The Kicked Out S-Rank Appraiser Creates The Strongest Guild - Chapter 87

Chapter 87   Theory of Organization

After successfully securing additional budget from Medes, Edgar continued his efforts to bring down the “Arsenal of the Spirits.”

“Charles, Pat, Lina. Is everyone here? Good. Let’s start the meeting.”

Pat looked around at the attendees of the meeting and tilted his head in confusion.

(Wayne isn’t here? Why not?)

Ignoring Pat’s question, Edgar proceeded with the meeting.

“Recently, we tasked the ‘Dragon Knights Haven’ with defeating the ‘Dawn Shield’ and the ‘Pegasus Archers,’ but they ended up getting defeated instead. It’s pathetic.”

“The ‘Dragon Knights Haven’ got beaten? How could that happen? ‘Dawn Shield’ and ‘Pegasus Archers’ are small guilds with only C-class adventurers, right?” Lina said.

“It seems there was a problem on our end as well.”

“What do you mean?” Lina asked.

“It turns out the equipment we provided had a defect. It was the gear made by Wayne. Look at this.”

Edgar placed the armor on the table.

“This is…” Pat was speechless at the sight of the armor’s thin plating.

“Wayne made this? It’s terrible…” Lina covered her mouth with both hands.

“With allies stabbing him from behind, even the B-class warrior Breda didn’t stand a chance. Damn it, Wayne really screwed us over.”

“Well, because of this, we’ve been given an extra budget this time. But remember, another mistake like this won’t be tolerated. Got it?”

“Um, where is Wayne now? I haven’t seen him around the guild lately…” Pat asked.

“Wayne was fired. It’s only natural, right? He betrayed us and committed treason,” Edgar said.

“Why would Wayne do such a thing?”

“Huh? How the hell should I know? You’d have to ask Wayne himself!”

“I heard that he was bought off by the ‘Arsenal of the Spirits,'” Charles chimed in to provide support.

“Yeah, that’s right. That bastard got bought off by the enemy,” Edgar added as if remembering.

(Wayne betrayed us? That can’t be. But… if the boss says so, I shouldn’t argue, right? If subordinates always question their superiors, the organization can’t function. But still…)

Pat reconsidered.

(It’s unimaginable that Wayne would make such poor armor. Wayne was certainly headstrong and often got into trouble, but he’d never intentionally sabotage us.)

“The ‘Arsenal of the Spirits’ is a more troublesome bunch than we thought. They managed to buy Wayne off and make him betray us. You all better be careful. You never know where a traitor might be lurking.”

(What should I do? If things continue like this, Wayne will be branded a traitor. Turning a blind eye to my friend being falsely accused goes against our friendship.)

While Pat was agonizing over these thoughts, Lina tugged at his sleeve.

(Lina?)

(Pat, don’t. Don’t argue with Edgar. You’ll only make things worse for yourself. I understand how you feel, but you need to hold back here.)

Pat understood Lina’s message just by her gaze.

In the end, he decided to remain silent.

“What’s that look, Pat? Got something to say?”

“No, nothing.”

After that, no matter what Edgar said, no matter how much the others debated, Pat remained silent.

“I’ll give you specific instructions later. Until then, make sure you’re prepared,” Edgar concluded, ending the meeting.

Edgar and Charles walked down the corridor together.

“Are you okay?”

“Huh? What’s up?”

“That guy who kept quiet the whole time.”

“Pat?”

Edgar made a sour face.

“He said he had no objections, but his face showed he was full of dissatisfaction.”

“That’s just how he is. He’s always overthinking things and can’t focus on what’s in front of him.”

“A difficult person, huh?”

“Exactly. You never know what he’s thinking. He’s hard to handle.”

Meanwhile, at the “Arsenal of the Spirits,” “Dawn’s Shield” had returned after collecting the “Earthcraft.”

Coincidentally, Hans and the “Pegasus Archers” also returned around the same time.

“Looks like you gathered all the ‘Earthcraft’ as requested,” Laurent said, looking at the “Earthcraft” packed in their backpacks.

“Yeah, we collected the number you asked for.”

“Alright, next is the training to boost your stats. What do we need to do?” Jeff asked eagerly, clearly impatient to get stronger.

Laurent smiled wryly.

“Of course, I have a strengthening plan for you all. But first, take some rest and focus on recovering your stats. I’ll tell you what’s next later. Aina?”

“Yes.”

“Take the ‘Earthcraft’ and their equipment to the workshop.”

“Got it. I’ll take care of it.”

“I need to have a little more discussion with them. Can I leave the rest to you?”

“Yes, leave it to me!”

With Laurent’s words, Aina began to take charge.

“Alright everyone, receive the equipment and items from the adventurers. While Laurent is having his meeting, let’s get as much maintenance done as we can.”

The workers at the Workshop quickly got to work after receiving the adventurers’ equipment and item bags.

Aina inspected the wear and tear on the equipment and gave instructions to Rody and the others.

“Rody, take the equipment to the workshop. All the armor needs ‘Exterior Enhancement Coating,’ so line them up near my workstation. I’ll handle the maintenance on the ‘Dragon Piercer Bow’ myself.”

“Got it. What about the stuff in this item bag?”

“That’s ‘Earthcraft,’ which Laurent will later have refined externally. Place it next to Laurent’s desk.”

“Understood.”

Rody loaded the heavy equipment and the bags filled with ‘Earthcraft’ onto a cart and transported them to the workshop.

“As for the ‘Dragon Piercer Bow Ryuu,’ it needs arrow replenishment. Aize, why don’t you try making ‘Red Arrows’?”

“Huh? ‘Red Arrows’? Can I really make those?”

“Yes. We need a lot of arrows, and since you have high agility and can work quickly, it makes sense for you to make them. I’ll handle the ‘Exterior Enhancement Coating,’ so you just focus on the framework.”

“Hmm. Do you think I can do it?”

“You’ll be fine. You have a ‘Metal Shaping’ skill of B, right? I was making them when I had a C in ‘Metal Shaping.’ You can do it.”

“Alright, I’ll give it a try.”

“Wayne, you’re on the store equipment task. There’s some armor framework that needs to be done by the end of the day. Get on that.”

“Tch. Yeah, yeah.”

“Remember, it’s the armor with the green ‘Exterior Enhancement Coating.’ Got it?”

“Yeah, I got it. Stop micromanaging me.”

Wayne grumbled but started his work.

When Aina returned to her workstation, she saw the armor, paints, brushes, and a staff for support magic all laid out.

(Alright, looks like Rody set everything up properly.)

As Aina worked on sanding and repainting the ‘Exterior Enhancement Coating’ on the armor, Aize approached her.

“Aina, I’m sorry.”

“Hm?”

“I couldn’t do it after all.”

Aize handed over a misshapen arrow.

“Alright. Rody?”

“Hmm? What is it?”

Aina called out, and Rody came over from behind the partition.

“Could you draw up the blueprints for the ‘Red Arrows’ for Aize?”

“Got it.”

“Aize, try working from Rody’s blueprints for now. If it still doesn’t work out, let me know, and I’ll give you more detailed guidance.”

“Roger that.”

Rody, who had been helping Wayne with his work, was about to step away.

“Hey Wayne, I’m stepping away for a bit to support Aize.”

(Tch. Everyone’s always listening to Aina. I’m a main staff member too, you know. Why doesn’t anyone listen to me? Damn it.)

Wayne hammered the metal in frustration.

Meanwhile, Laurent was observing Aina’s handling of the tasks while writing the order for refining the ‘Earthcraft.’

(Aina’s getting better at managing people. I might be able to entrust her with more responsibilities soon.)

Seeing that Aina and the others were handling everything well, Laurent returned to his meeting with Leon and the others.

“So, how has it been? Have there been any more attacks from other guilds since then?”

“No, nothing in particular. How about on your end? Have you noticed any movements from ‘Dragon’s Ember’?”

“Did you see the building across the street? They’ve set up a branch there. I think it’s preparation for their next attack.”

“I thought as much. Should we change our plans?”

“No, there’s no need. We’ll continue as planned.”

“But isn’t it reckless to continue training while under the threat of an attack from ‘Dragon’s Ember’? They aren’t fools. They might come at us with even more force next time.”

“Don’t worry. We have a secret strategy.”

“?”

“Anyway, Leon, you should rest as well. Taking breaks is part of the job too.”

“Phew. Well, if you say so, I’ll trust you.”

After exchanging information with Leon, Monica approached Laurent.

“Good work, Laurent.”

“Oh, Monica. You’ve done well too. Are you sure you don’t need a break?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I was exempt from the mining work this time, and since there were no attacks, I mostly just kept watch with ‘Hawk’s Eye’.”

“I see. I feel a bit bad for making you work so much during your break.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. If it makes you happy, I’m happy to help… But it would be nice to get a little reward for my hard work.”

“Of course. I have a special reward just for you.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I’ve been preparing it secretly to surprise you.”

“Wow, really? I wonder what it is. I’m excited!”

“Let me show you. It’s new equipment I’ve developed just for you!”

“Yay, new equipment!”

Monica pretended to be excited but felt a bit disappointed inside.

(Laurent, you really know how to dodge the issue. You know that’s not the kind of reward I want.)

However, when she saw the bow and arrows brought in, her eyes widened.

“This is…”

* * *

With ‘Dawn Shield’ and ‘Pegasus Archers’ back from the dungeon, the alchemists of ‘Dragon’s Ember’ also began to move.

“‘Dawn Shield’ and ‘Pegasus Archers’ have returned from the dungeon.”

“Oh? And what are they up to?”

“It seems they’re repairing their equipment. Once the repairs are done, they’ll probably head back into the dungeon.”

“Good. We’ll strike once they’re back in the dungeon.”

Edgar gathered Pat and Lina to relay the plan.

“This time, we will change our equipment based on the enemy’s movements. According to ‘Dragon Knight’s Haven’, the last time, the enemy took a superior position. So, this time, we’ll reinforce our unit types more than before, adding agile thieves and archers to secure advantageous positions, and including attack mages and support mages to bolster melee combat.”

While listening to Edgar’s explanation, Pat was deeply troubled.

(Should I say it? If I do, Edgar might get upset. But if I don’t, this mission might fail again.)

“If the enemy focuses on agility, we’ll counter with thieves and archers. If they come in heavy armor, we’ll use mages. Haha, my plan is perfect.”

(I can’t take it anymore. I’ll say it.)

“Mr. Edgar, may I say something?”

“Huh? What is it?”

“After examining the equipment returned by ‘Dragon Knight’s Haven’, I noticed that several armors suffered severe damage from arrows. It seems the enemy has some very powerful archers. Shouldn’t we take some countermeasures?”

“What are you saying? You got a problem with my plan?”

“No, that’s not what I—”

“Hey, Pat. Isn’t it a bit late to bring that up?”

Charles interjected.

“We concluded in the last meeting that the previous failure was Wayne’s fault. You agreed, didn’t you?”

“Well, yes, but—”

“We’ve already explained this to the guild master, and we’ve received new funding based on that explanation. Now you’re saying the enemy has strong archers? That puts us in a difficult position. And Pat, do you understand? The equipment distributed to ‘Dragon Knight’s Haven’ last time included items you made. We covered for you, so it wouldn’t fall on you. Or are you saying you want to take responsibility for the failure instead of defending someone who’s already been fired?”

“But I only made the equipment according to Charles’ instructions—”

Pat realized his slip-up as he said that.

Charles’s usually well-composed brows twitched nervously.

“The failure last time was Wayne’s fault. There are no powerful enemy archers. Understand?”

“…Yes.”

“Does anyone else have something to say? Alright, then. Lina and I will monitor ‘Dragon’s Ember’ branch and ‘Arsenal of the Spirits’. Charles and Pat will deliver equipment to ‘Dragon’s Ember’. Everyone, get to your posts and don’t mess up.”

* * *

“Laurent, shouldn’t we stop the training and prepare for ‘Dragon’s Ember’s’ attack?” Leon suggested.

“Yeah, ‘Dragon Knight’s Haven’ is the second-largest adventurer guild on this island. They’ve got numbers and depth. I don’t think we can fend them off on our own,” Jeff added.

“It’s fine. Monica, you know how to fight, right?”

“Yes,” Monica replied.

(Damn, are we really going to take on ‘Dragon Knight’s Haven’ while training? Even with an A-class archer, that’s way too reckless. Is he serious?)

“Don’t worry, Jeff.”

“Hans?”

“I’m talking about Laurent. He must have some plan we can’t even imagine.”

(Damn, this better work out.)

‘Dawn Shield’ and ‘Pegasus’s Archers’ both headed into the dungeon.

“The adventurers from ‘Arsenal of the Spirits’ have left. They’re heading towards the dungeon,” Lina, who was monitoring ‘Arsenal of the Spirits’, reported to Edgar.

“Really?”

Edgar looked through the observation window to confirm ‘Dawn’s Shield’ and ‘Pegasus’s Archers’. Though their weapons were wrapped in cloth, the shapes revealed their respective jobs.

(They’ve got five archers, one shield-bearer, one swordsman, and one thief. Such a skewed formation, as if they haven’t considered fighting us at all. Well, that’s fine. It works in our favor.)

“The enemy is a heavily archer-focused unit. If we secure the high ground, we’ll win easily. Get ahead with our archers and thieves, secure the high ground, block their path, and force them into melee combat early!”

The rear unit of ‘Dragon Knight’s Haven’, composed mainly of agile members, equipped themselves with archer and thief gear and quickly pursued ‘Dawn’s Shield’ and ‘Pegasus’s Archers’.

Monica, using ‘Hawkeye’, spotted the ‘Dragon Knight’s Haven’ unit occupying the high ground ahead.

(What!? There’s a unit of archers and thieves ahead, holding the high ground. They’ve cut us off? …No, that’s not all.)

Monica’s ‘Hawkeye’ also caught movements behind them.

(They’re sending a heavily armored warrior unit from behind. They’re planning to trap us.)

“Everyone, there’s an enemy unit ahead and behind us. We need to change course quickly.”

Monica and her group retreated to a side path. However, the warrior unit of ‘Dragon Knight’s Haven’ had already anticipated this and cut them off.

“There they are! It’s them!”

“Don’t let them escape! Force them into melee combat!”

(Have we fallen right into the enemy’s trap?)

“Damn, this is bad. There’s no way out.”

Even Hans’s face grew grim.

(A narrow, open path with no cover or escape. We can’t even use our agility. What do we do?)

“Everyone, form up on either side of me,” Monica commanded.

“Focus on defense. It’s okay if our equipment takes some damage; we have Earthcraft. Leave the enemies coming from the slopes to me. I’ll handle the ones in front.”

(We’ll overpower them with firepower!)

The enemies charged from the front, and Monica unleashed a barrage of arrows.

Ten minutes later, the area was littered with the fallen members of ‘Dragon Knight’s Haven’.

Everyone had holes in their armor, with injuries to their shoulders, sides, and legs.

Monica’s group remained unscathed.

Seeing that the enemy was completely immobilized, Monica lowered her bow.

(Operation complete. Phew. We managed to get through this unscathed.)

(Are you kidding me? They couldn’t even get close. The power of an A-class archer with the right equipment is unbelievable.)

Jeff, witnessing the might of an A-class archer with new equipment, was left in awe and shock.