Chapter 43: Guild Master's Request
{TL: By Creed}
"First,... I'm sorry."
The Guild Master stood up, deeply bowed on the spot, and lowered his head.
In response to this sudden action, Sofia and I widened our eyes.
"It seems the former leader did something outrageous, and as a fellow guild member, I deeply apologize. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."
"Um..."
"It's not just favoritism towards specific adventurers but also unfair treatment towards Stuart-kun, among other crimes... It's really unacceptable. Allow me to apologize sincerely."
Sofia seemed bewildered by the straightforward apology.
I was surprised too. Guilds often value their reputation. They have to manage a bunch of rough adventurers, so if they lose face, it's over, and that sort of thinking is prevalent.
Therefore, damaging the reputation is usually avoided as much as possible...
However, Cliff sincerely bowed.
It's not something you see often.
"Of course, I understand that a simple apology may not be enough. I intend to make various compensations. For example, it seems a carriage was arranged, but the guild will cover half the cost."
"Is that okay?"
"Of course. I don't think an apology is enough with just money, but I still need to show sincerity. I'll do everything I can. If you have any requests, I want to fulfill them as much as possible."
"Then, could you execute Sigurd's companions by death penalty?"
"Wait."
I panicked at the sudden request. However, Cliff seemed to have anticipated this and remained calm.
"Um, sorry. That might be difficult. The adventurers have already been tried, and their sentences are confirmed. Reversing that would be challenging."
"Sigurd is sentenced to death, but the others, if I recall, are sentenced to forced labor, right?"
"Yeah. But forced labor is not a life you'd want to live long; it's just as painful as death in a way. So, would that be satisfactory?"
"Well... that's fine."
"Sorry, I can't respond to your request so suddenly. But I genuinely want to apologize as much as possible. So, please feel free to ask for anything anytime."
I lightly nudged Sofia, sitting next to me, and whispered.
"... Is he a good person?"
"... It's still too early to tell, but he might be worth considering positively."
Cliff didn't seem to be lying or putting on an act.
If he harbors dark feelings, he must be a remarkable actor.
As risky as it may be to trust him, for now, it seems somewhat reasonable.
"For now, I understand the apology. If there's anything else, we'll rely on the Guild Master."
"Call me Cliff."
" Also... about the request?"
"Actually, something troublesome is happening. It seems a stampede is about to occur."
"Cough."
Despite Cliff saying it casually, he was talking about something incredibly important.
Sofia and I involuntarily choked.
"A stampede... where monsters suddenly surge due to some factor, overwhelming everything?"
"Yes... if it's true, a whole town could easily be destroyed. It's not a situation to take lightly, I think."
"But, panicking won't help, right? Rather than that, it's better to calmly think about countermeasures."
"True, but..."
"Too calm, perhaps?"
It's challenging to judge whether this person is serious or not.
Or is he incredibly foolish?
Hmm.
The new Guild Master is truly an enigma.
"I'm currently gathering all the adventurers I can. Of course, I'm coordinating with the city guards as well. So, if possible, I'd like your cooperation... that's the story."
"Is this just a request? As the Guild Master, can't you force us?"
"Dealing with a stampede is so dangerous; you might end up dead. I can't force you to that extent."
"Hmm?"
Sofia stared at Cliff as if trying to ascertain his truthfulness.
It would be quite nerve-wracking if he were lying or plotting something malicious...
However, Cliff remained the same, carefree as ever.
He's really hard to read.
"What if we refuse?"
"That would be troubling. I planned to rely a lot on Ascart-san and Stuart-san's power, and the plan might go drastically awry without it."
"I'm opposed to putting Fate in dangerous situations..."
Sofia glanced briefly at me.
It seems she's leaving the decision to me.
"We'll do it."
At this point, I'll ignore the concern that Cliff might be plotting something.
If a stampede is imminent and this town is at risk, we can't just ignore it.
This isn't my hometown, and I don't particularly have any sentimental attachment to it.
Still, I can't just abandon it.
If there's something I can do, I want to do everything I can.
"Adventurers have an obligation or a mission to do something beneficial for people,"
"Then, I'll participate too."
"Yeah, let's do our best together."
I've never experienced a stampede, and for a beginner adventurer, it seems like an extremely challenging difficulty...
But with Sofia by my side, I felt like we could handle anything.
"Phew, I'm relieved. I was wondering what I would do if you refused."
"...In that case, would you have taken Fate hostage and forced me to agree?"
"No way, I wouldn't do such a thing. Besides, the fact that such thoughts come to your mind, does that mean the previous leader did quite reckless things?"
"Not just quite, it's way beyond that."
After the previous leader resigned, I heard a bit later...
He manipulated Sigurd and believed himself to be righteous without any doubt, resorting to any means necessary. He seemed to have been quite reckless.
Sofia has strong animosity towards the former leader, and her voice sounded sharp.
"Ah... there might be a gap in information between us. I asked them to tell me everything, but dealing with the guild's secretive nature is quite troublesome."
"!"
In an instant, though faint, anger emanated from Cliff.
It made me tense involuntarily...
Maybe this person isn't as carefree as he looks.
"Sorry, Stuart-kun, Ascart-san. It seems it would be better to talk about the former leader again. It's embarrassing, but it seems the information is incomplete... The compensation I mentioned earlier is probably far from enough. I genuinely feel sorry about it, and if possible, I'd like to have another chance to apologize. So, can we talk again sometime?"
"Um... sure, that's fine."
"Great, thank you. Stuart-kun, you're kind. But, don't let others take advantage of that kindness. Yeah, it's okay. I'll make sure to apologize and compensate properly. Also, I swear that I won't let something like this happen again in the future."
Cliff, as he said this, had a bit of force in his words.
Could it be that this person holds a significant position in the guild?
"Getting off track here?"
"Ah, sorry about that. But, this was important too. Um... let's get back to the topic. About the stampede. To confirm again, is it okay for Stuart-kun and Ascart-san to participate?"
"Yes."
"Yes."
"Great, that helps. With this, it should work out somehow."
He, at least, relied heavily on Sofia, who is the Sword Saint.
Relieved, Cliff showed a small smile.
I also have to do my best to be reliable.
"By the way, when is the monster attack happening?"
"Oh, right. I almost forgot the crucial part. The monster attack is scheduled for tomorrow."
"Tomorrow!?"
TL Note: Monster train time.
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