Transmigrated As A Stepdad In A Fantasy Doujin World

Chapter 29: 29. The Permanent Porter

The Crimson Path team, Kael, Seraphine, and Eira stood on the damp earth outside the vanished dungeon entrance.

The portal frame had already faded into empty air. Only the faint scent of residual mana and the cold forest breeze remained.

Dean flexed the stump of his missing finger, still wrapped from earlier.

Ryn leaned on his oversized sword. Tina checked her bowstring. Brianna adjusted the thin fabric of her outfit and exhaled slowly.

Seraphine stood a short distance away, one shoulder resting against the trunk of a thick tree.

Her silver-white hair stirred in the breeze. The red dagger hung at her side. She did not look at the group, but her presence alone carried weight.

Eira stayed close to Kael, pure black hair under the effect of the ring and crimson-tinted black eyes quiet as she took in the open sky after the frozen tunnels.

Tina was the first to speak.

”The mission is done. We secured the boss core and the low-tier rewards. No one died, though Dean lost a finger.”

Dean gave a rough snort.

”The potion sealed the wound. I’ll manage.”

Ryn glanced toward Kael, then toward Seraphine leaning against the tree.

”About making him a permanent porter... after everything that happened today, I don’t mind anymore.”

Dean nodded once, eyes shifting briefly toward Seraphine before returning to Kael.

”Same here. You kept your head when that Oni went for you. You took the core without slowing us down. And you stayed out of her way.” He jerked his chin toward the tree.

”That’s enough for me.”

Brianna’s green eyes met Kael’s with a small, knowing smile.

”Crimson Path needs a reliable porter who already understands how we move. The offer still stands.”

Tina added in her usual calm tone,

”We’ll register it properly when we get back to the guild. From today you’re a formal team member.”

Kael kept his expression steady. Inside, the system window from earlier still sat quietly at the edge of his awareness with the new Lust Points.

Seraphine remained silent against the tree, crimson eyes half-lidded, giving no open approval or protest.

The fact that Dean and Ryn had looked to her before agreeing was answer enough.

Eira’s small hand brushed lightly against Kael’s sleeve, a quiet presence at his side.

The forest around the former dungeon entrance was quiet. Afternoon light filtered through the leaves. The mission was finished.

Kael was now officially part of Crimson Path.

They made their way back through the streets of Grayhollow and entered the guild hall.

The usual noise of adventurers filled the large wooden building. Mira stood behind the reception counter.

She was no longer wearing the practical dress from earlier that morning.

Instead she had changed into a black strap cosplay-style outfit that crossed in an X across her body, the thin bands wrapping tightly around her full breasts and dipping down between her thighs to cover only the bare minimum.

Soft mature curves pressed against the straps with every small movement.

Her brown hair framed her face, and a faint flush still lingered on her cheeks when she looked up and saw the group approaching.

Kael stepped up to the counter first, eyes moving over the new outfit without hiding his appreciation.

”Mira, you look really sexy in that. It suits you.”

Mira’s mature eyes met his.

A small, pleased smile curved her lips as she leaned forward slightly over the counter, the black straps shifting with the motion.

”Welcome back. Did the west dungeon go well?”

Kael kept looking at the way the black straps framed her thick body.

”Why the sudden change in clothes? This isn’t what you were wearing this morning.”

Mira gave a light shrug, the movement making her full breasts press more firmly against the crossing bands.

”The guild members voted on it last week. They called it a service to improve morale. I just followed the decision.”

Kael’s thoughts stayed private.

’It’s not a freeuse world, right? I might actually like a freeuse world if it was free only for me, not for everyone else.’

He spoke again, voice calm but carrying a clear edge of concern.

”No one is trying to touch you or cross the line, are they? If anyone behaves badly toward you, tell me. I’ll deal with them. You’re our favourite receptionist. No one gets to treat you poorly.”

Seraphine’s crimson eyes turned toward him with the expression of someone hearing something ridiculous.

One of the weakest members of the guild talking about protecting the receptionist when he could barely protect himself. The idea bordered on a joke.

But Mira beamed at the words, a genuine happy light in her mature eyes.

Seraphine’s gaze shifted between the smiling receptionist and Kael.

A quiet thought formed.

’Everyone keeps staring at his face like that.’

She looked properly at him under the guild hall light. Sharp, sculpted lines. Clear blue eyes.

Blonde hair that caught the afternoon sun.

Broad shoulders and a lean, defined frame that made the plain porter clothes look better than they should.

Devastatingly handsome in a way that was hard to ignore even when she wanted to.

’His face is really good... But he’s still useless.’

She turned her head the other way.

A faint, unconscious flush rose on her pale cheeks as she pretended to study the far wall of the guild hall.

Tina stepped forward and placed the mission report on the counter along with the D-rank boss core and the small pouch of low-tier rewards.

”We’re reporting the west dungeon as cleared. Boss eliminated, core recovered, standard loot collected. Please record the clear and handle the reward distribution. Half of the reward share should go to Seraphine. She killed the boss alone.”

Mira’s eyes widened slightly as she processed the report. Her pen paused above the ledger.

”Seraphine handled a D-rank boss by herself?” She glanced toward the silver-haired vampire still standing near the wall, then back to Tina.

”Understood. I’ll record half the share under her name.”

Tina continued without pause.

”Also, register Kael as a permanent member of Crimson Path starting today. List him as the team porter.”

Mira looked up again, this time with open surprise.

”Permanent member? The same Kael who was only a temporary porter two days ago?” She recovered quickly and began writing.

”Very well. Membership is updated. From now on Crimson Path will clear dungeons as a full team including him.”

The rest of the group gave quiet agreement.

Dean and Ryn nodded. Brianna smiled. The decision had already been made outside the dungeon. The guild record simply made it official.

While the others handled the paperwork and began discussing the next possible dungeon schedule, Seraphine remained near the side of the hall with Eira.

The younger girl’s quiet, timid presence seemed to grate on her.

Seraphine’s voice stayed low but carried clear irritation as she spoke to her sister about standing straighter, staying aware of her surroundings, and not looking so easily frightened.

Eira only nodded and stayed silent, pure black hair falling forward as she lowered her gaze.

Kael used the brief moment of distraction.

He leaned a little closer to the counter, voice quiet enough that only Mira could hear clearly.

”Mira. Would you like to spend some time together later? Just the two of us.”

Mira’s mature eyes blinked once. The black straps across her full breasts shifted as she straightened.

”You’re married, Kael. And so am I.”

Kael’s expression stayed calm and open.

”We can still spend time together. My wife barely gives me any attention. I get the feeling it’s the same with your husband. Two lonely people who could use a little company. That’s all I’m asking.”

Mira’s cheeks colored a shade deeper. She glanced down at the ledger for a moment, then back up at him.

”Kael... it’s not that simple. People talk in a town this size. If someone sees us together outside of guild business, it could cause problems for both of us.”

Kael rested one hand lightly on the edge of the counter, close enough that his fingers almost brushed hers.

”Then we don’t give them anything to see,” Kael answered, his voice dropping to a calm, persuasive murmur that drew her full focus.

”A quiet walk after the hall closes, somewhere away from the regular crowd. You spend weeks running this counter alone, so there is no harm in sharing a few hours of quiet company.”

Mira’s fingers tightened slightly on the pen. The black straps shifted again as she took a slow breath.

”You’re good with words. Too good. My husband is always away in the central cities. Weeks at a time. Sometimes longer. I know what loneliness feels like. But that doesn’t mean I should...”

She trailed off, eyes flicking once toward the busy hall behind him, then back to his face.

Kael’s voice stayed soft, almost gentle.

”You don’t have to decide the whole future right now. Just one evening. If it feels wrong, we stop. If it feels right... then at least neither of us spends another night staring at the ceiling alone.”

Mira looked at him for a long moment.

The struggle was clear in her mature eyes. Duty, caution, and the quiet hunger for attention warred behind them.

The black X-shaped straps framed the soft rise and fall of her full breasts as she breathed.

Finally, she let out a slow breath and met his gaze.

”One evening,” she whispered, her cheeks still carrying a faint pink hue.

”After the doors lock tomorrow. Somewhere quiet. And as far as anyone else is concerned, it never happened.”

”Understood,” Kael said with a warm, composed smile, stepping back just as Tina finished stamping the party’s official clear record.

Mira’s cheeks remained faintly pink as she returned to the ledger, the black straps of her outfit still hugging every curve while the rest of the team continued their quiet conversation behind him.