/
The man in the boss’s office of the mercenary guild had changed.
“Mr. Akshuler.” Damian, a receptionist who had taken over handling negotiations, sat across the desk.
“Kind of strange to see you like this.” Akshuler scratched his head awkwardly.
“May I ask why you gave me the responsibility of something as important as commissions?”
It was often said that the three most important departments in the mercenary guild were the commissions department, the mercenary management department, and the treasury department. They were deeply ingrained in the workings of the guild.
Barbarian had chosen his own people to manage these three departments, a natural result of his authoritative tendencies. Akshuler, on the other hand, had selected Damian for the commissions department and no one else. Damian may have worked at the headquarters already, but for him to be promoted so quickly seemed suspicious to the other mercenaries. In fact, he had been an outspoken critic of Akshuler’s plans.
“I’m not one of your supporters, nor do I favor your ideals—I find them unrealistic.” Damian closed his eyes. “Of course, I don’t think it was a bad choice; mercenaries’ existences essentially revolve around money, after all. So at the risk of being rude, I thought I’d face you in front of everyone and tell you what I thought.”
“I don’t think it works.”
“What?” Damian blinked at Akshuler.
“‘Dancing on the knife’s edge’ isn’t something we say as a joke, and Barbarian exploited that. We risk our lives for petty cash. But
 that doesn’t mean we should only look out for ourselves.”
“I don’t follow.”
“I want the mercenaries to have a future with more meaning than just grubbing for money. I know earning millions is fun, but together we can elevate the mercenary guild as a whole.” Akshuler extended a finger. “Here’s an example: the alliance of free knights takes commissions—just like the mercenary guild, right? But they earn twice as much as we do. Do you know why?”
“They
” Damian couldn’t find an answer.
“If you said it’s because there’s a difference in skill, I get it. But even gold cards and higher take unfavorable rates in comparison to the free knights.” Akshuler locked eyes with Damian. “Because they stand for something that we don’t.”
The manager stiffened.
“The mercenary guild took on any request as long as the client could pay. We had enough people that we even fought for both sides of the conflict.”
It was obviously duplicitous, but Barbarian’s mercenary guild didn’t care.
“But the free knights are different. They exercise ‘chivalry’ and only take requests that meet their standards. How has that worked out for them? Did it cripple their organization? Did it stop them from putting food on their tables?” Akshuler shook his head. “No—it just boosted their reputation even more. Their strict adherence to their code made them more reliable in their clients’ eyes. And their clients are willing to pay them more than twenty gold. As I said, it’s all about the image.
“The relationship is clear: they improve their image, and profits follow naturally. They get paid like real knights.” He held out a paper to Damian. “I’m hoping the fledgling new mercenary guild isn’t going to do anything foolish.”
Damian’s eyes slowly widened as he examined the paper. “This is
?”
“So we ought to fix the wrong button first, shouldn’t we?” Akshuler smirked.
“Ahah!”
The paper detailed what could be the first commission for the reborn mercenary guild. The rudely scribbled contract read:
Duke Pontier requires assistance.
Client: Icarus of House Sanders
Length of Employ: Indefinite
Payment: Your lost trust
“Your Majesty, all of the nobles you requested are in the courtroom except for Duke Agnus.” Jacken knelt before the Emperor.
“Oh, is that so?” Emperor Marcus stirred in his soft chair. “Aden isn’t here, you say—Ah, do you think it’s because of the Empire’s Treasure, Jacken?”
“There is a chance.”
“HAHAHAHA! Do you think I went too far, Jacken?”
“Your Majesty’s will is absolute.”
Marcus chuckled. “Aden should be fine, given his promise. If there’s something wrong with Reinhardt, then it can’t be helped. But what do we do about the next three days?” He smiled bitterly. “How do we punish him for his tardiness? I made a promise, and it’s true that he brought honor to the Empire, so punishing him directly would be of no help
” As the Emperor pondered, his smile grew bigger and bigger. “
As I recall, he’s quite protective of his people, no?”
Jacken took a moment to think. “If you examine his work at the Academy and his recent behavior, I believe you are correct.”
“I agree.” The Emperor bowed his head solemnly. “We’ll take one a day,” he proclaimed expressionlessly.
“Yes?” Jacken stared stupidly at him.
“Every day he’s late, we’ll kill one of his people. And since he’s a noble in name only, we’ll extend it to his future companions as well. And the Wilhelm Knights
 What’s his is mine, no?” Emperor Marcus laughed uproariously.
Jacken, of course, remained absolutely silent. He was hardly the first person to suffer from the Emperor’s mad bloodlust.
Marcus stood up. “I’m leaving in five minutes. Anyone who arrives at the throne room after me is late, Aden or otherwise.”
“As you will.” Jacken made to stand up, but a name flashed through his mind, freezing his limbs for a moment. I can’t tell him anything yet, we don’t have enough details. If Marcus heard that name, there would be no stopping him.
“Excuse me, Your Majesty.” Jacken bowed to the Emperor and slipped away.
It had been a long time since the noble’s assembly had been held. All of the most important houses were present, but the most important seat was still empty.
Duke Gergar teon Reye, commander of the Grand Army of the Empire of Avalon, stood in front of the assembly and coughed. “Before His Majesty arrives, I will summarize the two most important topics for this meeting.”
The room settled down.
“The first is the dragon that recently appeared in our Empire, as you are aware.”
The nobles let out a sigh. Dragons were no easy subject.
“I have a rough guess as to why, but this isn’t the place to discuss right or wrong. Instead, we will consider our future plans—”
“Once His Majesty is present, I will explain that part.”
“Sir Evergrant?”
The middle-aged man, dressed in a white robe, stepped forward, inciting the nobles to whisper again.
“I apologize for interrupting you, Duke.”
“Not at all.” Duke Reye shook his head. The dragon wasn’t the main point, anyway. “Then, moving on to the second subject: the Wilhelm Knights, guardians of Reinhardt, ‘invading’ Imperial lands.”
The nobles’ pent-up frustration immediately burst.
“The thunder-cursed child
”
“Is he mad? Damned arrogant bastard
”
“His youth has gone to his head, the idiot
”
Knowing that Duke Agnus hadn’t appeared yet, the nobles didn’t think twice about what they said. They were snakes, all of them, envious of Joshua’s talent. Joshua himself, well, they’d love to throw him into a bottomless pit.
“He should be stripped of his title and sent to an insane asylum!”
“He brought a band of foreigners into our land! The Imperial Knights are meant to protect the Empire, and this man is supposed to command the auxiliary battalion? Unacceptable!”
“We have to set an example!”
Their words differed, but the meaning was the same: they wanted to clip Joshua’s wings to protect their interests.
“Ah
 Is Joshua going to make me happy now? Is he going to show me a good time?” Arie licked his lips. Duke Tremblin silently shut his eyes.
In summary, the discussion was completely pointless.
On the other hand, someone who could solve all their problems had just arrived.
Some brave man burst through the gates of the throne room and started shouting before the nobles could react.
“Th-The clouds!”
“What?!”
“A d-dragon is flying above the palace!”
At once, the nobles were frozen stiff.