Chapter 45: Crazy bitch (3)
“If I die, do you think Cha Hee-ra will let you off?!”
The old man shut his mouth at my words.
Of course, this was a blatant lie. If Cha Hee-ra was here, she would have laughed. She and I had hardly talked, but it was enough for me to get a glimpse of her personality.
What I spouted was some ridiculous bullsh*t, but it was something that the old man took at face value.
Perhaps something like this had happened to him in the past.
Regardless of whether they were willing to provide for us or not, I had already made it a point to possibly contact Cha Hee-ra again.
Seeing that the old man was still silent at this point, he still must have been mulling over in his head. I was torn between wanting to and not wanting to know the scene that must have been playing in his head.
“What… what is this bullsh*t…”
“I’ll see if it’s bullsh*t or not. Do you want to find out?”
“…”
It had gotten pretty quiet. I thought I might have gotten through him.
The weight from the name, Cha Hee-ra of the Red Mercenary Guild, really did seem to be heavy. The fact that the Red Mercenary Guild had little friendly relations with the Blue Guild also did not sit well with them.
Nobody wanted to mess with that monstrous clan, and it wasn’t just because of the legendary stats they possessed. They were one of the largest guilds in the Holy Empire, and she was the one who had the highest stats and combat abilities among everyone we had seen today.
Putting myself in the old man’s shoes, killing an arrogant little boy was hardly worth gaining the potential ire of such a person. The status of the Blue Guild now seemed like a candle waiting to be extinguished by the wind.
‘Huh. So this is how it is.’
A frightened dog barks the loudest, after all. This is what my grandfather has taught me.
“With Cha Hee-ra…”
“That’s not what you need to know. It doesn’t matter whether we had a relationship from Earth or whether we love each other or not. The important thing is that the Blue Guild, which has the right to bargain, threatened the new recruit who had just entered this place with force, and this should not be known outside. After all, even the Blue Guild flinches at the mention of a scary force like the Red Mercenary Guild.”
“…”
“I don’t know how this place works, but it doesn’t seem like there are enemies around… You don’t want to hand over the bargaining power you have to other guilds, and I don’t know why you won’t take this attitude. I did not come here to fight, but to negotiate. No matter how drunk on the glory of the past, doesn’t anyone seem to have a problem with this attitude, even ignoring the words of their superiors? Or, is your ability to judge the situation so low that you can’t even recognize the problem now?”
“You…”
I stretched out slightly, finding out that I could move now. This was because the magical power that occupied this place from the moment Cha Hee-ra’s name came out had faded.
I slowly opened my mouth while maintaining a poker face as much as possible. It was crucial for me to hide my excitement now. I knew that in the case of this meaningless argument, the overly excited side loses.
“If you want to show that the Blue Guild is free and has an atmosphere similar to that of a family, then congratulations - it’s a big fucking success.”
“…”
“The problem is that someone you don’t like runs the group.”
“What?”
“You know what I mean.”
“What do you mean…”
“There are things you can see even if you try not to show them, Seolho Lee. It doesn’t really matter how you rate me. I also know very well that Kim Hyunsung and Jung Hayan are the ones you find of worth. I understand that you don’t like me. Yes, you haven’t done a good job hiding it at all.”
“…”
“However, you should have limited your actions. No matter how much power you have in this continent, your actions are still considered rude. I am not yet your subordinate.”
“This guy is still so cocky!”
This was it. Someone had overworked themselves with excitement.
Bang!
My head automatically turned to the source, as did Lee Seolho.
From a first glance, what happened was obvious. Lee Sang-hee, who couldn’t be more than a subordinate, had hit the desk with her fist.
“Lee Seolho.”
“Lee… Lee Sang-hee…”
“Do you know what you are doing now?”
“That is…”
“It’s serious.”
“Yeah?”
“Congratulations, you’re officially on probation. Get out and go back to the guild. Of course, right after you apologize to Kiyoung.”
I roughly expected this would happen.
There was only one action she could take to compensate for the old man’s actions, as he was obviously still drunk on their guild’s long-passed glory days.
“I am… For the guild…”
“I told you to apologize. I won’t tell you twice, Seolho Lee.”
As expected, you could see a crumpled expression on the old man’s face. It was too complex of a reaction. There was betrayal in there… and something else, something I couldn’t quite place.
However, I knew only Seolho Lee would truly understand this situation.
It was only a matter of time before he would speak again.
“I apologize… for my rude speech… it was unreasonable…”
“I will take it, seeing as I was also a little excited. Let me apologize.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
His expression was not the expression of someone who was genuinely apologizing. Upon saying this, Lee Seolho hurried out of the room. I tried my hardest not to smile.
As I looked at Lee Sang-hee with a gentle expression, I saw her also bowing down.
“I’m really sorry. It was due to my carelessness that I could not properly control the guild members. I really do apologize.”
“…”
I could not quite get Lee Sang-hee at this point. She had been so openly inviting and genuine ever since we first met her.
It wasn’t just a front.
It was rather embarrassing for someone like her to bow her head to a rookie, but she did it anyway and without hesitation.
Unfortunately, it would be a reasonable judgment to finish at this point.
“No, I’m also really sorry…”
“No, it was entirely our fault. Please…”
“If it’s a contract-related problem, you don’t have to worry.”
“Yeah?”
“I was being rude.”
“Ah…”
“I seemed to have come up with a story without thinking properly about the pride of the members of the Blue Guild. It was for negotiations, but I couldn’t say anything that would hurt the guild. I can’t justify Lee’s actions no matter what, but I can’t say that I did better than him.”
“Ah… Maybe with Cha Hee-ra…”
“I just made a small bond with luck. Getting acquainted with her will probably also help us.”
“Would that mean… May I accept it as a means of accepting the contract positively?”
“Of course. The terms of the contract will also be agreed with 10,000 gold instead of 15,000 gold. However…”
“Yeah?”
“I would like you to reconsider the holders of the main executive positions of the Blue Guild.”
“Ah…”
“I think you can understand why I am making this proposal.”
There was no guarantee that a dog-like situation like the one before will not happen again. There was also no guarantee that Seolho Lee would be the only man to act like that.
I did not intend to fall victim to any old geezer who wanted to try and crush me.
If it were a political fight, I would welcome it. However, this situation could make or break me.
“I don’t care if it’s simply a position of words.”
I’m guessing my value has risen more than before.
First of all, the biggest reason was that this side now had contact with the Mercenary Queen Cha Hee-ra. Recruiting our party would provide room for the Blue Guild to rub against the Red Mercenaries.
Of course, that was a big, fat lie. There was no reason for blue to start mixing with red.
If so, holding hands was an advantage that could not be converted into true value. It wasn’t just that either. They may also be thinking that we were suitable as a control force against the stagnant water that gnaws at guilds.
Perhaps, for her, the out-of-control gangs would be quite a headache. Considering the sudden behavior just minutes before, this guild had several problems.
It was for me, for her, and for the guild, that I proposed for them to give up a major executive position.
It was like saying, ‘I’ll fix this for you.’
Of course, there must be a difference between the outcome I wanted and the outcome she wanted, but I thought there would be no disagreement over the need to purify the rotten water.
“In fact…”
“Yes?”
“In the case of down payments, we can make the most of it. I didn’t even think about the major executive positions… I’m just cautious because it seems like you’re asking for a slightly larger rank than I think. Am I right?”
There was no need to lie.
I nodded, “That’s right.”
“As well as… I would like to tell you in advance that it can be difficult right now in the case of hero-grade items. It would be possible if you provided some time, but right now…”
“Ah.”
‘So, they are more valuable than I thought.’
I didn’t know if it was because of Ramus Tucker’s Introduction to Alchemy, which casually popped out of Kim Hyunsung’s magic bag, but I started to look at the top-level items a bit humorously.
“You don’t have to pay for the item right away. Unless our equipment is available right now…”
“Ah! If so, can I tell you after the internal meeting? It won’t take long.”
“Of course. It’s not an easy decision, so you can take your time.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
This was the outcome I was expecting right from the start, anyway. The only remaining issue would be what items are paid and how high the status would be guaranteed.
“Then, I’ll be on my way now.”
Only
“Yeah. Thank you, Kiyoung. And once again, I apologize for the rudeness.”
“No, no. I am also very sorry.”
I knew I also had to talk to another person before the day ended.
‘Cha Hee-ra…’
Was I playing with fire? I really didn’t know what could happen on this continent.
Kim Hyunsung, who was well-known, may suddenly be preyed on, or some crazy old man, like Seolho Lee, might make an elaborate plan to victimize me.
The reality was that we would not be safe with whatever we picked as a party.
‘I need to have a backbone from now on.’