Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Unexpected Guild Funding
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"Ugh..."
Right now, I'm a zombie mushroom.
No thoughts.
No, I just don't want to think.
I'm tired.
'Staying up all night was the problem.'
After exploring Broken Spear Manor, the only sleep I'd gotten was a short nap in the carriage.
I'd lain down in bed at the mansion too, but using my out-of-body ability had kept my mind awake.
Essentially, it was no different from not sleeping at all.
'Still... I had to see my companions' faces.'
Even so, since Fey and Regen's exams had just ended today, I'd dragged my exhausted body down to the inn lobby.
"Will, are you okay? If the person who had it easiest among us is the most tired, what are we supposed to do?"
"Yeah, you can tell at a glance you were wandering around all night without sleeping. Total youth."
Worried Fey. Dumbfounded Regen.
Seeing them made the manor trip feel truly over.
"Aren't you all tired? You've finished your exams, so maybe you should rest."
"Kid, I see through you. Don't worry, we've already gotten plenty of rest."
Regen and Fey exchanged glances and laughed in unison.
"We finished the exam on the first day. Spent the rest of the time chatting with the instructor."
"Joint top scorers!"
Top scorers? Both of them at once?
"Impressive."
"Will, you should've seen my performance! I roasted a massive yeti from the snow mountains with my flames in one shot!"
"I guided this kid to the cave where the yeti lived."
"You only survived guiding without freezing because I taught you body warmth magic!"
"The shelter for that body warmth magic was..."
The two dove excitedly into exam tales.
They were bickering, but it seemed they'd grown close in the process.
"So, where did you go, Will?"
"Me? Oh, yesterday I went to Broken Spear Manor..."
The moment he heard Broken Spear, Regen's face changed.
"What?! That one on the mountain?! You didn't go inside, right? Just looked from outside?"
"Ate some food, slept, had a great time."
"What?! You idiot! You can't just go playing around there! Nothing weird happened?!"
"Hey, if it had, I wouldn't be here. Why? What's there?"
Did Regen know something after all?
The secret of Marie's basement.
"I don't know the details, but that guild's had nothing but bad rumors since forever. Inquisitors from outside come to interrogate the lord and vanish in droves, invited explorers come out as completely different people, weird cries echo every night. Unlike the other five major guilds, the guild master keeps total mystery..."
Apparently not.
Marie had such a bad reputation, though.
Time to correct that a bit.
"Ah, I went there myself, and it's not like that. The lord there..."
"A woman, right? Around our age."
Then Fey cut into our conversation.
"A girl? Kid, you know the guild master there? How?"
"My sister mentioned it in a letter once. She got invited and was shocked to see a girl my age running the guild."
Come to think of it, Fey said her sister was an explorer too.
She must have met Marie.
"She said she roasted some new creature she found in an underground cave there, and it was such a delicacy she keeps thinking about it."
"...Pardon?"
What did she just say?
Roasted what?
"The lord didn't mind? It's private property..."
"Oh, right. After that, the lord flew into a rage and kicked her out. My sister can be wild."
"Your sister sounds intense."
I silently prayed for the soul of the devoured Hamchi.
"Anyway, fine. You're back, so let's move on. Time for the real talk."
Veteran explorer turned current powerhouse Regen steered the conversation back on track.
"We all got our explorer licenses from this exam, so next up: forming a guild."
"Ooh, anything we need?"
Regen rubbed his index and middle fingers with his thumb without answering.
"Money?"
"Yeah. In this world, nothing rolls without money except dung beetles and their dung."
"Hearing that from an elf feels so off."
"Think of me as an elf living in the jungle called society."
"..."
That's the level needed for elf friends.
"Registration fee around... 50,000 gold, association fund 50,000 gold, relic appraisal service 100,000. Death insurance on top... totals about 300,000 gold."
"W-what? 300,000 gold?!"
That's way too expensive!
The cash from Rack's mandrake commission was about 50,000 gold, so I'd need five more jobs like that to even start a guild.
And that was after pocketing Rack's guild share.
'Work? Even after possession? In another world too?'
No! Absolutely not!
I just want to tourist around and live off that!
Why won't the world grant even this humble wish?!
'This is reality...!'
The yoke of labor dragged me to the abyss!
"Hmph!"
Then Fey flashed her forehead triumphantly and raised a finger.
"Don't worry, Will! Who am I? The Magic Tower's youngest top graduate!"
"Ooh!"
As expected of an elite!
She's got something!
"Our Magic Tower alumni association loans startup funds to top-performing graduates! Interest-free!"
"Scholarship loan!"
"No idea what that is! Anyway, this solves it! Praise me!"
"Degree over queen bee! Degrees are the best!"
I gave seal-clapping applause to Fey, arms raised like she wanted cheers.
It was a loan, not a gift, but beggars can't be choosers!
No interest? She's a goddess!
No work needed! Ecstatic!
Then,
"Hmph, as expected. Kids whose ages don't even add up to three digits."
Regen, watching us with a relaxed smile, pulled something from his pocket.
A fluttering sheet of paper.
It was—
"Ch-check?! Exactly 300,000 gold! H-how?!"
Medieval checks? Questionable, but Fey's reaction said they existed here.
"Ah, there's a money tree near my house."
Money tree? What?
Looking closely at the check—
"Payer... Blade of the World Tree?"
Blade of the World Tree—that was the guild Regen's companions founded, right?
What? Did they reconcile?
"Remember? When those tentacle monkeys swarmed, who busted the ruin's barrier?"
"Ah."
I'd heard from Fey after things settled.
Blade of the World Tree rookies tried using seniors' 'tips' and caused the mess.
We knew that, so we held their dirty secret.
Thus—
"No way! Regen!"
"Yeah, blackmailed them. Got this as payment."
"Ooh!"
An elf fleecing elves.
What kind of creatures are elves here?
"Anyway, great! Loans? Nah, cash is king!"
"Call me big sis from now on."
"Everyone move! Regen big sis 'brought' the money!"
"You punk!"
The vile labor yoke around me faded away!
Freedom! Idling tourist life ahead!
"Let's go! Youth entrepreneurship begins!"
Dopamine surge sent fatigue flying.
Straight to guild founding!
Threshold's bustling district, the central association certification office in the busiest spot.
"Enough saved funds, Fey?"
"Of course!"
"Thrilled with someone else's check."
Grandly,
waving Regen's check, we strode to the counter.
"Guild founding request. Application, IDs, and fee here."
"Yes~ One moment~"
A cheerful freckled clerk took our papers and checked them.
"ID verification... application fine... using this check?"
"Yes."
"Yes~ Checking number... payment amount... Huh?"
What.
Why that ominous tone.
"This check's payment was canceled. Just now."
"W-what?"
Panicked, Regen rushed forward to check.
"Who canceled? Any record?!"
"Uh... Oli master from Blade Guild."
"That fucking bitch!"
Regen spat a thick curse.
"Brainless cunt! Fine, I'll expose them?!"
Seemed internal guild dispute over the payout.
Yeah. World ain't easy.
"Phew... heh, Regen, looks like it didn't pan out. My turn again?"
"Yes! Fey!"
Even if the sky falls, there's a head to stand on, they say.
Fey approached the counter triumphantly again.
"Feeling like 'Lady Fey' today."
"Of course, Lady Fey!"
Titles are easy.
Especially for interest-free loans in her name.
"...Hm?"
Then, the clerk frowned, spotting something.
"W-wait... this name... surely the one from this morning..."
-Rustle rustle.
She frantically reviewed dense documents.
"Um, sir there... Will, right? Explorer number 392812."
"Yes."
"Y-you have sponsorship funds incoming."
"Pardon?"
Sponsorship? To me? Who? Why?
"Amount?"
"Fif..."
"Fifty thou?"
"Five hundred thousand gold..."
"..."
Registration fee? Pocket change.
What. Can't breathe.
"Know the sponsor?"
"Anonymous, can't say. But they enclosed a letter—read that."
I took and opened the clerk's letter.
And inside—
"To. Will
Hello Will. I'm writing from the manor where we stayed the other night. This is my first time writing a letter by hand without a servant, so it's embarrassing, but living alone, I have so many things I've wanted to say, so I mustered courage. It's only been two days since I first saw you, but among everyone I've seen in Threshold, you are the most..."
"Gah!"
Startled!
First shock since isekai possession.
Mental attack?
"Wait, who... 'Manor manager'? This is Broken Spear?!"
Regen picked up the dropped letter and checked the sender.
No way, Marie's 'small token of appreciation' was...
"What the hell were you doing while we were gone?"
"I'm innocent."
I had no idea what was happening.
Just toured the manor!
'So that's what they meant by Broken Spear is scary.'
A chill made me shudder.
"So, Will? Proceed with guild founding using this sponsorship?"
"Uh... yes."
Confirming my nod, the clerk swiftly processed papers and handed me a certification.
With a heavy gold pouch.
"...Whoa. Guild founded."
"...It worked?"
Me and Regen, dumbfounded in disbelief.
And,
"Um... Will, today... can I call you Lord Will...?"
"Just call me like always."
"Y-yes..."
Fey started bowing subserviently for some reason.
All in all, a development far from expectations.