Becoming the Guild's Disgrace (4)
"Ho ho, quite the reception you've sent my way, haven't you?"
The woman inside the VIP room spoke the moment I entered. It was obvious "reception" didn't mean anything ordinary. The Kingdom of Jenoran was the most sexist nation of all, so this reaction was exactly what I'd expected.
"R-Reception? No, I'm the receptionist..."
"Receptionist? You dare send a lowly clerk to deal with the great ninth princess of Jenoran?"
"I'm... acting vice guild master, for now..."
"No different from a clerk. I didn't expect Veronica herself, of course."
"Haha..."
She was already getting on my nerves from the start. This was going to be a tough one. I sat cautiously across from her.
"I'm Vivaldi..."
"Fine, Vivaldi. I am the ninth princess of Jenoran, Evolaine Gratkhan."
"It's an honor to meet Princess Evolaine of Jenoran."
"No time to waste—straight to business. Your guild unilaterally notified us that you can't supply high-grade magic stones anymore. What's going on?"
"W-Well... the Monster Protection Association requested we stop hunting monsters, so..."
"Do you take me for a fool? What reason do you have to obey the Monster Protection Association?"
"U-Um... their protests are disrupting operations. Even inside the Great Labyrinth, they're sabotaging adventurers to the point of endangering lives..."
"Then just crush them with force. Drive them all out of Labyrinth City—why act like idiots and do whatever they say?"
"U-Uh..."
BAM!
"Eek!"
As I tried to make another excuse, Princess Evolaine slammed the table with all her might. Her arms were crossed, but exoskeletal limbs had extended out—like Veronica's blood armor. A trait of the Khan race. Ordinary Khans like Gerda had four arms by default. Higher-grade ones looked like they had two at rest but could manifest these armored extras.
"Think I haven't figured out your scheme? You're using that as an excuse to deliberately delay supplies and jack up the price."
"N-No, it's a misunderstanding."
Thinking back now, the guild leaders probably did have that in mind. But not me, at least.
"I don't care about your excuses. Deal with the Monster Protection Association—expel them, wipe them out, whatever. You have the power. If supplies don't normalize immediately, we won't sit idle either."
"..."
My mission was to placate this princess somehow and send her packing. Losing Jenoran as a client would devastate the guild. But Jenoran needed high-grade magic stones just as badly. They were a powerhouse energy source, and every nation raced to develop tech around them. Cutting ties with us would leave Jenoran lagging in the global race.
So if I groveled just enough, she'd cool off and leave.
"...And if you 'won't sit idle,' what exactly will you do?"
"W-What did you say?"
But what if I pissed her off instead?
"What will you do? Don't need high-grade magic stones anymore?"
"You little...!"
My snarky tone made Evolaine's eyes blaze. Neither our guild nor Jenoran could afford to break the contract first. But the ruder I got, the more disadvantage we'd be in. Right now, when I should be suppressing my pride and acting subservient, they'd never let me—who'd harm the guild out of ego—off the hook. An acting vice guild master who caused that kind of disaster deserved exile.
"Attack the Monster Protection Association ourselves? Be reasonable. If it were that simple, we'd have wiped them out long ago."
I didn't even mean it, but I got heated mid-sentence and stood up. Evolaine just stared, dumbfounded.
"Jenoran might not get it with your backward human rights views, but those association folks have nationalities too. Slaughter them, and other nations will use it as an excuse to interfere in Labyrinth City."
"..."
"Then a war erupts over Labyrinth City. The winner takes all; the losers get nothing. Is that what you want?"
"..."
"We're trying our best here. If you can't even tolerate that, break the contract. Do whatever. It'd be worse terms than Jenoran, but places lining up to buy high-grade stones? We'd have no shortage."
"..."
I finished, plopped back down, caught my breath, and watched her reaction. I flashed a relaxed smile, but her quivering lips looked ready to spew curses.
In Jenoran, a man raising his voice to a woman was unthinkable. Especially when they were the ones furious, only for some nobody male to turn the tables—how infuriating must that be?
"...You bastard...!"
Evolaine finally opened her mouth, unable to hold back. I tensed my face, bracing for a slap.
"...Your words... do carry some logic..."
"Huh?"
"The Monster Protection Association has no sway in Jenoran, so I overlooked how annoying they are."
Against expectations, she lowered her voice.
"Delays in high-grade stones affect other nations too, so it's tolerable... But isn't your real aim to inflate market prices? That would be a problem."
"No need to worry about that."
Another figure entered the VIP room—Guild Master Veronica. She swept Evolaine's exoskeletal arm off the table with an even larger one of her own.
"Don't scratch it—it's expensive."
"V-Veronica."
"Just checked the warehouse. Reserves are ample. Deliveries will proceed as normal, at the contract price."
"Really?"
"Really—so get out."
"...Insolent bitch."
Princess Evolaine spat the insult, stood, and stormed out. Veronica sighed in relief as her figure vanished.
"Jenoran values lives by their material worth—even royalty's no exception. Disruptions to high-grade stones threaten her life, so she's on edge."
"I-Is that so?"
"You did well, by the way. I was late confirming reserves, but you bought us time nicely."
"Uh...?"
Veronica patted my head approvingly. Was I seriously getting praised after mouthing off to a princess?
No. This vibe—no!
"N-No...! More importantly, I was rude to the princess..."
"Jenoran's royals always see themselves as the strong. They think the strong can do anything to the weak. But the moment they realize they're not in that position, their brains freeze. You handled it perfectly."
No! I didn't think that deeply!
"Still..."
"Ow..."
Veronica gripped my chin with her fingers, turning my face side to side to check me over.
"Next time, prioritize your safety. Plenty would grieve if you got hurt. Good—no marks."
"I-I'm fine. If it got dangerous, Natalia would protect me."
"Even Natalia can't guard you every second..."
"...She's always by my side."
"...Got nothing better to do lately?"
Veronica glared at Natalia, who appeared without a sound. I'd just said it offhand, but she nearly made me scream.
My bed was single-sized. Lying here with her made it cramped and awkward.
"N-Natalia... I can sleep on the floor..."
"...No. Assassins might target you. Safest in my arms."
"Mm..."
She murmured with eyes closed, hugging me tight. The Monster Protection Association might send killers again, so she was guarding me. Grateful, sure—but being cradled by a woman bigger than me was overwhelming.
"Why do they want me dead...? Killing me changes nothing..."
"...Just venting. Your assembly speech turned all the arrows on them."
"The association... just wants me gone from here, right...?"
"...Vivi?"
Threats at the guild were bad enough; now tangled with the association. Part of me wanted to ditch it all and run. I probed her a bit.
"Warning me: if I value my life, abandon everything and leave Labyrinth City."
Testing if she'd let me quit the guild.
"...That would cause deep regret."
Her arms tightened slightly. Sounded like she had no intention of letting me go. Knowing she could snap my waist without trying, I shut up and let her hold me.