The Golden Deer (1)
The Golden Deer. A colossal merchant guild that dominated the entire continent, wielding power so immense that even the Hades Guild—which had once ruled Gideon—could not ignore them. They sold everything. Even people, if the price was right.
<Welcome to the Exiles' Guild>
Hades' retaliation came swiftly.
Overnight, every single request dried up. It was only natural. After all, Hades controlled and managed all the commissions that flowed through Gideon. But the retaliation did not end there. Every commercial guild in Gideon severed their dealings with the Iron Shield or outright canceled their contracts. In simple terms, the guild was left with nothing they could do.
Yet they could hardly blame those guilds. When Hades applied open pressure, what power did they have to resist?
Isaac called every guild member together to discuss countermeasures. The expressions on their faces were far from bright. Their source of income had been cut off, and they could no longer spend what little they had. A guild founded only recently could never withstand such restrictions.
"I knew it would come to this," Sophia's heavy sigh shattered the oppressive silence.
This was the true power of hegemony. The Hades Guild, which reigned over Gideon, didn't even need to lift a finger to slowly strangle them to death. They even held the moral high ground. To a hero, nothing was more important than trust. Without trust, who would entrust a hero with a request?
Yet Isaac had lost that trust during the lion subjugation request. The client had clearly asked for the lion to be slain. Instead, Isaac had helped the lion tribe and harmed the client. Of course, there had been reasons for it. But at some point, heroes had stopped asking about such things. They only cared about one thing: whether the request was completed or failed. In a place like this, who would bother caring about someone else's personal circumstances?
"Is our master reflecting on his mistake, I wonder?"
"I have no regrets."
"I figured you'd say that."
Even so, Sophia let out a sigh at Isaac's unchanging, steadfast attitude but offered no further rebuke. After all, this was Isaac. There must have been a good reason.
"Our finances still have some breathing room. The real problem is that we can't obtain supplies."
Thanks to the compensation they'd received from Salen, money itself wasn't the issue. The biggest problem was that the money they possessed was useless. Money that couldn't be spent was no different from scraps of paper.
They couldn't even secure food, so they had been unable to prepare school meals. On top of that, their main source of income—the requests—had been completely severed. In other words, the Iron Shield was now completely isolated.
"And in order to make money, we need to complete requests. But even those have all been cut off due to Hades' pressure."
"...What if we use other merchants..."
"That's difficult too. Hades Guild manages all goods and merchant caravans entering Gideon."
"......"
"Do you understand now? Raising a banner of rebellion against Hades is no different from turning all of Gideon into your enemy."
They couldn't earn money, and even if they had it, there was nothing they could do with it. This was the true power of the Hades Guild. Only now did the other guild members truly feel the weight of that power anew.
"There is a way."
Yet in a situation where no answers seemed possible, the only one to offer a solution was Isaac. Sophia tilted her head. Was he saying there was an answer even in this situation? Or perhaps...
"You're not suggesting we declare war on the Hades Guild, are you?"
"Of course not. As long as they don't touch my family, that won't happen."
"Then what scheme are you cooking up this time?"
"We'll trade with the Golden Deer."
The unexpected answer made both Hans and Sophia's expressions harden. Isaac tilted his head in confusion. What? Why are they reacting like this?
However, the others excluding them simply looked puzzled.
"The Golden Deer? What is that?"
"It's..."
"A commercial guild spread widely across the continent. If we're talking purely about influence, it rivals even that of Hades."
The one who answered Yuliana's question was surprisingly Diego. Yet even his expression wasn't particularly good. Everyone's reactions are pretty bad, Isaac thought as he continued.
"As Diego said, the Golden Deer can ignore Hades' influence to some extent. They're the most free organization in Gideon, after all."
It wasn't wrong. In truth, aside from a few restrictions, the Golden Deer was the commercial guild that could operate most freely within Gideon. However, no matter how he thought about it, this didn't seem like a good choice.
"Master, the Golden Deer are people without blood or tears."
"Honestly, I'm not fond of them either. Those pieces of trash..."
"I know that too."
Seeing Hans and Sophia's reactions, Isaac became certain. Their past must have been connected to both the Pope State and the Golden Deer. But as sorry as he felt for them, there was no other sharp solution right now.
"I understand what you're worried about. But it'll be fine."
Trust me.
A massive golden deer head, as if taxidermied, hung on the wall. Yet even such an enormous piece of gold seemed like a mere trifle compared to the palace-like building before their eyes. The structure stood roughly four stories tall. Though the architectural style differed, it gave off the feeling of a modern department store.
Most of the guild members were left speechless by the unprecedented splendor, staring blankly in awe. At the entrance, an elderly man dressed impeccably in a tuxedo awaited them.
Hans clicked his tongue at the sight. Cunning bastards. They already knew we were coming.
"You are Isaac Silvertehr, Guildmaster of the Iron Shield, correct?"
"I am."
"A pleasure to meet you. I am called Gertz of the Golden Deer."
"Is the master of the Golden Deer inside?"
"Yes, that is correct."
Gertz nodded and turned with elegant grace. He then threw open the firmly closed golden doors. A brilliance that easily surpassed the outer splendor flooded their vision. Quite literally, everything was made of gold. The stairs, the walls, the ceiling—even the smallest decorations. And at the center lay a red carpet.
Isaac clicked his tongue. This puts a palace to shame.
"Welcome to my palace, Isaac Silvertehr."
Descending the golden staircase with arrogant steps was a woman whose brilliant golden hair shone more beautifully than any ornament adorning her body. Her blue eyes shifted.
"Who are you?"
"My introduction is late. My name is Taite. I am the person in charge of commanding the Golden Deer’s Gideon branch."
"We came to make a deal."
Despite her stunning appearance that might have captivated anyone else, Isaac lightly ignored it and went straight to the main point. It was a rude attitude, but Taite didn't mind. On the contrary, she found herself slightly intrigued.
"Going straight to business?"
"There's no need for either of us to drag this out."
"I like how refreshing that is."
Gideon was full of snakes wearing the mask of heroes. And that was especially true among the major guilds. It was only natural. They were the ones who used politics to gain advantages from Hades. After dealing only with such serpents who hid even their main points and tried to squeeze out even the slightest extra profit, encountering someone who spoke so directly and refreshingly was bound to leave a favorable impression.
"Then what is it that you desire?"
"Supplies."
"Food, equipment, and various other goods available in Gideon. Is that correct?"
"It is."
"That much is not difficult."
Of course, it was essentially the same as openly rebelling against Hades. But since Hades also owed a considerable debt to the Golden Deer, they would likely only face token restrictions at most.
'Especially if I consider her plan.'
Taite gazed at the man before her, lost in thought. So this is the man who achieved victory against that witch Veronika. If so, he would be an existence very close to her own objectives.
'Shall I test him a little?'
"How much will it cost?"
"We have no need for money. We take what we require."
"Then what do you want?"
"Well, how about that girl standing back there?"
Taite smiled as she pointed at the girl behind him. The pink-haired girl she indicated—Sasha—instinctively hid behind Diego, who stood right beside her.
This was her test. If they didn't make the deal, they would all slowly wither away. But to survive, they would have to sell their family. Yes, this was reality. Without sacrifice, there could be no gain. So, what choice would this guildmaster—who claimed to value family so dearly—make?
The answer came surprisingly quickly.
Isaac cut it off cleanly. "That is impossible."
"Then we shall consider this deal never happened."
So he was just a fool who didn't understand reality. Taite lost interest in an instant. An idealist who refused to compromise with reality would only meet ruin in the end. There was no need to pay him any further attention.
"Instead, I can offer you something else."
"That won't be necessary. What I want is that child."
"You'll regret this."
Did he still not understand his position? How foolish, not even knowing who held the upper hand and who was at a disadvantage. But that thought vanished like an illusion the moment Isaac placed his hand on his sword.
'What... is this...?'
An overwhelming aura that crushed the entire body. It felt as if a thick rope were tightening around her throat, cutting off her breath. Even Taite, a seasoned veteran who had traded with countless people, found the pressure unbearable.
"...What is this other thing you speak of?"
Isaac answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Your lives."