#030. The Adventurer’s Guild is Too Kind (3)

#030. The Adventurer’s Guild is Too Kind (3)

Sodom recalled.

The fact that Ian had received an early job offer from the renowned Zeppelin Merchant Company.

While there were many wicked adults who would deceive and kidnap young boys, selling them to slave traders, the Zeppelin Merchant Company was not such scum.

A company full of skilled individuals.

Sodom understood what potential that company had recognized as he embarked on a pilot project for management improvement by establishing a childcare facility as an auxiliary facility of the Guild.

“I heard the Adventurer’s Guild is taking in kids and providing communal childcare.”

“And the adventurers from the Adventurer’s Guild are stationed in the village during their rest, providing security for the children.”

“Originally, I intended to cut off their income until they left the village… but since they are inevitably destined to join the Adventurer’s Guild, wouldn’t it benefit the children to get a glimpse of that life a little sooner?”

“Yes. If becoming an adventurer is unavoidable, the opportunity to receive skills and knowledge from their protector adventurers is also important for the children’s future.”

“Should we tentatively entrust just three of our children?”

An era that marked a birth rate of 7.0 alongside an under-20 mortality rate of 5.0.

Humans possessed a reproductive rate to rival the Greenskins—goblins, orcs—themselves.

A time when women’s desires burned brighter, and men’s flickered softer; women did not fear pregnancy.

The result being the casual disposal of, oh, just “three” kids a time.

Small wonder, then, that child protection facilities flourished.

“It’s true. Really, Ian was right, the money’s been piling up.”

The people of Sodom Village even had money to entrust their children.

“Armor crafted from monster carapace? We’ll buy it. Give it all here.”

“Gloves woven from monster silk? We’ll buy it.”

“Monster mana stones? Buy.”

“Hand over those monster byproducts.”

“Everything! Just bring it all!”

All manner of byproducts harvested from monsters—creatures stronger than humans, adept at manipulating mana—were prized by merchants.

The wares of this frontier village fetched even higher prices in the safe interior, so a steady stream of visitors seeking cheap goods, adventurers chasing easy riches, and merchants, never ceased.

Though that stream had dwindled considerably due to conflicts with nobles, and recent profits were lackluster, the amassed fortune hadn’t vanished, had it?

Unspoken, but understood, it also helped with the labor shortage.

“Hah. Never thought I’d dust myself off and return to this life after retiring to raise kids.”

Ex-adventurers who’d made a killing in their prime, amassed wealth, and settled down to raise children and run shops.

These retired villagers from the bustling town were now returning to active duty to address the diminished clientele due to the noble risk and to secure a new income source for the children’s safety.

Ian’s proposal simultaneously addressed the looming penalty payments and the insufficient workforce.

‘Surely, this is something to be glad about… yet my heart aches when I see that child.’

As befitting a child distrusted his entire life for being from the back alleys, Ian wore a pleading expression, stretching out his slender hand to grasp Sodom’s, begging him to believe him.

-Please believe and support my mother and my sincerity in dedicating ourselves to this village.

Some words carry an extra weight because they are true.

Ian’s words were such.

The Theresa family, mother and child, were both a great source of strength to the guild.

That the Adventurer’s Guild—a place that, by rights, ought to be more hostile in image and atmosphere—hadn’t fractured yet was in no small part thanks to Ian’s daily attendance and the child protection facilities.

“With the kids constantly coming and going, the guild won’t collapse, right?”

“Hey, take your fights outside. The kids are watching.”

“Tch. Can’t even curse in front of these little eavesdroppers. Seriously.”

“Don’t do it outside either.”

“What’s that? You picking a fight?”

“Ian’s watching.”

“Ugh. Getting branded as a crude adventurer by someone so pretty is a bit…”

“That, and ‘Theresa’ will hear about it. Who the adventurer was that spoke crudely where her child can see and hear.”

“!!”

Improving the guild’s atmosphere and the adventurers’ conscious effort to correct their language had greatly changed outsiders’ perception.

“They’re more well-behaved than I expected?”

“The quality of the lot is way different from back in my day.”

“Is this the order of the guild, spearheaded by the maternal Theresa?”

Back when former adventurers still roamed the world as active ones, an adventurer was a dangerous and brutal woman who dove headfirst into every sordid task imaginable, all for the sake of coin.

In such a place, a man who worked alongside them was seen as either a male prostitute peddling his body on the side, or a kept boy trying to worm his way into the favor of a wealthy client.

But the Sodom Guild boasted an almost saintly mother who doted on her children more than anyone, and a handsome young man from a noble house, so refined he seemed out of place in that harsh world. It wasn’t unreasonable to feel that times had changed.

‘Does he fear being abandoned and ignored even after being such a tremendous help?’

Does he even realize how much of a contribution he’s made, or how much of a help he is simply by existing?

Ian wore a look of subdued guilt every time their eyes met, a guilt he couldn’t hide.

What was the root of that guilt?

The guilt of a boy from the back alleys daring to tread in the sunlit places?

The guilt of using his mother’s influence to access the guild more easily than other children?

Either way, the back alleys lay at the heart of it.

Ian was a child of the back alleys.

A destiny carved out for him since childhood.

A brand that would follow him through life.

That brand was etched not on his body, but on his mind, on his very soul.

No matter how well he ate, how well he lived.

No matter how successful and prosperous his life became.

The oppression and hunger of his childhood, the discrimination and coldness, would be memories that haunted him forever.

‘I need to treat him better.’

Sodom began to care for Ian and Anna with even more kindness, more attention.

The deeper the guilt etched itself onto Ian’s face, the more the Guild Master fretted.

The child’s wounds ran too deep.

Good intentions alone could not heal them.

Sodom felt the need to make a decision.

“Ian, could you spare me a moment?”

“If it’s a request from the Guild Master, then anytime is fine.”

The Guild Master hesitated, then asked cautiously.

“Do you still desire to become an employee of the guild?”

“Yes.”

“Are you aware of the many who seek to claim you?”

“The Capital Aristocratic Academy. The Starsephia Main Family. My father’s hero party. The Beastmen Alliance. The nobles nearby. Other cities fostering Adventurer Guilds. I am aware of them all.”

“Your wisdom saved the guild from financial ruin, but I’m still afraid to put you forward as an employee. It’s not that I doubt your wisdom. It’s the hardships you would face that frighten me.”

Above the Adventurer Guilds were the Guild Alliances.

Alliances of guilds within a region.

Alliances of branch offices of a specific guild across the country.

The purpose was simple.

To identify adventurers who caused trouble elsewhere.

To identify fraudulent clients.

Cooperation for mutual benefit.

Though that might have been the original intent, they were now tools for the nobles to squeeze money out of the other guilds.

The greed of the larger guilds, vying to become the head of the alliance and exert pressure on its members, was what truly drove their creation.

“It is regrettable, but our Sodom Guild does not belong to any alliance, making us, conversely, vulnerable to pressure from them.”

“Because there’s no patron to protect us.”

“Precisely. Which is why the role of each employee is even more critical. Mistakes cannot be tolerated, and performance management is paramount. If either falters, the alliance will seize the opportunity to dispute our guild qualifications, wield the capital’s power to arbitrarily replace the Guild Master, and swallow the guild whole.”

Sodom felt a sudden dread.

That the child might mistakenly believe he clung to the Guild Master position out of a lust for power.

As if reading his mind,

Ian’s small hand rested on the Guild Master’s hand.

As if adding his support, the will carried in that small hand felt heavy.

“I have no such misunderstanding.”

“…!”

“You resisted Vice Guild Master Gomorrah’s misconduct, supported Mother, and tried to protect her from behind. You have my eternal gratitude for that.”

High position bred unreasonable jealousy or hostility from subordinates.

That person must be wicked.

Someone who committed crimes to climb the ladder and monopolize wealth and power.

And to recover the losses incurred in that process, would commit even greater malfeasance.

He had always endured such suspicious gazes, from his days as a high-ranking official to becoming Guild Master.

Malicious rumors spread by Gomorrah, the Vice Guild Master, practically a spy planted by the guild alliance, but he lacked allies.

He also lacked subordinates to speak out on his behalf, and the capacity to handle performance issues and safety concerns arising within the guild, as Gomorrah’s faction had purged all the good man power he once had.

*If it hadn’t been for Teresa, this guild would have fallen into Gomorrah’s hands by now.*

All because Sodom’s capabilities were insufficient.

Because he lacked those who would support him.

Even the predetermined history attested to this.

Sodom’s downfall and Gomorrah’s monopoly.

Gomorrah would exploit the Sodom Guild to advance to a higher-ranking guild within the alliance, and the abandoned Sodom Guild would go completely bankrupt.

With the massive debts arbitrarily foisted upon them by the guild alliance as an added bonus.

In the original game, the ‘Player’ was the de facto leader and ace of this ruined guild, actively using mind control abilities and knowledge from past playthroughs to grow the guild while paying off debts every month.

But this simulation game’s canonical history had already been diverted by Teresa’s great success.

Gomorrah was dead, and Sodom had survived.

The guild was still in crisis, but it hadn’t invited greater problems through unconscionable management.

And the Guild Master whom no one believed.

This small child believed in him.

Sodom felt immense gratitude for that fact.

*-Please believe and support Mother and my sincerity, as we dedicate ourselves to this town.*

If you believe in me, how can I not believe in you?

Whether or not the child understood the Guild Master’s gratitude, the child revealed diligently an intelligence that was more astute than that of most adults within that small head.

“I understand that the current Sodom Guild has a seriously large number of adventurers assigned per receptionist because of more of the fallen Gomorrah’s faction of employees leaving than new adventurers joining.”

“Hmm.”

“Considering the possibility of sabotage by alliance spies, I believe this is a time when an employee who can be trusted to hire is even more desperate to protect them and feel a peace of mind.”

The Guild Master greatly regretted that he had briefly considered making the child a mascot of sorts, to spread rumors that there was a guild with a handsome young boy in order to attract employees and adventurers.

“I understand. Proper employment will be more helpful to personal protection and peace of mind than protection in name only. If your intention is so firm, I will properly assist you.”

Regardless of how the world would perceive it, Sodom had decided.

“From today forth, you are an employee and family of the Sodom Guild. Therefore, Ian, if you’re amenable, I would like to become your godfather.”

“…!”

“Will you accept my request?”

A tremendous shock and feeling of guilt washed over Ian’s face.

As if he were questioning whether he deserved such happiness.

“Could you grant me time to consider?”

“As much as you need.”

The child needed time.

Time to soothe his wounded heart.

Time to ascertain Sodom’s sincerity.

Sodom believed.

In the power of patience.

Ian, at the end of his patience, had reformed Theresa.

Theresa, at the end of her patience, had become a reformed mother.

There was no reason Sodom couldn’t become a godfather at the end of *his* patience.