Chapter 38

Guild Master Act gained even greater fame thanks to the hero Lawrence's exploits, while at that time...

As for Ilankus, the master of the guild that expelled Act,

“Ugh... damn... damn it...”

He was in the guild hall of the guild [Born Heroes].

In the vast guild hall, Ilankus was alone.

On the table was a cheap bottle of alcohol, and he was sipping it, tears streaming down his face.

“Why... why did it come to this... what... did I do wrong...”

Ilankus was told by the guild association director that he would be stripped of his position as guild master.

Indeed, the once glorious [Born Heroes] had fallen from grace.

No one wanted to join Ilankus's guild, and all the guild members had left him.

“Damn... Act... Ever since Act Aiji left, everything went wrong... damn... damn it...”

He was a professional at identifying and nurturing talent, and he was also skilled at assigning suitable quests to the guild members.

“Act... come back... damn...”

Just then,

“Huh? You're still here?”

Standing at the entrance was a man with white hair. His skin, which didn't show his age, his fox-like narrow eyes, and his silver-rimmed glasses were distinctive.

“Oh, it's you, [Fyodor]!”

“Oh, you finally remembered my name. Yes, it's [Fyodor]. I used to be the deputy guild master here.”

The white-haired former deputy guild master walked calmly and approached Ilankus.

“What do you want! It's too late for you to come back to [Born Heroes] now!”

“Of course not. Have you forgotten? After I left your guild, I started my own.”

He had indeed said something to that effect at the guild association the other day.

“My guild is called [Seven Sins]. Remember that name.”

“[Seven Sins]... hmpf! A fitting name for a traitor like you!”

“I'm not a traitor. I simply left an incompetent superior and became independent.”

Fyodor looked down at him, speaking in a mocking tone.

“Damn... incompetent!”

“You drove away Act, a rare and highly capable person, and this is the result. What else could you be but incompetent?”

“Guh...!”

“On the other hand, it's just that Act is gone. The fact that you couldn't maintain the guild after that is solely due to your incompetence and lack of effort. Isn't that right?”

“That...”

Indeed, Ilankus had done nothing until he realized the severity of the situation. When he finally realized that the guild had flourished because of Act, his first action was to try to bring Act back.

“That was your mistake. Even if he left, you should have rebuilt the guild with your own strength. The moment you relied on others, you became a third-rate guild master... no, you were unfit to be a guild master.”

Ilankus couldn't refute the cold, matter-of-fact statements.

“Guh... ugh... aaaaaah!”

He tried to attack Fyodor, but Fyodor deftly avoided it.

He fell forward with a thud.

“To resort to violence out of anger. That doesn't seem like the behavior of a mature adult, does it?”

Fyodor laughed mockingly, and Ilankus couldn't respond.

“Damn! What are you doing here, Fyodor! This is my guild! Get out of my castle!”

Despite Ilankus's raised voice, Fyodor remained calm and said,

“No, this is no longer your castle.”

There was a moment of silence.

Ilankus couldn't understand the meaning of his words at first.

“What... what do you mean?”

“This building is no longer your guild hall. It now belongs to us, [Seven Sins].”

His heart raced, and sweat broke out under his arms.

“No, no, it's a lie! Don't lie! This is my castle!”

“No, here's the proof.”

Fyodor pulled out a document issued by the guild association, which stated that the user was [Fyodor] of [Seven Sins].

“No...”

“The guild hall is owned by the guild association. The guild master is given the right to use it by the director of the guild association. So, to be precise, it was never your castle.”

“No... this is... my guild, my castle...”

Ignoring Ilankus's stunned muttering, Fyodor snapped his fingers.

Moving men flooded into the guild hall.

“Move the belongings, please.”

“What about the previous guild's belongings?”

“Just throw them outside.”

The movers nodded and began their work.

“Stop it, stop it...!”

Ilankus clung to the leg of one of the movers nearby and shouted.

“This is mine! Don't take my castle!”

“Hey, you're being noisy, old man!”

Thud! He was kicked away and rolled on the ground.

“Stop it... if you take this, what will I have left...”

Without guild members or staff, the only thing that made him a guild master was this empty, hollow castle.

Losing it meant he would be left with only this badge, the symbol of his position as guild master.

The badge on his chest, which only those appointed as guild masters were allowed to wear, was the only proof of his status.

When the director of the guild association had asked for it back, he had stubbornly refused to return it.

In the end, it was decided that he could keep it until a formal decision was made.

“Mr. Ilankus, give up. You are no longer a guild master.”

“No! No, no! I am the guild master of [Born Heroes]! I am Ilankus!”

“You have been officially removed from the guild master registry. Please return the badge and the guild hall to the guild association. This is the director's decision.”

“No... no... no...!”

Fyodor sighed deeply, as if truly exasperated, and snapped his fingers.

A burly man, wearing a cloak over his head, appeared from somewhere.

“Take the badge from him.”

The man nodded, grabbed Ilankus's arm, and lifted him up. Compared to the giant, Ilankus looked like a child.

“Let go! This is my badge...!”

The man tore the badge from Ilankus and threw it to Fyodor. Despair washed over Ilankus.

The symbol of his position as guild master was now out of his hands. It was his only pride. Without it, he was just another person.

He didn't want to be just another face in the crowd.

“No! Give it back! Give it back!”

“[Wrath], please escort Mr. Ilankus out of town politely.”

“No... no... no...!”

Ilankus thrashed, but the man called Wrath never let go of his hand.

Wrath led Ilankus out of the guild hall.

“Goodbye, foolish former guild master. You are no longer a guild master... but you are still an adventurer.”

Fyodor smiled and said,

“My [Seven Sins] is always recruiting adventurers. Of course, I doubt you have the spirit or the strength to start from the bottom at your age.”

“Ugh... aaaaah...!”

Ilankus was dragged away by Wrath, and the events of the day flashed through his mind like a slideshow.

His position, his honor, and his castle... everything he had built was taken away.

“Taken away? You're a fool. These things were never yours to begin with.”

Fyodor said coldly.

“Your guild was supported by many subordinates, and their efforts made you a guild master. Thinking it was all your own achievement was your biggest mistake.”

A guild master is supposed to lead the organization.

Even if the guild members accomplished something, it wasn't just the guild master's achievement.

It was thanks to their hard work, a simple principle that Ilankus never understood.

Even in the end...

Fyodor confronted the foolish guild master being led away.

“You kept saying the guild was your castle until the very end, but that was a mistake. An organization is a castle for everyone, including the subordinates. You don't have the qualifications to be a leader.”

[To the Readers]

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