3. The Villain You Just Fought Was Only Our Company's Weakest

"Good morning, Guild Master!"

"Ah, you've arrived."

Watching the two employees greet me the moment I walked in, I found myself overcome with emotion all over again.

It felt like only yesterday that I was wallowing in despair at having landed yet another job at a tiny under-five-employee X-company — and now here I was, the owner of that very company….

"Now then, I have a major announcement."

Right off the bat, I gathered the attention of my staff of exactly two. I had made up my mind at home the night before.

"Effective immediately, Assistant Susan is promoted to Associate."

"Woo!"

Susanna, who had been eyeing the Associate position for quite some time now, was overjoyed.

"Employee Cedric is promoted to Assistant."

"Thank you. Does this mean my salary will increase as well?"

"Nope? Stays exactly the same."

"…Then what exactly improved?"

His face went briefly blank with confusion, but watching Susanna celebrate beside him, he seemed to decide that a good thing was a good thing, whatever it was.

"A higher rank is its own reward. When you introduce yourself at other companies, you get to use the loftier title, don't you?"

"I see…."

"Oh, and I've drafted the wording for our experienced-hire recruitment poster."

I wrote the text out on a sheet of paper.

"What do you think?"

"…It seems better than the posting our previous Guild Master put up."

"That one made you want to run away before you even finished reading it."

What on earth had Cedric been thinking when he saw that abomination of a posting and applied anyway?

"Now, Cedric, please copy this notice out in your beautiful hand."

"…Yes, ma'am."

He silently transcribed the notice in flawless lettering, apparently used to it by now. He had more or less become our guild's official designer. Really, this is why you should never let on that you can do anything useful at a company.

After we pinned the sizable recruitment notice up in front of the building, Susanna tilted her head and asked,

"Do you really think any decent experienced hires will apply? Wouldn't experienced people go to other, nicer guilds…?"

"Associate Susanna, we live in the age of the job crisis these days. Even seasoned veterans are applying to other places as fresh hires."

By my observation, this world was supposed to be a love-drenched romance-fantasy world, and yet the employment situation was barely any different from my previous one.

I'd posted the listing during a hiring drought like this one, so applicants would surely show up before long.

Just as I predicted, about three days later we had already received some four applications.

"This one looks rather ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠promising."

Applicant: Gerrick Krona

"Let's interview him."

"Yes, I'll send word."

While she was occupied, I pored over the man's application once more. He hadn't spent two years at any single guild, but his stints here and there added up to two years total.

"Hmm, does he have some old wounds, I wonder?"

Going by this application alone, he seemed like someone who'd been bullied at his previous guilds and was now applying here clutching his last hope.

Hold on. Doesn't this type show up constantly in romance fantasies? Brilliant ability, but scarred by old wounds — and then I gently tend to those wounds, and he repays me with unwavering loyalty and finally gets to shine.

Yes! This looks promising! At long last, my chance to put my knowledge of romance-fantasy clichés to work and unearth hidden talent!

While ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I was busy nursing such hopes, Susanna had somehow sidled up beside me and was chattering away.

"Honestly, his paperwork isn't all that grea-at, don't you thi-ink? Why would he go out of his way to admit he doesn't get along with people?"

"Perhaps because he's an honest man?"

"Hmm, the way I see it, he torched his reputation at his old guild, and he's worried word of that reputation would make the rounds and reach us, so he's getting ahead of it. That's my rea-ading…."

"Associate Susanna, let's judge the man himself first."

Susanna had a point, I supposed. Which meant the interview would need to be thorough.

A short while later, I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was seated in the parlor across from a man. He had a vaguely fragile, pitiable air about him — the kind of face that stirred a watcher's sympathy on sight.

"It is an honor, Guild Master. My name is Gerrick Krona."

"Hello there, Mr. Gerrick Krona? Thank you for coming in."

When I offered him a cup of tea, the man's pupils wavered at the sight of the teacup.

"Tea…."

"Pardon?"

"It's nothing, ahem! It's just… no one has ever treated me like this before…!"

He was moved to tears by this much? Apparently he really had been through genuine workplace bullying, then?

Good grief — the other under-five-employee X-guilds of this world are just as bad, aren't they.

Workplace bullying likely hadn't been formally recognized in this world yet, after all. My gaze toward Gerrick grew all the more pitying.

"What would you say your strengths are?"

"I am confident in my report writing. I am also skilled at reading others' emotions, and I am someone who empathizes and shows consideration…."

"And your weaknesses? Why did you leave your previous guild?"

"I lacked the, ah, techniques for office life… I didn't know basic common sense. For instance, if I worked too hard, I was told I was a burden on my colleagues… things like that."

He really does sound like an employee who got frozen out by office politics.

At my old company, Mr. Park Geo-seong's tyranny was so overwhelming that we employees generally banded together — but there are workplaces out there where the infighting and politicking among coworkers run just as deep.

"But if you teach me from now on, I will learn all of it. I truly want to work here for a long, long time…."

"Yes, I understand."

"I would be eternally grateful if you could grant me one final chance…."

Watching Gerrick clasp his hands together in supplication, I nodded.

This was the opportunity, all right. He would heal his heart in our guild, and put his talents to work.

"Very well, Mr. Gerrick. You can start tomorrow."

"I beg your pardon? Really? Thank you, thank you so much!"

Gerrick leapt about with joy as though he'd been accepted into some mega-corporation. Watching him, I felt a glow of pride as Guild Master too.

Excellent. From today, our guild returns to a roster of four.

I'd observe him for a few days, then report to the Temple once his contract converted to permanent status. All new hires at our guild had to be reported to the Temple, after all.

But at that moment, I had no way of knowing.

Aside from the towering villain known as Mr. Park Geo-seong — what other kinds of villains might come waltzing into an ordinary little company….