Chapter 31

Lukius was visiting a high-end restaurant that catered to the wealthy.

This place was used for secret meetings and large-scale business negotiations by the city's wealthy and major merchants.

(Really. What could he want at such a busy time? I just explained the future business plans, didn't I?)

Lukius had been called to this place by one of the investors of the "Golden Eagle," a banker.

When Lukius entered the restaurant, the banker, who had already arrived, was smoking a cigar.

"I'm sorry. I kept you waiting."

"No, no, I was enjoying myself beforehand. Shall we get straight to business?"

The banker pressed his cigar into the ashtray.

"What?"

Lukius was stunned by the cruel notice just given to him by the banker.

The banker, without moving a muscle, sat deeply in his chair and continued to look at Lukius.

"You want to withdraw your funds from the 'Golden Eagle' at the end of this season... How can this be? Why? Why now?"

"It's simple. I no longer find your business attractive."

The banker said this while letting the smoke from his cigar curl up.

"Purple smoke filled the room.

"That... Please wait. Indeed, this month we fell behind 'The Guardians of the Magic Tree.' However, we are still stronger overall. Give us one more chance..."

"Appraiser Roland..."

The banker said this almost to himself.

Lukius's face tensed.

"The only S-class appraiser in this city and a specialist in training. He has trained many adventurers for the 'Golden Eagle.' I did some investigating. It's said that he trained Jill and Dowin, and there are traces of his guidance with Alik and Sebast. Since you and Roland joined the 'Golden Eagle,' the guild has grown rapidly. He is a meritorious figure. Yet, for some reason, Roland was expelled from the 'Golden Eagle' by none other than you. And now, he is working as a special advisor for 'The Guardians of the Magic Tree.' At the same time he joined, 'The Guardians of the Magic Tree' cleared two dungeons and produced A-class adventurers. On the other hand, the 'Golden Eagle' has stopped advancing its members and lost two dungeons to its rival."

"So, are you saying that the 'Golden Eagle' became the best guild in the city because of Roland? That I am just an incompetent who rode on Roland's success?"

"No, no, I didn't mean to say that. However, wasn't expelling Roland a mistake from a business perspective?"

"..."

"Roland was one of the driving forces behind your rise to guild leader, a comrade, or even a close friend, wasn't he? Why did you expel him?"

"..."

"Well, if you don't want to answer, that's fine. In any case, I have no intention of continuing to invest in your business. I'll take my leave now."

"Wait! Please!"

Lukius grabbed the hand of the banker, who was about to leave with the receipt.

"The conversation isn't over yet."

"I have nothing more to say to you..."

"I do."

The banker, intimidated by Lukius's desperate demeanor, hesitated.

"Can you sit back down?"

The banker had no choice but to return to his seat.

"Indeed, Roland may have been somewhat involved in training A-class adventurers. But what does that matter? Even if he trained Alik, Sebast, Jill, and Dowin, they are now in my hands."

"..."

"That's right. If he trains A-class adventurers, we can just buy them. We still have more financial power than 'The Golden Eagle.' If we poach the three who played a leading role in the recent dungeon clear, we can regain our advantage."

"Hmm. I see. That might be true. However, why not poach Roland himself? There's no point in letting him stay with 'The Guardians of the Magic Tree,' is there?"

"No, no, that's out of the question! It would be meaningless. By keeping Roland with 'The Guardians of the Magic Tree,' we can make them bear the cost of training. Bringing him back would incur ridiculous expenses. After all, I expelled him because he required a large amount of money that didn't match his results. If I kept giving him money, the guild's management would collapse. You don't know how much wasted money was spent on new adventurers who didn't produce results, even as Jill and Dowin rose to prominence. 'The Guardians of the Magic Tree' are probably doing the same thing."

"Hmm. Is that so?"

"Yes, that's right. In the end, he just pours a lot of money into new adventurers and picks up the ones who happen to show promise. That's not a sustainable business model."

"Um. Well, if you say so, I'll leave it to you..."

"Excuse me, Guild Leader."

As they were talking, Dianna came over and whispered something in Lukius's ear.

"What? Is that true?"

Lukius's eyes widened in shock.

"Yes, it's confirmed information."

"Is something wrong?"

The banker asked, looking puzzled.

"No, it's nothing important."

Lukius smiled, but inside, he was panicking.

"Shall we conclude our conversation here? I have some business to attend to, so I'll take my leave."

Lukius stood up and hurriedly left the restaurant.

Once he was out of earshot of the banker, he discussed the content of Dianna's whisper with her.

"Let me ask again, is what you just said true? That Sebast caused a violent incident and fled the city..."

"Yes, the police have come to the guild for questioning."

(Tch. Sebast, causing trouble at a time like this.)

When Lukius returned to the 'Golden Eagle' headquarters, he immediately had to issue a statement to the relevant parties.

Sebast and the 'Golden Eagle' had terminated their contract and had no further relationship.

Therefore, the violent incident had nothing to do with the 'Golden Eagle.'

Lukius spent several days putting out the fire caused by the incident.

(Oh, they're all just getting in my way. At this point... I must succeed in the poaching.)

In the lobby of the 'Guardians of the Magic Tree' headquarters, members were gathered, eagerly waiting.

They were all chatting restlessly, glancing at the entrance, checking every visitor.

Finally, the person they were waiting for arrived.

It was Roland.

"Oh, it's Roland."

"Good morning, Roland."

Roland was immediately surrounded by guild members.

"Roland, please appraise my skills."

"Roland, give me some advice."

Everyone was trying to connect with Roland, knowing that getting close to him could open the path to becoming an A-class adventurer.

"Wait, wait. I need to start work first..."

Even as Roland said this, they didn't back down.

"Please, I'm sure you'll find a good skill."

"Is it true that you're forming a new team? If so, please let me join. I'll be useful!"

"Sorry, I have a meeting. I'll contact you about skill appraisal and training plans later."

Roland managed to shake them off.

Monica, Shakma, and Yufine were watching from a corner of the lobby.

"Roland is so popular."

Yufine said, folding her arms.

"Of course. After all, thanks to Roland, we were able to advance."

Shakma said proudly.

"Yes, there were many useful things to learn about team management. We need to continue receiving guidance."

"Haa..."

Monica sighed heavily beside them.

"What's wrong, Monica?"

Yufine looked at Monica curiously.

"Nothing, it's nothing."

She said, looking down with a sulky expression.

"Is that so? If you're sure..."

"Oh, it's already this time. I need to do the PR job the guild assigned me."

Shakma said, looking at the clock on the wall.

"Ah, I was supposed to do an interview for the newspaper or something today. What about you, Monica?"

"I have a painter scheduled to draw me..."

"Then we'll all go our separate ways. Let's meet for lunch later."

"Sure, sounds good."

Monica nodded, looking down, and parted ways with the two.

"What's wrong with her?"

"Who knows?"

Monica's dejection was due to yesterday's events.

Roland and Lilianne had come to the guild together.

Their homes were in different directions.

They called each other "Lilie" and "Roland," looking very close.

Seeing this, Monica had completely understood what had happened between them.

She realized that her budding feelings had ended before they even began.

(Well, of course. Lilianne is beautiful and smart. Someone like Roland would have many beautiful people interested in him. Haa...)

She had feelings for Roland, who was kind but also strict with her, beyond just a superior.

(But I thought... it was different...)

She secretly shed tears where no one could see.

The next day, she managed to pull herself together, but the problem was that Roland would continue to be her superior.

Seeing something she couldn't have right in front of her was the most painful thing.

Thinking about it, she couldn't help but feel depressed.

(Haa. Maybe I should quit being an adventurer...)

In the training room of the 'Guardians of the Magic Tree,' Roland was checking the skills and stats of Monica and the others.

"Alright. You all have your equipment on. I'll do a 'Skill Appraisal' now. Relax and let your guard down."

As Roland said this, the three closed their eyes and relaxed their bodies.

Roland activated 'Skill Appraisal' and 'Status Appraisal.'

Yufine:

'Wide Area Healing Magic' S → S

'Single Target Healing Magic' A → A

(Her skills haven't dulled. Her stats show she's full of ambition. Her ambition seems genuine.)

"Good. Yufine, you're all set."

"Thank you. How were my skills and stats?"

"Perfect. We might even be able to increase the intensity of your training."

"Great, please do."

(Alright, I made a good impression.)

Yufine made a victory pose, having successfully impressed Roland.

(Now, let's check Monica's skills and stats... Monica?)

Roland's face turned serious.

"What's wrong, Monica? Your stats are showing some irregularities."

Monica flinched.

"I'm sorry."

"Stat irregularities indicate physical or mental discomfort. 'Hawk Eye' is a skill that consumes a lot of stamina. You should know the importance of managing your health."

"Yes..."

"Is there something troubling you?"

Roland looked at Monica with concern.

Monica was at a loss for words, looking at Roland.

Her expression could be interpreted as a complaint or a plea for help.

"Monica?"

"No, it's nothing. I'll take better care of my health."

Monica lowered her head, hiding her expression.

"Is that so? If you're sure. Let's start today's training."

Roland watched Monica's training with concern.

(She really doesn't seem to be in good shape. I wonder what's wrong. She usually comes to me with any issues. Is she okay?)

Monica, feeling Roland's gaze, fell into self-loathing.

(Ugh. I got scolded by Roland. I can't take it anymore...)

After assigning tasks to the three, Roland attended a management meeting for the 'Guardians of the Magic Tree.'

As a senior member, he now participated in important guild decisions.

"Next, we'll discuss the formation of a new team. We have a proposal to form a third team, following the first team led by Lilianne and the second team led by Roland. Please share your thoughts on the team leader and composition."

"Maybe we should make Monica the leader of the third team. She's already an A-class adventurer. No one would object to her being a team leader."

The fat guild leader wiped the sweat from his bald forehead.

"Wait. It's too early to make her a team leader."

Roland objected.

"Although she's an A-class adventurer, she's still a newcomer. This is a time when she's particularly vulnerable to overconfidence and complacency. We're already seeing signs of this in her, Shakma, and Yufine. They shouldn't be given the responsibility of leading a team yet. I think it's best to keep them in my team for now."

"That makes sense. Let's put the formation of the third team on hold. Moving on to the next item."

Lilianne immediately moved to the next item after hearing Roland's opinion.

It was as if she thought Roland's opinion was enough.

"Next, we'll discuss recruiting new members."

"Since we're putting the formation of a new team on hold, do we need to recruit new members?"

The guild leader asked.

"Yes, we should recruit new members."

Roland said.

"As I mentioned earlier, we're seeing signs of complacency in Monica, Shakma, and Yufine. We don't need to put undue pressure on them, but we do need to keep them focused. We need to recruit new archers, support mages, and healers who can match their talent to remind them that the competition isn't over and that there are many who can threaten their positions."

"That makes sense. Roland, can I leave the interviews and recruitment to you?"

Lilianne said in a slightly coquettish tone.

"Of course, I'll take care of it."

Roland answered with a bright smile.

(Grr. Lilianne, strengthening Roland's authority so casually...)

The guild leader's face twisted in frustration.

After that, all major decisions were made based on Roland and Lilianne's opinions.

All of the guild leader's proposals were rejected.

(Damn it. This undermines my position as guild leader. If only Willik had been able to beat Roland, this wouldn't have happened!)

Monica was surrounded by painters in a room at the 'Guardians of the Magic Tree' headquarters.

They were all people who had offered to pay to paint her portrait (her image rights belonged to the guild by contract).

If they could paint her well, they would surely become popular artists.

The more she succeeded and became famous, the more valuable their paintings would become.

Monica, surrounded by canvases and painters, was completely stiff.

"Miss Monica, are you nervous?"

One of the painters asked.

"Yes, this is my first time."

"Don't worry. We want to see you as you are. Please relax and be yourself."

"Hmm."

(How can I be myself when you tell me to be myself?)

As Monica looked troubled, someone came into the room with a thud.

It was the guild leader.

"Monica, can I have a word?"

"Guild Leader? What's going on?"

"There's a customer who wants to see you. I'm sorry, but can you handle it?"

The guild leader grabbed Monica's hand and tried to take her away almost forcefully.

"Wait. I'm still in the middle of a painting session."

Ignoring the protests of the painters, the guild leader led Monica away.

Monica arrived at the reception room and was surprised to see who was waiting there.

It was Lukius.