Chapter 4

Frederica, the maid who serves Guild Master Act, wakes up early in the morning.

She rises at 4:30 AM and prepares herself.

Act's residence, while not overly large, is spacious enough to employ servants.

Frederica walks down the hallway in a crisp uniform, heading towards the other servants.

The servants are already up and about, cleaning the mansion from early morning.

Soon after the routine tasks are completed, the morning assembly begins.

"Good morning, everyone!"

"Good morning!"

Those who live and work in his mansion are all people with troubled pasts.

Former slaves, beast people, and others who had lost their places and were at a loss, were picked up and employed by Act.

"Big Sister Frederica!"

The chef's daughter raises her hand and says,

"Is it true that Sir Act ate my cake?"

The young beast girl, not yet ten years old, says energetically.

"Yes, he said it was well done."

"Yay!"

"Wow... I wish I could do that too..."

The servants look at the jumping girl with envy.

"Damn! To make Sir Act happy! I envy you!"

"I'll study harder from my mother to make Sir Act even happier!"

All the servants respect and like Act from the bottom of their hearts.

He had taken in and raised them, saying it was a waste to let their talents go to waste.

"By the way, Miss Frederica,"

The dwarf in charge of the gate raises his hand and says,

"Is that guy back again? He's been here since last night."

The servants all frown.

All of them harbor ill feelings towards him.

It's no wonder, as he is the one who had exiled their beloved and respected master.

"I'll take care of the [Garbage Disposal]. Everyone, please focus on your own tasks. Understood?"

"Understood!"

After a while,

Frederica goes outside the mansion and walks through the morning mist.

A suspicious person is watching from the shadows of the mansion.

"Do you have any business with this household, Mr. Irankus?"

The bald, fat man called Irankus stiffens.

"I, I'm not suspicious! I'm the Guild Master of the large-scale adventurer guild [Native Heroes]!"

"You mean the former large-scale guild, Mr. Irankus?"

The middle-aged man, who once exiled Act, directs a cold gaze at her.

"Is this not Miss Frederica?"

He rubs his hands and bows deeply, showing no trace of his former dignity.

"How is Sir Act?"

Surprisingly, Irankus uses the honorific "sama" for the exiled "Act."

It shows just how far the gap in their abilities has widened.

"Sir Act is still sleeping. Please make an appointment before coming. It's a nuisance to come so early in the morning."

"I'm sorry! But Sir Act is so busy that I can't even get an appointment..."

So he has been staking out from night until dawn, waiting for the right moment.

"What is your business?"

Irankus squats down and bows deeply.

"I want Sir Act to come back to my guild, [Native Heroes]!"

Frederica sighs.

"It's been several years since you unjustly exiled Sir Act! Our guild has been declining ever since! By the time we realized that it was thanks to his exceptional appraisal skills and training methods that our guild was thriving, it was too late! We are now on the verge of collapse!"

Is this a strategy to elicit sympathy? Irankus makes a pitiful sound and prostrates himself.

"I want him to come back and turn things around for us!"

Frederica looks at him as if he were trash and says coldly,

"I refuse."

"What!? Why!?"

"To ask him to come back after unjustly exiling him is a bit too much, isn't it?"

"Then, how about a partnership between our guild and Sir Act's [Heaven-Given Ore]!"

"Out of the question. There is no benefit for us."

[Heaven-Given Ore], despite being established only a few years ago, has become one of the most renowned adventurer guilds in the kingdom.

It is on the opposite trajectory from the once glorious [Native Heroes].

"Please leave."

"Wait! Sir Act is a compassionate person who helps the weak, right? Please help us too..."

Seeing Irankus cling to her legs, Frederica shows a rare display of emotion.

"Enough, you insect."

The ground [freezes] with a crack.

A bluish-white light emanates from Frederica's body.

She has [Wolf Ears] on her head and a tail on her behind.

"I won't let you forget the sin of not only exiling Sir Act but also attempting to [kill] him using your subordinates."

"Ahhh!"

Irankus's body freezes, except for his head.

"Sir Act extends a hand to the weak to give them hope. But he has no compassion for true evil like you!"

Frederica's body glows, and a giant [Wolf] stands there.

"W-What, Fenrir!? A monster from the [Ice Hell] dungeon, why is it here!?"

...No, she shakes her head and returns to her human form.

"Excuse me, I lost my composure."

She snaps her fingers, and the ice melts.

"I understand your desire to speak with Sir Act. However, shouldn't you do something first?"

"Do something?"

"You should make an effort to rebuild your guild yourself."

Irankus shakes his head at Frederica's cold words.

"It's impossible for me!"

"You exiled Sir Act as useless, so you must be quite capable, right?"

She knows it's impossible, but she says it anyway.

"It's too early to rely on Sir Act. You can still try harder at your own place."

With that, Frederica turns around.

"You are free to reveal my true identity, but I warn you, I cannot guarantee your life."

Crying, Irankus leaves.

Having dispelled the pest that threatened Act, she sighs in relief.

She closes her eyes and remembers her master's words.

"If you have nowhere to go, come to me."

"It's a waste to let your talents rot underground."

"I need you for the ideal guild I'm creating."

Undoubtedly, in the future, more unscrupulous people will approach her master.

But her resolve remains unchanged.

"I will protect Sir Act. So that you can uphold your ideals."

[To the Readers]

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