How to Survive in a Good Small Guild — Episode 17
"Then all we need to do is investigate the employees here."
"Yes, exactly. But if we approach them directly, we'll look suspicious, so let's pretend to enjoy the salon like proper guests."
Saying that, I took another sip of my champagne.
"There's a poker game going on over there. How about joining a hand or two before bowing out?"
"You know how to play poker?"
"Yes, I do."
"You know such a refined accomplishment?"
"Poker is a refined accomplishment?"
Seriously. I always thought so, but Cedric really seemed to have no grasp of how the world worked. Was he perhaps wealthy and had still ended up working at this crap-tier guild for some reason? Old money, maybe?
"Well, where did you learn poker, then?"
At that, Cedric rolled his eyes around before answering.
"My old boss taught me at my previous company."
"Pardon?"
"We used to gamble money on games."
"...And did you win?"
"No, I always lost. My boss was an excellent poker player."
A sudden gloom settled over me. So Cedric knowing poker wasn't a sign of some affluent upbringing—it was just the mark of a man who'd been ground down by a black company's absurdities...
'Damn it, of course he wasn't supposed to win those poker games!'
Anyone with a shred of sanity couldn't beat their own boss. The boss had simply been using poker as an excuse to shake Cedric down for money.
"I see. So that's how it is..."
When I looked at Cedric with pitying eyes, he asked with visible dissatisfaction.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"It's nothing..."
"......"
For the rest of the time Cedric spent at the poker table, I watched him from behind with tears welling in my eyes.
As if to avenge all his past defeats at his boss's hands, Cedric went on an unbroken winning streak. Well, if venting his grudges this way helped him heal, then good for him...
"Did you find concrete evidence?"
"Yes, Marquess Haindel."
I smiled confidently before him.
"Here it is."
Based on what Cedric and I had investigated since then, I handed a single document over to him.
"This is a servant of House Ashborne, one who recently interviewed for a position with the Marquess Haindel household's employees."
People who grin their way through work like lunatics are rare, which was precisely how we'd been able to extract information from the maids of House Ashborne.
"We don't know the exact details, but it's certain that Iza is the one who blackmailed your wife. House Ashborne itself has no involvement—it appears to be entirely her own doing."
Marquess Haindel's face darkened with fury as he reviewed the documents.
Soon, he shouted as if something had dawned on him.
"I've got it!"
"Yes?"
"During the recent hiring interviews, there was an issue with my health. Naturally, poor health is a weakness of mine, and she must have used it to blackmail my wife."
Marquess Haindel growled.
...Though how does a person growl, exactly? Anyway, growl he did.
"Poor health is a weakness?"
When I asked, somewhat puzzled, Cedric whispered quietly beside me.
"Among noble houses, suffering from hereditary illnesses is considered a vulnerability. Marquess Haindel likely had some such condition."
"Ah, I see..."
"My wife tried to sacrifice herself to protect me. I will never forgive them for this."
Marquess Haindel shot up from his seat in a blaze of rage.
"There are plenty of ways to shut Iza's mouth. What puzzles me is why my wife didn't come to me for help from the start."
"Well... I suppose she did it all out of love for you, my lord."
Frankly, it looked like yet another problem caused by people refusing to just talk to each other, like any romance-fantasy heroine and her male lead—but I wrapped it up nicely for him anyway.
People, communicate...
"Good. I must head to House Ashborne at once. Once they learn their own servant caused this, they'll be furious as well. We'll join forces and..."
Anyway, it seemed the commission had been resolved without a hitch, so I counted that as a win.
"Truly a capable guild. If I ever need help again, I'll come find you."
"Thank you very much."
"With intelligence-gathering skills like these, you're practically a royal investigation agency—wait a moment! The Imperial Family!"
Suddenly, Marquess Haindel raised his voice as if he'd realized something.
"I kept wondering where I'd seen you before—I definitely saw a similar face at the Imperial Family!"
"Pardon?"
I tilted my head, but the marquess pressed on without explaining.
"Yes, it was when I visited the capital five years ago... The Crown Prince? His Highness the Crown Prince!"
The moment Marquess Haindel leapt from his seat in a panic, Cedric rose as well and spoke at rapid speed.
"Ah, yes, that's right. A servant of the Crown Prince's palace is my cousin. Doesn't he look a great deal like me?"
"No, that's not what I..."
"Doesn't he look just like me?"
"...I suppose he does."
Suddenly shifting his demeanor, Marquess Haindel spoke in a calm voice.
"I have no connection whatsoever to His Highness the Crown Prince, but you may well have been confused by seeing my cousin's face."
"Yes, my mistake entirely."
Hold on. Wasn't Marquess Haindel originally a casual-speech kind of guy? Something's off here.
"...Thank you for your help. If anything else comes up, I shall pay you a visit."
Even after collecting the reward for the commission, I kept eyeing Marquess Haindel with lingering suspicion. The man had suddenly changed, hadn't he? Maybe he was just the type who repaid his debts faithfully?
"Yes, of course. If anyone you know needs an information guild, please recommend us. Should you return, we'll reward you with nothing but excellent results."
After wrapping up Marquess Haindel's commission smoothly, I asked Cedric on the way back to the office.
"Cedric, is your cousin really a servant of the Crown Prince's palace?"
"Yes, just an ordinary servant. We aren't close, so I don't hear much news from him either."
"I see."
Well, plenty of cousins go years without contacting each other. And here I'd thought the Crown Prince had planted a spy on me or something.
When I got back to the office, I caught Susanna pretending to be absorbed in her work instead of enjoying music on her small gramophone.
And sure enough, the guild master who'd shown up late again today was seated at his desk.
"Oh, Guild Master, you're here? I've just come back from resolving a commission."
"A commission? Don't tell me you've finished Marquess Haindel's—the one you reported on last time?"
"Yes, that's right."
As I spoke and presented the documents along with the payment, greed gleamed in the guild master's eyes.
Tsk. As expected, he won't be sharing the bonus the marquess slipped in with the rest of us. Not that I expected him to. Slipping it out of the books carelessly could come back to bite him later, after all...
Sure enough, the guild master began taking credit for himself.
"You know this is all because I've raised our guild so well, right? Assistant Audrette, you used to be lacking, but you've learned so much from me and changed, haven't you?"
"Yes, it's all thanks to you, Guild Master."
"And my superb publicity is what brought a marquess all the way to our guild!"
No, that was us stapling flyers in the bathroom and Cedric wielding his legendary calligraphy pen, actually...
"And Audrette's problem-solving skills? All taught by me!"
No, I trained myself, actually...
Every single line begged for a rebuttal, but as always, I swallowed it. I wasn't yet in a position to stand up to the guild master, so endure I must...
But then, the very next moment, an unexpected announcement came out of the guild master's mouth.
"Which is why, for the sake of our guild's continued growth, I've made a momentous decision. From now on, we will be inviting an outside instructor to train us into fine information guild members."
"Ah, training, you say?"
That happens sometimes. Training from an outside instructor. Usually the "outside instructor" is a relative of the boss, and the company's money just gets funneled their way.
Just as Susanna, who hated training of any kind, was making a sour face, and Cedric still seemed unable to grasp the situation, a shocking statement rang out.
"Since we'll be receiving training every month, a training fee will henceforth be deducted from your salaries."