Chapter 262
Franz entered the guild building with the three women: Yuna, Hera, and Arian.
As the emperor had personally paid attention to it, the guild building was luxurious and neat. However, it wasn’t overly extravagant, which made it perfectly suited Franz.
“There are quite a lot of people…?”
Arian said, looking around in fascination.
Just as she said, there were quite a few people inside the building. Their statuses and ages varied, from nobles in luxurious clothes to commoners in shabby attire.
Most of them had probably come simply out of curiosity. After all, the guild’s promotional slogan stated that anyone, regardless of status, could commission anything as long as it wasn’t illegal.
In fact, there were those who couldn’t overcome such curiosity and entrusted themselves with trivial commissions.
“I would like to obtain just one Centra, the red flower that blooms on cliffs… How much should the commission fee be?”
“The commission fee isn’t strictly set. If the client sets an arbitrary amount, a hunter will look at it and decide whether or not to accept the commission.”
“Then, for now, just 30 copper coins…”
Truthfully, this was something Franz had planned. Although the guild was an institution established to handle Gates, it felt like a waste to leave it solely for that purpose.
It was a plan that truly killed two birds with one stone, allowing clients to solve their troubles and hunters to earn some pocket money.
It was then. Someone approached Franz’s side.
“Welcome, Your Highness.”
It was Yuna’s younger sister, Yuri-ah. Having decided to help Yuna and work at the guild, she was wearing the exclusive uniform for guild employees.
“Is Yuna inside?”
“My sister - no, the master is inside. If you have business with her, shall I call her for you?”
“No. I will go see her myself.”
Franz offered a light greeting and continued his walk.
Anyway, master, huh…
['Would it be better to change how I address her inside the guild?']
It might be fine in a private setting, but it would definitely be better to do so in a public one. After all, how they appeared to others wasn’t something to be taken lightly.
Franz was continuing to ponder this.
“I’m glad she looks healthy.”
“I agree. She seems to be doing well.”
Yusti-ah and Arian conversed with smiles on their lips. Since they had just met Yuri-ah, it was undoubtedly about her.
The last time they had seen Yuri-ah was during that particular incident, wasn’t it? Quite a long time had passed since then, so it was only natural for them to feel how much she had changed.
A few more words were exchanged between the two after that.
“Franz, surely not…?”
“Your Highness, I believe it’s not true…?”
Suddenly, both of their gazes turned toward Franz at the same time.
Franz, who hadn’t been paying attention to their conversation, looked back and forth between the two in bewilderment before speaking quietly.
“What is…?”
“We’re asking if you’re hitting on Miss Yuri-ah too.”
“What kind of nonsense are you talking about…?”
As the old adage goes, one does not trifle with a friend’s kin. Such a thing must never happen.
He had no memory of ever hitting on anyone in the first place, so he couldn’t understand why they were saying such things. It was so absurd that a hollow laugh almost burst out of him.
“Then that’s a relief…”
“Right, so don’t worry.”
“I wasn’t particularly worried, you know…?”
Yusti-ah let out a snort, Hmph -, and turned her head away. The ears poking out through her hair were dyed red, but she herself seemed unaware of that fact.
It was right after that when they met Yuna.
“Welcome!!”
In a spacious area comparable to the Magic Tower Lord’s Office, Yuna, who had been sipping tea at a small table, jumped up and welcomed them.
“Wow… Do you use this place all by yourself, Yuna?”
“It’s about the same size as the Magic Tower Lord’s Office…?”
“It feels like it would be lonely staying in a place like this all by yourself…”
The three of them looked around the room with eyes full of curiosity and marveled.
Franz, too, had shown a reaction not much different from theirs when he first came here. He knew they would pay a lot of attention to it, but he hadn’t expected it to be to this extent.
Of course, even now, after visiting this place several times, that thought hadn’t changed. The furniture personally crafted by the artisan who made furniture for the Imperial Family, as well as the shelves built to store the holy sword and armor, was quite stylish.
“Right? It’s so spacious that I could even make a vegetable garden in the room.”
“You aren’t actually planning to do that, are you…?”
Franz asked out of concern. For a normal person, it would be a joke, but there was a real possibility that Yuna would put it into action.
“Hey, I wouldn’t go that far. It’s a room personally prepared by Your Majesty, so why would I do that?”
“Then that’s a relief.”
“More importantly, don’t just stand there; come over here and sit down. The sofa is super soft and nice.”
Franz sat on the sofa at Yuna’s suggestion.
Was the artisan who made furniture for the Imperial Family truly on another level? The sofa was plush yet supported the body well, to the point where it wouldn’t fall short even when compared to something made by an Elf.
['Anyway, would it be good to buy at least a potted plant the next time I come…']
Wasn’t she someone who usually took good care of plants and animals? She had talked about a vegetable garden as a joke, but it probably wasn’t completely empty talk.
“You all came because you had business today, right? Shall we start with Yusti-ah first?”
“All right. Regarding the proposal to dispatch clerics to the guild…”
A conversation about official matters continued, having started with the topic Yuna brought up.
Yusti-ah conveyed the religious order’s opinion on the dispatch of clerics, and Franz conveyed his opinion on the dispatch and training of mages.
Lastly, Hera…
“Could you make accommodations so that elves can also become hunters? We live on the same continent, so we can’t just turn a blind eye to the issue of the Gates.”
“Would that really be okay…?”
As if it were something she hadn’t expected at all, Yuna’s eyes were wide open.
She wasn’t the only one to show such a reaction. Franz, of course, was the same, as well as Yusti-ah and Arian.
Weren’t the Elves the ones who had been at odds with humans until now due to various issues, from the damage to the Great Forest to kidnapping and enslavement? Hera’s decision was certainly surprising enough.
“I’ve come to realize this recently while living outside the Great Forest. In the end, only a very small minority committed wrongs, and the vast majority of people are innocent. There were even quite a few who treated me well.”
As the saying goes, a few bad apples can spoil the bunch. The evil deeds committed by a few individuals were what had driven a wedge between humans and elves.
“Of course, there are still some who hate humans. But most are either indifferent or curious about the situation.”
Hera’s gaze turned toward Franz. A gentle smile spread across her lips.
“It’s because someone treated my kin very well. Thanks to that, there are even those who suggest taking a trip outside the Great Forest.”
“Still, it’s not an easy decision. Are you really sure it’s okay?”
Yuna, whose worries still preceded her, merely asked repeatedly.
As the saying goes, sometimes doing nothing is better than making things worse. Rather than worsening the relationship between humans and elves, maintaining the status quo might be better.
However, to put it differently, staying still meant that nothing could be changed.
In the end, what Hera chose was change.
“It’s fine. We aren’t forcing anyone; we will only send those who want to go.”
“All right. Then I’ll do that.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
“Don’t mention it, I’m the one who should be thankful.”
elves working as hunters held a value far beyond simply increasing manpower. The knowledge they had accumulated over hundreds of years in a closed environment was immeasurable in value.
There were even those among the buyers of elf slaves whose motive was a thirst for knowledge, so what more needed to be said?
Anyway, he could only hope that today’s choice would lead to a positive outcome.
“Then work talk ends here!”
Clap -, with the sound of her hands striking together, Yuna stood up.
“Aren’t you all hungry? I found a really delicious restaurant nearby, so let’s go together!”
They had visited the guild in the morning, but it seemed noon was already approaching.
Anyway, even after becoming the guild master, Yuna was still Yuna, so to speak. Her positive demeanor was quite nice to see.
['It would be nice if nothing major happened…']
Hadn’t he experienced many things while serving as the Magic Tower lord? Headaches that made him sigh involuntarily were also among them.
He hoped that such things wouldn’t come to Yuna, and even if they did, that she would be able to get past them smoothly.
It was the moment when everyone, having stood up from their seats, was about to leave the room. Urgent footsteps were heard from beyond the door, and soon someone knocked on it.
Once Yuna’s permission was given, the person who entered the room was wearing a guild employee uniform.
“A gate has appeared…!”
“Have you checked the rank?”
“Well… they say it’s above the measurement limit…”
Certainly, when he met Yuna - more precisely, the Yuna from the destroyed world - it had also been above the measurement limit.
It seemed they would have to postpone their meal until next time.