Becoming the Guild's Laughingstock (3)
Adventurers enter the labyrinths to hunt monsters because the damn things multiply at an unbelievable rate. Once their numbers swell, they spill out and attack people. Barely a week after the adventurers stopped killing them, monsters started prowling the city streets.
Labyrinth City doesn't belong to any nation and has no central government of its own. To survive the monster threat, the only option was to pay up and get help from the adventurer guilds.
"H-Help! A monster's in my house!"
"Get lost, you bastard!"
"Gyaack!"
A man sprinting toward our guild hall went flying from a woman's kick.
"H-Hey, ma'am! You can't just boot people like that!"
Bella came rushing out from inside the hall to hold the woman back. The woman, with her bronze-skinned muscles on full display, was the owner of that smithy where Bella had apprenticed for a day. Her place had been overrun by monsters, so she was crashing at our guild inn like a bunch of other citizens.
The smithy owner was still fuming, jabbing a finger at the fallen man. "That punk lives next door to me—I know him! He's signed up with the damn Monster Protection Association!"
"For real?"
"N-No, that's not true! Th-Those horrific beasts all need to be driven out...!"
The man stammered desperately, but Bella leaned in, eyes narrowing suspiciously.
"Your word choice is fishy. 'Driven out'? Not killed?"
"Ah! I meant—"
"No excuses. We've got a surefire way to test you. Hey, Gerda!"
Bella bellowed Gerda's name in a voice as booming as her build. Gerda came scurrying out from the back, waving all four arms.
"You called for this girl, wa yo?"
"This guy's saying there's a monster in his house, but we gotta verify he's not full of crap first."
"Got it, wa yo! I'll prepare 'that,' wa yo!"
Gerda dashed back inside, buzzing with excitement, and soon returned with a few guild members in tow. They dragged what looked like a cart over and parked it in front of Bella.
—Kieeeek!
"Eek...!"
The man recoiled in horror at the thing in the cart. Its limbs and lower jaw had been ripped off and bound tight, leaving it shrieking in agony. Gerda approached him, each of her four hands gripping a differently shaped dagger.
"We at Tragodia feel deep responsibility for the citizens' suffering, wa yo. This happened because we neglected the Great Labyrinth, wa yo. So we're providing free room and board as a special measure."
Gerda spun the four daggers, grabbing them by the blades and offering the hilts to the man.
"But space and food are limited, so there's a condition, wa yo. Only those who can stab this monster four times get in, wa yo!"
"Gasp...!"
The horrified man couldn't even take the daggers, frozen in place.
"Can't do it, wa yo?"
"I-I'm not in the Monster Protection Association! I swear! I just... got scared...!"
"We've made sure it can't bite or claw—what's to be scared of, wa yo?"
Stab!
—Kieeeek!
"Gaaaaah!"
Gerda grinned and plunged one dagger into the monster's gut. The man clamped his hands over his ears and squeezed his eyes shut like he couldn't bear to watch.
"Is! This! So! Hard, wa yo?!"
Stab! Stab! Staaaab!
—Kieeeek!
"Aaaah! Stop! Please stop!"
As Gerda stabbed away relentlessly, the man screamed like he was trapped in a nightmare.
"See? I told you! No Monster Protection Association member would react like that!"
The smithy owner bellowed, eyes bloodshot at the man's pathetic display. She looked ready to drag him out herself if the guild members didn't.
"Alright, we'll take care of it, so calm down, ma'am."
"How can I calm down?! I haven't swung my hammer in days! I've got a family to feed!"
It was true—you couldn't ignore the value of loot from slain monsters. Low-level small fry only dropped magic stones worth anything, but high-level beasts from the Great Labyrinth's depths? Totally different story. Bones to support overwhelming weight, hides tougher than blades, teeth and claws that shredded armor, venom that melted rock. Everything but the rotten, indigestible meat was useful—from crafting adventurer gear to everyday items for folks who'd never seen a monster in their lives.
Halting monster hunts meant a complete cutoff of those vital materials. That forced smiths and countless other producers in the city to shut down. And all that pent-up rage was aimed squarely at the Monster Protection Association.
* * *
"Can we last a month on our remaining food?"
"Barely. If we ration tight, maybe two."
"Don't skimp. Everyone's on edge with no income. Tempers flare, and we lose control. Nothing boosts morale like full bellies."
Guild Master Veronica had dropped all other duties to focus on guild management alongside Vice Guild Master Helen. All because of the messes I'd caused on my own. I had to take responsibility somehow.
I hung my head and shuffled over to Veronica. "I'm sorry..."
"Shifting blame to the Monster Protection Association and going on strike? A splendid scheme, truly pleasing, Vivaldi."
"......"
"Surviving a month without income won't be easy, but once this blows over, request fees and material prices will soar. All to our benefit."
"B-But..."
"Clients growing ruder by the day was getting tiresome anyway. They'd forgotten adventurers risk their lives daily. This will strengthen our position—no more arrogance."
I'd been terrified at first she'd kill me for it, but now her not holding me accountable was the worry. Would she ever let anyone else talk...?!
"Anywaythelossesfromthismonthareallmyfault..."
"However."
I tried to rush it out, but Veronica wouldn't yield the floor.
"Acting without a word of consultation displeases me. Did you doubt this one's trust?"
"Yesmyunilateralactionwas..."
"Yet this one showed doubt in you first, so no complaints."
"No..."
"Guild Master! Can you check this out too?!"
"Coming. Vivaldi, you seem to have more to say—later."
Veronica turned and headed toward Kali.
"Phew. Finally, Veronica lets go of Auntie. Now then...!"
"Eek...!"
Helen plopped onto a tavern chair and yanked me into a hug, plunking me on her lap. Her back felt like warm, soft dough pressing against me. I tried leaning forward to escape the embarrassment, but her hand on my lower belly made it impossible.
"No work for Vivi lately, right? Play with Auntie!"
"N-No, I've got tons...!"
The first few days had fewer requests and less work, sure, but with citizens flooding in, things had piled up again. I'd only slipped out for a quick plea to the guild master: please discipline me.
"Vivi! Want some onigiri the big sisters made?"
"Taste-test before we serve everyone!"
The tavern guild members thrust onigiri at me. As they leaned down, their breasts swayed like ripe fruit, dangling low. Mortified, I fixed my eyes on the rice balls.
"D-Did you use different ingredients? It smells kinda... sweet...?"
"Mmm... yeah. A little something extra. Hehe."
"We worked hard making 'em—eat up!"
With more mouths to feed, the kitchen was busier than ever. Sweat beaded even under their arms from all the hustle. ...Though it looked like something else was sticking there too...
I reached for the suspiciously sweet-smelling onigiri amid a wave of heated stares.
"Vivaldi-nim!"
"Ah, emergency—!"
Spotting Marie rushing over, I seized the chance to wriggle free of Helen. A chorus of tchs, darns, and too bads erupted around us.
They'd probably spiked it with something spicy for a prank?
"What is it?"
"A top-priority client just arrived. Royalty from the Jenoran Kingdom."
The Jenoran Kingdom was where we shipped high-grade magic stones. Those couldn't be processed normally, so we sold them to nations with the tech.
"They're complaining about the halted deliveries. Should we report to the guild master...?"
For a client like that, etiquette demanded the guild master handle it personally—especially with Veronica already here.
But I couldn't pass up this chance. A perfect opportunity to tank my reputation even further!
"No, don't tell her. I'll handle it myself!"