The Return of the Grand Master
Have these bastards collectively lost their minds?
"Whew... We're finally back. This expedition was seriously long..."
"Agreed, Brother. Honestly, it wasn't that difficult, but it just took way too long."
"I'm so sick of it, Brother. If I hear the word 'undead' one more time, I think I'll vomit."
Maximus, a Grand Master-class adventurer.
Boasting copper skin and a heavily muscled physique, he had just arrived in the capital alongside his two companions, Gaius and Savannah, with his signature giant axe slung across his back.
The Northern Expedition had taken a full month longer than originally scheduled.
Although it had nothing to do with the Demon King who once ruled the western continent, the crisis—sparked by a massive horde of undead marching south under the command of a high-tier undead, a Black Lich—had proven incredibly taxing, even for a Grand Master-class party like Maximus's.
An endless tide of undead and the powerful lich directing them.
To prevent the northern territories from being utterly ravaged by the monsters, Maximus and his fellow adventurers had been forced to expend far more time and effort than anyone had anticipated to hold the line.
Fortunately, at the final hour, Maximus had steeled his resolve for a deathmatch and shattered the Black Lich's skull with his axe, bringing the crisis to a narrow close. Yet the memory of that brutal, grueling battle still sent a chill down the spines of the veteran Grand Master party.
"Well, whatever. It's all over now, so let's go file our report and grab a drink."
"Understood, Brother."
"If you're buying, Brother, I'm definitely in."
With their minds set on drinking their fill and getting some much-needed rest, Maximus's party headed straight for the Adventurer Guild.
However...
"...Huh? What's going on over there?"
"There's a huge crowd gathered... Did something happen?"
A massive crowd of people was packed tightly around the entrance of the Adventurer Guild.
A few of them were adventurers like Maximus's group, but the vast majority appeared to be ordinary citizens residing in the capital.
From wealthy-looking merchants dressed in lavish attire to farmers in threadbare, shabby clothes, a diverse crowd had gathered. Sensing something strange, Maximus approached them.
"Hey, what's all the commotion about?"
"Ah, Lord Maximus! Welcome back."
When he called out to a familiar-looking adventurer, the man reacted instantly. As one of the strongest combatants on the continent, Maximus's reputation as a Grand Master adventurer was known to almost everyone in the profession, making the reaction entirely natural.
"Save the pleasantries. Can you explain the situation? Why are there so many people gathered here at this hour?"
"Ah... Well, the truth is, it's because of that over there."
Hesitating slightly, the adventurer pointed toward the bulletin board near the guild entrance.
Maximus and his companions turned their gaze toward the official notice posted on the board.
The contents read:
[Official Guild Notice]
By order of the Guild Master, commission fees for all adventurer ranks are hereby increased by 300% (3x), effective immediately.
"W-What... What in the world is this? They're raising the adventurer commission fees by three times?"
"Wait, if it's three times... an Iron rank gets 3 gold per commission, and Bronze gets 6 gold... so for us, it's... 450 gold..."
"It's 750 gold, Sister."
"Right, right, that. 750. Anyway, this is great! Honestly, I was worried our workload would dry up after the Demon King died, but now the commission fees have shot up like this."
Savannah, not fully grasping the broader implications, was genuinely delighted by the prospect of their income tripling.
In stark contrast to her reaction, however, deep concern and bewilderment washed over the faces of Maximus and Gaius.
"What kind of madness is this? Has Seton lost his mind? How could he authorize such an absurd increase?"
"This is bad... This kind of trend is dangerous."
Maximus grimaced, his already intimidating face hardening into a fierce scowl.
Seeing this, the adventurer spoke in an even more hushed, cautious tone.
"Um... Lord Maximus, have you not heard the news?"
"News? What news? If you mean the Demon King being defeated, I heard about that on my way here..."
"No, not that... I mean the news that Lord Seton was ousted from his position as Guild Master."
"...What?"
At those words, Maximus fell into a stunned silence, as if he had been struck on the head with a warhammer.
A moment later, barely managing to compose himself, his expression hardened further as he demanded in an urgent voice:
"Wait... What absolute nonsense is that? Tell me everything! Seton was ousted? Even if the Demon King was subjugated, there's still a mountain of work left to do. Why? On what grounds?"
"Well... I heard he was kicked out on charges of embezzling guild funds. They say His Majesty the Emperor was furious..."
"Embezzlement? No, did His Majesty actually believe that? That Seton, of all people, would do such a thing? That's an outright lie!"
"I don't know the exact details, but that's what happened. Word is that the Hero Party and the guild executives worked together to make it happen..."
The guild executives, whom Seton had practically raised himself, and the Hero Party were involved in this.
Even common bandits understood the concept of loyalty. For the so-called Hero to commit such a betrayal was enough to spark intense disgust.
"Those ungrateful beasts... So, who the hell is running the guild now?"
"The... the position of Guild Master went to the Hero who defeated the Demon King..."
"The Hero? You mean Judah? That bastard Judah?"
"Y-Yes, that's correct... I-I'm sorry I couldn't give you better news..."
"Tsk..."
As Maximus's fury flared, a terrifying aura of raw combat energy began to roll off him.
The adventurer cowered in fear. Realizing he was letting his anger get the better of him, Maximus forced himself to suppress his emotions.
"...My apologies. I didn't mean to lose my temper. Thank you for explaining."
"N-No, it's fine... Well, I'll be on my way then."
Still visibly shaken, the adventurer quickly scurried away.
Apologetic as he was to the man, Maximus recognized that the situation was spiraling out of control. He turned to his companions with urgency.
"Let's go inside. We need to find out exactly what the hell is going on."
"Right, Brother!"
"U-Understood, Brother."
Pushing past the protesting crowd, Maximus and his companions forced their way into the building.
Using his superior strength and massive frame to part the sea of people, he headed straight for the guild's main office, biting his lip in frustration.
Seton was the man who had led the Adventurer Guild flawlessly, and to countless adventurers like Maximus, he was a savior.
Though he rarely fought on the front lines himself as Guild Master, his flawless, reliable support and brilliant strategic mind had allowed the adventurers to fight monsters with peace of mind and secure victory.
Even if the Hero Party had slain the Demon King, Maximus knew very well that they could only achieve such a feat because Seton had been backing them up with everything he had until the very end.
Have these crazy bastards collectively lost their minds just because the Demon King is dead? How could they commit such a vile betrayal instead of showing gratitude to the man who contributed the most?
For Maximus, who valued honor and loyalty above all else, this was utterly unacceptable.
Determined to uncover the truth, he began to march through the Adventurer Guild, demanding answers.
"Haha! This is absolutely magnificent. To think there's a position where money just rolls in even if you do nothing. This is why a man needs to rise in the world!"
"I agree. While we were out there suffering and risking our lives to defeat the Demon King, Seton was sitting back and enjoying all this wealth by himself."
Judah, the new Guild Master, was conversing cheerfully with his companion, Vilado—the slender, blonde elf archer of the Hero Party.
Piles of gold coins, representing this month's revenue for the Adventurer Guild, lay stacked before them.
There was the bounty granted by the Emperor to celebrate the defeat of the Demon King, the regular funding, and the newly tripled commission fees.
Including the funds stored in the vault, it was a staggering sum amounting to millions of gold coins. For people who had previously scraped by, collecting only a few hundred gold at a time, it was a mind-boggling fortune.
Heh, now all that's left is to set up a natural route to funnel this money into my own pockets. Of course, I can't touch the funds that are already earmarked for specific expenses, but I can easily siphon off the rest by setting up a few paper companies...
Judah smiled happily, imagining the golden future ahead of him.
Right then—
"W-Wait a moment! You can't just barge in like this—"
Crash!
With a loud slam, the door to the office was violently thrown open.
Judah and Vilado snapped their heads toward the intruder who had committed this sudden, rude disruption.
"That's a bit violent for a reunion, don't you think?"
"What is the meaning of this, Maximus? You are in the presence of the Guild Master. Show some respect."
"Judah... you bastard..."