Volume 1 Chapter 13 The Villainous Guildmaster, saves the Magic Tool Guild
The Guildmaster of the Magic Tool Guild, [Ria], arrived that night.
I went to see her.
She was in the Magic Tool Guild's workshop.
"What are you doing here at this hour, you?"
"G-Guildmaster~..."
She looked flustered.
In front of her was a half-finished Communication Magic Item.
Looking around, the other Guild members were sprawled flat on the floor.
"Something must have happened," I said.
"...N-No, no trouble," she replied quickly.
"Don't play coy. What are you hiding?"
This woman never came to me without an appointment.
And now, she was here in the middle of the night, makeup covering the dark circles under her eyes.
I thought there might be trouble, so I came to check in myself.
I wasn't wrong.
"Haha... Guildmaster is always so perceptive... Impressive..."
Her weak laugh didn't fool me.
"Get to the point. Tell me what's going on."
"I have to make 100 Communication Magic Items by tomorrow."
Communication magic items.
They allowed people far apart to talk.
And they took a long time to make.
Making 100 by tomorrow? Impossible.
And with the other Guild members already collapsed, there was no way.
"Can't you ask for an extension?"
"No... It's a direct order from the [Minister of Finance] to meet the deadline."
"The Minister of Finance...? A government request?"
She nodded.
No chance for an extension then.
"I wanted to be honest," Ria muttered.
"But I couldn't bear to burden you... It's my problem."
After three years of running her Guild, she was finally starting to think like a leader.
"G...Sorry..."
"Don't apologize." I took a step closer.
"Get to work immediately."
"But... One person making 100 by tomorrow... It's impossible..."
I grabbed her by the shoulders and leaned in close.
Her face turned red.
"G-Guildmaster... um, if you're going to get this close, at least choose a more atmospheric place..."
I ignored that and activated the Eye of the Time King.
"I've applied Unique Time Acceleration to you. You can move at an impossible speed. Get your hands moving."
Ria sighed like she was disappointed in something entirely different.
But she got to work.
Thanks to the Unique Time Acceleration, her movements were a blur.
She crafted magic tools at an astonishing pace.
One after another, the Communication Magic Items were completed.
In just a few hours, she had made all 100 by herself.
"Wow... Guildmaster! This is amazing! I did it!"
She bounced in place like a kid, practically glowing.
"I see. That's great."
"Yes! Thanks to you, Guildmaster, we managed to finish! Really, thank you so much...!"
And then—
BANG!
The workshop door flew open.
"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING SLEEPING HERE!?"
A balding middle-aged man stomped in, scowling.
He kicked the Guild members who were lying under the tables.
"P-Please stop, Minister of Finance...!" Ria rushed forward.
So this was the Minister of Finance.
A real piece of work.
"What do you want?" I asked flatly.
"To pick up the goods, of course!"
The Minister of Finance sneered.
"W-What!? We agreed on delivery tomorrow morning!" Ria shouted.
"Are you stupid? Look at the clock. It's past midnight!"
He tapped his wrist with a mocking grin.
True. Technically, the date had changed.
But demanding a midnight delivery without warning was outrageous.
Ria clearly hadn't been informed.
"So? Are the Communication Magic Tools ready?" he asked.
"Ah... yes. They're ready," Ria replied.
"Heh... I figured they wouldn't be. Even if your Guild, Spectrum Star, is being hyped as the next big thing, it's still pretty new. Wait... HUH?"
The Minister of Finance's eyes bulged.
He froze.
"Wh-What is it now...?" Ria asked, uneasy.
"So, like I said," she continued, "all the items you commissioned are done."
She pointed to a box, neatly packed with Communication Magic Items.
"D-Don't spout nonsense...! Y-You must've just whipped up some random junk!"
He sneered again, but his voice cracked.
Squish—Ria shrank in on herself for a moment.
She turned to me with wide, pleading eyes.
"You gonna rely on me again?" I asked quietly.
Ria blinked.
Then, with a deep breath—
Grrr—she faced the Minister of Finance head-on.
"Pl-Please stop this already!" she said firmly.
Her voice echoed in the workshop.
Even the collapsed Guild members stirred faintly at the sound.
The Minister of Finance frowned.
"What did you say?"
"I said, STOP THIS!"
Ria's voice didn't waver.
A moment of silence.
Even I was a little surprised.
"...Tch," the Minister of Finance clicked his tongue, but he stepped back.
Ria turned to me, her eyes shining with relief.
"...Thank you, Guildmaster."
"You did it yourself," I said.
And she smiled.
*TWITCH!* The Minister of Finance shrinks back.
"I, I... [Spectrum Star]'s members, even if the deadline is tight, we don't make something sloppy! Everyone works with pride!"
Lia speaks to the Minister of Finance in front of her, tears welling up in her eyes, without showing any fear.
"Even today, everyone stayed at the guild, working hard without sleep. Don't you dare belittle my subordinates!"
Lia sobs...
"What, what are you, a little girl, talking back to me, the Minister of Finance!? This is outrageousss! You woman!"
*GWA!*
The Minister of Finance raises his arm.
"That's it!"
I grab his arm and twist it.
"Oww! Ow! Ow! Ow!"
"Guildmaster..."
Looking at Lia, I say,
"Leave it to me. ...You'll make a splendid Guildmaster, you know"
"Ghus...pheee..."
I release the Minister of Finance's arm.
"What are you doing!?"
"This request, isn't it a bit too much?"
A ridiculously short deadline, an order exceeding capacity.
"You, did you intentionally make such a difficult order?"
"Wh-What!? What are you basing that on!?"
"I just made a quick call to a [contact]. You seem to be in cahoots with another Magic Tool Guild"
Apparently, you were receiving money from a specific Magic Tool Guild in exchange for preferential treatment.
"You intended to use your usual Magic Tool Guild. However, since [Spectrum Star]'s products are of high quality, the order came to us."
I pick up the Communication Magic Item that was on the desk.
"By giving preferential treatment, you were receiving money from the Magic Tool Guild. So, you made things difficult for Lia this time, aiming to have the request fail and damage her reputation. Am I wrong?"
The Minister of Finance sweats profusely and looks agitated.
It seems my deductions were correct.
"What?! That's ridiculous! What evidence do you have for that!?"
"What's wrong? You're sweating buckets and your eyes are darting everywhere. Even a child can see that you're flustered after being hit with the truth."
"T-That's nothing, there's no proof!"
"You're right. Then let me investigate. Your room. What do you say, EdwardYour/His Highness the Crown Prince Edward?"
I press the button on the Communication Magic Item.
*BOOM!*
Along with that sound, a 3-dimensional image appears.
"Oh, Your Highness the Crown Prince Edward! Why!?"
"The communication magic item that Ria made is a special one. It can record and transmit images."
Through this, Edward had been watching the entire exchange and the Minister of Finance's panicked expression.
"The rest is up to you."
"Understood. I'll have it investigated immediately."
"W-Wait! Your Highness! Please wait!"
The Crown Prince rebukes the Minister of Finance, who desperately tries to stop him.
"Now, those were just stories made up!"
'Whether it's true or not, we'll know if we check your room, won't we?'
"B-But..."
'Silence! I'll make you pay for this!'
With a slump, the Minister of Finance dropped his shoulders.
* * *
Later that day, in my (Guildmaster) room.
"Guildmaster, it's been a while."
Ria, with a smile, came to my side.
"Since things have calmed down, I came to give you a report."
- Documents proving fraudulent transactions were found in the Minister of Finance's room.
- The Minister of Finance was naturally dismissed.
- The embezzled funds were confiscated, and he was expelled from the castle.
"Thanks to the Guildmaster, we were able to escape this crisis. Truly, thank you so much..."
Ria bows her head deeply.
"Don't worry about it. I just couldn't afford to lose you."
"W-wait, does that mean... you're thinking about marrying me?"
"No. It's because your magical tools are well-made. If they disappear, it would be a problem for me."
"Ah... so that's it..."
Ria slumps her shoulders in disappointment.
"I'm really no good, am I... If it weren't for Mr. Act this time, it would have been over... I'm unfit to be Guildmaster..."
"Don't be ridiculous. You stood up to the Minister of Finance without relying on me, protecting the honor of your subordinates."
I stand up, walk over to Ria, and pat her head.
"You've grown, Ria. I'm proud of you."
"Waaah... Waaaaah! Guildmaster!"
Ria clings to my waist and cries like a child.
"I will do my best as Guildmaster! I want to grow even more, so you can be proud of me!"
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