If Only He Were Here
“W-What do you mean by that? Forbidding us from departing for Balt Castle? For what reason?”
A holy knight with short silver hair stood fully armored in silver plate, having just finished her preparations for departure.
Jeness, a Master-class adventurer and one of the executives of the Adventurer Guild, asked the question with deep bewilderment written across her face.
“It is the Guild Master’s order. He has declared that the Adventurer Guild will cease all support for Balt Castle starting today. Instead, he has instructed your Master-class team to handle this task.”
With those words, the clerk handed over a single sheet of parchment.
Feeling a profound sense of confusion about the situation, Jeness took the paper and began scanning the details of the assigned mission.
It was...
“A... A noble’s hunting escort? A simple task like this could easily be handled by Platinum-class adventurers! You must know what kind of situation Balt Castle is in right now, don't you?”
Balt Castle was currently under a massive assault by monsters running rampant after losing control following the defeat of the Demon King.
It was the very place where Jeness and her companions had grown and established themselves as adventurers.
Even after rising to the Master rank and moving up to the central headquarters as executives, she and her comrades had never forgotten their old ties, constantly providing aid to Balt Castle whenever needed.
Yet, at this critical moment of crisis, as they prepared to march to the castle's defense, they were blocked by the unexpected wall of the Guild Master’s veto.
“I am sorry. I am merely delivering the Guild Master’s instructions. I have nothing to say regarding the details.”
“Tsk...”
The clerk who delivered the news replied in an awkward, apologetic tone.
He, too, seemed flustered by the situation. Realizing that pressing this man further would yield no answers, Jeness spoke in a firm, decisive voice.
“I will go and find out myself. The rest of you, wait here.”
“U-Understood, Sister.”
“Keep your gear on. I will get the authorization no matter what.”
After instructing her fellow adventurers to stand by, Jeness immediately rushed out of the tavern and headed toward the guild’s main headquarters.
Her steps were hurried and heavy.
The weight of the armor encasing her body felt exceptionally heavy today, and her breath, which usually remained steady even when swinging a greatsword, was ragged and shallow.
Damn it... Why... Why did things turn out like this? Hero Judah... How could you do this to me? How could you do this to the one who trusted and supported you?
Torn by a storm of complex emotions, Jeness finally arrived outside the Guild Master’s office. She spoke urgently to the guards standing watch at the door.
“Is the Guild Master inside?”
“He is not. Lord Judah left for Canna Castle yesterday. Lady Vilado is currently overseeing affairs in his stead.”
“Tsk...”
The man who held the final authority was absent.
Even so, Jeness could not afford to sit idly by and wait for Judah’s return.
“I am going in. Announce me.”
“Yes. Lady Vilado, Jeness is here to see you.”
“Send her in.”
With permission granted, the guards opened the door and let Jeness inside.
Immediately, Jeness saw Vilado sitting arrogantly in the Guild Master’s chair, sorting through piles of gold coins stacked high on the desk.
The elf archer of the Hero Party, Vilado.
She looked up at Jeness, who stood before her with a deeply troubled expression, and asked in a casual tone, “What brings you here at this hour, Jeness? If you are to carry out the mission the Guild Master assigned you, you had better hurry.”
“...”
As expected of a member of the Hero Party, Vilado was fully aware of her situation. Recognizing this, Jeness asked in a cold voice, “What... is the meaning of this?”
“The meaning of what?”
“This mission! Why are you assigning us such a trivial task? A noble’s hunting escort... That is something Platinum... no, even Gold-class adventurers are more than capable of doing!”
“That is true. But is there a problem with that? The Guild Master went out of his way to assign you an easy, highly profitable job. Instead of being grateful, your attitude is rather displeasing.”
“That is not what is important right now! If we throw ourselves into a job like this, what happens to the more urgent matter? What happens to Balt Castle!”
Indeed, with the commission fees having tripled recently, they could earn a handsome sum of gold if they, as Master-class adventurers, took on this task.
However, if the guild’s elite forces were deployed to such a trivial affair, it meant that the places that truly needed them—like Balt Castle—would suffer catastrophic damage in their absence.
“You know exactly how dire the situation is at Balt Castle right now, don't you? It is not too late. Please grant us permission to deploy. That is where we need to go.”
Jeness chose to prioritize her duty as an adventurer and her humanity over gold, formally requesting a change in their assignment.
However...
Vilado merely cast a cold, indifferent gaze at her and spoke.
“Did you not hear the message? By order of the Guild Master, the Adventurer Guild has ceased all support for Balt Castle. No matter what personal ties you have to that place, I cannot permit it.”
“Why... Why on earth would you do that?” Jeness asked, her voice laced with desperation.
Vilado tipped her teacup slightly and spoke in a calm, measured voice.
“Because they failed to meet our terms. To be precise, they declared they could not pay the amount we requested. If the fee does not match, it is only natural to reject the request. Are you not a Master-class adventurer? How do you not know such basic principles?”
“I told you, we will go! We do not care about the money, so if you would just permit us to go and help...”
“Listen to me, Jeness.”
Suddenly, Vilado began to release a crushing wave of magical pressure.
Even though Vilado was unarmed, she was still one of the strongest figures in the Empire and a member of the Hero Party. The sheer weight of her power made Jeness’s body instinctively tense up in fear.
“You seem to be misunderstanding something. This is not a request; it is an order. Even if you wish to go on a charity mission, the guild will not permit it. Do you understand what that means?”
“...”
Once again, Vilado made it clear that departure was strictly forbidden.
Despite the overwhelming pressure bearing down on her, Jeness squeezed out her next words.
“Why?... Why are you... and Lord Judah making such a cruel decision?”
“It is troublesome when you frame it that way. This is simply a matter of clear, basic market principles. If you pay, the work gets done. If you do not, it does not. Even the common laborers on the street understand this, do they not?”
“! Tsk...”
“Because Seton acted like a fool, those boundaries became blurred for a time. But now, we must correct it. The reason we cannot permit your departure is to establish a firm standard. We must weed out those who have been using the Adventurer Guild for pocket change.”
The implications of her words were terrifying.
Yet Vilado spoke of it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Jeness, trembling, attempted to protest one last time, her voice small but desperate.
“Even if... even if countless people die in the process? Balt Castle has a population of ten thousand. Do you really... do you really intend to let them all die?”
“You speak as if we are the ones committing murder. It is the monsters killing those people, not us. Watching a human get eaten by an ogre is not a crime, is it?”
“...”
“No exceptions can be made. If we start making concessions, there will be no end to it. We must cut them off decisively. Now, go quietly and carry out the noble’s escort mission. That client is one of our guild’s major sponsors, so I will not tolerate any mistakes.”
The more she listened, the more Jeness’s stomach churned at Vilado’s words.
Ultimately, Jeness realized she could not convince her and had no choice but to walk out of the office.
...Why... did it turn out like this... Why...
Without even thinking of returning to the tavern, Jeness stood in the corridor as tears began to stream down her face.
At this moment, the faces of the people she had known since her days as a novice Iron-rank adventurer flashed through her mind.
The residents of Balt Castle.
The tavern owner who always greeted her with a warm smile.
The blacksmith with his hearty, booming laugh.
The lord of the castle, who seemed cold but was always kind.
And the little girl whose name she didn't even know, who would occasionally gift her pretty flowers.
Knowing that she had to leave those people, who were surely waiting for her even now, to die...
Jeness began to sob, overwhelmed by a crushing sense of guilt, agony, and helplessness.
And amidst her despair...
A face naturally surfaced in her mind.
It was the face of the former Guild Master, Seton Kailos.
If only... if only he were here... This would never have happened...
He was a man who prioritized protecting people above all else, a man who would never have tolerated such a tragedy.
And in the past, whenever she had gone out to help Balt Castle without an official request, he had never stopped her. Instead, he had quietly supported her from behind the scenes.
Yet, despite receiving such grace, Jeness had taken it all for granted back then, never truly feeling grateful to him.
She had believed that helping people was her natural duty as an adventurer, and that receiving support for it was a right she deserved to enjoy.
Because of those thoughts...
Jeness, like the other executives who had been swayed by the Hero’s words, had participated in Seton’s impeachment without a single shred of hesitation.
Rather, the Hero’s promises to improve their funding and resolve the financial constraints they felt even after reaching the Master rank had tempted her greatly.
But now, Jeness finally realized.
Her foolish greed had brought about a consequence far more horrific than she could have ever imagined—the deaths of the people she cherished.
At the same time, she realized that the man she had driven out was the very shield that had been protecting everything precious to her all along.
Despairing over the fact that she had realized this far too late...
And finally recognizing how much that man had done for her...
Jeness wept, offering a belated apology to the man who was no longer there.
...I'm sorry... I'm so... truly sorry... Lord Seton...