met barged into our inn room and said that out of nowhere. From the feel of his aura, he’d been blessed by this world’s god. In other words, a Hero. Apparently, this world had several of them, and just being one gave them a fair amount of authority. Understandable, since they were chosen by God.

That was probably how he’d managed to find his way to our room.

It wasn’t all rainbows being a Hero, though. I imagined if they misbehaved, the God would revoke their power or something. Otherwise, heroes could just do whatever they wanted. Honestly, I wished this world’s God would do something about the one standing right in front of me. Ignoring my silent plea, the hero started explaining himself.

It wasn’t complicated. He wanted Fumitsuki and Lullus to join his party, but they refused. Apparently, they’d told him they already served someone else, which was a decent excuse. Saying “my superior told me not to” was the simplest way to turn someone down.

He must not have expected to be refused, because when he heard they were working for someone, he imagined some great and noble person. Then he found out that “great and noble person” was me, and decided to barge in. I was skipping a lot of the details, but honestly, he gave off major stalker vibes. Still, since he didn’t insist on recruiting me along with them upon seeing me, I assumed he was sane, relatively speaking.

“I understand your position, but I’m not forcing them to work for me.”
“Don’t lie! You must have enslaved them, or bound them with some kind of contract!”
“They’re neither enslaved nor bound by force.”
“Like I’d believe that!”
“If that’s what you think, why not ask them directly? I don’t mind if they answer honestly.”

Just then, the two of them returned, so I left it to them. Not because I was lazy, well, , not just that, but because no matter what I said, he clearly wouldn’t listen. The last thing I said was meant to make it clear I wasn’t using slavery or coercion.

The two girls took one look at the Hero and visibly frowned.

“We’re indeed working because we have to, but we serve our master of our own will.”
“Same here,” said Fumitsuki. “Actually, I’m the one who showed up at Fi, at Master’s place uninvited, so working a bit is the least I can do.”

I noticed they didn’t say my name, probably because they didn’t want this guy to know it. Maybe they really did care about me after all. Or maybe they just didn’t want to say my name. That would be sad. I knew I wasn’t the best master, but it was not like I’d done anything bad.

“Master, you’re thinking something strange again.”
“There’s really nothing else to do right now.”

Lullus was right to call me out, but honestly, I had no obligation to entertain this Hero. Maybe ignoring a hero was considered rude in this world, but I was a divine envoy, not one of this world’s mortals. I’d listen if someone came in good faith, but this guy clearly wasn’t.

“In that case, I’ll say this one last time.”

I thought he might back down or throw a tantrum, but instead, he spoke in a tone that suggested he thought himself superior.

“For the sake of the world, for defeating the Demon Lord, their power is essential. As one blessed by God, I hereby command you to…”

He was probably about to demand that I hand them over, and they join his party. But suddenly, he froze mid-sentence, blinking in confusion. Then, in a panicked voice, he said, “B-but…!” It seemed like he was receiving a divine message. Apparently, this world’s god had finally noticed what was going on.

Still, they really handed out divine revelations like phone calls here. There were ways to communicate with mortals without overburdening the world, but it usually took strict conditions, like being in a certain place or state.

After whatever the god told him, the hero mumbled, “It seems I have to give up on you two,” and left.

“…Not sure what he came here for, but I do give him credit for his passion,” Lullus said.
“He didn’t even apologize to Fini, Fumitsuki added. “He probably still thinks he wasn’t wrong.”
“Well, in this world, he probably wasn’t,” I said.

Heroes were seen as divine agents here. When one went rogue, God stepped in directly, just like now. If that was how this world worked, then I had nothing to say.