How to Survive in a Good Small Guild — Episode 5
"Back again, I see. I'm delighted you've come seeking me out once more, my dear client."
I flashed a theatrical smile at the Crown Prince.
"I'd like to commission another job. I'll pay handsomely, and if you succeed this time as well, I'll grant you whatever you desire."
"Ah, the workers already came by to start renovations on the restroom, actually. Thank you so much for that. If this request succeeds, then I'll be sure to name what I want."
"Understood. I have the power to grant anything."
The Crown Prince declared this with magnificent self-assurance. I kept up my pretense of ignorance and gave an awkward little laugh.
Soon, the request came spilling out of his mouth.
"Counterfeit holy relics are circulating in the capital. The Temple has declared it will respond with the utmost severity. But no one has been able to uncover who's behind these forgeries, which naturally makes one curious about the mastermind."
"……!"
My whole body flinched at those words. Wait a moment. This is—
The one behind all of this is the Temple.
In the original story I'd read, the Temple was portrayed as an utterly corrupt organization, and this whole affair had been its own staged production, manufactured to manipulate public opinion.
With the imperial family recently bearing down on the Temple, this was its way of currying sympathy while flaunting its dignity at the same time.
Is it safe for me to tell the Crown Prince this?
Ordinarily he couldn't care less about us and only calls when he needs something, but at the end of the day, this Global Information Network Guild was an information subcontractor for the Temple.
Our guild's work logs were reported to the Temple on a regular basis, and if it came to light that I'd supplied information detrimental to the Temple, I'd face disciplinary action… or in the worst case, I might simply be eliminated.
No. For now, playing double agent is my best option here.
To be honest, I'd considered quitting this guild entirely to avoid getting tangled up in a massive power struggle, but there were practical limits.
For starters, I had no money to live on.
Audrette Lavendel was a fresh graduate with a disastrous academic record and an even worse employment history, which made finding a new job next to impossible…
My goal is to exploit the original story for every advantage I can squeeze out of it.
"…Yes, understood."
I answered in a calm, measured tone, buying myself time.
"I will inform you the moment anything comes to light."
"Eeeek, Assistant Manager Audrette! We have a crisis on our handsss!"
The moment I stepped out of the reception room, Susanna came flailing toward me in a full-blown panic. This was the same Susanna who, after I'd caught onto her little scheme, had harbored a grudge against me and wouldn't so much as pretend to know me. What on earth was going on?
"Today's the day the client company rep is coming!"
"……!"
My eyes went wide.
"The client company… you mean the Temple?"
"Yes, that's it, the Temple. We've been calling it that for ages now, because everything it does is just so vile."
Hm. So Susanna holds a grudge against the Temple too, does she.
"Is it all right for you to talk like that?"
"It's just us here, who caresss? Anyone can see you hate the Temple too, Assistant Manager, after everything we've been put through!"
Well then, in for a penny — might as well pump her for information.
"By the way, Susanna, you work for the Temple's subcontractor, but you don't seem to have any religious faith at all?"
"Huh? You think I took this job because I believe in some religion? I just couldn't get hired anywhere else, that's all."
"……"
Ah. So that's how it is. Very pragmatic indeed.
In any case, I'd learned something valuable: the members of this Global Information Network Guild didn't actually believe in the Temple at all — they simply treated it as a business relationship.
"So about everything we've been put through…"
"Hmph, I may not have a shred of consideration in me, but I do know how to feel a little sympathy when it countsss!"
"Wow. So you're aware you've been rude to me all this time."
"Shush! Anyway, whenever the client comes around, you're always the one who takes the fall, Assistant Manager!"
"Takes the fall?"
"Anytime the numbers are off by even a little, or the work isn't up to snuff, the Guild Master and the Deputy always dump it on you! There were even days you got hauled off to the client company for disciplinary action!"
"……"
"But this time you're not going to push it onto me, right? Please, please tell me no!"
Ah, so that's why she was playing nice — she got caught by me and now she's scared she'll be the one taking the fall…
"No, that's not it, Assistant Manager!"
While Susanna fussed about, insufferably theatrical, I turned my thoughts to the relationship between the Temple and the guild.
Judging by what Susanna was saying, it was a thoroughly one-sided arrangement. The Temple, as our client, milked us for information while subjecting us to every abuse imaginable, while we weren't even allowed to lay a finger on Temple intelligence. That kind of relationship.
"But even if they're the client, can they really get away with being that abusive?"
When I asked, keeping my tone perfectly casual, Susanna gave me a look that said, you can't be serious.
"You seriously need me to spell it out for you? You know perfectly well that if not for this guild, we'd have nowhere to go."
"Pardon?"
"Our whole guild is just people who couldn't get hired anywhere else. The Deputy got caught doing industrial espionage, so no one would take him…"
"……"
"And ever since I made an ordering mistake at my old company — got distracted listening to my mini phonograph and added three extra zeroes — word got around and no one would hire me either…"
Wait, the mini phonograph thing was real?
"And you, Assistant Manager Lavendel, had trouble getting hired because your father was a heretic, didn't you know?"
I squeezed my eyes shut.
So the reason all of us were slaving away in this garbage excuse for a guild was simply that we had nowhere else in the world to go.
"Then what happens if the Guild Master fires us?"
"We starve to death, hehe."
"……"
The situation fairly begged for a sigh.
So much for my chance to break away from the original story. Stay in this guild or literally starve — those were my options.
Fine. I'll approach the Temple while playing the part of the original Audrette.
Just then, the Guild Master shot up from his seat.
"Everyone, up!"
"Eep."
Susanna rose from her chair, trembling like a leaf. The Deputy, our resident Corporate Zealot, and I stood as well.
Soon, a man who looked to be in his early thirties strutted grandly into the guild building.
"Is everything I asked for ready?"
"Yes sir, right here!"
The Guild Master hastily handed over the documents. The man flipped through them with an air of supreme arrogance.
Hm. My Guild Master may be an irredeemable piece of work, but this man looked years younger than him — and here he was lording his client status over everyone. Lovely.
Just then, the man's face soured as he paged through the report.
"What is this? This information is out of date. The Platinum Mercenary Corps intelligence isn't reflected here at all."
Dropping all pretense of formality with the Guild Master, the man lifted his head.
"Who exactly compiled this?"
"Uh, um…"
The Guild Master's eyes darted around before landing on the Corporate Zealot Deputy.
"I entrusted this to you!"
"Ah, well…"
The Deputy's gaze swung toward me.
"I assigned it to Assistant Manager Audrette!"
"……"
I briefly considered passing the blame along to Susanna, but in the end, I chose to step forward myself.
"Yes, that was me. It seems I compiled it incorrectly. My apologies."
"Sorry fixes everything, does it? You nearly ruined someone's business."
The man's face contorted in a scowl.
"You again! What was your name?"
"Audrette Lavendel, sir."
"Right, Assistant Manager Lavender!"
Butchering even my name, he raised his voice.
"Not a single thing you do is done right! There's nothing between your ears!"
"I apologize."
"I distinctly remember telling you last time what would happen if this occurred again!"
"I'm so sorry…"
"Be at the Temple's front gate within the hour!"
Susanna fidgeted miserably, stealing glances at me.
But I simply let the man storm out. Then I turned to the Guild Master and asked:
"Guild Master, was this actually work assigned to me? Because I've been racking my brain, and I have no memory of it in Audrette Lavendel's recollection whatsoever."
"I-is that really what matters right now? Just get yourself to the Temple!"
"……"
Susanna pretended to sit back down at her desk and whispered to me.
"It was the Deputy's work. He never once instructed you to handle it."
So that's how it is.
Mr. Park Geo-seong, grant me the strength to smite these debt-collectors of labor abuse.