The Kicked Out S-Rank Appraiser Creates The Strongest Guild

Chapter 31 Recruitment

Lucius was visiting a high-end restaurant favored by the wealthy.

This establishment was used by the town’s wealthy landowners and merchants for secret meetings and significant business negotiations.

(Good grief. What could this be about at such a busy time? I just explained the business plan for the future.)

Lucius had been summoned to this place by one of the investors in “The Golden Hawk,” a banker.

When Lucius entered the restaurant, he saw that the banker, who had arrived earlier, was smoking a cigar.

“My apologies. It seems I kept you waiting.”

“Oh, no, no, I’ve been enjoying myself. Now, let’s get straight to business, shall we?”

The banker stubbed out his cigar in the ashtray.

“What did you say?”

Lucius was stunned by the harsh announcement just made by the banker.

The banker, without moving a muscle, leaned back in his chair and continued to look at Lucius.

“You want to withdraw your funding from ‘Golden Hawk’ after this season… But why? Why now, of all times?”

“It’s simple. I no longer find your business appealing.”

The banker said this as he exhaled a plume of cigar smoke.

Purple smoke filled the room.

“Wait… please. It’s true that we fell behind ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree’ this month. But we still have the overall advantage. Give us another chance…”

“Laurent the Appraiser…”

The banker muttered.

Lucius’s face stiffened.

“The only S-class appraiser in this town and a specialist in training. He’s trained numerous adventurers at ‘The GoldenHawk’. I’m sorry, but I’ve done my homework. They say he trained Jill and Daevin. There’s also evidence that he mentored Alric and Savast. Since you and Laurent joined ‘The Golden Hawk,’ it has grown rapidly. You could say he’s been instrumental. Yet, for some reason, Laurent was recently expelled from ‘The Golden Hawk’. By none other than you. And now, he’s employed as a special advisor at ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree’. Since his arrival, they’ve conquered two dungeons and produced A-class adventurers. Meanwhile, ‘The Golden Hawk’ has had no promotions and lost two dungeons to its rivals.”

“So you’re saying this, aren’t you? That ‘The Golden Hawk’ became the top guild in town because of Laurent. That I’m just an incompetent who rode on Laurent’s coattails.”

“No, no, I wouldn’t go that far. But, from a management perspective, wasn’t expelling Laurent a mistake?”

“…”

“Laurent was one of the driving forces behind your rise as guild master, a comrade, perhaps even a close friend. Why did you expel him?”

“…”

“Well, if you don’t want to answer, that’s fine. In any case, I no longer intend to continue investing in your business. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

“Wait!”

Lucius grabbed the banker’s hand as he was about to leave with his receipt.

“We’re not done talking yet.”

“I have nothing more to discuss with you…”

“But I do.”

The banker, taken aback by Lucius’s desperate demeanor, hesitated.

“Please, sit back down.”

The banker, reluctantly, took his seat again.

“Certainly, Laurent may have had some involvement in the training of the A-class adventurers. But so what? No matter how much he trained A-class adventurers and their candidates, such as Alric, Savast, Jill, and Daevin, they are now under my control.”

“……”

“That’s right. If you say he can train A-class adventurers, then we just need to buy them up. In terms of financial power, the ‘Golden Hawk’ is still superior. If we poach those three who played a leading role in the recent dungeon conquest, we can regain our advantage.”

“Hmm, I see. That might be true. But if that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to simply recruit Laurent? There’s no need to keep him with the ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree’, is there?”

“No, that’s out of the question! That would defeat the purpose. The whole point is to keep Laurent with the ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree’ and have them shoulder the training costs.”

“……”

“Bringing him back would incur ridiculous expenses. Yes, exactly. That’s right. In the end, we expelled him because the costs far exceeded the benefits. If we keep pandering to his demands and spending money freely, the guild’s finances won’t hold up. You have no idea how much wasted money was poured into rookie adventurers who didn’t deliver any results while Jill and Daevin were coming into their own! ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree’ are likely doing the same thing.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

“Yes, it is. In the end, he’s just pouring a lot of money into rookies and occasionally picking up someone who happens to show promise. Operating like that isn’t sustainable.”

“Well, if you say so, I’ll leave it to you…”

“Excuse me, Guild Master.”

As they were talking, Deanna approached and whispered something into Lucius’ ear.

“What? Is that true?”

Lucius widened his eyes in astonishment.

“Yes, it’s confirmed information.”

“Is something the matter?”

The banker asked curiously.

“No, it’s nothing significant.”

Lucius smiled warmly.

However, inside, he was deeply unsettled.

“For now, shall we conclude our discussion here? I have some business to attend to, so I’ll be taking my leave.”

Lucius stood up and quickly left the shop.

Once he was out of earshot of the banker, he began discussing what Deanna had whispered to him.

“Let me confirm again, is what you said true? That Savast caused a violent incident and fled the city…”

“Yes, the police have even come to the guild. They want to conduct an investigation.”

(Damn it, Savast. Causing trouble at such a crucial time.)

Lucius had to issue a statement to the relevant parties as soon as he returned to the ‘Golden Hawk’ headquarters.

He declared that the ‘Golden Hawk’ had terminated its contract with Savast and had no further ties to him.

Therefore, the ‘Golden Hawk’ had no connection to the violent incident.

Lucius spent the next few days frantically trying to contain the fallout from the incident.

(Damn it, everyone keeps getting in my way. In that case… I must succeed in the poaching effort no matter what.)

At the headquarters lobby of the ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree,’ members were eagerly waiting around.

They chatted restlessly in the lobby, frequently glancing at the entrance to check on those arriving.

Finally, the person they had been waiting for appeared.

It was Laurent.

“Ah, it’s Laurent.”

“Good morning, Laurent.”

In no time, Laurent was surrounded by guild members.

“Laurent, please appraise my skills too.”

“Laurent, can you give me some advice as well?”

Everyone was eager to connect with Laurent, seizing the opportunity.

After all, getting close to him could pave the way to becoming an A-class adventurer.

“Whoa, hold on. I need to clock in first…”

Even as Laurent said this, they did not back down.

“Please, I’m sure you’ll find a great skill.”

“Is it true that a new unit is being formed? If so, please let me join. I promise I’ll be useful!”

“Sorry, I have a meeting. I’ll contact each of you later about skill appraisals and training plans.”

With that, Laurent somehow managed to shake them off.

Monica, Shaqma, and Euphene were watching the scene from a corner of the lobby.

“Laurent is really popular,” Euphene said, crossing her arms.

“Of course he is. Thanks to him, we were able to get promoted,” Shaqma said proudly.

“Yes, there were many useful things regarding unit management too. We must continue to receive his guidance.”

“Sigh…”

Monica let out a big sigh next to them.

“What’s wrong, Monica?”

Euphene looked at Monica curiously.

“Nothing. It’s nothing,” she said sulkily, looking down.

“Really? If you say so…”

“Oh, it’s already this late. I have to do that PR job the guild assigned,” Shaqma said, glancing at the clock on the wall.

“Oh, right. I was supposed to give an interview to a newspaper or something today. Monica, what about you?”

“I have an appointment with an artist to get my portrait done…”

“So, we’re all off to different tasks. Let’s meet again at lunchtime.”

“Yeah, see you then.”

Monica nodded dejectedly and parted ways with the other two.

“What’s up with her?”

“Who knows?”

Monica’s melancholy stemmed from an event that had happened the previous day.

Laurent and Lilianne had arrived at the guild together.

Their homes were supposed to be in opposite directions.

They called each other “Lily” and “Laurent,” looking very close.

Seeing this, Monica had fully realized what had transpired between them.

She understood that the faint feelings she had been developing had ended before they could even begin.

(Of course, Lilianne is beautiful and smart. Someone like Laurent would have plenty of beautiful women vying for his attention. Sigh…)

Monica had developed feelings for Laurent that went beyond seeing him as just a superior who was both kind and strict with her.

(I thought he was the one. But I was wrong…)

She shed tears in secret where no one could see her.

Although she managed to recover somewhat overnight, the problem was that Laurent would still be her superior in the future.

Having something unattainable dangled in front of her constantly was excruciating.

Just thinking about it made her feel even more depressed.

(Sigh, maybe I should quit being an adventurer…)

In the training room of the ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree,’ Laurent was checking the skills and statuses of Monica, Shaqma, and Euphene.

“Alright, everyone has their equipment on. I’ll perform the ‘Skill Appraisal’ now. Relax and take it easy,” Laurent said.

The three closed their eyes and relaxed their bodies.

Laurent activated ‘Skill Appraisal’ and ‘Status Appraisal.’

Euphene:

‘Wide Area Healing Magic’ S → S

‘Single Target Healing Magic’ A → A

(Her skills haven’t dulled. Her status shows she’s full of motivation. There’s no deceit in her ambition.)

“Alright, Euphene. You’re good to go.”

“Thank you very much. How were my skills and status?”

“Excellent. At this rate, we might consider increasing your training intensity.”

“Yes, please do.”

(Yes, I managed to make a good impression.)

Euphene made a small fist pump, pleased that she had shown her best to Laurent.

(Now, let’s check Monica’s skills and status… Monica?)

Laurent’s expression grew serious.

“What’s wrong, Monica? Your status shows some irregularities.”

Monica flinched.

“S-sorry.”

“Fluctuations in your status indicate physical or mental distress. ‘Hawkeye’ is a skill that significantly drains stamina. You should know better than anyone the importance of managing your health.”

“Yes…”

“Could it be… Is there something bothering you?”

Laurent looked at Monica with concern.

Monica bit her lip and stared back at Laurent.

Her expression could be interpreted as either a plea for help or a complaint.

“Monica?”

“No, it’s nothing. I’ll be careful with my health.”

Monica lowered her head to hide her expression.

“Hmm… I see. Well, if that’s the case, then it’s fine. Let’s go for training today.”

Laurent watched Monica’s training with concern.

(It seems like she’s not feeling well after all. I wonder what’s wrong. She usually comes to me for advice right away. I hope she’s okay.)

Monica felt a wave of self-loathing as she sensed Laurent’s gaze on her.

(Ugh… Laurent scolded me, and now I’m feeling terrible.)

After assigning tasks to the three, Laurent attended a management meeting of the ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree.’

As a senior member, he attended such meetings to contribute to important decisions within the guild.

“Now, let’s discuss the establishment of a new unit. We’ve received a proposal to establish a third unit following the first unit led by Lilianne and the second unit led by Laurent. If anyone has opinions on the leader and composition of this new unit, please speak up.”

“For now, why not make Monica the leader of the third unit? She’s already A-class. I don’t think anyone would object to her being the leader.”

The overweight guild master wiped the sweat from his balding forehead as he spoke.

“Wait a minute. It might be too soon to entrust her with the leadership of a unit.”

Laurent raised an objection.

“Despite being A-class, she’s still a rookie. Especially during this early period of her A-class status, she’s more susceptible to becoming overconfident and careless. Monica, Shaqma, and Euphene still shouldn’t be burdened with responsibility for a unit. I believe it’s best to keep them in my unit for now.”

“That’s a valid point. Let’s put the decision on the leader of the new unit on hold for now. Let’s move on to the next agenda.”

Lilianne quickly moved on to the next agenda as soon as she heard Laurent’s opinion, as if his opinion alone was sufficient.

“Now, onto the next agenda, which is recruiting new members.”

“If we’re putting the establishment of a new unit on hold, should we hold off on recruiting new members for a while as well?”

The guild master suggested.

“No, let’s recruit new members,” Laurent said.

“As I mentioned earlier, Monica and the other two show signs of relaxation that are typical of those who have significantly increased in class. While there’s no need to pressure them too much, they do need to tighten up. We need to acquire talented archers, support mages, and healers who can rival them. We need to show them that the competition isn’t over yet and that there are plenty of individuals who can threaten their positions.”

“That’s true. Then, Laurent, may I leave the interviews and hiring of new members to you?”

Lilianne said in a somewhat indulgent tone.

“Yes, of course. Leave it to me,” Laurent replied with a cheerful smile.

(Ugh, Lilianne. She’s casually enhancing Laurent’s authority.)

The guild master’s face contorted as if he had bitten into a bitter bug.

Afterwards, all the major agenda items incorporated the opinions of Laurent and Lilianne.

The guild master’s proposals were all rejected.

(Damn it. This means I have no position as the guild master. If only Wilkes had defeated Laurent, we wouldn’t be in this mess!)

Monica was surrounded by painters in a room at the headquarters of the ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree.’

They were all individuals who had offered to pay money to have Monica’s portrait painted (due to a contract, her portrait rights belonged to the guild).

If they could paint her well, they were sure to become trendy painters of the time.

The more Monica excelled and became famous, the more valuable their paintings would become.

Monica felt stiff surrounded by canvases and painters.

“Monica-sama, are you feeling nervous?”

One of the painters spoke up.

Monica smiled awkwardly in response.

“Yes, this is my first time experiencing something like this.”

“There’s no need to be nervous. We want to see the usual you. Please relax and be yourself.”

Sigh

(Easier said than done…)

As Monica made a troubled expression, someone came bustling into the room.

It was the guild master.