Chapter 13

It was the night when the guild master of the Magic Item Guild, Rea, came.

I went to see Rea.

She was in the workshop of the Magic Item Guild.

"What are you doing at this hour, you?"

"G-Guild Master..."

In front of her was a half-finished communication magic item.

Looking around, I saw that the guild members were lying on the floor.

"Did something go wrong?"

"...N-no, nothing went wrong..."

"Don't be stubborn. What are you hiding?"

This woman had never come to me unannounced.

Moreover, despite trying to hide it with makeup, she had dark circles under her eyes.

Thinking there was trouble, I braced myself, but since she didn't say anything, I came to check on her.

"Hehe... You can see through everything, Guild Master... As expected..."

"Explain the trouble briefly."

"I have to make 100 communication magic items by tomorrow."

A communication magic item is a literal magic item that allows conversation with someone far away.

It takes a considerable amount of time to make one.

It's impossible to make 100 by tomorrow, especially with the other guild members down.

"Can't you extend the deadline?"

"It's impossible... It's a strict deadline request from the Minister of Finance."

"The Minister of Finance... A request from the country, huh."

It's even more impossible to extend it.

"I thought about being honest. But I didn't want to cause trouble... It's our problem..."

This girl seems to have developed some awareness as a leader over the past three years.

"Sniff... I'm sorry..."

"Don't apologize. Get to work immediately."

"But... making 100 by tomorrow alone... It's impossible..."

I grabbed Rea's shoulder and leaned in close.

"G-Guild Master... Not in such a mood... Not here..."

I activated the King of Time's Eye.

"I've applied Time Acceleration to you. You can move at a speed that's impossible under normal circumstances. Get to work quickly."

Rea had a disappointed look on her face.

But she quickly regained her composure and started making magic items at an incredible speed.

Time Acceleration can be used not only on oneself but also on others.

Rea worked at an astonishing speed and completed 100 items alone in just a few hours.

"Wow... Guild Master, this is amazing! It's done!"

She jumped up and down like a child.

"Is that so? I'm glad."

"Yes! Thanks to the Guild Master, I was able to avoid a crisis! Thank you so much..."

Just then,

"Hey! What are you all sleeping for...!"

The workshop door was rudely opened, and a bald middle-aged man came in.

Seeing the guild members sleeping under the tables, he frowned and kicked them.

"Stop it, Minister of Finance...!"

This rude man is the Minister of Finance.

"What do you want?"

"I'm here to pick up the items, of course."

The Minister of Finance said with a grin.

"What!? We agreed to pick them up tomorrow morning!"

"Are you stupid? Look at the clock. It's past midnight."

Indeed, the date had changed, but it's impossible to deliver at midnight.

First, since Rea didn't know, it probably wasn't specified in advance.

"So? Are the communication magic items ready?"

"Yes, they're ready."

She pointed to a box filled with communication magic items.

"Don't lie...! You must have made some random ones!"

Rea flinched.

She looked at me with a pleading gaze.

"Are you going to rely on me again?"

Rea's eyes widened... but then she glared at the Minister of Finance.

"Stop it! My guild members, even if the deadline is tight, don't make subpar items! They work with pride!"

Rea, with tears in her eyes, spoke boldly to the Minister of Finance.

"Even today, they didn't go home and worked hard all night. Don't insult my subordinates!"

Rea sobbed.

"What? A little girl like you is talking back to me, the Minister of Finance!? This...! You insolent woman!"

The Minister of Finance raised his arm.

"That's enough."

I grabbed his arm and twisted it.

"Ouch! Ouch!"

"Guild Master..."

Looking at Rea, I said,

"Leave it to me. You're doing a great job as a guild master."

"Sniff... Thank you..."

I let go of the Minister of Finance's arm.

"What are you doing!?"

"Wasn't this request a bit unreasonable?"

The short deadline, the excessive order.

"Did you intentionally make an unreasonable request?"

"What!? What do you base that on!?"

"I asked a friend. It seems you're in cahoots with other magic item guilds."

You were receiving money from a magic item guild in exchange for favoring them.

"You tried to use your usual magic item guild. But since Rea's guild, 'Colorful Star,' makes high-quality items, the request came to them."

I picked up a communication magic item from the table.

"By favoring a guild, you couldn't get money from them. So you pushed an unreasonable request on Rea, hoping she would fail and lose credibility. Am I wrong?"

The Minister of Finance, sweating profusely, was clearly shaken.

"Lies...! What proof do you have!?"

"What's wrong? You're sweating and your eyes are darting around. Even a child can see you're panicking."

"That's not proof..."

"You're right. Let's investigate your room, shall we? Prince Edward?"

I pressed the button on the communication magic item.

A holographic image appeared with a whirring sound.

"Prince Edward!? Why!?"

"The communication magic items Rea makes are special. They can record and transmit images."

Prince Edward had seen the entire conversation and the Minister of Finance's nervous behavior.

"I'll leave it to you."

"Understood. I'll have it investigated immediately."

"Wait! Your Highness! Wait!"

Prince Edward sternly rebuked the Minister of Finance, who was desperately trying to stop him.

"That was all a lie!"

"Whether it's true or not can be determined by investigating your room."

"But...!"

"Silence! I will settle this matter properly!"

The Minister of Finance slumped in defeat.

★

A few days later, in my room.

"Guild Master, it's been a while."

Rea came to me with a smile.

"I came to report that everything has settled down."

- Evidence of illegal transactions was found in the Minister of Finance's room.

- The Minister of Finance was naturally dismissed.

- The embezzled funds were seized, and he was expelled from the castle.

"Thanks to the Guild Master, we were able to escape a difficult situation. Thank you so much..."

Rea bowed deeply.

"Don't worry about it. I couldn't afford to lose you."

"Is that...! Because you're thinking of marrying me?"

"No. Your magic items are of high quality. If you were gone, I would be in trouble."

"Oh... I see..."

Rea slumped in disappointment.

"I'm really no good... If it weren't for Act, I would have failed... I'm a terrible guild master..."

"Don't say that. You stood up to the Minister of Finance without relying on me and protected your subordinates' honor."

I stood up, went to Rea, and patted her head.

"You've grown, Rea. I'm proud of you."

"Sniff... Thank you, Guild Master!"

She clung to my waist, crying like a child.

"I'll work hard as a guild master! I'll grow more to make you proud!"

【To the Readers】

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