Volume 1 Chapter 2 The Villainous Guild Master, 'It's Still Too Early' to Persuade
One morning, I wake up in my bedroom at home.
This is my guild's [Gem of Heavenly Gift] residence, located behind the guild hall.
As I change my clothes, I hear a knock on the door, and a blue-haired girl in a maid outfit enters.
"Good morning, Master. I've brought breakfast."
"Thank you for your hard work."
She sets up a folding table and quickly arranges the dishes.
As I prepare to eat, I notice something.
"What's this cake?"
On the plate, aside from the usual menu, there was a homemade-looking shortcake.
"It seems the chef's child made it. It's for Sir Act, who has been so kind."
"...I see."
"I apologize. Sir Act has predetermined all his meals and strictly calculates the calories, so I declined the cake, but they insisted you try it."
"Declined? Don't be ridiculous. Of course, I'm going to eat it."
"You will eat it? But you always say you don't want to consume unnecessary calories."
"It would be a waste of the effort and time that child put into making it."
"As expected of you, Master. You have a kind nature that doesn't dismiss the feelings of others."
"Where am I kind?"
"Even that slightly clueless aspect of yours is charming."
She says it without changing her expression, leaving me unsure if she truly means it.
After a moment,
I finish my meal and leave the mansion with Frederica.
"What's on the agenda for today?"
"After the morning paperwork at the guild, we have a meeting with the town mayor, followed by a tightly packed schedule. Shouldn't we allow for a bit more leeway?"
"I don't understand the point of putting off work that's right in front of us. It's a waste."
We step into the guild hall.
"Sir Act!"
"Guild Master! Good morning!"
The guild members rush towards me with bright smiles.
Frederica stands protectively in front of me and speaks.
"Everyone, Master is on a tight schedule. Please refrain from interrupting unless it is urgent."
She's putting up a barricade, trying to warn everyone, but the guild members are saying, "Guildmaster! Good morning!" and "You look lovely today!" as if nothing is wrong.
I'm not doing anything special, so this level of adoration is truly strange.
As I was about to return to my room, that's when it happened.
"Guildmaster! I'm so glad I found you! Can I talk to you for a moment?"
Weaving through the crowd, someone approaches me.
A young woman, a magician with her hood pulled low.
"Long time no see. What's wrong?"
She stops in front of me, her breathing uneven.
For a moment, she just stands there, shaking. Then, like a dam breaking, she stumbles forward and collapses against me.
Her fingers clutch at my clothes as though she's drowning, and I'm the only thing keeping her afloat.
"Guildmaster... I don't... I don't know what to do anymore...!"
Her voice is hoarse, cracked from holding back too long.
"[Yoko], I thought you became a court magician? A commoner who entered the court... why are you here?"
Slowly, she lifts her head.
Her face is pale.
Her lips are trembling.
And her eyes—those bright, determined eyes—are swollen and red, clouded by despair.
She opens her mouth, but no words come out at first. Only shallow, ragged breaths.
Tears well up in Yoko's eyes again.
But this time, they fall freely, one after another, as if her body can no longer hold the weight.
"Master, what shall we do? We have limited time before the meeting with the Town Mayor."
I glance at Frederica. She waits silently.
I look back at Yoko, feel the desperation in the way she clings to me.
"Cancel it. I'll apologize directly later."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course. Even though she's no longer in my guild, Yoko is still under my protection."
I pull out my handkerchief and carefully wipe the tears from her cheeks.
Her skin is cold to the touch.
I feel her body flinch, but then she closes her eyes as if trying to hold herself together.
"Come to my room and talk. What happened?"
* * *
Together with Yoko, I arrive at my room.
I have her sit on the sofa and instruct Frederica to bring calming tea.
Yoko continues to sob softly.
Each breath she takes is shallow, as if she's forgotten how to breathe without pain.
"First, have some tea and try to calm down."
She obeys.
Her hands shake violently as she picks up the teacup, the porcelain clinking against the saucer.
When she finally takes a sip, her tears spill over again and drop into the tea, unnoticed.
"Master, she was a member of your guild until a couple of months ago, wasn't she? She became a court magician then."
"Yes. She was originally a healer, but she had a high aptitude for magic."
She was offered a better position suited to her talents, and left 2 months ago.
I remember the hope in her eyes when she left.
But now...
"Did you not suit your court work? I don't think that the master would misjudge the aptitude."
"...No, I have no complaints about my job. It was my calling. Just..."
Her voice cracks.
She stares down at her lap, her hands tightening around the teacup until I'm afraid it will shatter.
Her lips tremble before the next words come, as if forcing them out costs her everything.
In short, here's the situation.
She was assigned to the Magic Research Department of the Magic Corps.
But she's being subjected to sexual harassment by the head of that department.
Even when she begs him to stop, he smirks and uses his noble status to threaten her.
"If you tell anyone," he said, "I'll ruin you."
"I've been touched on my butt and chest so many times..."
Her voice shakes violently.
"When I told my colleagues... they laughed at me. Said I should be grateful. That I was lucky a commoner like me was getting attention from a noble."
Her nails dig into her palms until they bleed.
"My words... they didn't believe me. Because I'm just a commoner..."
Yoko's tears fall silently now.
Her face is blank, as if drained of everything.
But her body shakes with the effort of holding herself together.
"I... I tried to endure it. I told myself I had to. After all, Guildmaster introduced me to this job at the Guildmaster Guild, and I didn't want to cause trouble. I didn't want to shame you... But..."
Her voice finally breaks.
"I can't... I can't take it anymore."
She bows her head so low it almost touches the floor.
Her sobs are no longer restrained.
Raw. Broken.
"Guildmaster, I quit as a Court Magician. Please, let me return here."
Yoko is a woman of great pride and responsibility.
She would never abandon her post without a reason.
For her to be like this...
She must have been crushed.
"Yoko. Look up."
"...Eh?"
She lifts her head slowly.
Her expression is filled with confusion and fear.
And in the next moment, I do something I have never done before.
I bow deeply to her.
Not as her Guildmaster, but as the man who failed her.
"I'm sorry. I should have investigated the situation better. It's my fault for introducing you to such a place."
Her eyes widen in horror.
She waves her hands in a panic, her tears falling faster.
"N-no! Please, don't say that! You didn't do anything wrong! It's him! That disgusting man! He's the one who—!"
But I shake my head.
"No. I sent you there believing it was safe. I should have made sure."
To the flustered Yoko, I say:
"Yoko, I'm sorry, but I cannot accept your request to return."
Her expression crumples.
For a second, she looks as if her last hope has been torn away.
"But... I... I don't have anywhere else to go..."
"You do."
I rest my hand gently on her head.
"You always have. Being a Court Magician was your dream since childhood, wasn't it? You won't give up on it. Not because of trash like him."
Her eyes widen again.
"You... you remember?"
"I remember everything you told me at the welcome party. You cried when you got the offer from the court, didn't you? Said you'd worked your whole life for it."
Frederica, standing nearby, lets out a small breath.
"As expected of Master. Never forgetting a single thing he's heard. Even his obsession with avoiding wastefulness is a talent."
"Are you complimenting me?" I ask quietly.
"Of course," she replies without hesitation. "As expected of our [Gem of Heavenly Gift] leader."
I turn my gaze back to Yoko.
She looks as though she wants to cry again—but this time, not out of despair.
"Anyway," I say gently, "I'll do something about it. So don't let go of the job you've worked so hard for. Isn't that good?"
Yoko blinks, her lips parting.
And slowly... she nods.
"Frederica. Make an appointment at the court."
"Understood. But Master, what exactly?"
I stand and adjust my gloves calmly.
But inside, something cold and sharp is coiled, waiting.
"I'm going to confront that perverted department head and make him understand."
I look down at my hands, clenching them once.
"What happens when he dares to touch the gem I've polished with his filthy hands."
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