Chapter 40: Side Story 5: The Guild Master’s Conflict - Part 2
"Yahhoo~ Long time no see~"
"Long time no see my ass! How many tamed beasts did you bring this time?!"
After sending Sub-Guild Master Salina to the West Gate, I received a report that Yabe’s registration of 61 tamed beasts was complete. He was here too, so I told them to let him in, but this was the first thing out of his mouth the moment he entered.
This guy is seriously messing with me.
And on top of that, he told us to have plenty of Beast Servant Pendants ready! The guild’s budget is already tight, damn it!
Come to think of it, I was still in the middle of eating. Yabe’s eyes were glued to the Sloppy Styles and fried chicken on the table with great interest. Alright, let me explain it to this country bumpkin.
"This might be the first time you’ve seen these since you’re a country boy, but this is Wild Boar Sloppy Style and Earth Bird fried chicken. They’re the big trend in town right now. There’s no doubt they’ll become popular in the royal capital too."
Hahaha! A backwater guy like Yabe has probably never eaten anything like this before!
Even if you want some, you’re not getting any! This is my food!
"...Isn’t this a dish that Lord Yabe came up with? The one served at Casuo Village’s opening festival?"
"Pffft—!"
What the hell!?
"Uwaah! Gross!"
"Guild Master, are you okay?"
Salina wiped the table and poured me more tea. I really made the right choice promoting her to Sub-Guild Master. Still though...
"Y-you’re the one who created this!?"
"Well... yeah, I suppose so..."
Yabe answered with a slightly distant look in his eyes.
What’s with that reaction? Some kind of story behind it?
I thought he was just an absurdly powerful mage, but he can cook too?
"Well, thanks to that, the food stall district in this town is booming. Naise also said it should have a positive economic impact. I’m genuinely grateful for that. Especially this Earth Bird fried chicken—I’m completely hooked on it... Man, this is seriously delicious."
I took a bite of the fried chicken. The crispy outside and the juicy meat inside—unbelievable! Yabe is annoying in a lot of ways, but I can honestly praise him for this fried chicken.
"I’m glad I could be of help."
This is exactly why Yabe seems like a good guy at heart.
He’s straightforward, without any hidden sides, and genuinely happy when he can make others happy. That kind of person is definitely a good one.
"So? Did you come today just to brag about your tamed beasts?"
"Ah, right. I received information that a is imminent at the labyrinth north of this town. I came to consult with Zoria about it."
Huh? What did this guy just say...?
...?
"...You should’ve said that first————————!!!!"
A Labyrinth Stampede!? You’ve got to be kidding me!
In the records going back over 300 years, a Labyrinth Stampede has never once occurred. And it’s happening now of all times!
"S-S-S-Sta-Stampede!? Are you serious!? Is this real!? Is it true!?"
"Yeah, calm down. I’m serious, it’s real, and it’s true."
"This isn’t the time to be talking about fried chicken! Salina! Have we received any information like this!?"
"No, the guild hasn’t received anything yet..."
According to Yabe, the information came from the chicks among his tamed beasts. Seems like they can gather intel from a pretty wide area.
Still... a Labyrinth Stampede, huh... If it’s true, this is going to be a disaster.
"Guild Master, should we issue an emergency alert?"
Sub-Guild Master Salina asked with a worried expression.
But we can’t act solely on Yabe’s report. We need to confirm it through our own information network.
"No, we still don’t have enough information. I don’t think Yabe is lying, but the guild needs its own confirmation. Send staff to the labyrinth immediately. Also, go to the guard station and instruct the labyrinth management team to gather information when they rotate the on-site personnel. If it really becomes a Stampede, we have no idea how much damage it will cause."
"Understood."
"After you give the orders, go directly to the magistrate’s residence yourself, have them arrange a meeting with Naise, and explain the situation. Tell him we’d like to hold a strategy meeting here as soon as possible. Also, control the flow of information. If it spreads badly, it could cause a panic."
"Roger that. I’ll handle it right away."
Even in a situation like this, Salina remains calm. She’s seriously reliable.
I continued talking with Yabe to extract more details about the impending Labyrinth Stampede. When I asked how much time we had, he casually said "almost none." What the hell!
And then there was that story about some document left behind by the great-great-great-great-grandfather’s acquaintance of the Casuo Village chief — Garley Cusso (108 years old). What the hell is that!? I’ve never heard of him!
Later, we received injury reports from the C-rank party , followed by a report that Ogres had appeared in the labyrinth.
"Ogres!"
"Are Ogres that dangerous?"
Yabe asked. Of course this guy doesn’t know much about monsters.
"A single Goblin is E-rank, an Orc is D-rank, but a single Ogre is already C-rank. If multiple appear, the threat level goes up one rank each."
...Wait a minute. Come to think of it, aren’t the Fang Wolves that Yabe tamed C-rank monsters? And there are 60 of them? No, 61 now. Depending on how many monsters come out in the Stampede... couldn’t Yabe’s army handle a pretty big chunk of the defense by themselves?
"...Wait. Weren’t the Fang Wolves rated as C-rank?"
"...Yeah. A single Fang Wolf is C-rank. Since you’re commanding them as an army, they’re treated as a B-rank threat."
"Don’t just casually label us a threat."
"But right now, I can’t think of a more reliable ally than you."
I’ve never been so glad that Yabe was here.
After all, he’s a man with 530,000 magical power.
"I don’t know how much I can live up to your expectations, though."
No no, Yabe! We’re counting on you completely! Carry us on your back!
The discussion continued with Magistrate Naise joining in.
I proposed using the town’s outer wall for defense, but Naise made a grim face. Yeah, I get it. Defending from the outer wall would mean a "no retreat" situation. Failure is not an option.
Ideally, it’d be best if Yabe just charged in with his "I’m super strong" power and wiped out all the monsters...
As the discussion progressed, there was some commotion inside the guild.
Salina and I exchanged glances.
Knock knock
There was a knock at the door.
"Yes?"
Salina tilted her head and opened the door.
Standing there was a Fang Wolf with a chick on its head.
Wasn’t this wolf a bit too big?
"Hey now, bringing tamed beasts inside the guild building is prohibited."
"That’s right, Logan-chan. You’re not allowed inside the building..."
Even while saying that, Salina knelt down, wrapped her arms around the massive Fang Wolf’s neck, and buried her face in its fluffy fur.
I-Is that okay?
"S-So this is a tamed Fang Wolf...? What a magnificent..."
Even Magistrate Naise was astonished by the enormous Fang Wolf he was seeing for the first time.
Maybe this Fang Wolf is way beyond normal C-rank trouble?
Yabe, the Fang Wolf, and the chick seemed to be communicating somehow.
are seriously impressive. I’m a little jealous.
...Wait? Yabe looks surprised about something.
"What’s wrong!?"
"What happened?"
"The Labyrinth Stampede has begun. Monsters are flooding out of the labyrinth."
""Eeeeeeeehhhhhhh!!!""
Already!? It’s already started!? Isn’t that way too fast!?
At this point... Yabe!
Lend us all of your power with everything you’ve got!
