"…Hey, give me a break, alright? You tried to destroy the earth wall and failed. On top of that, you couldn't dispose of that garbage—the useless Red Cloth. And to top it all off, you lost sight of the man you hired, Glanje?"
At those words, delivered flatly, the Reporting Man stiffened with tension and fear.
If he didn't say something, there was no telling what his Superior would do to him.
But at the same time, saying the wrong thing could lead to an equally terrible outcome.
"Hey now. If you're that useless, there's no point in keeping you around, is there? I could just swap you out for someone else, you know? Of course, you'd need to receive an appropriate punishment first."
"W-wait, please!"
He had to say something. And yet he couldn't afford to say the wrong thing. That was what the man had been thinking, but realizing he would definitely be punished at this rate, he frantically opened his mouth.
Having once seen a colleague have their fingernails—every single one on both hands and feet—torn off as what his Superior called a "punishment," he absolutely refused to undergo such a thing himself.
"What? Do you have something to say?"
"Yes. Um, well…"
He had cut in as a stopgap measure, not because he actually had something he needed to say. Feeling that this situation was dire while sensing his Superior's gaze growing increasingly sharp, he suddenly remembered one piece of information he should bring up.
"Regarding the building owned by the Coobs Viscount House—it is currently under surveillance by the Gilm Guards."
"…Oh."
The sharp gaze softened just a little.
That said, it was clearly not enough to truly save him. The problem was how he could steer the conversation so that his Superior would take interest—and so that it would lead to profit.
"Given that this happened overnight, I think it's safe to assume the information leak came from Glanje. There were about ten people using that location to issue orders, but the most suspicious one is, after all…"
"Glanje, huh. A man with decent skills, particularly excelling at stealth… right? I recall receiving a report before that he was reasonably capable, but for all that, he turned on us rather easily. Or perhaps we were so focused on his skills that we never considered the possibility of him selling us out?"
"That… I'm afraid I don't know. However, the Guards are not aware that we've noticed their surveillance. If we exploit that, we can inflict at least some damage on them."
A twitch.
At the words "inflict damage," the Superior halted his movement slightly. Then, forming a smile, he said nothing and urged the conversation forward with his gaze alone.
"The Gilm Guards are famous as an elite force. …Well, since they frequently deal with adventurers in Gilm, it's only natural they'd turn out that way, but… precisely because of that, replacing them won't be easy."
"Well, that's true. …Honestly, even among all the forces in the Kingdom of Mireana, the Gilm Guards are among the very best."
That was an undeniable fact. The Gilm Guards, operating in a city where skilled adventurers gathered, were unquestionably one or even two tiers above the guards of other towns, villages, or cities.
Reducing the number of those Guards was not part of the man's job description. But if it came back around and ultimately benefited the man and those behind him, then his subordinate's report was worth listening to.
Feeling his earlier irritation subside at least slightly, he recalled the forces he could currently mobilize.
(The dregs of the Red Cloth should still have some left to spare. Their souls are of poor quality so I held onto them, but they'll suffice as disposable soldiers.)
In the Superior's mind, the pieces he could immediately use as combat forces were tallied. There were other forces that could be called combat power, but he judged that now was not the time to use them. That was precisely why he first thought of using the Red Cloth members—forces where attrition wouldn't be a problem, or rather, disposable forces that should be disposed of anyway, making them perfect for the role.
Inflicting damage on the Gilm Guards was in line with their objectives, but that didn't mean it was worth expending their true combat reserves for a critical moment. Above all, given how strong the Gilm Guards were, doing so would undoubtedly result in the attrition of their own forces as well.
(That said, if the Red Cloth gets captured by the Guards, our information could leak too. …Well, those pieces of garbage hardly know anything about us, so I suppose it's not really a problem, but… still, to be safe, I'd like to have measures in place to dispose of them if they can't be used.)
Having quickly organized his thoughts, the man opened his mouth to address his subordinate, who was trying desperately not to let his anxiety show on his face.
"Understood. Do as you see fit. There should still be some Red Cloth remnants left—use them."
Not "there were some" but "there were some left." From that wording alone, it was clear how the man viewed the Red Cloth.
That said, the subordinate didn't care at all about how the Red Cloth were treated. If anything, he wanted to avoid saying anything that might redirect his Superior's anger toward himself. Treating the Red Cloth as disposable forces was the problem-free option for him as well. Above all, the Superior's opinion—that they only possessed inferior souls unfit for use in rituals—was shared by the subordinate too.
Considering the effort of arranging food and alcohol every day for such beings, it would be far less trouble to have them simply disappear.
"Yes, I'll do that. …If possible, it would be nice to use something like a Slave Collar so we wouldn't have to worry about information leaks."
"Don't be an idiot. Slave Collars are quite strictly managed. Of course, if I really wanted to get one, I could manage it somehow, but… it'd be a waste to use one on something like the Red Cloth."
To the Superior, the Slave Collars held far greater value than the Red Cloth members. He wasn't without the leeway to make such a wasteful expenditure, but losing both the Red Cloth and a Slave Collar at the same time would be nothing but a major loss. Originally, he had accepted his subordinate's proposal only to the extent that it would be nice to inflict even a little damage on the Guards as a bonus while disposing of the useless garbage that was the Red Cloth.
To that end, the option of also throwing away a fairly expensive Slave Collar did not exist for the man.
"You're right. Then, I'll proceed accordingly."
Saying that, the subordinate hurried out of the room.
Even though his Superior's mood had improved somewhat, he understood that the man was still dissatisfied with the current situation. That was why he wanted to escape as quickly as possible from being in the same room as his Superior, where he might be harmed for some reason or another. Above all, his Superior possessed strength that was incomparably greater than his own, and the subordinate understood this well. If his Superior decided on a whim to kill him, there was no doubt he would die without even knowing what had happened.
…Though, considering his Superior's personality, being killed without his knowledge could arguably be called a merciful act.
"Hmph."
At the sight of his subordinate rushing out of the room, the man snorted. He, of course, understood what his subordinate had been thinking. He understood, but… even if he found it somewhat displeasing, he wouldn't actually do anything about it. For them right now, the usable pawns they had were by no means numerous. Reducing them over some pointless tantrum without particular reason was an unthinkable option for the man.
…To put it another way, it meant he would do such a thing if there were a reason, though.
"Damage to the Gilm Guards, huh. …With the likes of the Red Cloth making a move, just how much damage could they actually inflict? Well, I suppose it's better than doing nothing."
Muttering, feeling irritated by the current situation that wasn't going as he wanted… the man reached for the cup of alcohol on his table.
"Everyone, line up properly! Anyone who cuts in gets no soup!"
The Gigant Turtle dissection was taking place right near Gilm. At the site, it was currently lunchtime, and… Rei was handing out the soup he had bought from a cafeteria. Though, it wasn't Rei distributing the soup, but the Guild Staff Member.
Rei provided the soup and, additionally, for those who hadn't brought any tableware—most were having soup poured into their cups, but for those who didn't even have such things—Rei had soup poured into cheap cups he had bought at a nearby shop.
(If I had something like paper cups, that would be really convenient, but… come to think of it, how are paper cups even made? Is it just layering several sheets of plain paper thickly?)
Thinking such thoughts, Rei also drank his own portion of soup that he had set aside in a slightly separate spot.
Paper cups were commonly used when he was in Japan. But that didn't mean he knew how they were made. Just like a TV, something he used regularly—he could use it, but there was no reason he would understand its structure.
"This is delicious, isn't it."
Vihera murmured sincerely, drinking soup together with Rei. The reason she looked so cheerful was probably because she had fought Snow Apes that morning. While they were lower in rank than the Snow Cyclops, the Snow Apes, which coordinated well with their comrades, were apparently satisfying enough opponents for Vihera.
"Mm."
Byune too gave a small murmur in response to Vihera's words while drinking her soup. The soup, packed with plenty of toppings, probably tasted all the more delicious because they were working in the cold. In reality, whether fighting Cobolts or dismembering the Gigant Turtle, they were moving their bodies quite a bit, so they weren't shivering from the cold to that extent. If anything, some of the workers even had sweat on their brows.
…Amidst all that, the one actually shivering from the cold was the Guild Staff Member.
He was a Guild Staff Member giving instructions—watching to make sure the workers dismantling the turtle didn't steal materials or meat, or alerting the guards to the presence of approaching monsters—but he wasn't actually moving his body. That was why his body didn't warm up, and he remained cold. He had brought a heating Magic Item as a precaution, but it was only about the size of a palm, a cloth that grew warm—hardly enough to warm his entire body.
Even so, the fact that he didn't complain and prioritized distributing soup to the workers first… was probably due to the pride of being a Guild Staff Member.
(If the soup runs out, maybe I should give them a different kind.)
Watching the Guild Staff Member distribute soup, Rei considered which variety to hand over next. Rei had looked around various places with Set and gone shopping, so naturally, he hadn't purchased just the kind the Guild Staff Member was currently handing out, but various other kinds as well.
"Hey, Rei. Was there any progress this morning after all?"
While eating her soup, Vihera asked Rei. Even as she asked, she could easily guess from Rei's demeanor that there hadn't been any particular progress. Still, she deliberately asked, her words stemming from the thought that maybe, just maybe, something had actually happened.
…In the end, when Rei shook his head, that possibility was denied.
"There wasn't any particular progress. For one thing, if there had been any, a communication should have come through the Guild to us here. The fact that there hasn't means we can't expect much in that regard."
"I figured as much. …But, so what are you doing this afternoon? Going to check the earth wall again?"
"Ah… no. I'm thinking of going to look for Marina and Mail. Going to check the earth wall every time is a hassle, so I figured I might as well have them use Spirit Magic to alert us if anything happens to it."
At Rei's words, both Vihera and Byune nodded in understanding. Considering that they ate at Marina's house nearly every day, they understood just how extraordinary Marina's Spirit Magic was.
If it was Marina, she could easily do what Rei was suggesting. That was what they thought.