Chapter 225
The Guild Master of the Mercenary Guild had changed. Today, the new Guild Master of the Mercenary Guild was currently inside the Guild Master’s Office in the headquarters of the Mercenary Guild.
Standing in front of the guild master was Darmian, a receptionist who had taken over the responsibility when it came to accepting and refusing commissions.
“Mr. Akshuller.”
“Kind of strange to see you like this.” Akshuller scratched his head awkwardly.
“May I ask why you gave me the responsibility of something as important as commissions?” Darmian asked. It seemed that he was truly confused by Akshuller’s assignment.
It was often said that the three most important departments in the mercenary guild were the commissions' department, the mercenary management department, and the treasury department. They were necessary for the guild to function.
Barbarian had chosen his own people to manage these three departments, which was a natural result of his authoritative tendencies and disposition. Akshuller, on the other hand, had selected Darmian for the commissions' department and no one else.
Darmian had some experience working in the headquarters, but his quick promotion was bound to be suspicious in anyone’s eyes. Honestly, a few mercenaries had already gotten suspicious.
It couldn’t be helped. After all, Darmian had been an outspoken critic of Akshuller.
“I’m not one of your supporters, nor do I favor your ideals because I find them unrealistic.” Darmian closed his eyes and said, “Of course, I don’t think you made the wrong choice. Money is necessary for mercenaries, after all. So at the risk of being rude, I thought I’d face you in front of everyone and tell you what I thought.”
“I don't think it works,” said Akshuller.
“Yes?” Darmian tilted his head at Akshuller.
“‘Dancing on the knife’s edge’ isn’t something we say as a joke, and Barbarian exploited that. We risk our lives for petty cash. But… that doesn’t mean we should only look out for ourselves.”
“Yes…” Darmian stared blankly at Akshuller as he started, “But…”
“Yes, it doesn't mean that we should only look out for ourselves.”
“Pardon me?”
“I want the mercenaries to have a future with more meaning than just a ragtag group of moneygrubbers in everyone else’s eyes. I know it’s fun to earn a lot, but together we should be able to elevate the Mercenary Guild as a whole.”
Akshuller extended a finger and asked, “Here’s an example: the Alliance of the Free Knights takes commissions, just like us, right? However, they earn double compared to us. Why is that?”
"That’s…” Darmian didn’t know what to say.
Akshuller smiled slightly at Darmian and said, “If you said it’s because there’s a difference in skill, I get it. But even gold cards and higher take unfavorable rates in comparison to the free knights.”
Akshuller stared at Darmian intently. “Because they have standards unlike us…”
“...!” Darmian’s figure stiffened.
“The mercenaries' guild has been taking all money requests. We have enough people, so we weren't afraid to take on double quests if they were worth it.”
“The Mercenaries of the Mercenary Guild are willing to take on any requests as long as there is enough money involved. We also have a lot of mercenaries under us, so we are willing to take on double commissions if the offer is enough.”
Double commissions meant that two mercenaries from the same Mercenary Guild could stand on opposing sides in a war. This was clearly unethical, but the mercenaries under Barbarian’s rule didn’t really care about ethics.
“But the free knights are different. They exercise ‘chivalry’ and only take requests that meet their standards. How has that worked out for them? Did it cripple their organization? Did it stop them from putting food on their tables?”
Akshuller shook his head and continued. “No—it boosted their reputation even more. Their strict adherence to their code made them more reliable in the clients’ eyes. As such, their clients are willing to pay them more than twenty gold for each commission. As I said, image is important.”
“...”
“The relationship is clear: they improve their image, and profits follow naturally. They get paid like real knights.” Akshuller held out a paper to Darmian. “I’m hoping the fledgling new mercenary guild isn’t going to do anything foolish.”
Darmian’s eyes slowly widened as he examined the paper. “This is…?”
“So we ought to fix the wrong button first, shouldn’t we?” Akshuller smirked.
“Ah…” Darmian gasped.
The paper detailed what could be the first commission of the reborn Mercenary Guild, and the following words were scribbled on it.
Duke Pontier requires assistance.
Client: Icarus of Sanders.
Length of Employ: Indefinite.
Payment: Trust.
***
“Your Majesty, the nobles you have ordered to come here have arrived in the throne room aside from Duke Agnus.” Jacken knelt before Emperor Marcus.
“Oh, is that so?” Emperor Marcus stirred in his soft chair. “Aden isn’t here, you say—Ah, do you think it’s because of the Empire’s Treasure, Jacken?”
“It is possible, Your Majesty.”
“Pffft! Do you think I went too far, Jacken?”
“Your Majesty’s will is absolute.”
“Haha.” Emperor Marcus chuckled at Jacken’s answer.
“Aden should be fine because he promised, but if there’s something wrong with Reinhardt, then it can’t be helped. Anyway, what do we do in the next three days?” A bitter smile appeared on Emperor Marcus’ lips upon deducing when the Imperial Edict would arrive. “How do we punish him for his tardiness? I made a promise, and it’s true that he brought honor to the Empire, so punishing him directly would be of no help…”
“...As I recall, he’s quite protective of his people, no?” Emperor Marcus thought about it for a moment before revealing a wide smile.
Jacken thought for a moment before answering, “Considering his actions in the Imperial Academy, and his recent behavior, I believe that Your Majesty is correct.”
“Right?” Emperor Marcus’ expression turned solemn. His voice turned grim as he said, “We’ll take down one of them every day.”
“Yes?” asked Jacken with a dumbfounded look.
Emperor Marcus boisterously laughed and explained, “Every day he’s late, we’ll kill one of his people. And since he’s a noble in name only, we’ll extend it to his future companions as well. And the Wilhelm Knights… What’s his is mine, no?”
“...” Jacken remained absolutely silent. He was hardly the first person to have ever suffered from Emperor Marcus’ bloodlust.
Emperor Marcus laughed for a while before standing. “I’m leaving in five minutes. Anyone who arrives at the throne room after me is late. It doesn’t matter even if it’s Aden or anyone else.”
“As you will.” Jacken was about to stand up, but he froze when a name flashed through his mind.
‘I can’t tell him anything yet; we still don’t have enough details.’
If Emperor Marcus were to hear that name, then there would be no stopping him.
“Excuse me, Your Majesty.” Jacken bowed to Emperor Marcus. The latter nodded slightly in response, and Jacken slipped away.
***
It had been a long time since the noble’s assembly had been held. All of the most important houses were present, but the most important seat was still empty.
“Before His Majesty gets here, I'll give you everyone a quick rundown of the two most important topics of this meeting,” said Duke Jegar tun Reye.
Silence enveloped the throne room when Duke Reye’s voice reverberated. Duke Reye coughed to clear his throat first before saying, “The first is the dragon that recently appeared in our Empire, as you are aware.”
The nobles let out a sigh. Dragons were no easy subject.
“I have a rough guess as to why, but this isn’t the place to discuss right or wrong. Instead, we will consider our future plans—”
“Once His Majesty is present, I will explain that part.”
“Sir Evergrant?”
A middle-aged man in a white robe stepped forward, and the nobles started muttering to themselves once again.
“I apologize for interrupting you, Your Grace.”
“Not at all.” Duke Reye shook his head. The dragon wasn’t the main point, anyway. “Then, moving on to the second most important subject—the Wilhelm Knights’ ‘invasion’ of our land.”
The nobles’ pent-up frustration immediately burst.
“That bloody thunder kid…”
“I really think he’s mad. He’s such an arrogant bastard.”
“He’s just a child, so what did we even expect? He’s an idiot, at best.”
Knowing that Duke Agnus hadn’t appeared yet, the nobles didn’t think twice about their words. They were snakes, all of them, envious of Joshua’s talent. Joshua himself, well, they would love to throw him into a bottomless pit.
“His title should be removed from him, and he should be sent to an asylum!”
“He brought a band of foreigners into our land! The Imperial Knights Order is meant to protect the Empire, so why is he still the Commander of the Imperial Knights Order’s Reserve Battalion? This is unacceptable!”
“We have to set an example!”
What they were shouting differed from each other, but the meaning of their words was the same. They clearly wanted to clip Joshua Sanders’ wings so that the latter wouldn’t be able to hurt their own vested interests anymore.
“Ah… I’m really looking forward to seeing Joshua. Is he going to show me a good time again?” Arie licked his lips.
“...” Duke Tremblin remained quiet, even though he had always been a critic of Duke Agnus. However, it wasn’t really because Duke Tremblin had nothing to contribute to their discussion. It was just that, for him, these conversations were pointless.
Of course, the nobles got the topic right. Today’s gathering would be about the dragon and Joshua. However, the nobles had no idea that the one who would answer all their questions finally arrived.
Bang!
A brave man barged into the throne room where the nobles were gathered.
“W-what insolence—”
“T-the clouds…!” shouted the brave man, interrupting them.
“...?” The nobles stared at the brave man in shock.
“A-a dragon is flying through the clouds above the Imperial Palace!”
The nobles immediately froze like ice statues at the man’s shocking words.
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