"Then, that's it for today! Thank you all for your hard work!"
It was a rare winter day with few clouds. Though the daylight hours were far shorter than in summer, the surroundings were dyed red by the fading twilight. When the guild staff member made that announcement, those who had participated in the Gigant Turtle's dissection carefully cradled the meat they had each received and headed back to Gilm.
Most of them would probably stop by the Guild to receive at least some payment, but those who weren't part of that majority would likely prioritize either eating the Gigant Turtle meat Rei had given them or selling it for a fair sum rather than heading to the Guild.
...Of course, if this many people all descended on the Guild at once, it would naturally be packed.
Besides, the adventurers who had taken the Cobolt subjugation requests should also be returning to the Guild around now. Wanting to avoid that congestion, choosing to wait a while before heading to the Guild was by no means a bad call.
"So, Rei. What do we do?"
Unlike those who had returned to Gilm, Suchee and the others from the Slum District had been told to stay behind.
They had already received their wages in addition to the Gigant Turtle meat.
"For now, I want you all to head back to the Slum District and bring back your parents, siblings, friends, lovers, wives—people like that. In other words, the people you live with. Like I told you at lunch, there's a chance someone might take the people close to you hostage to get at the money you've earned."
"Huh? Really?"
Suchee's voice carried genuine surprise.
Naturally. She had heard the proposal about sheltering them in a warehouse, but Suchee had turned it down because the people who came with her each had families of their own.
It was their own choice, but since she had refused Rei's goodwill, she assumed the warehouse offer had been dropped.
To think it was still on the table... As Suchee stared in astonishment, Rei shifted his gaze toward the guild staff member.
He had assumed the staff member had already been informed that Rei went to negotiate the matter directly with the Guild. That was what he'd thought.
"Huh? I'm certain I told the subordinate who delivered that message to pass it along... Good grief."
Understanding from their exchange that the communication had fallen through, the guild staff member bowed his head.
"I apologize. It seems this was a failure on our end."
"Eh, no, wait. I'm just grateful you let us take this work in the first place, so please don't apologize!"
Suchee said in a fluster, and for the time being, the matter didn't escalate into an issue.
"Putting that aside for now... So, what will you do? Can you bring the people you live with back here without being discovered?"
"Hmm... I wonder. Probably a bit difficult, I'd say."
"Is that so? The fact that you're all participating in the Gigant Turtle dissection today isn't that well known in the Slum District, right? Then wouldn't it be fine to bring your families and such now while you still can?"
"I wonder. The people in the Slum District organizations get information fast. They probably already know we—"
"In that case, we'll handle it on our end."
Hearing Suchee's words, the guild staff member who had been listening spoke up.
Perhaps not expecting such words to come from a guild staff member, Suchee—and the companions behind her who had been following the conversation—all turned looks of surprise toward him.
"I appreciate that, but why would you go that far for us?"
It was a genuine question. Suchee honestly couldn't understand why they would do this much for her group.
The guild staff member smiled at her and spoke.
"Well, there are various reasons, but... the biggest one is seeing how you all worked today. That carried a lot of weight. Initially, you all seemed to struggle with the dissection, but you quickly got the hang of it and worked earnestly. What's more, even those not directly involved in the dissection found tasks they could handle and started on them before anyone had to ask."
To Suchee, the expression on the guild staff member's face as he said that seemed genuinely impressed, from the bottom of his heart.
"Honestly, as Slum District residents, I fully expected far more hopeless people to show up. But every one of your companions worked earnestly, Suchee. Not a single one of them tried to steal the Gigant Turtle meat or materials."
At the guild staff member's words, Suchee and the other Slum District residents nodded in understanding.
In truth, if they had just grabbed random people off the streets of the Slum District and put them to work on the dissection, most probably wouldn't have worked properly and would have tried to steal the Gigant Turtle meat and materials.
The reason Suchee's companions didn't stoop to that was because they knew doing so would disgrace her.
That alone was proof of how much Suchee's companions cared for her.
Being rewarded for working earnestly—this was exactly what that phrase meant.
It must have made her happy. A beaming smile spread across Suchee's face.
"And if you have other acquaintances, Suchee, the Gigant Turtle dissection will progress even faster than it does now. Today's dissection was without a doubt the most productive we've had in days."
The guild staff member's words were no lie, but it was also true that not all of that progress was thanks to Suchee and her group alone.
It was undeniable that Suchee's group had become a strong workforce when it came to the dissection.
But equally significant was the fact that the adventurers and others who had been working on the Gigant Turtle dissection up until today had grown accustomed to it and become far more efficient... That factor was just as large in this case.
"That's exactly why we decided to act—we judged that even with special treatment, you would more than justify it with your results. Besides, regarding this dissection, I've been instructed to accommodate Rei's requests as much as possible."
Suchee's group's work ethic was certainly a factor, but as the Guild, the biggest reason was probably the latter.
Suchee, who had been listening, seemed to understand that as well. She stared at the guild staff member for a long moment before finally speaking.
"Thank you for the favorable treatment. But when you say you'll help us return to the Slum District, what exactly does that involve?"
"The Guild will hire available adventurers to accompany you as escorts. They won't be particularly skilled, but dealing with Slum District residents who don't belong to any organization shouldn't be a problem."
If an actual underworld organization were moving against them in earnest, they would have needed to dispatch genuinely skilled adventurers.
But to Gilm's underworld, Rei's existence was like a God of Plagues—no, a walking calamity.
Given that several underworld organizations had suffered devastating damage after recklessly crossing Rei, the chances of anyone laying hands on Suchee's group, who were cooperating in the Gigant Turtle dissection being conducted at Rei's request... Well, it wasn't absolutely impossible, but the odds were quite low.
That was why they judged that moderately capable adventurers would be more than sufficient.
Moreover, such adventurers were often short on money or owed debts to the Guild, making them easy to hire on short notice when needed.
...Above all, the fact that they only needed to pay them lower rates compared to High-Rank Adventurers, since they were only Low-Rank Adventurers, was a significant plus for the Guild.
Even so, hearing that they would provide escorts—even if just Low-Rank Adventurers—Suchee and the other Slum District residents wore expressions of sheer astonishment.
She had lost count of how many times she had been surprised today alone, but this was undoubtedly the biggest shock of them all.
"Are you sure it's really okay for you to go that far for us?"
"Yes. I've said it several times already, but you all have earned it through your hard work. Given that, if you'll continue to be a workforce equal to today's—no, even better—from tomorrow onward, then this level of assistance is a small price for the Guild."
The guild staff member said this, and it was indeed true that giving Suchee's group preferential treatment was a low-cost measure.
In the first place, the dissection payment for the Gigant Turtle was split between the Guild and Daskar.
The real concern was that Cobolt subjugation requests would decrease going forward due to the Earth Wall, which meant the dissection pay that had been reduced as a result would undoubtedly rise again.
Since it was certain that many of the Cobolts unable to enter Gilm because of the Earth Wall would be diverted here instead, that outcome was only natural.
But Suchee and the other Slum District residents could be hired at lower wages than the other workers, even while participating in the same dissection.
For the Guild, which was paying those wages, Suchee's group—cheap yet earnest workers—was an extremely welcome asset.
They weren't about to skimp on modest expenses to secure such people.
Looking at the bottom line, it was also significant that hiring more Slum District residents would likely result in lower overall costs.
And above all, there was no question that Slum District residents who possessed solid dissection skills and worked earnestly were exactly the kind of personnel the Guild wanted to keep on hand.
Even when spring came and the Gigant Turtle dissection wrapped up—as long as they didn't do anything foolish like running off—the guild staff member thought he could see hiring them as Guild staff. Not working at the counter, but in warehouse roles, and at that level of competence.
Most importantly, Gilm also had the massive job of Gamelion dissection in autumn.
If they could hire these Slum District residents for that, it would be an enormous help to the Guild.
After all, there were plenty of adventurers who could slay a Gamelion but would load the whole carcass onto a cart without bothering to field-dress it, haul it back to Gilm, and leave the dissection entirely to the Guild.
Naturally, doing so meant the dissection fee would be deducted from the Gamelion's purchase price. But if one had the skill to hunt Gamelions with ease, leaving the dissection to the Guild while focusing on bagging as many as possible was a perfectly sound strategy.
And it was equally true that Gilm, with its abundance of skilled adventurers, had no shortage of people who could pull off exactly that if they pushed themselves a little.
The guild staff member was thinking through all of this, but naturally kept it from showing on his face. Instead, he delivered one final push.
"Also, this isn't set in stone or anything yet—it's simply the result of seeing everyone's work today. It might not be possible for all of you, but as Guild staff... and in this case I don't mean Guild Staff Members in the general sense, but rather assistant roles... we may be able to recommend you for those positions."
A stir rippled through the group.
Suchee and many of the Slum District people behind her buzzed with murmurs at the guild staff member's words.
Naturally. If they could be hired by the Guild, even as assistants, that would mean they could leave the Slum District behind.
There were those in the Slum District who lived there by choice.
But the vast majority were there simply because they had nowhere else to go.
If they could leave the Slum District—not to become adventurers or prostitutes, but to do honest, ordinary work—there were many who would jump at the chance.
"So with that in mind, please keep up the hard work on the Gigant Turtle dissection until spring. Depending on how much progress we make, the number of people the Guild can hire might increase."
The guild staff member's words landed as an undeniably effective final push.
"Well, a shrinking Slum District population would be good for Gilm too... Lord Daskar would welcome the increased tax revenue, and the Guild gains capable hands. In the end, is there anyone who actually loses from this?"
Strictly speaking, there were those who would be displeased purely on the grounds of them being Slum District residents, and the number of existing assistants hired might decrease... So there were those with downsides. But Rei's thoughts didn't extend that far at the moment.
"Hmm... quite a capable operator."
Vihera, who had been watching the exchange from beside Rei, muttered with admiration at the guild staff member's shrewd handling.
...Meanwhile, Byune was busy extracting subjugation proof parts and magic stones from the Cobolts she had slain, showing absolutely no interest in the conversation whatsoever.