Appearance of the Grand Master
The next day, the Adventurers’ Guild’s Grand Master arrived.
The Grand Master and their entourage immediately began investigating the guild for any wrongdoing, and in just the morning, they found a significant amount of evidence of misconduct.
Impressive.
In the afternoon, we were also called in for questioning regarding the incident that triggered this.
It’s going to be a hassle, but we have to head to the Adventurers’ Guild.
Upon reaching the Adventurers’ Guild, we were guided by guards wearing unusual armor, and they led us to a conference room within the Guild.
Inside, the Adventurers’ Guild, the Guild Master and Vice-Guild Master Melanie, as well as the Trade Guild Masters Priscilla and Vinch, were already present.
Strangely, Alizée was also there.
At the far end, a young Elven girl with tanned skin was standing, protected by a knight in white armor.
“Oh, you’ve arrived. Come, take a seat.”
“Y-yes.”
It seems that we are the last of the parties involved.
The seating arrangement appeared to be on the Trade Guild’s side.
I wonder why we’re the last to arrive?
“Looks like we’ve all gathered. Those who arrived later probably don’t know me, so let’s start with introductions. I am Rumaja, the Grand Master of the Adventurers’ Guild in this country. We may not have many opportunities to meet, but let’s get along.”
I had a hunch, but that girl was the Grand Master.
Her clothes had a glossy, high-quality look and were elegantly tailored.
Yes, they were the work of a top-notch tailor.
“Now, the reason I’ve called Lily and the others here is none other than to hear the opinions of those who were actually involved in the High Ogre subjugation. We need to hear from both guilds to come to a resolution.”
“If that’s the case, we don’t mind. By the way, why were we the last to arrive?”
“Hmm? Why are you… as a merchant, you would mind, huh. We were all here at the Adventurers’ Guild from the morning. There’s no deeper meaning to it. If everyone can gather, I don’t care about the order. Don’t worry about it.”
The Grand Master seemed to prioritize practicality over etiquette.
Let’s continue with the discussion.
“First, let’s start with the basics. How did the discussion about subduing the High Ogres come about?”
“The trigger was… we discovered a group centered around an Ogre General in the Ogre hunting grounds we use. We reported this to the Adventurers’ Guild and gathered adventurers to deal with it, including handling the corpses.”
“I see. This aligns with the information we’ve gathered. Do you have any objections, Shivek?”
So the Adventurers’ Guild Master’s name is Shivek.
I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere before.
He was giving me a resentful look, but it seems there’s not much he can do.
He must understand the consequences of causing a scene here.
It would have been better to handle this situation properly before it escalated to this point.
“… No, no objections.”
“What’s next?”
“After defeating the Ogre General, we started sporadically coming across more High Ogres in our hunting grounds as well. We also reported this to the Adventurers’ Guild. Some time later, we received a request for my personal escort, the Wildcat Claws.”
“Mhm. It’s a clear abuse of authority to assign a request to adventurers who are hired as personal escorts. So, what was the content of this request?”
“Participation in Ogre subjugation along the highway. They were paid only 2,000 Rubies per day, and all the materials were to be handed over to the Adventurers’ Guild. In addition, it was stated that refusal would result in a downgrade of the adventurer’s rank.”
“I see. I was aware of High Ogres appearing along the Vardmoi highway. However, the damage has not been severe enough to warrant the forced mobilization of Red-ranked adventurers. Even if they were forced to participate, the daily reward rate shouldn’t have fallen below 6,000 Rubies. This is a clear abuse of authority.”
As expected, the request had some serious problems.
The Adventurers’ Guild Master listening to this discussion looked furious.
I wonder how he discussed this matter when we weren’t present.
That might be even more intriguing.