Chapter 91

Edgar, who had failed in the countermeasures against the "Spirit Factory," was troubled about how to report to Medes.

(With Pat gone, there's no one to say unnecessary things, but how should I report to the guild master? If I ask for more budget, it will give a bad impression to the guild master.)

"Edgar, why the serious face?"

"Huh? It's you, Charles. Well, I'm thinking about what to do about the countermeasures against the 'Spirit Factory.'"

"You must be having a tough time. You have a lot of work to do."

"Damn, you make it sound so easy."

"Ha ha. Don't get so worked up. I'll help you if anything comes up."

"I need budget more than manpower. Without ore, we can't maintain or manufacture weapons. There's nothing I can do."

"Speaking of ore, it seems the 'Crescent Knights' have returned."

"The 'Crescent Knights'..."

"Yeah. The guild master said to prepare to welcome them. ...What's wrong?"

Charles noticed Edgar grinning and looked puzzled.

"Well, maybe I am a genius after all."

"? What do you mean?"

"Just watch."

(I've got it. I've figured out how to make up for my failure.)

The 'Crescent Knights' returned to the town and were immediately caught by the residents before they could rest from their exploration.

They were asked to explain about the 'Huge Fire Dragon.'

Reluctantly, Yugan stood on the podium again and explained the following:

They entered the dungeon, but there was no sign of the 'Huge Fire Dragon' being active.

Therefore, they prioritized ore collection with the local guild.

In the next dungeon exploration, they plan to challenge the 'Huge Fire Dragon.'

Therefore, the local residents should continue to remain calm and not cause unnecessary commotion.

By the time Yugan finished his speech, the sun was setting.

He couldn't hide his exhausted face and slumped into the carriage.

(Really, these islanders are draining my energy. They should calm down a bit.)

"Good work."

"Yeah, I'm really tired. They keep making me do things I'm not used to."

"Since it's getting dark, let's go back to the inn. We'll entrust our equipment to 'Dragon's Blaze' tomorrow."

"Right. I don't have the energy to do anything more."

Thus, the 'Crescent Knights' returned to the inn, but this time lag gave 'White Wolf' and Edgar time to exchange information and work on their plans.

The next day, Yugan went to 'Dragon's Blaze' to entrust the maintenance of their equipment.

Raul greeted him personally and received the equipment.

"Thank you for your hard work, Yugan. How was the dungeon exploration?"

"Yeah, we pretty much achieved our goal. I think we can take down the 'Huge Fire Dragon' in the next exploration."

"I see. As expected of a Double S adventurer. We will support you with our alchemy as much as we can."

"Thanks. But what about that thief guild, 'White Wolf'? They're a real nuisance, threatening us from behind while we're fighting the 'Fire Dragons.'"

"Ah, 'White Wolf.' They are indeed a troublesome bunch... but that's not like you, Yugan. To hear you say such weak things about mere thieves..."

"They themselves aren't much, but they keep harassing us from behind while we're fighting the 'Fire Dragons.' It's a constant strain."

"Well, we don't think much of them either, but we can't do much about their activities. We can't afford to be picky about our clients."

"Right, I understand. I shouldn't have brought it up. Forget it. Thanks for taking care of the equipment."

"Of course. Leave it to us."

Thus, Yugan entrusted his equipment to 'Dragon's Blaze' and took a rest.

However, soon after, he received a notification from 'Dragon's Blaze.'

They could not accept his request.

They would have to return the equipment they had received.

He was asked to come to the workshop as soon as possible.

Yugan hurried to 'Dragon's Blaze.'

"Sorry, Yugan. I appreciate you coming again."

"Don't worry about that. What's going on? You can't accept my request?"

"I'm really sorry. We made a mistake and are short of ore. We can't accept new requests."

"New requests... We've been talking about exploring the dungeon three times. You said you would support us all three times. What's going on?"

"What can I say? We can't do anything without the ore."

"Yugan, can I talk to you for a moment? I have a proposal."

Edgar, who was sitting next to him, spoke up.

"The 'Crescent Knights' must have brought back ore from this exploration. How about using that for the maintenance?"

"Huh?"

Even Yugan was taken aback by the suggestion.

"Are you kidding me? We came all the way to this island to bring back ore. Why should we provide it for your work? If you take on a job, you should procure the materials yourselves."

"Then, let's consider this conversation never happened. I'm sorry, but you'll have to try another alchemy guild."

(Damn, these guys.)

(Ha, the first phase is a success.)

Edgar smiled inwardly at Yugan's expression.

Of course, the entire exchange was an act.

'Dragon's Blaze' was not actually suffering from a lack of ore.

Edgar had advised Medes as follows:

For 'Dragon's Blaze,' it would be more profitable if the 'Crescent Knights'' 'Huge Fire Dragon' hunt took longer.

Therefore, they should prioritize supporting 'White Wolf' and force the 'Crescent Knights' to provide their ore.

If the ore they brought back was insufficient, they would have to explore the dungeon more times, which would increase the number of times they used 'Dragon's Blaze.'

Medes accepted Edgar's advice.

In the end, Yugan had to give in to 'Dragon's Blaze's demands and hand over the ore he had collected.

Raul was walking down the corridor with a demonic expression.

He burst into the Quartet's workshop, grabbed Edgar by the collar, and shouted.

"Edgar, what the hell are you doing!"

"Huh? It's you, Raul. What's wrong? You're not being calm."

"What's wrong? You just turned down a request from the 'Crescent Knights.'"

Raul grabbed Edgar by the collar and got in his face.

"What are you angry about? It was just a negotiation tactic. To get better terms from them. In fact, the 'Crescent Knights' accepted our terms and re-entrusted us with the job."

"So you interfered with my work?"

Raul tightened his grip on Edgar's collar.

"Hey, calm down. Violence is not the answer."

Charles intervened.

Rizetta continued to tinker with the silver, seemingly uninterested.

"My work? It's 'Dragon's Blaze's work. We were all working on it as a guild. Don't act like it's your personal jurisdiction."

"I see. So you turned down the job without even telling me. Is that all you wanted to say? If so, bite your tongue."

Raul raised his fist.

"Hey, Raul. You seem to have a misunderstanding. I'm acting with the guild master's permission. If you have a complaint, take it up with the guild master."

"..."

After a moment of silence, Raul lowered his raised fist and released Edgar's collar.

He left the room without a word.

"Are you okay?"

Charles asked Edgar, who looked worried.

"Ugh, cough. Damn, Raul, he really grabbed me."

(But now the 'Crescent Knights' will have to pay our guild more money. The guild's income will increase without any effort. Since we've made a profit, the guild master will overlook the failure with the 'Spirit Factory.')

Later, Raul visited Yugan to apologize.

He said it was their fault and asked for forgiveness, promising to take responsibility for maintaining the equipment they had entrusted to them.

Yugan accepted Raul's apology but became even more distrustful of 'Dragon's Blaze.'

(These guys aren't united.)

Yugan was forced to change his plans.

(Damn, what should I do? We have enough funds for two more dungeon explorations, but if 'Dragon's Blaze' can't be trusted, I can't afford to be so relaxed. Should I take down the 'Huge Fire Dragon' and collect ore in the next exploration? Or should I collect more than twice the target amount of ore? But that would mean increasing the number of local adventurers in the alliance, which would include more of those useless guys. That's crazy. It's suicide. Damn, if only the locals were a bit more useful. There's no way to train them in this limited time... Train...)

Yugan remembered what Roland had said.

He was training local adventurers.

Be careful of 'Dragon's Blaze.'

(Finally, I understand what Roland meant.)