In the Guild Master's office, Rikisetsu, Edin, Cain, and Letia were seated, facing each other.
When Rikisetsu was asked about the situation, it seemed he had not heard anything. He only knew that he received a call from a guard saying that Betty had been captured.
At the time, he had become extremely agitated, but upon hearing that the lord would explain the reasons later, he regained his composure.
Cain had explained the entire situation to Rikisetsu from the beginning.
"--- I never thought something like this would happen."
The sub-Guild Master of the guild, along with the magistrate, the priest, and even the Dark Guild, had attacked the lord's residence. With active A-rank adventurers involved, this was not a simple matter. It was not just a problem for Rikisetsu, the branch manager of Drintle, but it would also cause trouble for Edin, who was in the capital.
That was why Edin had come to the city of Drintle, and Rikisetsu immediately understood this.
Rikisetsu, upon hearing the truth, prostrated himself on the floor and rubbed his head against it.
"Lord Cain, Lord Edin, I am truly sorry for this."
However, this was not something that could be resolved with just an apology.
The entire Adventurer's Guild had, in effect, declared war on the noble society.
"Lord Rikisetsu, we need to discuss what to do from now on. That's why I came from the capital. I will appoint Letia, who is here, as the new sub-Guild Master and inspector of the Drintle branch. You, Rikisetsu, must take responsibility and manage the adventurers in this city. The punishment will be decided based on your performance, and it will be suspended until then. Cain, is that okay with you?"
Rikisetsu, still prostrated, nodded in agreement with Edin's decision.
"Edin, that's fine. I know Lord Rikisetsu is not a bad person. He can be a bit short-tempered, but in this case, the magistrate was the main culprit. I plan to present it as if Rikisetsu was involved. Of course, I intend to hold the country accountable as well. With Letia here, I can rest assured about the guild."
"Even if you say that, it won't change anything! We need to start investigating the records and past documents. I'll start working from tomorrow, but first, I need to be introduced to the staff."
Letia blushed slightly at Cain's expectations but quickly regained her composure.
"Then, let's introduce me to the staff first. Everyone is here today because Betty is absent."
Everyone nodded. Rikisetsu stood up from his prostration and led everyone to the hall.
When the four of them entered the hall, the staff became excited.
Rikisetsu began to explain to the staff.
"Everyone, I'm sorry to interrupt your work. Please take a moment to listen. Betty, who was the sub-Guild Master, has been arrested by the guards for misconduct. The details are still unclear, but she will likely be taken to the capital for questioning and will not return here. That much is certain."
The staff were shocked by Rikisetsu's words. They had not known about Betty's misconduct. Moreover, the fact that she would never return implied a serious or capital offense. The staff swallowed hard.
Rikisetsu continued.
"This time, Lord Edin, the head of the Esfort Kingdom Adventurer's Guild, has come to address this matter. The new sub-Guild Master of this city will be Lady Letia, who has come from the capital. She will also serve as an inspector within the guild. Everyone, please work with her."
"Letia, sent from the capital guild. I'll start working from tomorrow, but please look after me."
Letia stepped forward and bowed slightly to the staff. Applause erupted.
The staff and receptionists who knew Letia let out joyful cries. She was apparently very popular. The adventurers in the hall were also captivated by Letia's beauty. To everyone, Letia was a sophisticated and charming adult woman from the capital.
The fact that they could see the head of the kingdom's guild in person added to the excitement.
Just then, a receptionist named Aura, who didn't read the room, raised her hand to ask a question.
"Excuse me, Guild Master. I understand that Lord Edin and Lady Letia are here, but why is Lord Cain standing there?"
Regarding Cain, even the guild staff only knew him as an excellent child adventurer of A-rank. The receptionists knew that excellent adventurers earned more. A child of A-rank had the potential to become S-rank. If they could capture him, their future would be secure. Moreover, Cain, though only ten years old, was a beautiful silver-haired boy. The receptionists had no choice but to target him.
"That's because I'm just an acquaintance adventurer—"
"Lord Cain is the lord of this city! Lord Cain von Silford Drintle, the Viscount!"
Cain had tried to pass himself off as an acquaintance, but Rikisetsu completely blew his cover.
"Wh-What?!"
The hall erupted into chaos.
Not only the guild staff but also the adventurers who had been gossiping about the "Silver-Haired Devil" were shocked.
The adventurers whispered to each other, "That vicious one is the new lord...?"
The destruction of the training ground by Cain, which the adventurers had been discussing as a topic over drinks, now took on a new meaning. "Be careful of the silver-haired devil who looks like a child."
The adventurers were even more surprised to learn that the boy was a noble and the lord.
Rikisetsu, who had not realized he had revealed Cain's secret, was surprised by the commotion.
Feeling dejected that his secret was out, Cain introduced himself.
"Sorry, I'm Cain von Silford Drintle. I recently became the lord of this city. As a new lord, I hope everyone will work with me."
After his introduction, Cain bowed.
"I thought it was a golden opportunity, but it's the lord... "
"At his age, to be a lord and A-rank... *lick*"
"I need to work even harder... I wonder if I can handle someone older..."
"If I could get close to him..."
The receptionists sent Cain heated glances with predatory eyes. Some were already lost in rosy fantasies.
Edin, noticing the receptionists' behavior, warned them.
"Lord Cain is engaged to Tiphana, my sister and the commander of the Royal Guard, so there's no room for you."
Edin revealed the engagement without hesitation. Indeed, the only secret he kept was about Terecia and Silk, as it could cause political issues. Tiphana's engagement, however, had already been approved by her family and posed no problems.
The commander of the Royal Guard is a duke's daughter, known for her beauty and exceptional martial skills. She is famous throughout the kingdom, and most citizens know her.
The guild staff, of course, knew this. Realizing they couldn't compete with a duke's daughter, the receptionists slumped in disappointment.
After revealing this, Edin winked at Cain.
"Now the bad bugs won't come."
He whispered this softly.
While the bad bugs wouldn't come, Cain thought no one would be able to get close to him.
After the introductions, they greeted Rikisetsu and left the guild, heading to the lord's residence. They had not reserved any accommodations, and the lord's residence still had available guest rooms.
Letia, who had been suddenly appointed, had not yet moved into the dormitory, so she was allowed to commute from the lord's residence for the time being.
"It feels like a dream! I'll enjoy this life for a while."
Letia was delighted with the room she was shown. Edin sighed.
"Sorry, Cain. I'll leave it to you to take care of her for a while."
After introducing Letia, Edin had a meeting with Cain in the parlor. Behind Cain stood Dalmecia in a butler's uniform.
"Dalmecia, was everything okay?"
Dalmecia bowed and answered.
"Yes, there were no particular issues. I have been monitoring the building's surroundings, but there were no suspicious individuals. The Dash family also seems to be in good health."
Edin glanced at Dalmecia, then turned back to Cain, his lips curving into a smile.
"Cain's mansion has quite a formidable butler, doesn't it?"
Cain broke into a cold sweat. He hadn't expected Edin to notice.
"My, my, Lord Edin, I am just a retired butler. I am at a loss to hear such things."
Dalmecia laughed lightly, brushing off Edin's comment.
"Hmm. Let's leave it at that. With this, the mansion will be safe even without Cain."
"Should I send it to the capital first thing tomorrow? I have school tomorrow, so I plan to leave early."
"You're still a student. Wouldn't it be better to graduate and focus on being a lord? If you work with the adventurers, I can assign you special requests, which would help me."
"Unfortunately, I can't do that. I'm still a first-year student."
"Indeed, that's true."
The two continued their casual conversation as the night grew late.
Thank you for always reading.
This week, I have four year-end parties, so my writing is not progressing (6th, 7th, 8th, 9th).
Starting next week, I will be posting simultaneously on AlphaPolis.