Chapter 263
“Duke Esteban…?”
“Count Lucia, what brings you all the way here?”
Stepping out of the Guild Master Yuna’s room, Franz came face to face with Count Lucia. The large man’s eyes were wide with apparent panic.
Wasn’t Lucia County located just north of the Esteban Dukedom?
Since exchanging greetings with him at the Magic Tower, Franz had maintained a relationship where they occasionally exchanged letters, good enough that they could be called neighbors.
Though he never dreamed he would meet the head of the household in person at the guild rather than a banquet hall.
Count Lucia was about to say something with a troubled expression.
“Count Lucia stated over there that a gate had appeared.”
The words the guild employee passed to Yuna reached Franz’s ears.
Only then did Franz understand everything, from why the head of the household had personally made the trip here, to why he was making such a troubled expression.
If a gate exceeding the measurement limits appeared, it made sense.
“Count Lucia, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am the Guild Master, Yuna.”
“It is an honor to meet the Hero who saved the continent. I am Count Lucia.”
“I would like to hear the details. Would it be alright to move somewhere else for a moment?”
“Ah, yes. That is fine.”
Yuna blinked at Franz and then headed back the way she came with Count Lucia.
The meaning behind that glance was definitely an apology. They had agreed to eat together, but she inevitably couldn’t go because of work.
It wasn’t a set promise in the first place, so there was no real need to apologize…
Thinking that, Franz simply watched Yuna’s retreating figure.
It was then. Arian suddenly tilted her head.
“Is it okay for you to just wait, Magic Tower master…?”
“Now that the guild is established, it’s Yuna’s job.”
“I see…”
Even though he said that, he knew he couldn’t be a complete outsider. He was the very person who had handled all the Gates that had appeared so far, and he had also been significantly involved in the guild’s affairs.
If Yuna asked for help, she was willing to gladly accept. There was the grand purpose of doing it for the continent, but there was also the simple reason that it was Yuna’s request.
However, if Yuna didn’t specifically want help, he had no intention of making a move. That would be her choice as the Guild Master, and furthermore, her choice as a close friend.
Simply put, it was this. Stepping in any further would be meddling.
“Well, let’s just wait a bit for now.”
Saying so, Franz sat on a long bench placed on one side of the reception area. The conversation didn’t seem like it would drag on too long, so he planned to exchange proper goodbyes and head back once Yuna came out.
But the remaining three didn’t take a seat, even though there was clearly enough room for two people to sit next to him.
“What are you doing…?”
Franz looked up to see three women looking at each other. The murderous glares and the way they were staring each other down felt truly familiar.
He had experienced similar situations several times by now, so it would be stranger if he wasn’t used to it.
“…Don’t you dare fight.”
Franz gave a brief and clear warning and let out a long sigh.
It felt like it was about time they stopped fighting, but somehow they never changed.
Then again, if they were the type to do that, they wouldn’t have fought in the first place.
It was then.
“If you don’t throw, you lose! Rock, paper, scissors…!”
Yusti-ah initiated a surprise attack. It was an incredibly cowardly move, hard to believe it was done by the noble and pure Saintess.
Hera and Arian’s eyes went wide as they hurriedly thrust their hands out, but both threw a rock, perhaps because they were too rushed.
The outcome of the match rested entirely on Yusti-ah. If she had thrown paper, it would have gone exactly according to plan.
“U-uh…? Did I lose…?”
Lamentably, what popped out in front of the two rocks were scissors. As if she couldn’t believe it, she looked back and forth between the two rocks and the scissors she had made with her own hand.
Emptiness began to fill Yusti-ah’s eyes, while conversely, the corners of Hera and Arian’s mouths curled upwards.
“Oh my, who told you to play so dirty?”
“My thoughts exactly. If you had just played normally, you could have at least kept your pride.”
The two mocked Yusti-ah and claimed the seats next to Franz. Their shoulders were touching Franz’s, leaving enough space for one more person to sit on either side of the bench.
Yusti-ah stared blankly at the two of them before slowly dropping her head. Having lost even after pulling a cowardly move, she probably had nothing to say.
Franz couldn’t say anything either for the same reason. If she had lost in a fair match, he could have at least comforted her, but as things stood, even that was difficult.
“Yusti-ah, I’ll move after sitting for a moment, so don’t be too heartbroken.”
“I’ll trade seats with you too.”
Did they think mocking her was going too far? Hera and Arian readily comforted Yusti-ah.
“Hehe… I knew this would happen…”
A voice suddenly came from Yusti-ah, her head bowed.
Unable to understand what was going on, Franz just blinked and watched her.
Hera and Arian were no different from Franz.
Soon, Yusti-ah raised her head and rummaged through a bag hidden inside her nun’s habit, pulling out a tiny chair.
The place where that chair was set down was none other than right in front of Franz.
“With this, it’s no different from me winning…!”
Yusti-ah flashed a triumphant smile.
Looking at her, Franz let out a hollow laugh.
He really couldn’t figure out what she was thinking.
* * *
Leaving Franz’s group behind and returning to her room, Yuna sat facing Count Lucia.
Paper and a pen were on the small table placed between them, meant for recording what he said.
“Could you explain the situation in detail?”
“It happened last night. I woke up to reports of a major incident, and I was told a gate had appeared halfway up the mountain.”
“Then, around when was the gate first discovered?”
“Since there is quite a distance from the gate’s location to the Count’s castle, it must have been about three days ago.”
“Three days…”
Yuna summarized and wrote down what he told her on paper.
She had learned a great deal from Franz since the day she decided to become the Guild Master, so even if it wasn’t perfect, she could roughly grasp the situation.
“This is a big problem…”
He said three days, but that was strictly when it was first discovered. Considering the gate’s location was halfway up a mountain, there was a possibility it had appeared much earlier than that.
Wasn’t the phenomenon of a gate spewing out Monsters, commonly known as an overflow, about a month from the day the gate appeared? It meant that time could perhaps be right around the corner.
If a gate exceeding the measurement limits were to overflow…
“We will resolve the gate as quickly as possible.”
“Could you perhaps give me a rough estimate of the cost…? Finances are tight because this year has been an exceptionally bad harvest…”
“It might be different for a general request, but Gates don’t particularly require money.”
“T-then are you saying you operate free of charge…?”
“I can tell you that there is at least no money the Count will have to pay.”
“That is a relief…”
Count Lucia let out a long sigh. The gate’s rank was high, so Count Lucia’s worries must have been endless.
“In exchange, the guild takes the byproducts that come out of the gate.”
These include refined mana stones, monster hides, and so on. The byproducts from the gate would be sold through an auction and then used for the Hunters' wages and the guild’s operating funds.
Since the guild had just started operating, there was no certainty that it would go well, but…
“I have to try my best to make it work.”
Organizing her thoughts like that, Yuna stood up.
* * *
When on earth would the conversation end?
Franz was eagerly waiting for Yuna to come out.
It was because the glances sent his way by everyone visiting the guild were far too burdensome.
“Then again, even I would stare at least once out of curiosity…”
Wasn’t he in a situation with Hera on his left, Arian on his right, and Yusti-ah sitting in front of him? If there was anyone who could just walk past after seeing this, that person would have to be completely uninterested in worldly affairs.
It wasn’t long after that.
Yuna and Count Lucia made their appearance.
It seemed the conversation had concluded well, as Count Lucia’s expression, which had been full of anxiety and worry, had become peaceful.
The problem was that Yuna’s expression wasn’t good. Then again, it was a situation where it wouldn’t be strange for her to sulk, since the four of them were hanging out while leaving only her out.
Anyway, it would be best to say goodbye and leave soon. He couldn’t just stay stuck in the reception area forever.
Thus, Franz stood up from his seat and approached Yuna, but…
“Franz, if it’s alright, could you help me out a little?”
It seemed heading back would have to be postponed a little longer.