The Kicked Out S-Rank Appraiser Creates The Strongest Guild - Chapter 41

Chapter 41   Lucius’s Agony

The astonishing news reached Lucius at the headquarters of the “Golden Hawk.”

It was around the time when he thought the issues concerning Jill had been resolved.

“What!? Ramon has been expelled from the ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree’!?”

(Damn it. I went through all the trouble and spent so much time and effort preparing the funds to recruit Monica. With Ramon expelled, the negotiation channels are practically cut off.)

From now on, they would have to negotiate directly with Laurent and Lilianne.

The recruitment operation was as good as failed.

(Damn it. Why does nothing ever go smoothly?)

Lucius held his head in his hands.

It wasn’t just Monica and her group that were causing him headaches.

Jill was already showing signs of rebellion again.

The other day, Lucius had instructed the submission of a plan for the strategy of the next dungeon, but Jill had opposed it.

“I only accepted the request to become squad leader; I don’t recall agreeing to follow your orders!”

The tension between Lucius and Jill continued.

Moreover, Jill seemed to be scheming for Laurent’s reinstatement.

“It all went wrong for the ‘Golden Hawk’ after they expelled Laurent. If we bring him back, the ‘Golden Hawk’ will once again transform into a healthy guild focused on training.”

Jill was steadily laying the groundwork for Laurent’s return by influencing those who shared animosity toward Lucius.

Initially, Jill’s efforts were not understood, but gradually, people started remembering Laurent. More and more members began to say things like, “That’s right, he was definitely a good guy,” and “He was certainly competent. Why did Lucius expel Laurent?”

Due to this, a group identifying themselves as the Laurent faction, instead of the Jill faction, was steadily forming.

Lucius was bitter about Jill’s series of actions, but the situation was such that he couldn’t afford to make any wrong moves.

If this issue were to become public now, the investors in the ‘Golden Hawk’ would scrutinize even more harshly.

They feared risk above all else.

Lucius, reluctantly, promised Jill to bring Laurent back as a temporary measure.

However, Jill responded that she would never side with Lucius until Laurent actually returned.

There was no way to guarantee Laurent’s return.

For Lucius, the series of troubles related to Jill was becoming an endless problem.

Furthermore, Lucius once again pressured the city’s alchemy guild to stop dealing with the “Arsenal of the Spirits,” but this too was met with resistance.

Already fed up with Lucius’s methods, they united in opposition.

“Enough of this nonsense! We won’t be pushed around any longer!”

The more Lucius tried to impose his orders, the more they resisted and steadfastly maintained their contractual relationship with the “Arsenal of the Spirits.”

(I have to do something, somehow…)

The next day, a banker was scheduled to inquire about the success or failure of Lucius’s recruitment efforts.

If he couldn’t show any results, Lucius’s position would become increasingly precarious.

* * *

Laurent was heading to the quest reception area to prepare for the dungeon challenge.

(This time, I have to prepare quests not only for Monica and her group but also for Rick and his team. Man, it’s tough when the number of people increases.)

“Laurent? Aren’t you Laurent?”

“Huh? Yes, I am.”

“I knew it. It’s been a while.”

“That voice, could it be Claria!?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

Laurent couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw Claria.

The former glamour she had was completely gone, replaced by a worn-out appearance.

Not only that, the cleanliness she had as a receptionist was nowhere to be seen. Her clothes were ragged, her hair disheveled, and she looked almost like a homeless person.

“What happened to you? Why are you like this?”

“Laurent, please listen!”

Claria clung to Laurent and, in tears, began to explain what had happened.

After being reported by Laurent, she was fired from her receptionist job.

Moreover, the court imposed a fine equivalent to three months’ salary, and her assets were seized.

Due to her dismissal from her previous job for disciplinary reasons, she couldn’t find a new job, couldn’t pay her rent, and ended up living a life of complete destitution.

“After losing my job, I also had to pay the fine. I got stuck and couldn’t do anything. Just the other day, I was kicked out of the inn too.”

“Kicked out of the inn… didn’t you have any savings? …I guess not.”

Laurent remembered her appearance when she was a receptionist, wearing jewelry that was too expensive for her position.

Judging by her accessories, she must have been living a flashy lifestyle far beyond her means.

“I haven’t had a bath or eaten properly in days.”

“Oh, I see. That sounds rough. Ah, right, I have some urgent business to attend to now. See you later.”

“Wait, please!”

Claria grabbed Laurent’s arm tightly.

“I heard, Laurent. You became an investor in the ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree,’ right?”

“Y-yes. Well, sort of.”

“Please hire me.”

“What!? Hire you?”

“It’s unfair, Laurent, that you’re the only one who succeeded. Please help me too.”

“Even if you say that…”

Laurent decided to appraise Claria’s skills.

Item Appraisal B → B

Skill Appraisal C → C

(Uh, hmm… Not great…)

“Claria, I’m sorry, but with your skills…”

“Waaah! Please, don’t abandon me.”

Claria clung to Laurent even more desperately.

“Hey, Claria!?”

People passing by began to look at Laurent and Claria, whispering among themselves.

With a young woman who had fallen on hard times clinging to him, it looked like Laurent had mistreated her.

“I was just following my boss’s orders, and now I’m destitute. It’s too much.”

“Calm down. I understand. I understand.”

Laurent calmed her down and gently pulled her away from him.

She sat on the ground, continuing to sob.

“Uh…”

“Um, how about working as my secretary?”

“I’ll do it. I’ll do it. I’ll be your secretary, or even your mistress, anything!”

“…What are you saying? Come on, stop talking nonsense. First, let’s get you cleaned up. You can’t work looking like that.”

“I heard the leadership of the ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree’ has changed.”

In a room furnished with heavy decor, a banker said this as he pressed his cigar into the ashtray.

Lucius could only remain silent.

“So, the recruitment attempt failed… Is that correct?”

“…”

“What do you intend to do? If you fall behind the ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree’ again this month, I will have to withdraw the funding.”

“Please rest assured. We will definitely make a comeback.”

“A comeback? With this disparity in strength?”

The banker said in a tone of disbelief.

“……”

“Well, if you say so, I’ll give you one last chance. But this really is the last one. If you can’t deliver visible results this month… you understand, don’t you?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Do you really understand? This is no longer a matter of words or attitude. You need to show it through actions.”

“…And what do you mean by that?”

“You will be held accountable. You will be stripped of your position as Guild Master of the ‘Golden Hawk.’ The board will be restructured. Additionally, you will compensate us for the losses we investors have suffered.”

“I understand.”

Lucius reluctantly agreed.

Deanna, who had been listening nearby, was stunned.

(A complete overhaul of the board? Does that mean I could be fired too?)

Deanna’s face turned pale.

What would happen if she were dismissed from the ‘Golden Hawk’ and became an ordinary worker?

She would spend her days toiling away, scraping together what little salary she could to cover the compensation, and then making do with the pittance left to lead a modest life.

Just thinking about that future sent shivers down her spine.

(No way. I won’t stand for getting fired because of Lucius. I need to find a way to save myself, whatever it takes…)

Lucius quickly took action to fulfill his promise to the banker.

A dungeon strategy meeting was held at the “Golden Hawk” headquarters.

However, with Savast no longer present and Jill shirking her duties as squad leader, the only squad leader there was Alric.

(Damn it. To think that this guild, which once had such powerful members, now only has Alric left to rely on.)

As a result, the meeting was dominated by Alric.

“This month, three dungeons will appear in this city. But we no longer have the luxury to spread our forces thin!”

With Savast gone and Lucius having lost his political power, no one could counter Alric.

“The positions of ‘Golden Hawk’ and ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree’ have completely reversed. Meanwhile, ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree’ has a plethora of promising adventurers. Our advantage is entirely gone. In this situation, spreading our forces across three dungeons is nothing short of foolish. There is only one way for us to defeat ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree’! We must concentrate all our strength on the ‘Mine Dungeon.’ If we secure the ‘Mine Dungeon,’ we can regain the support of the Alchemy Guild. Then we can become the strongest adventurer guild once more.”

Alric spoke passionately.

Indeed, conquering the ‘Mine Dungeon,’ rich in metals, would make the Alchemy Guild dependent on “Golden Hawk” again.

“Therefore, I propose that we assign the guild’s strongest adventurers and the strongest squad to the ‘Mine Dungeon.’ Humbly, I, Alric, the only A-class adventurer of ‘Golden Hawk,’ along with my unit, should be responsible for the ‘Mine Dungeon.’ Surely, no one has any objections?”

The meeting room fell silent.

No one opposed or countered Alric.

Everyone nodded in agreement with Alric’s proposal.

Even Lucius had no room to object.

(Who would have thought I’d have to rely on Alric…)

Lucius felt a sense of shame as he compared his current situation to a few months ago.

While Alric was passionately speaking at “Golden Hawk,” a dungeon strategy meeting was also taking place at “Guardians of the Magic Tree.”

“With Savast gone and internal conflicts arising, the only threat from ‘Golden Hawk’ is Alric’s unit,” Laurent said, speaking from the seat closest to the guild master’s chair.

“I see. So, if we neutralize Alric’s unit, the rest are not worth worrying about. Is that correct?” Lilianne, sitting in the guild master’s seat, asked for confirmation.

“Yes,” Laurent replied.

“Then we should pit our strongest unit against Alric’s. ‘Golden Hawk’ is likely aiming to regain control over the Alchemy Guild. We can assume Alric’s unit will head to the ‘Mine Dungeon.'”

“That’s what I believe. Even if they go elsewhere, we can adjust our strategy based on Alric’s movements.”

“Agreed. So… which unit should ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree’ send against Alric?” Lilianne asked.

“The guild master has only recently taken the position, so it’s best if you remain at headquarters for the time being,” Laurent suggested.

“Understood. So, for the ‘Mine Dungeon’…”

“I will go,” Laurent said quietly but resolutely.

(I will deliver the final blow to ‘Golden Hawk’ and Lucius!)