First, I needed to settle down and take stock of the situation.
Calm and I were currently in the manager’s office. Joining us were Hughes, Jill, Zeff, and Camille—all guards from the Ducal House. Then there were the maids: Lulunese, Lilian, and Libiola. And for some reason, even Grisiela, the Guild Master of the Commerce Guild, was present.
With ten people crammed into the room, the space felt incredibly tight. I offered the only available chair to Grisiela. I had a mountain of questions, but I decided to start with the most obvious one.
"Everyone, what on earth are you doing here?"
Hughes was the first to speak up. "We're here on the Duke’s orders. He heard you were asking for permission to set up a shop for dispatching security guards and whatnot, right?"
"That’s true," I replied.
The issue of public safety in Gimul had come up during that pointless meeting earlier, and it was certainly a real problem. One of my planned solutions was to establish a security company. I had discussed the logistics with the Guild Master, summarized the terms, and formally requested permission from the Jamil family.
However, I had been told that a simple letter would suffice for the approval. Even if they had sent a messenger, there was no reason for a small army to show up at my door.
"To give you the short version, your request is fully approved," Hughes continued. "I mean, the proposal was a win for both the Ducal House and the city. There was no way he’d turn it down."
"If the plan succeeds, even a fraction of the total revenue would be a significant income for me personally, and I expect benefits beyond just the money," I explained. "I tried to set the terms so I wouldn't seem too greedy, ensuring that the Duke and the workers would get their fair share. I wanted to make sure the conditions were favorable enough to guarantee approval."
"That’s exactly the problem!" Hughes barked.
"The problem?"
"The permission was granted, but the Duke felt your proposal was far too skewed in his favor. He figured that if he just sent a letter of approval, it would look like he was simply snatching up all the profit for himself, which would be bad for his reputation. So, that’s why we’re here to… uh, what was the rest again?"
My shoulders slumped in disbelief. You forgot the most important part?
Jill looked appropriately exasperated as he stepped in to take over the explanation. "Lord Reinhardt said, 'I will approve the establishment of the security company on the condition that Hughes be appointed as the supervisor in charge of managing and educating the guards.' He might seem unreliable after the display he just put on, but Hughes was recently promoted and needs experience leading subordinates. Therefore, His Lordship wants him to cut his teeth at your company. Furthermore, I will be assisting with the company's operations to support our forgetful new captain."
Jill adjusted his posture. "From your perspective, it’s better to have someone experienced when it comes to hiring and training laborers, isn't it? I doubt it will come to this, but if anyone tries to interfere with your business, having a direct subordinate of the Duke in a leadership position will allow us to handle it easily."
"That’s more than I could have hoped for. It’s a very generous offer—one I was actually planning to ask for myself. But what about the others?"
"It is the same for us," Lulunese said, stepping forward. She was a cat-kin maid and Hughes’s wife. "Young Master, you know our Head Maid, Arone. She is reaching an age where her health may eventually prevent her from working. Because of this, the family has decided to select candidates for the next Head Maid to test their aptitude and provide them with proper training."
She continued, "The role of Head Maid, much like a guard captain, requires a wide range of skills: training recruits, leading subordinates, making executive decisions, and managing administrative tasks. Lilian, Libiola, and I have been ordered to assist you as candidates for the next Head Maid. Our performance here will serve as a measure of our capabilities. From today until we receive orders to return, please use us however you see fit."
"However I see fit," I repeated, a bit overwhelmed.
"We were also told to help out with the security company," Zeff added. "But if you need extra hands for anything else, just give us the word. Put us to work, Young Master."
"I’m not particularly fond of heavy lifting," Camille said with a shrug. "I’d prefer to handle the back-office stuff if possible."
"Even Zeff and Camille too…"
The titles of "new captain" and "candidates for the next Head Maid" were likely just convenient excuses. In reality, Reinhardt and the others had gone out of their way to send me reinforcements. I had been indebted to these people for a long time, and there was no doubt they were all highly capable.
Considering how busy things were about to get, I was truly, deeply grateful. The fact that they had presented this as a done deal without consulting me first probably meant they knew exactly how I’d react. I didn't intend to refuse, but it was clear that refusing wouldn't have been an option anyway.
"Thank you, everyone. I look forward to working with you. We’ll discuss the specifics of your duties later, but… Guild Master, why are you here?"
"I was just giving them a head start on the conversation," Grisiela replied. "I knew these folks from the Ducal House were likely to arrive today."
"You knew?"
"You aren't the only person in contact with the Duke’s family, you know. I have a decent grasp of what’s going on in this city too."
Right. Of course the Guild Master would be coordinating with the authorities regarding the city’s situation.
"Besides," she added, narrowing her eyes, "you’ve been acting strange lately."
"Urk… well…"
"What? Did you think I wouldn't notice after we've been in touch so much over the last few days?"
"No, it’s not that."
Thinking back to my behavior earlier, I instinctively glanced at Calm for a split second. Grisiela didn't miss it.
"I see you two were out earlier. I heard you participated in a meeting at the guild. It was hosted by the Gimul Association of Medium-sized Stores, wasn't it? I thought the whole thing smelled fishy, and from the look on your faces, something definitely happened. Go on, spit it out."
She had figured out that something went wrong in an instant. Realizing it was pointless to hide the truth, I told her everything—from the events in the meeting hall to our conversation on the walk back.
When I finished, Grisiela stared at me intently. "I honestly can't tell if you're a genius or a complete fool. I’ve had my eye on that man, Wands, for a while now."
"You have?"
"The Commerce Guild has been looking into several things. I flagged him during the process, but he hadn't done anything notable until today, and his background checked out. I can't exactly launch a raid or issue a punishment just because I personally find someone suspicious."
That made sense. Doing something like that without evidence would be a major problem.
"So I was letting him run loose… but it’s true that human emotions are a messy business. It’s common for people to stop listening to reason once the blood rushes to their heads, and a perfectly good deal can be ruined over something trivial. Still, did you really have to go out of your way to play the villain yourself? I admire your resolve to protect your shop and your employees at any cost, though."
"I think it’s great!" Hughes barked, slapping me on the back. "Ryoma’s still young; it’s better to have some fire in your belly. Right?"
"Whoa!" I staggered. Because of the height difference, he had leaned quite a bit of his weight onto me.
"I think it’s way better than staying quiet because you’re worried about how someone might react," Hughes continued. "It didn't look like you were being desperate. If you’re living a real life, you’re bound to have a few things you won't back down on. Clashes like that happen all the time."
Grisiela sighed. "...Well, at least it seems he's becoming more comfortable relying on others than he used to be. Let's just say he and his staff have grown a little bit."
"Th-thank you very much."
Was I being forgiven? It felt like I had just barely scraped by with a passing grade.
As I was processing this, there was a knock at the office door. Calm quickly went to check on it and returned looking a bit conflicted.
"Store Manager, our neighbors Sieg and Pauline have returned—"
Ah, they probably came to pick up the children. After what had happened earlier, it was bound to be awkward.
"—And it seems Darson from Tigger's Weapons and Armor Shop is with them," Calm added. "They said they wish to speak with the Store Manager."
"Darson too? I understand. Where are they?"
"They are waiting in the reception area."
I gave a quick word to the others and stepped out into the shop. The three of them noticed me immediately.
"Thank you for your hard work," I said. "Is the meeting over?"
"Couldn't tell you," Darson replied gruffly. "We walked out, too."
"You did?"
"Ryoma-kun, you were the one who woke everyone up," Sieg said with a smile. "We were just being swept along by the atmosphere, vaguely accepting whatever the moderator said. But because you spoke out against it, we were able to regain our composure. After you left, the other participants who had been silent started raising their voices."
"There were plenty of others who walked out midway," Pauline added. "Quite a few of them knew you, Ryoma-kun."
She started listing names of shopkeepers I frequently visited. "Since it’s so late, they figured it would be an intrusion to come here tonight, so only the three of us came. But everyone asked us to apologize to you. They said they were sorry that the adults were so spineless that they let you draw the short straw."
The two men followed Pauline's lead and bowed their heads.
I hurriedly asked them to stop, and Darson spoke up again. "Most of the people who didn't walk out with us were probably having second thoughts, too. The meeting was in total chaos by the time we left. All I can say is… Ryoma, your courage in speaking up wasn't in vain."
"...I’m glad to hear that."
I felt a little bit of the weight leave my shoulders.
"It seems things worked out for the best," a voice said.
"Guild Master."
Grisiela emerged from the back of the shop, followed by Hughes and the rest of the group.
I had realized they were watching over me out of concern, but having them all march out at once gave the three visitors quite a shock. I had to explain why everyone was there to get them to settle down.
"So, what does this mean?" Darson asked once he understood. "Were you already planning something like that 'hiring people who can fight' idea you mentioned, and you'd already gotten the Duke's permission?"
"That’s essentially it," I replied.
"Then you should have said that there… wait, you did say something like that, didn't you?"
"The formal permission hadn't reached me at that point. Even if I knew it was coming, I couldn't expect them to believe me without proof."
"If I'd known it would turn out like this, I would've ridden my horse to death to get here sooner," Hughes grumbled.
"It couldn't be helped," I said. "Just a stroke of bad luck. Besides, now that you're all here, I can finally start making specific moves, right?"
Everyone from the Ducal House nodded firmly.
Sieg and Pauline chimed in as well. "Ryoma-kun, if you’re willing, please let us know if there’s anything we can do to help."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course! Don't be a stranger. In fact, I’ll reach out to the others who walked out with us today. They’re much more trustworthy than that Wands character."
"That sounds like a plan," Darson said. "Maybe we should hold our own countermeasure meeting just among ourselves, separate from that other assembly."
Everyone laughed at Darson's suggestion. After confirming a few more details, the group dispersed for the night.
"Ryoma, come here for a second."
As I was seeing them off, Grisiela beckoned me over from one of the carriages. When I approached, she reached out with her cane and hooked it around me, pulling me closer to the carriage door.
"Listen well, Ryoma. You can't run a business without looking at reality. A shop will collapse if the owner only speaks of ideals. That is an undeniable truth. But it is also a fact that people won't follow a leader who is only harsh. The 'sweetness' of chasing ideals and valuing people, and the 'harshness' of setting emotions aside to make cold calculations—you can't be a first-rate merchant unless you have both."
She looked at me with kind but serious eyes. "You seem to have both, but you’re incredibly clumsy at switching between them. You’re just… awkward. Regardless, remember today’s events. Look closely at the people standing around you now. Believe in everything you've built up so far—and above all, believe in yourself."
She released me from her cane. Without waiting for a reply, she gave her usual sign-off.
"Anyway, next time it’s your turn to come to the guild."
With that, she closed the carriage door and headed back toward the Commerce Guild.