After arriving in Baim, I headed to the Guild alone to file my report.
I decided to sell the Monster materials and Magic Stones tomorrow, so instead I made my way to the bathhouse inside the Guild and took a shower to wash off the sweat and mud.
I let the lukewarm, weak stream of water rinse over me, steeled my nerves, and headed for the Guild reception.
Ideally, Tahnia would be at the counter, but if not, a veteran clerk would do. Back in Baim, I hadn't really thought about which line to join, but today I checked who was at the counter before getting in line.
Around me, the usual rumors were circulating once more.
"Did you hear? Apparently a pretty hefty number of mercenary bands have thrown in their lot with Zayin."
"Well, Zayin's always allowed looting, hasn't they? Plus there's that rumor that Rolfis's princess is a real stickler."
"I thought they said they weren't interested?"
"Apparently Alette's been going around recruiting the big-name mercenary bands."
"That knight's got her hands full, huh."
The adventurers were laughing.
Thinking about what Alette was going through, I couldn't exactly feel great about it. But I couldn't exactly expect that much camaraderie from adventurers either.
Besides, the parties Alette usually associated with weren't so much mercenary bands as they were adventurers who excelled in the Dungeon.
Once a battlefield was involved, things would surely work differently.
From inside the Jewel, the Sixth Generation's voice came.
"So you're gathering manpower. If she hasn't returned yet, that's convenient. Lyle, why not try making contact? We'll keep the matter of Aura and the others under wraps, of course."
Right now, there was no telling how Alette would react.
From Rolfis's perspective, Zayin was a troublesome nation that picked fights and invaded on flimsy pretexts.
As I gripped the Jewel, the line I'd been standing in began to move forward.
"……There are fewer people than usual."
As I looked around, thinking that to myself, I overheard different adventurers talking.
"Hey, the guys from the Southern Branch approached me about it. What are you all going to do?"
"A mercenary group recruiting on short notice? Things are really heating up."
"Zayin has the upper hand, right? So just tell them you'll join if it's on Zayin's side."
"You idiot. That's exactly when Rolfis will go into debt just to hire a mercenary group. The better pay will be on Rolfis's side, so hold off until then."
That was the Seventh Generation's voice. A voice brimming with anger.
"This is exactly why adventurers can't be trusted!"
I let out a light sigh, and I could feel the signs of war drawing ever closer.
When my turn came at the reception, I sat down in the chair and handed the documents to Tahnia.
Same as always. I presented my Guild Card to Tahnia, who received the paperwork, and she went through the process while we chatted a bit.
"You've been steadily maintaining a B-rank evaluation. As expected — you and the others are truly outstanding. Oh, by the way, I heard you purchased that haunted mansion. Is everything alright?"
At the mention of the haunted mansion, I tilted my head.
Tahnia said something like "You just got back, so you wouldn't know yet," and directed a look of sympathy at me.
Once the paperwork was finished, I accepted the documents and my Guild Card back and spoke up.
"Tahnia, actually, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."
Hearing the seriousness in my expression and my voice, Tahnia's face shifted from a smile to a solemn one.
"……This probably isn't the place, is it? Very well. Supporting capable adventurers is part of the job as staff. I'll have someone cover reception — could you wait for me on the second floor?"
When I nodded, Tahnia called out to a staff member in the back of the reception area who was reviewing documents.
"Ryue, could you cover for me here? Something's come up."
"Oh, wait a second, senior!"
Maybe because he stood up in such a hurry, the documents fell to the floor and the new guild employee was scrambling. I left the line and headed for the second floor.
Although she didn't say where to wait on the second floor, Ms. Tahnia came up shortly after.
The way she walked, and her atmosphere... Perhaps Ms. Tahnia used to be an adventurer herself.
I was told to enter one of the conference rooms on the second floor, and I did as I was told.
(I haven't been here since I received the orientation when I came to Baim...)
Thinking that, I sat down in an available chair, and Ms. Tahnia sat across from me. She had a smile on her face, but her aura was somewhat sharp.
"Well, since you called me out, you must have something serious to discuss. If it's a confession, please stop. We're working."
"Is it okay if it's outside of work? ...I'm joking."
I apologized to Ms. Tahnia, whose gaze became sharp despite her smile, and then I got to the point.
"I have something to consult you about. Ms. Alette is still in Baim, right?"
"...I can't say."
When Ms. Tahnia said that, I nodded. It wasn't a problem anyway; I could go see her myself.
As I held the Jewel.
"On my way back from completing the quest, I actually helped someone. I took on a personal guard quest, so I don't think I'll be able to take on guild quests for a while."
Ms. Tahnia looked at my face, rested both elbows on the desk, and clasped her hands together. In front of her face. She brought her clasped hands to a position where they covered her mouth.
"...Accepting personal quests is also an adventurer's freedom. Well, it is true that I would have preferred you to go through the Guild. I personally hope you'll complete it safely and then take on guild quests. I do hope so... But now, is that all?"
Is that all you called me for? Although her mouth was hidden, that was the vibe Ms. Tahnia was giving off with her attitude.
I couldn't help but smile wryly.
Ms. Tahnia's gaze shifted slightly, so I apologized.
"Pardon me. This is where the real conversation begins — I'm actually in a bit of a bind."
"A bind?"
I looked at Ms. Tahnia as I spoke, a smile on my face.
"I helped the High Priest of Zayin, a former Saint, and a former Saint candidate who opposed the current Saint. The request is to 'return Zayin to the rightful person's hands.' I don't have enough hands on my own. So, would you be willing to help me figure this out?"
Ms. Tahnia's cheeks tightened at my smile. She'd been hiding her mouth behind her clasped hands, but the movement of her cheeks gave it away.
Then, she unclasped her hands, shifted her elbows off the desk, and straightened her posture. She let out a sigh and looked at me.
"I see. That's a bit beyond my capabilities. Well, I suppose you're right to call me here rather than mention this at the reception desk. However..."
"However?"
Ms. Tahnia spoke flatly.
"The Guild will not assist either side. Whether it's Zayin or Rolfis, the Guild will simply respond to whatever requests come in. It's out of the question for us to side with one party over the other. I'd advise you not to discuss this too openly elsewhere, Rael."
Hearing Ms. Tahnia's take, the Fifth Generation spoke from within the Jewel.
"So the Guild wants both sides to keep fighting so they can profit from it. Well, it is a city of merchants, so that tracks."
A city of merchants and adventurers — that was Baim. There were plenty of merchants who profited from war, and when war broke out, supplies sold like hotcakes.
The Guild would actually prefer not to take sides and end things quickly. After all, this was a city ruled by merchants.
The Guild wouldn't be able to go against the merchants, either. No — you could even say the Guild itself was a merchant dealing in Magic Stones.
Still.
"That's reassuring to hear. So the Guild remains impartial."
"...Reluctantly, but yes."
Ms. Tahnia seemed to think I was being sarcastic and started to rise from her seat. But I called out to her and asked her to wait.
"We're not done talking yet."
"Are you telling me to keep quiet?"
Even if I asked them to keep quiet, that didn't necessarily mean they wouldn't report it. After all, I was sitting on a powder keg that could spark a war.
(This was way beyond a matter of mithril.)
For Zayin, who would pick fights to start wars, the fire I was harboring was something he couldn't afford to ignore.
"No. I'm not going to gag anyone. I was just thinking it was a good thing the Guild is fair."
From within the Jewel, I could hear the Third Generation's pleased voice.
"Really, it's great that they're fair! Not that they have to be or anything!"
The Fourth Generation chimed in as well.
"Well, when it comes to gathering manpower, you really do have to rely on the Guild."
I told Tahnia.
"I want to put in a specific request. I'd like to issue a commission to the party of Crate Benini."
Tahnia seemed to understand what I had in mind. She pressed her left hand to her forehead and looked at me with undisguised annoyance.
"So it's 'the right person for the right job' again, is it... This is exactly the kind of commission he'd love."
"Isn't it?"
Together with Tahnia, I headed down to the first floor to go through the formalities of submitting the commission.
Meanwhile, "Tanya" was in her superior's office, reporting about Lyle.
Her superior listened to Tanya's report while working through his paperwork.
"Is that so. You picked up a former saint, did you? Picking up every stray thing isn't exactly praiseworthy, but you've stumbled onto another big one, haven't you."
Her superior was smiling, but Tanya was not.
"Should I file a report with headquarters?"
Then the superior tilted their head.
"Why not? It's not like we'll stop a war from happening. In fact, depending on how we move, the war could even escalate. Oh wait — if that happens, we'd better report it, wouldn't we? Hmm, I'll report it just to be safe. Not that we'll actually do anything about it."
Tanya's superior finished writing up the documents and waited for the ink to dry.
They leaned back against the chair and let out a long breath.
"Phew — the work never decreases, does it? I'm busy and it's getting to be a problem."
Tanya — that was Tahnia's sweeper name.
If she had been ordered to abduct or kill the former saints that Laiel was protecting, she would have moved immediately.
But the superior was different.
"They didn't come here seeking our protection. As for them offering to cooperate... would they even bother? Well, if it comes in as a request, we'll handle it through the proper channels, won't we?"
They didn't seem interested. If anything, they appeared to think it wouldn't have much of an impact.
"Are you sure? What if the situation gets big — or turns out to not benefit the Guild?"
"It won't. Besides, even the Southern Branch with their mercenaries gets plenty of requests on a regular basis. And it's not like Zayin and Rolfis are the only places to make money. The mercenaries are already on the move. There are signs of small skirmishes breaking out along the border. Supplies are selling well too. Apparently some of them even sold off rare metals they'd been hoarding and made a killing. Honestly — what are adventurers even doing these days?"
The male superior seemed to dislike it when adventurers acted like merchants.
*(Albano and the others, maybe? I heard they discovered iron in the Dungeon that turned into rare metals.)*
As Tanya mulled it over, the superior told her there were no major problems overall.
"Tanya — we're with the Eastern Branch. The Guild's profits matter, sure, but let's look at things closer to home, shall we? If adventurers don't come back soon, our Guild is going to be buried under requests. Even if we find a Dungeon, we won't be able to send anyone. That's no good, is it? And besides — the Guild only earns its keep when it earns Magic Stones."
The superior sighed, noting that wars weren't particularly profitable when it came to Magic Stones.
Tanya was inwardly relieved that it seemed like she wouldn't have to take action against Laiel and the others after all.
The superior, meanwhile —
"Rather, I'd like to do them a favor. I want this war to end quickly. If it drags on, the other branches will be saying we're not doing our jobs again."
Facing her joking superior, Tahnia finished her report and moved to leave the room. But she was called back.
"Tahnia, if you have the chance to do someone a favor, take it. I don't want to let go of talented adventurers. Well, as long as it doesn't disadvantage the Guild, of course."
Seeing her superior testing her, Tahnia bowed and left the room.
Is she testing me?
Switching back to Tahnia, she felt that way as she stepped outside the room —.
At the mansion that Novem and the others had tracked down, I received a report from Rauno, the information broker.
Without his scruffy beard and without any alcohol in him, he looked like a different person.
"Now then, here's what I've found on Zayin's situation."
I read through the report and nodded.
It's almost the same as what Gastone and Selma reported.
Having confirmed that Rauno's skills were as excellent as advertised, I moved on to the next commission.
"I'll take my time reading through the full report later. Also, here's my next request."
"...The next one? I've already been passing along information on Rolfis's current state to Miranda, you know?"
Rolfis. They were harboring more of a powder keg than I'd imagined, and I'd hesitated to make use of them. In a word, it was bad.
Worse than Zayin.
It was so bad that it even made sense why Alette had such a troublesome constitution. It shouldn't be possible.
"No, this time I'd like you to gather information on Selva."
"Selva? I'd think there's been the least movement there. They're sitting tight. Well, if you want to say something's off about them, then something's definitely off."
Rauno seemed to think they were suspicious too.
A voice came from inside the Jewel — the Fourth Generation.
"Rolfis really only has one princess, right? There's a prince engaged to her, so why wouldn't he lift a finger to help… Besides, according to Gastone, the current Holy Maiden is originally from Selva. That wraps up the roster of participants for this time!"
The Fifth Generation's voice could be heard.
"Rolfis, Zayin, and Selva… What are they all planning? Personally, I'd like to back the theory that Selva is the mastermind."
The Seventh Generation said, laughing.
"Now, now, it's also possible that Zayin's Holy Maiden is pulling strings in Selva."
The Sixth Generation spoke up.
"It could be a staged act by both nations. They strike at Rolfis and pull back, while Selva feigns offering aid and slips into the country to seize it from within."
The Third Generation said.
"If that were the case, they'd just send in the prince who's engaged and be done with it without doing anything. Personally, I think the theory that the Guild is the mastermind sounds more interesting! All the wars in this region — the Guild has been pulling the strings behind the scenes the whole time!"
The Third Generation spoke in a serious tone, and the Successive Heads responded.
"Ha ha ha, that's a good one."
"Well, they'd probably go to the trouble of manipulating things behind the scenes if there was profit in it."
"Fifth Generation, that's what merchants do. The Guild is something different, surely."
"They're much the same thing, really. They're merchants who deal in Magic Stones. But, well…"
The opinions of the Successive Heads came together.
On that point, I found myself in agreement as well.
The Third Generation voiced what everyone was thinking.
"There's no mastermind theory for Rolfis's princess, at least."
I let out a sigh, and Rauno looked at my face.
"What's wrong? I wouldn't think it's any more headache-inducing than what Rolfis is dealing with."
"Well, you're comparing us to too low a bar. Zayin is plenty strange as a country."
When I said that, the Third Generation laughed.
"Laiel, you're such an idiot. There are no normal countries in this world. Every single one of them is a little crazy."
Hearing that, the Successive Heads all burst into laughter.
(My head really hurts...)