Let's Sit Back and Watch It Fall Apart
Maximus marched into the room, his face twisted into a menacing scowl.
As one of the leaders of the only four Grand Master-class adventurer teams in the entire empire—including the Hero Party itself—he carried a heavy, undeniable presence. Harnessing that sheer pressure, he directed his raw fury at the new Guild Master standing before him.
Or rather, at the filthy traitor.
"Judah! How could you do this? Of all people, you stabbed Lord Seton in the back! Have you forgotten his grace so easily?!"
"...Good grief."
"Honestly, I wondered what all the fuss was about, and it turns out you came all this way just for that? You really have too much time on your hands."
Judah and Vilado reacted with sheer disbelief at Maximus's outburst.
Seeing their dismissive attitude only stoked the flames of Maximus's anger, his voice rising to a heated pitch.
"Just for that?! He took you in when you were nothing but a wretch crawling in the gutters and raised you to be the Hero! To betray such a man... how can you even call yourself human?!"
Maximus unleashed his burning wrath.
Yet, Judah merely responded in a perfectly calm, nonchalant voice.
"Come now... anyone listening would think I personally kicked the Guild Master out. I'm sorry, Maximus, but this was entirely the Emperor's decision. As His Majesty's loyal subject, I merely followed orders. Surely a brute like you isn't daring to question the Emperor's will?"
"Do you think I don't know you pulled the strings behind the scenes? I was a fool to ever consider you a comrade!"
With those words, Maximus drew the giant axe strapped to his back.
As a Grand Master adventurer unleashing his genuine bloodlust, the sheer combat aura radiating from him was staggering.
"I will teach you exactly what justice means right here and now, Judah!"
Maximus looked ready to plunge into battle at any second. However, Judah merely let out a soft scoff and stood up from his seat.
"Heh, you think you can take me? Well, if you're going to be like that, I suppose I have no choice."
With a fluid motion, the Hero Judah drew the sword at his waist.
It was a simple gesture, but an overwhelming pressure began to pour from the man who had slain the Demon King.
The atmosphere in the room froze instantly, forcing Maximus to furrow his brow in spite of himself.
"I actually valued your abilities and wanted to treat you well... but unfortunately, I'll have to execute you on the spot for daring to defy the Emperor's decree."
"Try it if you can, you filthy traitor!"
The Hero radiated a terrifying force, proving that his title of Demon King slayer was no exaggeration.
Maximus felt an instinctive sense of danger creep over him, but he refused to take a single step back, maintaining his combat stance.
He knew his opponent was stronger than him.
But even in a fight with miserable odds, he was more than willing to throw his life away to keep faith with his benefactor.
Inside the Guild Master's office—the very heart of the Adventurer Guild—the two peak warriors unleashed their murderous intent and mana, preparing to strike each other down.
Right then.
"Maximus! Stop this instant!"
"! Yulia?"
"..."
A female mage stepped forward, staff in hand, placing herself directly between Maximus and Judah.
Yulia Redfield.
She was the leader of another Grand Master-class adventurer team.
Wearing a red robe, with short red hair and striking blue eyes, she deployed a barrier to separate the two men who looked ready to swing their weapons at any moment.
"Get out of the way, Yulia! I'm going to—"
"I told you to stop. My apologies, Guild Master. Maximus has had a bit too much to drink and acted rudely. Please show him mercy just this once."
"Drink? I'm perfectly—"
"How can you say that after downing so much? The stench of alcohol is practically rolling off you. Now, let us leave! Have you no shame, causing a scene inside the guild?"
"Ugh..."
"Tsk..."
Seeing Yulia try to defuse the situation, Judah slowly sheathed his sword.
Maximus desperately tried to push past her to continue the fight, but Yulia stood her ground. Backed by the rest of her team who had followed her in, they managed to drag the raging giant out of the room half-by-force.
"Tsk... noisy brute. Ruining my morning."
Once Maximus and Yulia's group had left, Judah clicked his tongue and sank back into his chair.
Vilado, who had been quietly watching the exchange, spoke up in a calm voice.
"What should we do? He dared to draw a weapon against the Guild Master. I believe a punishment is in order."
"...No, leave him be for now. There's no point in making a fuss when there's nothing that brute can actually do anyway. At times like this, a new Guild Master needs to show some generosity."
"Understood."
Deciding to let the matter slide, Judah went back to playing with his gold coins.
He wasn't in the best of moods, but securing the gold in front of him was far more important than dealing with a nuisance. He decided to put the trivial matter out of his mind.
By the way... where on earth is Annas? Shouldn't she have returned after completing the commission by now?
"Damn it!"
Maximus slammed himself into a chair, venting his frustration.
Yulia looked down at him, her voice cold.
"Have you lost your mind? What did you think you were going to accomplish with such a reckless stunt?"
"Yulia, why did you stop me? You of all people, who were so close to Lord Seton! Don't tell me you've betrayed him too, like the other executives who sided with the Hero?"
"This isn't about that! No matter how angry and frustrated you are, can't you see that attacking the Hero—who holds both absolute power and the law on his side—is nothing but a dog's death? For the sake of the exiled Lord Seton, we must suppress our emotions right now."
Yulia laid out the reality of the situation with cold logic.
Yet, Maximus still couldn't bring himself to accept it.
"So you're telling me to just shut up and do nothing? Fine, since we're talking about it, what were you doing while things fell apart to this extent?!"
"...Yes, I made a mistake. I shouldn't have left the guild to take that commission... I fell for their trap too easily when they said monsters had appeared in my hometown."
"!...Damn it. Those cunning bastards... they planned this whole thing from the start."
Realizing that Yulia had also been lured away by their schemes, Maximus's anger flared again.
Yulia spoke to him in a chillingly calm tone.
"But no matter how furious we are, we cannot afford to make a hasty move. If we do something reckless and give that cunning Hero an excuse to purge us, it will truly be the end."
"So we just sit here like cowards and watch? I am Maximus! I would rather die defending my loyalty than live like a coward!"
"We must survive if we want to plan for the future! Think about it. Right now, they hold the justification, the authority, and the raw power. They are at the peak of their influence. If we lash out blindly, we will only destroy any chance of a comeback. If even we get purged, who will be left to help Lord Seton when we finally find him?!"
"!..."
At the mention of Seton, Maximus finally fell silent.
Seeing him quiet down, Yulia took a breath to compose herself before continuing.
"Blindly rushing in isn't the only way to show loyalty and devotion. We must think about what will actually help him the most and act accordingly. In a disadvantageous situation like this, that is where our focus must be."
"..."
"Right now, our top priority is finding Lord Seton, whose whereabouts are unknown. The second is to keep our heads down and build our strength within the guild."
"Ugh..."
Though still burning with resentment, Maximus had no choice but to concede to Yulia's points.
Seeing him finally calm down, Yulia let out a sigh of relief.
She took a sip of the tea sitting in front of her and spoke in a quiet, measured voice.
"But... you don't need to be too anxious. Even if they are riding high right now, they won't last long."
"...What? What do you mean by that?"
Yulia's voice carried a deep, absolute certainty, far from mere wishful thinking.
Maximus questioned her, his curiosity piqued.
Yulia's eyes flashed sharply as she began to explain.
The world seemed to have found peace with the defeat of the Demon King.
However, as Maximus's team had just proven by subjugating a Black Lich—which had nothing to do with the Demon King—there were still plenty of threats to the empire.
Even the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's army were still alive, hiding somewhere and rebuilding their forces.
The crisis was far from over. To face what was coming, the guild needed to adapt and reform.
With the temporary breathing room they had, this was the perfect opportunity to restructure the systems that had grown rigid during the war against the Demon King.
Yet, at this critical juncture, the capable Guild Master Seton had been ousted, and Judah had taken his place.
To Yulia, this was a dark omen that would cast a shadow over the future of the Adventurer Guild, and by extension, the entire empire.
"The Hero Judah. His combat ability is undeniable. He defeated the Demon King, after all. He is also quite skilled at political maneuvering to seize power. But looking at his actions so far, he is simply not cut out to be the Guild Master."
"...Is it because he raised the commission fees? Granted, that goes against Lord Seton's principles, but isn't it a bit hasty to say he's unfit just because of that?"
"That is precisely where the problem lies. Setting aside personal beliefs, if he had even a shred of foresight... if he understood that our guild's role isn't just about killing monsters, he would never have raised the fees like this."
"Will that really cause such a major problem? What could possibly happen?"
"...Well, we will see soon enough."
With that, Yulia set down her empty teacup.
She turned her gaze to the window, quietly watching the crowd of citizens still protesting outside the building.
For now, let's just sit back and watch how spectacularly they ruin the guild.