Chapter 8

"Master Sieg, please wake up. It's morning."

Opening his eyes, he saw Helen playfully punching the blanket.

"Come on, get up."

She lifted the blanket to invite him out.

"Meow! It's so warm... No, that's not it! It's my first day at work!"

Helen, looking delighted, climbed into the bed and playfully scolded herself.

"I know. I'm getting up."

He pushed the blanket aside and sat up. Helen skillfully opened the curtains, letting the morning sun flood the room.

"It's a refreshing morning, fitting for the start of Master Sieg's new life."

"Yeah. It looks tough, but I'll start with what I can do."

With that, he got up, took a quick shower, and had breakfast. After finishing his preparations, he checked out and walked toward the branch office. After a few minutes, he arrived at the entrance and looked up at the building.

"From what I heard yesterday, it looks even more run-down."

It's not that bad, but it seems that way.

"Considering there are only four of us, including Master Sieg."

"Yeah."

He opened the door and went inside. Of course, no one was there, and the reception desk was empty.

"First, the fact that no one is at the reception is just absurd."

The reception is the face of the place. If this continues, people might doubt whether it's even operational.

"There is a doorbell, though."

There isn't one...

"Whatever. Let's go to the workshop."

"First, we should greet everyone."

"Got it."

Nodding, he climbed the stairs and headed to the workshop. He then went to Erika, who was already at work.

"Good morning."

He greeted Erika, who was sitting next to him.

"Good morning! The weather is nice today!"

Erika was beaming. She must be really happy to have someone around.

"Yeah. It's a good day for a first day. I'll be counting on you from today."

"Thank you. I'll be counting on you too."

Erika bowed her head.

"Erika, let's start by discussing the future."

"Sure. First, let me explain the current work."

"Go ahead."

"There are three requests right now."

Three... That's bad.

"What are they?"

"Thirty potions from the military, one hundred graph papers from the town hall, and fifty bricks."

That's not much...

They could ask a civilian alchemist... Oh, no, that's not it.

These requests are probably made for us.

"Are there any requests from civilians?"

"Zero. There hasn't been a single one in the past few months."

That's confirmed.

While 80% of the Alchemists' Guild's work comes from public institutions, there are still some from civilians. Zero means it's that bad.

"Got it. What are the deadlines and progress for these requests?"

"They're all due by the end of the month, so we have ten days left. The bricks are almost done, and we're currently making the potions. As for the graph paper... I've never done it before..."

She's only been here for a year or so...

And...

He looked around at the equipment on the floor.

"There are only old machines here. Nowadays, making graph paper is just a matter of pressing a button."

It should only take a few minutes once you put in the materials.

"I know there are such machines, but we don't have them. Actually, such advanced machines are only found in large cities like the capital."

Is that so?

That means we have to do it the old-fashioned way.

I haven't done that since school.

"Got it. I'll handle the graph paper. Erika, can you take care of the remaining potions?"

"Understood!"

At least we can manage the current requests.

"Next, let's decide how to proceed with the branch. Erika, do you understand that these requests are a favor from the mayor, or a form of assistance?"

"Eh? Really?"

She didn't realize it...

Erika is probably just barely managing the requests on her own.

"Yeah. If there are no requests, the branch will be shut down. That would be bad for both the mayor and the guild. So, they're probably giving us some appropriate requests to maintain a facade."

Usually, a branch would be closed if it only had two alchemists.

Especially when both are 10th level.

The branch can't maintain itself.

But that's because of the poaching, and they probably consider it temporary.

"Is that so... Why?"

"Public institutions can't afford to close a branch. If the branch closes, this town will be controlled by civilian commercial associations, and prices could skyrocket. We prioritize profit second to our work, but civilians are merchants. They prioritize profit over the town."

That's obvious.

"Ah, I see..."

She doesn't really get it.

Maybe my explanation was poor?

I'm not good at explaining things...

"Anyway, that's not our concern. The branch manager... is no good. It's up to the mayor or the headquarters. We should focus on reviving this branch."

"Understood! What should we do specifically?"

"Well, it's obvious, but we're short on personnel."

That's the biggest issue.

"Right... Even with Leonora, we're only three."

"The branch manager said we can freely recruit. Erika, do you know any alchemists?"

"I have classmates from the magic school, but most have left town and found jobs in the city. Those who stayed have family businesses, so they can't be recruited. Actually, how about you, Sieg? You were in the capital, right?"

Yeah...

"Recruiting will be tough..."

"Huh?"

"Let's think about it later. For now, let's focus on the current requests. I want to make the graph paper. Do we have any wood?"

"Oh, yes. It's upstairs."

The third floor is the warehouse.

"I'll go get it."

He stood up and headed for the stairs.

"Um, see you... Did I make him angry?"

"No, actually..."

Ignoring the secret conversation between Erika and Helen, he went to get the materials.

Thank you for reading.

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