The Corrupt Guildmaster, A-Rank Party from Another Guild Showing Respect
Four days had passed since I declared my intentions to Cassandra, and the day of the quest selection exam had arrived.
“Zilkein-sama. Nearly two hundred applicants have already gathered in the plaza.”
“Their ranks?”
“Yes. Three A-rank, twenty-five B-rank, fifty-eight C-rank, seventy-six D-rank, and forty-three E-rank.”
Emidia read the documents aloud. The number of E-ranks was low. They likely backed out after considering the danger.
“Oh my. A large guild really is a magnificent sight.”
A sticky, sultry woman’s voice. Looks like she kept her promise to come.
I turned my gaze and saw Cassandra, accompanied by several adventurers. At her side was a young swordsman. Behind them stood a tall man with a spear, a young mage, and a girl carrying a bow.
“Only four participants from the Ilios Guild?”
“No. This child is my bodyguard. The ones participating are the three behind me. The party Fangs of the Great Beast will be joining us.”
“F-Fangs of the Great Beast!? You brought the A-rank party rumored to be the strongest in the Ilios Guild!?”
Emidia raised her voice in panic.
“Of course. We want to accept the quest too. Is that a problem?”
“N-No… nothing like that…”
Emidia’s reaction… it matches the information I gathered since coming to this world.
Fangs of the Great Beast.
A party made up of three A-rank adventurers. Zeiss the spear-user is said to be able to pierce a giant’s heart in a single strike, Sor the mage wields enough power to freeze an entire swarm of goblins in an instant, and Ada the archer once shot through several of a Hydra’s heads at the same time… each of them capable of taking on an army.
Such a party existed behind the scenes of the original story… yet Cassandra brought an A-rank party with her? Convenient. This would be a good opportunity to measure Aron’s group's true ability.
“Guildmaster Zilkein. Please treat us well today.”
Zeiss offered a hand with a refreshing smile. I took it—at that moment, the young swordsman beside Cassandra scowled.
“Zeiss-san! That guy’s the enemy! You don’t need to shake his hand!”
“What kind of brat doesn’t even know basic manners…”
“Wil is still just a kid.”
Sor the mage and Ada the archer shrugged. The boy called Wil grew visibly angry and jabbed a finger at me.
“Listen up, Zilkein!! We’re taking that big haul of yours!! Be ready!!”
“Oh?”
His words piqued my interest. I stepped forward and looked directly into the boy’s eyes.
“W-What…!? You wanna fight me!?”
Wil faltered, but his gaze didn’t waver. Was it ignorance…? No—Cassandra brought him, meaning he must possess considerable strength. Interesting. If I earn his favor now, it may benefit me later.
But approaching him too familiarly right away would be wrong. He declared me an enemy… so I’ll use that.
If I am his enemy, there are things I can teach him as one. Even if he doesn’t understand now, I’ll carve the memory deep enough that when he grows into a young man, he’ll remember me.
I examined his words, his posture, his equipment—piecing together his capabilities.
“Boy, your name?”
“W-Wilx…”
He muttered his name timidly. It was obvious he was fighting the urge to hide behind Cassandra.
“It seems you possess a strong unique skill. Speed or brute strength, perhaps…”
“…!? How do you know my skill!?”
He reacted strongly to “brute strength.” I see. Then this attitude makes sense. I’ll teach him that even I can read his ability.
“You’ve made two mistakes. One: by boasting despite being the weakest present, you alerted me to your ability. Two: by reacting to my provocation, you revealed the nature of your skill. A child accompanying Cassandra as her guard… anyone perceptive would notice something unusual.”
“Ghh…!!”
“Remember this—an adventurer’s battle continues even outside combat.”
“I-I got it…!!”
“But the courage to show off in enemy territory is worthy of praise, boy. Should you ever find yourself without a home, come to me. The Luminage Guild will welcome you as an adventurer.”
“Th-The Luminage Guildmaster… wants me…?”
Wil shook his head vigorously and hid behind Cassandra. Ah. Perhaps the recruitment was too much.
“Wow… he shut up that arrogant Wil with words alone…”
“And he even saw through his ability and tried to recruit him… as expected of the top-ranking Guildmaster.”
“Kinda cool actually!”
The members of Fangs of the Great Beast began murmuring. It also served as a bit of appeal toward them… seems it worked. Instead of recruiting A-rank veterans, showing interest in the boy’s future made them see me as someone special. Makes things easier if I want to poach them later.
Adventurers are always evaluating the Guildmaster. Something I learned during the Aron incident.
“To respond so gracefully to such rudeness… Zilkein-sama… how admirable…!!”
Emidia dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. So this was the model behavior of a Guildmaster…? Her reactions always confuse me, but I’m starting to understand her a little.
“Heh. That calculating nature… I don’t hate it.”
A whisper tickled my ear. Cassandra had leaned in close.
“To think you’d try to recruit an adventurer from a guild you’re supposed to be opposing… and using Wil to approach an A-rank party… as expected.”
This woman… she saw right through me. A kindred spirit, then.
She would surely understand the selection exam I prepared.
“The exam will start soon. I expect much from your group.”
“Hehehe. I expect much from you too.”
Leaving Cassandra and her amused smile behind, I headed for the center of the plaza.
◇◇◇
The plaza of Luminage. With Emidia at my side, I moved to the center. Adventurers surrounded us. The last time I stood here was during Aron and Bash’s duel.
I looked around. The adventurers waited eagerly for my words.
“A direct request from the Fless Kingdom… this is insane!”
“Five hundred forty gold coins as reward? That’s huge!”
“Don’t hog it all!”
“Did you hear? The Guildmaster lowered the fee so we’d get more!”
“No way!!”
“Hohoho… I’ll follow you to the grave, Guildmaster!”
Everyone was fired up.
I spotted Aron in the crowd. He nodded when our eyes met.
The Red Dragon’s Wings should pass easily, but I must remain fair. If adventurers feel favoritism, the guild’s trust will plummet.
Besides, I may find unexpected talent during this test. Such discoveries might be crucial to the new system I’m planning.
“Heey!! Zilkein!!”
A girl jumped and waved by Aron’s group—Lizette. Her messy red short hair bounced wildly, a side of her I never saw in Delta. This must be her true self.
I waved back. She grinned and pushed through the crowd to the front, calling someone over.
“Fiel! Sylvia! You can see the best from here!!”
“H-Hey… I don’t like standing out…”
“Hehe, Lizette’s all excited. So cute♡”
Fiel and Sylvia came forward, followed by Aron and Galius. Their banter made the surrounding adventurers laugh.
“Lively girl, huh?”
“She’s been working hard lately!”
“Damn, I want Aron’s group to train me too!”
“Sy-Sylvia-san’s personal lessons…”
“Dude what are you thinking? Hah.”
Fiel kept glancing at me shyly. Like I did for Aron earlier, I gave her a nod. She jerked in surprise and lowered her head. Aron and the others teased her, and laughter spread again.
“Was my guild always this peaceful?”
“Fiel-san and Lizette-san have a big influence. And you changed this guild, Zilkein-sama.”
Emidia answered my mutter with a smile. Though unintentional… well, it's fine.
I took a deep breath and raised my voice.
“Thank you all for gathering!! We will now begin the selection exam for the Demonic Void Dungeon conquest quest!!”
The plaza fell silent. Sharp gazes focused on me.
“The Demonic Void Dungeon has an extremely high mortality rate! Therefore, I judge large groups to be too dangerous! There is a chance everyone could be wiped out by a single trap!”
The adventurers buzzed restlessly as I explained.
The objective: reach the deepest point, floor 25, and destroy the dungeon core. Then escape within 24 hours after destroying it. Only then is the quest complete. Dead men receive no reward.
“The maximum number of participants is six!! That is one full large party! This exam will determine those six!”
“Only six, huh…”
“Red Dragon’s Wings is guaranteed…”
“But that still leaves three spots!”
“We might get to form a temporary party with them!?”
“This is awesome!!”
“Hohoho… I feel young again!”
Time to ensure fairness even further by introducing the others.
“Also! The A-rank party Fangs of the Great Beast from the Ilios Guild will be joining us!”
Cassandra smiled and opened her fan. All eyes focused on her party. The three members bowed slightly, causing another eruption of whispers.
“Fangs of the Great Beast!?”
“No way! They’re same rank as Red Dragon’s Wings!”
“They defeated a Leviathan recently, right?”
“Damn… only three slots left?”
“Hohoho! My blood is pumping!”
“Old Yorum’s the only one excited lol”
“Hey wait… wasn’t this quest assigned to our guild?”
“Why are they participating…”
The crowd grew restless. Dissatisfaction spread among the lower ranks.
“Their concerns are natural, you know.”
Cassandra’s soft yet commanding voice sliced through the noise. The plaza fell silent again.
She opened her fan, hiding her mouth, eyes narrowing with amusement.
“You all know Guild Law Article 24—Activities Outside One’s Assigned Region, yes?”
The adventurers looked at one another. It describes exactly what Bash is currently doing, leaving his home guild to complete quests elsewhere. Everyone in Luminage should know it well.
But… what is she planning?
“There is an additional clause. ‘Those who carry a recommendation letter from another region’s Guildmaster may take priority in accepting quests. No one may infringe upon this right.’”
She snapped her fan shut.
“For this selection exam, any adventurer I find promising will receive my recommendation letter. With it, you can live anywhere. You may even gain fame.”
The murmurs grew again.
“A recommendation letter…”
“That means we can accept quests even while traveling?”
“You could stay long-term at distant dungeons…”
“Seriously!? That’s amazing!”
Excitement replaced every hint of dissatisfaction. Not a single complaint remained.
Adventurers have no guarantee they’ll eat tomorrow. But a recommendation letter increases that likelihood. Everyone wants one. Even if they fail this exam… they still might receive a letter.
In such a favorable situation, no one would dare sabotage the Ilios adventurers.
With just those words… Cassandra wiped it all away.
The dissatisfaction.
The potential for sabotage.
“Hehe. You tried to recruit our Wil. You can let me do at least this much, right?”
This woman… she’s leagues above Raltos.
……
Interesting. Now I want to show her even more—this guild’s worth.
And my existence.
What do you think about this chapter?
