Today is a regular update. Updated at 12 PM, planning to update at 12 AM.
The Half-Human Guild, as the name suggests, is a guild operated by half-humans. All its members are half-humans. Due to their uniqueness, they tend to attract attention, but because they employ various half-humans, their performance far surpasses that of other guilds. The strong half-humans carry the heavy loads, the fast ones handle transportation, and the ones with keen noses take care of gathering. Each half-human excels in their respective fields, far surpassing humans. When placed in the right positions, it's only natural that they outperform humans. This is how the guild gradually expanded its influence from the eastern part of the continent and is now at the point of establishing a branch in the imperial capital. The guild is led by a mysterious vampire who never shows her face. This is the Half-Human Guild. And Linphia and Feine were heading to its imperial capital branch.
"The branch was just completed, and we were about to start operations when the disturbance in the east occurred. As a result, the branch never opened, and the Half-Human Guild's sign has not been hung. Since the leader is a vampire and the emperor was attacked, the empire is sensitive to anything related to half-humans. I think it was a wise decision."
"Is that so? I don't think you should worry if you haven't done anything wrong. It wasn't your people who attacked the emperor..."
"That would be fine if everyone thought like you, Feine-sama, but not everyone is as noble as you. Many people, instead of seeing the attackers as individuals, view them broadly as half-humans and dislike them."
Linphia thought it was a virtue. Feine was not a bystander but a victim, yet she had no prejudice against vampires or half-humans. It was proof that she didn't judge people by their titles or races. She saw them as individuals, which is why her negative emotions didn't spread to related matters. However, Linphia thought Feine should be aware that this was unusual. Therefore, she emphasized it to Feine, who seemed to not fully understand.
"Feine-sama, humans have different ways of thinking. Do you understand that?"
"Yes, of course."
"Then you should understand that your way of thinking is not always the norm. I don't have any particular feelings towards half-humans, but if I had a grudge, I might interpret your earlier statement as defending half-humans. This could be detrimental to you and, by extension, to our cause. If you care about the princes, you should be careful about expressing personal opinions."
"That's true... You're right. I misspoke..."
Seeing Feine shrink, Linphia felt as if she had done something wrong. However, she didn't comfort Feine. Since Al had entrusted Feine to her, Linphia felt responsible for her. As an adventurer, she had to do her job for the reward. At the very least, she had to protect the cause and help Feine achieve her goals. She couldn't justify the reward without doing this much. After all, Al had already hired Abel's party for a high reward to guard the village. It was a sum that would overshadow any achievement. Only Al, with his vast wealth as a silver, could afford it. For a mere prince, it was a very steep price. Linphia assumed Al had strained to come up with it, which stimulated her sense of responsibility.
"The representative of the large guild is waiting. If you make careless remarks, you might be manipulated. Please be on your guard."
"Yes!"
Seeing Feine's face tighten, Linphia nodded. At the same time, the carriage they were in stopped. They had arrived at the Half-Human Guild's imperial capital branch.
***
The branch, located in a prime area of the imperial capital, was deserted. There were hardly any people around. Inside the branch, two golden-haired elves, who seemed to be the representative's secretaries, guided them. No one spoke. They walked to the back of the relatively large branch and stopped in front of a red door.
"The representative is waiting here. Please go in."
"Yes."
The secretary opened the door, and the two entered the room, but no one was in sight. By the time they noticed, the secretary had already left.
"Did we come to the wrong room?"
"Given that they designated this place, I doubt it. Deliberately keeping the other party waiting is a common tactic. Let's sit and wait."
Linphia calmly sat Feine down on a sofa. After a moment's hesitation, Feine started to brew tea using the utensils on the table.
"Would you like some, Linphia?"
"I'm on guard duty now. I'll have some when we return."
"I see... It's not fun to drink tea alone..."
Feine drank the tea she had brewed, looking a bit lonely. Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind Linphia. Linphia, who was caught off guard, managed to block the hand before it reached Feine. However,
"Oh, what a shame. I wanted to enjoy the feel of Princess Cyan. But the guard is cute too, so it's fine."
The person who suddenly appeared next to Linphia, who had protected Feine, moved behind the vulnerable Linphia and started to grope her chest with both hands.
"Wha—!?"
"Hmm, a bit small, but there's room for growth! Keep it up!"
"Ugh!"
Linphia, who had been caught off guard, immediately tried to draw her magic sword, but Feine stopped her.
"Linphia, please bear with it."
"Feine-sama...?"
"Pleased to meet you. I am Feine von Kleinert. I assume you are the representative of the Half-Human Guild. How about it? And please release my guard. If your playfulness goes too far, I will have to leave."
"Hehe, don't look so scared. It's just a bit of physical contact. That's right, I am the representative."
The one who spoke with a wry smile was a silver-haired woman. She had wavy, shoulder-length hair and reddish-purple eyes. She exuded an adult aura but looked very young, probably in her late teens to early twenties. However, since it was impossible to guess a vampire's age, Feine stopped thinking about it. The woman, like other vampires, had fair skin and a beautiful appearance. She was probably as attractive as Feine. If there were a hundred men, they would likely be evenly split. The silver-haired woman then smiled warmly and approached her desk. She sat on it, crossed her legs, and looked straight at Linphia and Feine.
"I'm Yuria, the representative of the Half-Human Guild. As you know, I'm a vampire, and I love cute girls and money. My favorite things are enjoying the feel of cute girls and making money. Nice to meet you!"
Linphia instantly realized her mistake. She might have brought the most beautiful woman, Feine, to the worst place. However, Feine accepted Yuria's introduction without any concern or awareness.
"I like cute girls too, Yuria."
"Wow! We get along well. I might be able to work with Feine."
Feine didn't reprimand Yuria for using her first name, so Linphia couldn't either, leaving her at a loss. Yuria smiled at the flustered Linphia.
"Don't be so tense. We'll get down to business. If you bring me something valuable, I'll give you something valuable in return. You want allies in the imperial succession, right? Let's get down to business."
Yuria took control of the situation. Seeing this, Linphia regretted it again. Yuria was not just a merchant. She had probably lived longer than Feine's or Linphia's grandparents and had turned a small guild into a large one, despite the restriction of only employing half-humans. Linphia had thought she could negotiate from a position of strength, but Yuria's attitude was completely relaxed. She had already taken control of the situation from the start. What should she do? Just as Linphia was thinking, Feine played her strongest card.
"The negotiation material is me. I will give you the right to use me. Please lend us your support."
Linphia was stunned by this straightforward move, but Yuria was even more surprised. However, Yuria quickly recovered and smiled slyly.
"If I get that right, I might make you do things that a duchess's daughter can't do."
"Please don't worry about it."
Feine's immediate response left Yuria speechless. This time, it was Yuria's turn to be overwhelmed by Feine's calm smile.