Volume 4 Chapter 8 Victor Style, Nobles' Battle
The day after Randy beat up an S-rank adventurer, he and Liz met Aaron on the upper floor of the Guild as promised.
"First, let me apologize on behalf of the Guild for yesterday's mistake."
Aaron bowed his head, and Randy shook it off, saying, "It's fine. I started it anyway." Technically, Aaron was the one who came at him first, but Randy was ignoring that.
"So, you're saying this is a favor to the Guild?"
Aaron sighed, and Randy smiled, saying,
"No way. We're not so desperate that we need to owe a favor to someone like that."
Randy shrugged, but Aaron probably wanted to pull his hair out at how Randy called an S-rank adventurer a nobody. Still, it was true that there was a huge gap in power between Cain and Randy.
"Victor has created a monster, huh?"
"That's rude. At least we have someone stronger."
Randy pouted, and Aaron sighed again, saying, "That's exactly the problem." Aaron knew very well that Victor was the strongest. In fact, Victor's family was originally Aaron's student. It must be frustrating for him to see how much Victor has grown.
"So? Did things go as planned?"
Randy grinned, and Aaron opened his mouth, sounding resigned, "Mostly."
"Knowing our situation with Shadler, the reason the Guild is pushing for road construction is because of that S-rank adventurer, right?"
Randy tilted his head, and Aaron nodded, explaining the corruption in the current Adventurers' Guild.
Originally, the Adventurers' Guild was formed in Dukedom to be free from the country's control. It started as a group created by people tired of the empty promises of the nobles.
This belief was passed down, and the Adventurers' Guild was born as a free organization. As it began to grow, more people agreed with their beliefs, and it eventually became a huge organization spread across the continent.
But the growth of the organization wasn't all good.
As the organization got bigger, it needed more money to support itself. To secure stable funding, the Guild formed strong connections with various countries.
An organization that was meant to be independent ended up tied to the countries in ways they never intended.
Now, the higher-ups in the Adventurers' Guild are pretty much in bed with the government. This is especially clear when it comes to recognizing S-rank adventurers.
Originally, S-rank adventurers were supposed to be recommended by other adventurers and be role models for them. But now, you need recommendations from the countries to become an S-rank adventurer.
The appointments reflect the countries' wishes. What that means is pretty obvious.
As a result, we have Cain Bloodrage, the only S-rank adventurer in Dukedom. Cain comes from Count Shadler's territory, and it was expected that he had strong support from the wealthy Count Shadler's family in the energy industry.
That guess turned into certainty with what was said yesterday. The comments supporting Shadler contained information that only noble families should know. It was clear that the country and Shadler were using Cain to pressure Victor.
"It's wrong for an adventurer to side with some powerful person in this situation."
Aaron sighed heavily, and Liz spoke up,
"So... When Randy had that fight with Cain yesterday, you didn't even try to stop it, did you? You were planning to use Randy as a weapon."
Liz spoke quietly, but there was a hint of anger in her words. It was understandable. Just because they lost their ability to self-correct, it wasn't right to drag young people into the organization's problems.
An adventurer recommended by the country gets beaten up in front of a crowd. This is like a strong medicine that no one can ignore. After all, an S-rank adventurer, who is a big deal in the Guild, has been crushed.
What happened yesterday raises questions about what it means to be an S-rank adventurer.
Even though Aaron could lose his position because of this, involving Randy is something Liz can't forgive.
Randy gently patted Liz's shoulder as she quietly fumed.
"Liz. It's okay. I knew that and used the Guild too."
Randy sighed, and he was right; he took advantage of the Guild and the situation. He even used the chaos among the citizens for a bit. When it comes to Randy, it's hard to blame Aaron.
The proof he showed when provoking Cain. The 'decrease in mining output' given by the Shadler family is definitely causing a stir in the town right now.
Of course, this commotion will settle down quickly because the country will step in. In reality, there's no decrease in mining output. There might be some temporary chaos from hoarding, but the country's explanation and the extra supplies will calm the citizens' worries.
The chaos will end. But the citizens will still have questions.
So why did the Count Shadler's family tell the Viscount Victor's family that the mining output was low and push for a price increase?
Normally, citizens wouldn't care about the squabbles between noble families. Even if one family tried to raise prices, it would just be a noble dispute. But if it affects them, that's a different story.
Even if it was just for a short time, they will demand answers from the Shadler and Victor families for the confusion they caused. This situation shakes the trust between nobles and commoners, even if it's not as strong as before.
Plus, there's an S-rank adventurer recommended by the country caught up in this mess. The country also has to explain itself. This is one of the reasons why Randy went through all the trouble to challenge a lesser opponent.
The country and the Shadler family set the stage so they couldn't escape. This commotion is a battle of nobles, Randy's style... or rather, Victor's style. That adventurer Cain is just a trigger for it.
Because of these calculations, Liz's straightforward anger is also a blow to Randy.
"Thanks for being mad for me."
"If you say that, I can't stay mad anymore."
Liz puffed her cheeks at Randy's smile.
"Well, as you can see, we both used each other, so I'm not worried about it."
Randy shrugged, and Aaron let out a sigh of relief, saying, "That helps." Aaron knew he was being used, but the fact that Randy fought hard didn't change.
"Now, let's get to the main topic of our meeting."
Aaron changed the subject, but in front of the request form presented by Randy and Liz, he smiled and said, "I'll accept the conditions."
This was a request for budget support for building a road to the Beast Forest.
"You said it yourself, but this is basically an excuse to call Lord Victor."
Aaron chuckled a little at Randy and said, "But I didn't expect them to send a monster my way," looking at Randy with a wry smile.
"I fact, I planned for Lord Victor to come himself."
Aaron, still smiling wryly, thought Alan would come to negotiate the budget directly. He seemed to plan to use Alan to open a path to the Adventurers' Guild.
"If it were Lord Victor, he would have shown us the best results."
Aaron shrugged, and Randy said, "Hmm." He understood that Alan was capable, but he couldn't imagine how he would handle that situation.
But he didn't think Alan would provoke the other side like Randy did.
"You don't know much about your father, do you? He's the most capable man I know."
"Yeah, I know the old man is good."
Randy nodded reluctantly, and Aaron laughed happily, saying, "There are sides to him he doesn't show his son."
"Anyway, the Guild will do its best to help with the road construction. Keeping adventurers safe is important for the Guild too."
Aaron looked at the two of them and said,
"But... The Guild won't take sides with any family. The fight between Victor and Shadler is something you two need to handle on your own."
"Got it."
Randy smiled, and Aaron nodded back, saying, "That's good."
"By the way, I have one more request."
Feeling a bit awkward about asking to see the ancient documents after saying there would be no borrowing, Randy spoke up.
"Ancient documents...? I do have a few collected."
Aaron frowned a little but then nodded, saying,
"Alright. I know I said no borrowing, but I think I can make an exception for something that involves young people."
Aaron smiled, and it seemed like he felt better about it. Randy and Liz probably thought it was a lucky break.
"Well then, let's go──."
Following Aaron, the two of them left the room.
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