The Kicked Out S-Rank Appraiser Creates The Strongest Guild

Chapter 32 Something More Important Than Money

“Allow me to introduce you. This is Mr. Lucius, the guild master of ‘The Golden Hawk’.”

“Hello. Nice to meet you.”

Lucius smiled warmly at Monica.

“…Hello.”

Monica stared intently at Lucius.

(So this is Mr. Lucius, the guild master of ‘The Golden Hawk’…)

As expected of the guild’s representative, his attire and demeanor were sophisticated and polished, giving off a smart impression.

However, Monica couldn’t help but feel that there was something artificial about his attitude.

Ramon, the guild master of ‘The Guardians of the Magic Tree’, was relieved to have been able to arrange the meeting without being noticed by Laurent and Lilianne.

The two of them were currently out and not present.

(If we’re going to transfer Monica, we need to proceed while those two are away.)

“Monica, Mr. Lucius specifically made time to meet you.”

“Uh, why would the guild master of ‘Golden Hawk’ come to ‘The Guardians of the Magic Tree’?”

Monica took a step back, wary.

“Well, just have a seat. Mr. Lucius will explain everything personally.”

Monica was urged to sit by her guild master.

She sat down, facing Lucius.

“Let me be frank. We want to scout you as a senior member of ‘Golden Hawk’.”

“What? Scout…?”

“I’ve heard about your exploits in the ‘Forest Dungeon’. After hearing those stories, I was eager to work with you,” Lucius said with a warm smile.

“I see…”

“If you agree to transfer to our guild, ‘Golden Hawk’, we are prepared to offer you a contract worth 12 million gold annually.”

“Twelve million gold a year!?”

Monica’s voice came out in a strange pitch upon hearing the amount.

Lucius inwardly smirked.

“Of course, we’ll cover any penalties incurred from breaking your contract with ‘The Guardians of the Magic Tree’. But that’s not all. If you transfer, we’ll provide various benefits beyond your salary. Any equipment you need, we’ll provide it. Any skills you wish to develop, we’ll support you.”

“I-I see.”

“Eventually, I’d like to appoint you as the captain of the second unit of ‘Golden Hawk’.”

“Captain…?”

“What do you think? Do you intend to transfer or not?”

“Uh…”

“It’s a great offer, Monica,” Ramon interjected.

“In ‘The Guardians of the Magic Tree’, it’s uncertain whether you could become a captain. After all, Laurent intends to keep you in his unit.”

“What? Is that true?”

“Yes, under Laurent, you might never become a captain.”

“What? That’s outrageous. Keeping such a talented member as just a unit member forever?”

“Mr. Lucius is offering you a chance for advancement. It’s a rare opportunity,” Ramon added, trying to sway Monica.

Lucius and Ramon aimed to sway Monica’s heart, but her mind was occupied with different thoughts.

(Laurent wants to keep me in his unit. He needs me.)

Monica looked at Lucius.

“Um, Mr. Lucius. I appreciate your generous offer, but could you give me some time to think about it? I still feel that ‘The Guardians of the Magic Tree’ is the right place for me.”

“What!?”

“Wait a minute. How about this? I’ll appoint you as a unit captain starting next month—or even immediately.”

Monica was taken aback.

(Appoint me as a captain right now? That’s impossible for me. It was already tough enough in the ‘ Divine Realm ‘ without Laurent. I’m barely managing my own responsibilities, let alone leading a unit.)

Having already experienced the difficulties of commanding a unit firsthand, Monica was intimidated by Lucius’ proposal.

(If Laurent wants to keep me in his unit, it’s better for me to stay with ‘The Guardians of the Magic Tree’ for now. If I transfer and get assigned a job that’s beyond my capabilities…)

The thought of working under unfamiliar supervisors and colleagues, with heavy responsibilities, was terrifying.

“Is there something you find unsatisfactory about our offer?” Lucius asked, applying pressure with his habitual smile.

Monica sensed danger.

“I’m sorry, but I need to leave now. I have people waiting for me.”

“Hey, wait a minute.”

“No, excuse me.”

With that, Monica hastily left the room.

(Laurent wants me in his unit. You still need me. Is it alright for me to think that, Laurent?)

This fact alone occupied Monica’s thoughts entirely.

Just this realization turned meeting Laurent from a dreaded event into one filled with anticipation and hope.

After Monica left, an awkward silence filled the room with the two men remaining.

Lucius glared at Ramon.

“Mr. Ramon, this isn’t what we agreed upon. Weren’t you supposed to be ready to let go of Monica Velmare as ‘The Guardians of the Magic Tree’?”

“Y-yes, of course, that was our intention.”

Ramon pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“But in reality, she didn’t even nod in agreement. She fled the room as if she were escaping. Are you truly prepared to transfer her?”

“Yes, absolutely.”

“Then why did she run out like that?”

“W-well, perhaps mentioning appointing her as a unit captain was a mistake.”

“Appointing her as a captain? Why would that be a problem?”

“She is quite timid despite her abilities. The idea of being appointed captain might have frightened her.”

“Hmm, I see.”

(A Class-A adventurer lacking self-confidence. Seems like the determination of someone from a guild that’s always second best is hard to shake off.)

“Understood. Let’s put Monica Velmare on hold for now. We’ll negotiate with the other two, Shaqma Hakim and Euphene Reyes. We’ll make sure they agree. Is that clear?”

Lucius glowered at Ramon.

“Y-yes, of course. Absolutely.”

“Then hurry, bring one of them here immediately.”

Ramon hurriedly left the room.

* * *

“So, you want to scout me,” Shaqma said, facing Lucius.

She approached the negotiation with a much more positive attitude than Monica.

(This feels promising. I might actually be able to recruit her.)

Lucius felt satisfied seeing Shaqma’s positive response.

“Yes, I would very much like to welcome you as a senior member of ‘The Golden Hawk’.”

(So, I’ve finally reached the point where the top guild in the city wants to recruit me. It’s difficult to leave Laurent’s team, but if I can join the best guild in the city, it might be worth considering depending on the terms.)

“Thank you for the offer. I would like to consider it positively. What kind of terms are you offering?”

“If you join ‘The Golden Hawk’, we will offer you an annual salary of 12 million gold.”

“And what else?”

Shaqma asked with eager, shining eyes.

Lucius became a bit more cautious.

(I scared off that girl, Monica, by putting too much pressure on her. I need to be careful not to overwhelm this one.)

“Well, to start, you would join the first unit as a member and learn the basics of unit management under Alric from scratch…”

Shaqma felt disappointed hearing this.

(So, they don’t plan to make me a captain. Is that all ‘The Golden Hawk’ thinks of me? Sigh.)

Shaqma had already been informally promised by Laurent that she would be trained to become a captain.

(It’s probably more interesting to stay with ‘The Guardians of the Magic Tree’ under Laurent.)

“I’m sorry, but can I have some time to think about it?”

Shaqma ended the conversation with vague responses to Lucius’ proposals.

Lucius’ negotiation had once again ended in failure.

* * *

“If you wish, I can promise you the position of unit captain right away, or you can take your time and start as a member of the unit. I intend to provide you with the conditions you desire.”

Lucius spoke passionately in front of Euphene.

(After failing to recruit both Monica and Shaqma, I must succeed with Euphene no matter what.)

Lucius was anxious.

Euphene stared at Lucius with an emotionless gaze.

This was her usual attitude towards people she was meeting for the first time.

Her demeanor further unsettled the already anxious Lucius.

Recently, no one had refused an invitation to join the “Golden Hawk.”

In all those cases, Lucius had always been the one testing others, never the one being tested.

Now, being scrutinized for the first time in a while, Lucius felt an unpleasant sweat forming on his forehead.

Meanwhile, Euphene became increasingly composed.

A silence enveloped the room for a while.

“If…”

Euphene muttered softly.

Lucius and Ramon tensed up.

“If I were to become an A-class healer, what would happen?”

“What would happen… you mean?”

Lucius desperately tried to read her emotions as he stared intently into her eyes.

“For example, would my salary and benefits increase?”

“Of course. If you become A-class, I promise a further increase in your salary.”

Lucius replied immediately.

Euphene thought to herself,

(If my benefits improve by becoming A-class, it would be better to have Laurent make me A-class before transferring.)

“I apologize, but I can’t give you an answer right now. Could you please wait a little longer?”

Lucius’s attempts to recruit her ended in complete failure.

* * *

Returning to the “Guardians of the Magic Tree,” Laurent walked down the hallway, deep in thought.

He had been at the “Spirit Workshop” for a dungeon management meeting when members of another alchemy guild who happened to be visiting sought his advice.

“We haven’t heard back from the ‘Golden Hawk’ at all.”

The visiting alchemist guild members said.

“Just when the dungeon was conquered and it’s the peak business time, they keep telling us the person in charge is unavailable whenever we try to consult them. It seems like ‘Golden Hawk’ is in turmoil over the Savast matter.”

“The Savast matter? Sorry, I’ve been so busy that I’m out of touch with the news. What happened in Savast?”

“It seems Savast had a falling out with Lucius and left the ‘Golden Hawk.'”

“Savast left!? That’s unbelievable…”

“Anyway, we haven’t received any communication from ‘Golden Hawk.’ We’re reluctantly following their lead, but if they don’t hurry up, we’ll be left in the lurch. Hey, Laurent, have you heard anything? Have you reconciled with ‘Golden Hawk’ yet?”

He spoke, looking completely exhausted.

(The fact that alchemy guilds under the ‘Golden Hawk’ are coming to consult with us indicates that Lucius’s influence is starting to wane.)

Laurent felt it was an opportunity to dismantle the alchemy guilds under the ‘Golden Hawk.’

(But why? I thought for sure they’d use the alchemy guilds again to harass us.)

“Laurent!”

Laurent flinched at the voice calling him from behind.

He had been dealing with members who constantly wanted their skills appraised, as usual.

Because of this, he tried to return to the guild during times when there were as few people around as possible.

However, upon confirming that the voice belonged to Lilianne, he felt relieved.

“What’s wrong, Lily? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“L-Lau-Laurent. It seems the guild master is trying to transfer Monica and the others to the ‘Golden Hawk’ without our knowledge.”

“What!?”

Laurent was taken aback.

“That’s not good. They’re members who have grown up in the guild. They’re important pillars for the future of the ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree.'”

“Yeah. I can’t believe it. What’s the guild master thinking?”

“Damn it. What is he thinking?”

“It seems Lucius has already visited this building several times and is negotiating with them.”

Lilianne said, looking completely flustered.

(Lucius, that guy. I thought he was strangely quiet. So, that’s his aim.)

“Anyway, now that we know the guild master is colluding with the enemy, we have to come up with a plan. Let’s increase the salaries, breach fees, and contract lengths of the three, so Lucius can’t touch them.”

“That’s the best course of action.”

Lilianne immediately got to work.

Lilianne visited the guild master’s room, holding the newly created contracts in her hand.

“Guild Master, here are the new contracts for Monica and the others as previously discussed. Could you please sign them?”

“Hmm. I’ll look them over later.”

“I need you to sign them right now.”

Lilianne said firmly, with a smile.

Ramon chuckled, trying to deflect.

“There’s no need to rush…”

“We can’t afford to dawdle. We might lose them to the ‘Golden Hawk’ if we delay.”

Ramon flinched.

“You’re not considering selling them to the ‘Golden Hawk’ for a quick profit, are you?”

Lilianne smiled but pressed closer to the guild master with a hint of pressure.

The guild master, feeling pressured by Lilianne, chuckled evasively.

“Well, you see, the thing is, Laurent has demanded an exorbitant amount of money for the equipment of the three. And if we’re to raise their salaries, our finances will be in trouble. If you want to retain them, we need to find some other source of funding. Do you have any ideas?”

“Guild Master, isn’t it your job to secure funding? Laurent has indeed invested a considerable sum in their development, but they’ve produced results worthy of it, haven’t they? Now it’s time for the guild master to provide compensation commensurate with Laurent’s and their efforts.”

“Well, yes, but the issue of money…”

“We produced A-class adventurers. You can go to banks or wealthy individuals and secure investment. Anyway, we need to hurry and present them with these new contracts. Please sign this contract quickly.”

Lilianne handed the contract to the guild master, pressing him to sign.

“Uh, ugh…”

The guild master reluctantly signed the contract handed to him by Lilianne.

The new conditions for the three were a five-year contract with an annual salary of 10 million gold.

The breach fee was calculated by multiplying the annual salary by the remaining years of the contract.

In other words, if Lucius wanted to poach them, he would need to prepare 50 million gold for each of them.

Afterward, Laurent presented the three with new contracts and negotiated.

Despite the slightly lower annual salary offered by the “Golden Hawk,” the three signed the new contracts easily, a stark contrast to their reaction with Lucius’s offer.

The next day, during break time, Laurent invited Monica out for lunch.

Their free time happened to coincide.

“I’m glad. You seem to be feeling better.”

“Huh?”

“Your stats, they’ve returned to normal.”

“Oh, that’s what you meant. Yes, thank you for your concern.”

(I can’t keep my stats messed up forever, after all.)

Monica chuckled to herself as she thought.

“It seems you’ve signed the new contracts.”

“Yes.”

“Why? Didn’t ‘Golden Hawk’ offer a higher reward?”

“…I wanted to learn more under Laurent’s guidance.”