“The Underground Guild…”
Lily repeated the words Camilla had spoken.
“Well, to put it simply, it’s an illegal guild,”
Zofia, who was next to her, said.
When people want to request work that they cannot do themselves, they usually go to a guild. The Adventurer’s Guild is the largest of them all, but there are many other guilds, such as the blacksmith’s guild and the carpenter’s guild.
Ordinary guilds are officially recognized by the government, and their requests and fee structures are operated under certain rules, and membership requires passing a certification exam.
“But the Underground Guild has no such rules. It’s a gathering of shady people.”
“Those guys will do anything for money, which is why Ringa hates them.”
“Indeed, they are not the kind of people you want to actively associate with.”
The demi-human leaders showed their disgust.
“They’ll do anything…?”
“Drug trafficking, assassinations, revenge services. I heard rumors that the Underground Guild was involved in the trafficking of noble children.”
“…”
Lily trembled and looked at Zenos’s face.
“S-So, if that noisy old man went to the Underground Guild to ask for a bad favor…”
“Are you talking about Aston, the noisy old man?”
Zenos put some bread in his mouth and thought for a moment.
“I wonder. I used to live in the slums, so I’ve heard about the Underground Guild, but requests should cost a lot of money.”
“Hmm. The fact that he went all the way to the slums to look for Zenos suggests that the man may be in dire straits. In other words, he doesn’t have that much capital.”
Camilla said, crossing her arms, and Lily breathed a sigh of relief.
“O-Oh, I see. That’s a relief.”
However, Zofia alone looked glumly at the table.
“Zofia-san…?”
“Oh, no. It’s just that I remembered a rumor that the Underground Guild is basically a world where money talks, but recently there’s someone who will accept requests depending on the conditions, even if you don’t have money.”
Zofia furrowed her brow as if trying to recall the name, and then said,
“If I remember correctly, he calls himself ‘The Guide‘.”
Deep in the slums, in the deepest part.
In a corner of a dimly lit underground space where old waterways were stretched out like a spider’s web, two figures were facing each other.
“Welcome, are you the client? How did you find this place?”
One of them, a person wearing a gray robe over his head, said.
“…”
However, the other person’s voice was low and mumbled, and the words melted into the darkness.
In the underground space, only the unusually cheerful voice of the person in the gray robe echoed.
“Ah. You were introduced to this place because you didn’t have enough money for the request? That happens sometimes.”
“Yeah, it’s okay. I don’t just do it for the money.”
“Me? Yeah, you can call me ‘The Guide’.”
“So, what’s the request?”
“I see… to put it simply, it’s revenge. You don’t like the person himself, and also his followers.”
“Can you tell me the reason?”
“Yes, it’s necessary. The other guys in the Underground Guild don’t seem to care about the reason as long as they get paid, but I value the reason.”
“If you’re not willing to talk, then this request is off—”
“…Hm? Are you willing to talk now?”
“Wow… that’s a considerably twisted and selfish reason. It’s more like a simple tantrum than revenge. You don’t have any friends, do you?”
“Hm? I didn’t say it was bad. In fact, it’s the kind of reason I like. Alright, I’ll lend you a hand.”
The person in the gray robe, who called himself “The Guide,” took out a jet-black magic stone from his pocket.
It was a pure jet-black color, as if it absorbed even the surrounding darkness.
“I’m doing some research right now. Since we have this opportunity, I think I’ll use this.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll make sure your request is fulfilled.”
“By the way, can you tell me your name?”
The corners of his mouth, hidden deep within the gray robe, curled up into a grin.
“I see, your name is Aston.”
A/N: We are about to enter the second half of the first chapter.