Chapter 72

It was late in the city-state of Reiting.

The time had already passed midnight, and almost no houses had their lights on.

The city, bustling during the day, was now dominated by darkness and silence, except for the watchtowers where guards were on duty and the taverns where drinking continued through the night.

A grand avenue ran through the center of the city, leading to the castle at its heart.

Along this avenue stood buildings that housed the headquarters or branches of renowned merchant guilds.

Most of the ground-floor shops were dark due to the late hour, but many of the guilds used the upper floors as offices or dormitories for their employees.

Several of these offices still had lights on.

In one of these buildings, in a room of a certain guild, two men were present.

The moonlight streaming in through the window was weak, and the only illumination came from a flickering lantern.

The man in his mid-thirties, with long, burnt-brown hair tied back to avoid hindering his work, was seated at a desk, reviewing documents.

"Ritte Guild is taking over the loan to Lover Guild?"

The man, having finished reading the document, said with a frown.

"Yes. Lover Guild recently informed us that they would repay the remaining balance in one lump sum. Upon investigation, it seems that Ritte Guild has taken action."

The elderly man standing opposite the desk in the center of the room replied.

"Are you kidding me?!"

The man with long hair slammed his fist on the desk in frustration.

"Then what was the point of crushing Lover Guild's distribution channels?!"

The man's anger was justified.

His plan to gradually take over Lover Guild, which had lost its successor, in exchange for forgiving the debt and taking Elly Lover as a concubine, had fallen apart.

The amount of money he had spent to bring Lover Guild under his control and to secure Elly, their only daughter, was not a small sum.

He had considered it an investment because Lover Guild, one of the oldest in Reiting, was worth acquiring.

He had knowingly lent them money they could not repay, but he could not complain about their early repayment.

"I did not anticipate that Ritte Guild would provide support."

The elderly man stated matter-of-factly.

"Even if Ritte Guild is doing well, taking on Lover Guild's debt could jeopardize their operations. I knew that the president of Ritte Guild and Lover Guild's only daughter were childhood friends, but I did not expect them to intervene..."

"Of course. The little girl from Ritte Guild... wasn't her name Mariada? She's a troublesome girl, but her business instincts are not dull. I didn't think she would put the guild at risk out of sentiment... Perhaps she is more emotional than I thought."

The man with long hair crossed his arms and pondered.

"What do you suggest, Jules?"

"...I'm angry, but I can't afford to dwell on this now."

Jules, as he was called, suppressed his frustration and took a deep breath.

"We'll have to wait for another opportunity to bring Lover Guild under our control. This incident must have weakened Ritte Guild significantly. We can absorb Ritte Guild first, and then bring Lover Guild under our control, or we can do both at once, depending on the situation."

It seemed he had revised his plan in his head and saw a way to succeed.

"If the little girl from Ritte Guild is as emotional as that, it might make things easier for us in the future."

Jules smiled slyly and then, as if remembering something, asked the elderly man.

"Didn't we put a bell on Ritte Guild? Is it still usable?"

"Yes. The bell is still in place. It's a strong bell, so it might even be useful as a needle in certain situations."

"Good... then leave it as it is for now. We won't have time to deal with that for a while."

"Yes."

As Jules said, the plan he had been working on for a long time was nearing its climax.

He couldn't afford to be distracted by other matters.

Regaining his composure, Jules asked the elderly man about the progress of the plan.

"Is the material acquisition going well?"

"The wood and stone for repairs, the minerals needed for weapon repairs, and the herbs for medicine, while not entirely on schedule, are progressing smoothly."

"Good. Continue without letting the country or other guilds catch on. How is the gathering of mercenaries going?"

"About half, I would say. Many of the renowned mercenaries are not swayed by high rewards alone. 'Free Cloud,' 'Dragon's Vanguard,' 'Spirit's Guidance,' and 'Red Three Swords' arrived by yesterday, and 'Morning Star of the White Night' from Tria arrived this evening. Two more groups are expected to arrive tomorrow."

"I wish we could have called the 'Sword Mage' as well."

"We know the inn where the 'Sword Mage' usually stays, but they are rarely in town, so we couldn't contact them."

"There's nothing we can do about that. It's just one less. There's no need to worry too much. We can still secure enough numbers, even if it's fewer than planned, right?"

"Yes. They are all experienced mercenaries known in various regions. They are not the half-baked ones you find loitering in Reiting's taverns. I'm sure they will do a satisfactory job."

"What about the effectiveness of the 'Mystic Fragrance'?"

"It worked as expected when tested with mercenaries. We successfully lured mountain-dwelling monsters to a forest where they wouldn't be seen. As a result, some animals that lost their territories or were chased out have appeared in the plains, causing trouble for travelers and nearby villages, but the elderly man did not mention this. He didn't think Jules would be pleased to hear it, and he knew Jules would just ask, "So what?"

"Good, no changes to the plan."

The elderly man bowed deeply and left the room.

---

Ted and his companions, upon arriving in Reiting, spent the night at an inn.

The next morning, they headed to the Jinbarril Guild, leaving Ardis behind, who had business to attend to.

Ted and his group had traveled all the way to Reiting at the guild's request.

The request was for the collection of materials in the mountainous region, specifically the collection of a special flower needed for a unique medicine.

"Since the flower grows deep in the mountains, we can only entrust this task to capable individuals. There is a high possibility of encountering dangerous beasts and monsters."

The man, introducing himself as Jules, explained with a friendly smile.

His gentle demeanor, polite speech, and unwavering composure, even when dealing with rough clients, gave the impression of a cheerful and reliable young man.

"We specifically invited 'Morning Star of the White Night' from Tria because of your reputation."

Ted and his group were led to a reception room on the second floor of the guild.

The three of them sat on a lavishly decorated sofa, facing Jules, the young president of Jinbarril Guild, across the table.

"It's flattering to hear that, but you've also called 'Dragon's Vanguard' and 'Red Three Swords,' right? That's quite generous of you."

Ted's expression was clearly unhappy.

They had traveled a long distance, only to find out that other mercenary parties from different cities had also been invited.

In other words, Ted and his group were not the only ones being specially expected. They were just part of a larger group.

It was hard to be pleased with such an implication.

"Please don't take it the wrong way. We need more than one type of material. While we have indeed invited other parties, it is not because we underestimate 'Morning Star of the White Night.' We also don't have much time. We need to collect from multiple locations simultaneously to meet the deadline."

"Well, we are professionals. As long as the payment is right, we have no complaints. We've already been paid for the travel expenses."

"Thank you. I'm glad to hear that—"

"But we haven't decided whether to take the job yet."

Interrupting Jules, who had been smiling throughout, Ted leaned forward and said.

"The request letter stated that we would decide after hearing the details in Reiting."

"Yes, that's correct. You have three days to make your decision after hearing the details. Even if you decide not to take the job, we will cover your travel expenses to Reiting, so please don't worry."

Hearing this, Ted sat back on the sofa.

"Alright. Let's hear the details, then."

---

An hour later, Ted and his group, 'Morning Star of the White Night,' left the Jinbarril Guild building.

On their way back to the inn, Ted spoke about the request they had just heard.

"What do you think? The reward is excellent, and the conditions are not bad."

The conditions offered by Jinbarril Guild were, to put it mildly, very good.

The task was to collect the petals of a flower called the 'Blue Tulip.'

A reward of 100 gold coins would be given for a successful collection, and each petal would be purchased for 5 gold coins. If they found a good spot, they could easily earn 200 or 300 gold coins.

The deadline was ten days.

There were no penalties for failure, and no need to return travel or other expenses.

The guild would cover the cost of lodging and other expenses during the period.

Moreover, if they were injured during the mission, they could receive healing magic at a clinic connected to the guild, free of charge.

"Why do you look so unhappy, then?"

Orphelia, hiding her red hair under a hood, laughed teasingly.

"That's not it."

"Sure it is. What's the matter with you? Trying to look cool with a poker face just makes you look ridiculous."

In response to Orphelia's words, Ted scowled, and Norris asked from the side.

"Do you plan to take the job, Ted?"

"...I don't like it."

Turning away from their gazes, Ted muttered.

"The reward is fine. The conditions are fine. But I don't like the client."

"The client? But Jinbarril Guild is one of the largest in Reiting, and Jules, the president, didn't seem like a strange person..."

Orphelia placed her index finger on her lip, recalling Jules from earlier.

"Ha ha, I agree with Ted."

"Even you, Norris?"

"Isn't it strange?"

"What is?"

"I don't understand why they need so many materials, but they've called so many parties from far away. Why not try local mercenaries first?"

"Yes, they said it's too dangerous and only experienced mercenaries can handle it."

"But there's a chance that a lucky party might succeed. If they succeed, the guild doesn't lose anything since it's a success reward. I would have tried local mercenaries as a backup while waiting for the far-off parties."

"That's true... Why do you think Ted is hesitant?"

Stopping, Ted crossed his arms and grunted.

"It's hard to put into words, but... it feels like there's no real intention. I don't feel like they really want us to succeed."

"Right, I get it. It felt like they didn't really care whether we took the job or not."

Orphelia looked troubled at the two men's opinions.

"If you two feel that way, should we decline the job?"

"Well, we have plenty of time to decide. Let's think about it overnight and discuss it again tomorrow."

Agreeing with Ted's suggestion, the three of them continued on their way back to the inn.

2019/05/03 Typo correction: "非情に高い" → "非常に高い"

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2019/07/30 Typo correction: "例え" → "たとえ"

2019/08/05 Typo correction: "三十台半ば" → "三十代半ば"

2019/08/05 Typo correction: "押さえ込み" → "抑え込み"

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2019/08/11 Typo correction: "と言う" → "という"

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