Before Becoming a Hero (2)
Another month had passed. During that time, Isaac had devoted himself entirely to the education of Zeek and her younger sister Jini. Thanks to that, the other guild members had handled every commission that served as the guild's source of income. Even so, things were finally reaching their limit. Of course, no one had shown it outwardly.
Isaac, who always thought of his guild members, naturally hadn't missed those subtle signs. Zeek was now eight years old. It was far too young an age to take on her first commission, but if he treated her as a squire and assigned only supportive tasks, there shouldn't be any major problems. Isaac nodded to himself.
"You've all worked hard until now."
"What's this all of a sudden?"
"Yeah! Don't just brush it off with words—give us something!"
"Understood. I'll provide performance bonuses and vacation time."
"Huh? Really??"
Heroes received work through guilds. Naturally, they handled dangerous tasks and received compensation, but the guild took thirty to as much as fifty percent of it. After all, the guild was the one that introduced the commissions. However, Isaac had set a policy of taking only twenty percent as a fee. Even then, if a member performed diligently, he would grant performance bonuses and vacation time to comfort both body and mind.
This was a bold policy Isaac had implemented out of guilt, having only paid attention to the new recruits, but it came as a tremendous shock to Sophia, Hans, and even Las.
"Honestly, I'm a bit worried."
"There's no need for concern."
"How can we not worry?! If you give away this much, what'll be left?!"
"Why wouldn't there be anything left?"
Las and Dig, being complete newcomers, were one thing, but Sophia and Hans were Isaac's business partners. If the guild went bankrupt from such excessive generosity, that would be a serious problem in itself. Las shared the same concern—at the very least, the guild couldn't afford to collapse right now.
Whether he knew their worries or not, Isaac smiled and said, "You all are what's left."
"Huh……?"
"Besides, the fact that you've all worked hard is undeniable. Rewarding you accordingly is part of a master's duty."
Isaac's words were true. While he had spent two months focused on Zeek, if the others hadn't handled commissions, the guild's finances would have hit rock bottom. But thanks to Hans and Sophia—not to mention Las, who had particularly distinguished himself—the guild's finances were now comfortable, and their rank had risen, allowing them to receive more commissions.
Of course, it was still far too early for Zeek to handle commissions on her own. But if Isaac took her along personally and taught her various things as support, it shouldn't pose any major issues.
"You've all worked hard. Take three days to rest thoroughly before returning."
"G-getting vacation so suddenly…"
"……This is troubling."
"Isn't it obvious what a man and woman should do?"
"Hey!!!"
Sophia shouted with a flushed face, and Isaac chuckled at the sight. Well, they were in the prime of their relationship. Three days would be more than enough.
"Wow! Vacation! Then can I take three days off too?!"
"You can't."
"Why not?!"
"While the others were handling commissions, think carefully about what you were doing."
Dig was naturally an exception. If he had even half the effort of Sophia and Hans, or even half of his peer Las's dedication, Isaac could have granted him vacation out of appreciation for his effort. Unfortunately, Dig had spent that time focused solely on slacking off. The others had given him hints, but Dig hadn't listened. He had simply collected his salary from the guild. Naturally, he couldn't receive any rewards. While his peer Las had his salary raised in recognition of his contributions, Dig still received pay similar to the newcomer Zeek's.
"Embracing everything just because they're family is negligence. Making them realize their mistakes and correct them themselves—that is the best education. That is what it means to be a teacher."
'If he still doesn't come to his senses in the end, I'll have to fire him.'
Isaac had wrapped the words "fire him if he doesn't come to his senses" in a presentable package, but to the guild members, his words struck their hearts like arrows. At the same time, they realized that Isaac truly thought of them as family.
In the end, unable to sway Isaac's firm resolve, they departed for their three-day vacation. Dig grumbled but couldn't argue, left alone to guard the guild.
"The guild suddenly feels so quiet."
"Most of them left on vacation."
"Then are we training again today?"
"No. From today onward, your training is up to your own discretion."
"What do you mean……?"
Zeek tilted her head with a question mark, and Isaac held up a piece of parchment.
"This is your first commission."
I commission you in the name of Lord Fragah of Salen.
Despite the grandiose name and ornate parchment, the commission's rank was only D-Rank. This was because Salen itself wasn't a particularly dangerous land. Rather, it could be called the most livable land—at least for now.
Isaac looked at Zeek, who was reading the parchment beside him. Zeek blinked and asked, "Master, how do you read this part?"
"Let's see…… It says, 'I would like you to deal with the insects targeting my daughter.'"
"Insects? Does it mean magical beasts that are insects?!"
"Well, something like that."
Isaac couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth. It was still too early, but she would understand when the time came. Zeek pointed at the D-Rank written on the parchment.
"What does this D-Rank mean?"
"Rank indicates the danger level of the commission."
"Is D-Rank very low?"
"It's practically the lowest rank."
Ranks existed from F-Rank to S-Rank, but since F-Rank commissions could be handled by the nation or territory itself, D-Rank was effectively the lowest in Gideon. Of course, not all escort commissions were low-rank. Most escort commissions were at least B-Rank or higher. However, this commission had an unusually low rank because Salen was an extremely safe territory, and the request was essentially the lord hiring a hero for his daughter's sake.
Isaac thought to himself, 'Preventing pests from clinging to his daughter while also showing his daughter, who has never left the territory, what a real hero looks like. It's not that difficult a commission.'
After all, Salen was protected by the Holy Knights and received absolute protection from magical beasts. Moreover, its harvests were always bountiful, and it overflowed with resources—a blessed land. At least on the surface, that was how it appeared.
The carriage carrying Isaac and Zeek finally entered Salen. Outside the window stretched beautiful mountains and a vast expanse of water resembling a sea. Zeek let out an exclamation.
"Wow, it's so beautiful……!!"
"Salen is often called a blessed land. They say every resource in this land flows here."
"Then isn't that amazing?"
"Only if you live without knowing anything."
At Isaac's bitter tone, Zeek tilted her head in confusion. Just then, the carriage that had been galloping along crossed the moat and entered through the castle gates.
"It seems we've arrived."
"Wow……"
Zeek had exclaimed at the sight of the vast waters, but after entering the castle, she couldn't even speak properly. She was overwhelmed by the massive, imposing walls. The walls seemed determined not to allow any invasion, towering and majestic, with red banners fluttering atop them.
Isaac clicked his tongue. "I've never seen such enormous walls before."
"You've never seen a castle like this either, Master?"
"There probably aren't many like this in the world."
'Besides, I'd never seen a real castle before.'
To see such grand castles in the modern world, one would have to go abroad, and Isaac certainly hadn't had that luxury. While they were marveling, someone approached.
"I'm simply grateful that you admire it so much."
Behind him stood knights in white armor. At the front was a burly middle-aged man with red hair and a beard, smiling. Isaac recognized him at a glance.
"A pleasure to meet you. Lord Fragah of Salen."
Yulis Fragah. The lord who ruled Salen and the one who had issued the commission. Yet despite being the lord of the blessed land of Salen, there was a shadow over his eyes. Isaac had already known he had a hearty and modest personality, but he hadn't expected the commander of the Holy Knights to personally come greet a hero from Gideon. This, Isaac hadn't anticipated.
"Come inside. I've prepared some light refreshments and tea. Let's talk while we eat."
'There's no vitality in his voice at all. It's like a corpse……'
Outwardly, he appeared incredibly strong and warm, but for some reason, Zeek couldn't sense any life in his voice. Rather, she felt a chill from the sight of him.