"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Oh, it looks like the meeting is over."
"Yes, it went smoothly."
I met up with my bodyguard, Yudum, at the guild's reception desk. Since only representatives were permitted inside the meeting room, I had asked him to wait in the main hall.
"W-well then, I shall take my leave."
A woman stuttered those words and hurried away. It seemed Yudum had been chatting with one of the receptionists.
"Was I in the way?"
"It was just small talk. Part information gathering, part casual chat. More importantly, what is the next item on your schedule?"
"I have a city cleaning scheduled for the afternoon, but since we still have some time, I think I'll head back to the Security Company. I leave each workplace to their respective managers, but I have reports to check and documents that need my signature."
"Understood."
With that decided, we headed toward the entrance of the Commerce Guild.
"!"
Just before Yudum reached for the door, his eyes met those of a man entering the guild. For a split second, the man’s expression soured, but it vanished so quickly I thought I might have imagined it. He replaced it with a bright smile and called out to me.
"My, my, it has been quite a while."
"It has. It's been a long time, Mr. Wands."
"Our meeting the other day ended in such a fashion, and I haven't seen you since, but you look well."
"Yes, thanks to you. Have you lost a bit of weight, Mr. Wands?"
"It has suddenly grown quite cold lately, after all... By the way, what brings you here today?"
"I was just meeting with an acquaintance."
"I see. I am also meeting an acquaintance here shortly, so if you'll excuse me."
"Take care of yourself."
The conversation ended, and Wands headed toward the reception desk while we stepped outside. I suspect he wanted to avoid a long conversation with me as much as I wanted to avoid one with him. However, since our eyes had met so clearly, we both simply maintained a polite veneer and exchanged greetings.
But as we walked away, Yudum spoke up.
"Boss, was that man just now—that Wands person—perhaps..."
"He is likely exactly who you think he is, Yudum."
"I knew it. He's the one you argued with while risking everything back when you were so high-strung. I'm glad it ended peacefully this time."
"No matter the circumstances, I wouldn't start an argument in a place like that. He seems to be trying to maintain his mask as a virtuous citizen, and I have no desire to cause a pointless scene."
"Hmm."
As he spoke, Yudum peered into my face.
"So, why do you look so down? You ran into someone you didn't want to see, but is it really enough to make you this depressed?"
"...Do I look depressed to you?"
"You do."
Was it really showing on my face that much?
"How should I put it... I hadn't seen him since that argument, and seeing his face again after all this time made me wonder why I went to such lengths against a man like that. I can't quite put it into words, but when I met him before, I felt a sort of 'pressure' from him. Something that made me feel he was dangerous, or that I couldn't let things continue as they were."
"You mean like an intimidating aura?"
"I wonder? Regardless, I felt that letting him have his way would lead to disaster."
However, I hadn't felt even a trace of that presence when we crossed paths just now. Because of that, I truly didn't understand why I had been so high-strung back then. In fact, my desperate reaction to a guy like that now seemed like a massive overreaction.
Well, it probably was an overreaction, but...
"Imagine you're facing a single goblin with plenty of allies around. You should be able to approach it with the mindset of just being careful not to get hurt. Instead, I went in with the resolve to die, convinced the country would perish if I lost. To an observer, it must have looked like a bizarre overreaction to a small fry. It makes my face burn just thinking about it. I want to find a hole to crawl into. The more I look back, the more embarrassed I feel. I suppose you could say I just lost my composure, but—"
"I get it. Anyway, I can tell that remembering the incident is painful for you."
I really felt like that incident was destined to become the 'black history' of my current life...
"By the way, I'm asking this both out of personal interest and as part of my other job, but do we need to do anything about him? That man, I mean."
"I am certain he is involved, but he's likely on guard. He hasn't let his tail show, and I have my own 'priorities' and 'victory conditions' to consider."
"Mind if I ask for details?"
Yudum asked while scanning our surroundings. I did the same before responding.
"First, the other side is carrying out various plots with the goal of worsening public order in Gimul. Against that, our victory condition is not the removal of agents like Wands."
Suppose we could remove Wands and his associates through any method—legally with solid evidence, or secretly and physically. Even if we removed them, what would happen next? As long as the nobles pulling the strings—specifically the mastermind among them—are not struck down, or as long as they don't give up on their secret maneuvers, they will simply send new agents. And against the nobles behind the scenes, there is almost nothing we can do at the moment. If we make a clumsy move against a noble, we might end up being framed as the villains instead.
However...
"I've heard that the Ducal Couple is already taking action in the Royal Capital. Therefore, there's no need for us to take unnecessary risks. We can leave the nobles to them."
It was best to leave specialists to their own fields.
"What we in this city can and should do is suppress the deterioration of Gimul's public order and minimize damage until the Ducal Couple can cut off the source. We must improve security back to the level it was before the influx of workers and prepare for any worst-case scenarios. Simply put, we don't need to aim for a forced resolution. Maintaining the status quo is enough."
At today's meeting, Guard Captain Dammeier had mentioned that the recent crime rate had settled back down to levels almost identical to those before the influx of workers.
"Since the population has increased, there are still many small quarrels and disputes, but the Security Company's patrol units frequently circle the city. By discovering these incidents early and mediating, they are able to prevent things from escalating further."
"Your Security Company takes part of the incoming labor force and turns them into security personnel, so naturally, your numbers must be quite significant."
"We do recruit on a regular basis."
As we spoke, we passed by one of the patrol units in question. A few steps later, I heard a citizen stop them to offer their thanks. These were people who were once on the verge of becoming homeless, but their steady efforts were beginning to bear fruit, and they were now being accepted by the townspeople.
"This city, which once had such a rough atmosphere, seems to have largely regained its former calm. We shouldn't get complacent, but I think it's safe to say we've moved past the worst of it. All that's left is to focus on protecting this state of affairs and wait for the Ducal House to cut off the source. Right now, that is far more important than doing anything about a small fry like Wands."
Of course, I only reached this conclusion after Hughes and the others arrived and I heard the full story.
"By the way, I've heard the showdown will be at the social season at the end of the year. If we hold out until then, it's our win. I take that as a declaration of intent to finish this within the year."
"I see. So that's why things have progressed this far."
"? Why what?"
"The way you were so high-strung before compared to how calm you are now. Also, this might be rude, but you didn't seem particularly busy to me. It's only our first day, but that's the impression I got from acting as your bodyguard."
"Not as much as you expected?"
Yudum nodded a bit awkwardly, but I didn't mind.
"Regarding my calmness, as I said, the arrival of everyone from the Ducal House was a major factor. And in reality, I'm not busy at all. Though I don't think that has much to do with the progress of the situation."
"But you're a central figure in the city now, aren't you, Boss?"
"Er... I have certainly been sticking my nose into various matters, but that's all I've done. I've set up the Security Company, the Waste Processing Plant, and even a Slime Products Factory in cooperation with the Morgan Company, but I only provided the ideas and the capital, then signed the necessary documents. I've delegated the actual operations and management to the respective people in charge."
In truth, I had entrusted almost all operations to capable managers. My job as the owner was simply to review the documents they sent—which summarized the key points—and then sign them. It was hardly any trouble at all.
"If you count checking for discrepancies between reports and reality, then walks like this morning's could be considered work, but I certainly have enough leeway to appear idle. In fact, I haven't really felt like I've been 'working' lately. I spend the vast majority of my time on my slime research, studying agriculture, or preparing for my Certification Exam at the Tamer Guild."
"But you were just participating in a meeting."
"Even that involves just listening to the conversation and sharing my opinions or proposals. The ones who actually take action are the Guild Masters, their subordinates, and the people on the ground. Before I created the Security Company, this city already had a Guard Force and people in the guilds and the Town Office working to maintain order. Even when things got bad, there were efforts by the people trying to improve it. However, that function fell into a state of paralysis due to the excessive influx of workers. To use an analogy, it was like a server collapsing under a DoS attack. In that case, we just needed to reduce the load. If the existing infrastructure couldn't handle the workers, we just needed to create new receptacles. Once the environment was arranged so that the self-cleansing function could operate again, public order naturally began to improve."
I continued my explanation as we walked.
"I make those kinds of proposals, push them through with money, power, and connections, and then dump the rest on others. That's why I'm not as busy as everyone thinks."
Since I had moved conspicuously for a while, I might appear as a 'central figure' to people like Yudum who gather information. But now, I wondered if there was much point in sniffing around me anymore. The ones actually moving to maintain order were the many other people working in the city. In fact, focusing on me would likely just be a waste of time and effort for anyone doing the investigating.
When I said that, Yudum, who had been investigating me, seemed to realize something, as he let out a long sigh.
"Boss, has anyone ever told you that you're surprisingly calculating?"
"That's hurtful. It's nothing to brag about, but if anything, I'm the type who's easily deceived or conveniently used."
Though, that was probably because I was surrounded by people who deceived and used others during my thirty-nine years in my previous life. I’ve had those methods etched into my bones by being a victim... No, that’s probably not it. It’s unrelated. Definitely.
"I'm not doing anything bad, you know. More importantly, please let me hear the rest of the story from before we went to the meeting."
"You changed the subject quite blatantly. The story from before... about the techniques I used in the match the other day?"
"Yes, if it wouldn't be a problem."
"It's not exactly a secret, and it's something I learned from an instructor during my student days, so sure."
"Thank you. If you can actually teach me the techniques, I'll arrange a time and place for that later. I have many things I want to ask, but mostly about that Qi Projection technique."
"If you've already figured out that I was 'projecting Qi,' then there isn't much left for me to explain in words... First, you were already using Full-body Strengthening, covering yourself evenly with Qi, right, Boss?"
"Yes. I was told that was how to use Qi."
"Maintaining that state of even strengthening while being able to fight normally is the first stage. It's the basic level, and you can already do that much quite well. It's fine if you can win against enemies in that state, but you never know what will happen in a real fight. You might have to face an opponent who is simply stronger or a bad match for you. For those times, 'Applied Techniques' like the ones I used the other day were developed out of necessity. For example, the Qi Projection technique is for attacking enemies outside your range. If you master this, you can fight back against flying monsters or enemies targeting you with a bow from a distance, even if you're empty-handed."
Yudum smiled as he continued.
"Well, if you can prepare properly beforehand, it's always better to do so. Along those same lines, various techniques were developed for specific purposes, like techniques to increase attack power to defeat monsters with hard shells, or techniques to strengthen weapons. However, no matter how great a master someone is, they can only manifest their power to the fullest in a situation where their own weapon is most effective. And no matter how many applied Qi techniques a master has mastered, they all start with strengthening their whole body. Ultimately, it all returns to Full-body Strengthening. That's why it's said to be both the basic and the ultimate secret."
"That's fascinating."
"I talked as if I'm some big shot, but I'm still far from that level, so I don't have any personal realization of it yet. I can only tell you what I've heard. But in the legends of the famous War God Tigal, it's said that once he employed his Qi, his skin became an invincible armor that no blade could pierce, and his fists possessed the power to shatter dragon scales. Moreover, there are records in multiple historical documents supporting this, and it seems to be a fact."
"Oh..."
I was startled by the sudden mention of the grandfather from my cover story, but Yudum continued to tell me interesting stories about soldiers and famous adventurers from the past. He was a much better storyteller than I expected, and what would have been a mundane walk became meaningful time. The path back to the Security Company seemed to pass in an instant.
I felt a little regretful when we arrived, but I needed to get to work—or so I thought.
"Master Ryoma."
As we passed the reception desk, the maid Lilian called out to me. She hadn't been standing right at the desk, but had seemingly been waiting in a less conspicuous spot.
"A short while ago, Mr. Oresto Moulton of the Moulton Slave Company arrived."
"Eh? Oresto is here?"
That suspicious handsome guy? But why so suddenly? I hadn't heard anything about an appointment.
"When I told him you were out, he said, 'It's my own fault for visiting without an appointment, so it can't be helped. If it's not a nuisance, I'd like to wait.' He is currently in the reception room. How would you like to proceed? It is possible to turn him away now."
"No, if he's waiting, I'll see him."
I wanted to know what his business was, and he had helped me out a little while back.
I had a feeling this wouldn't be straightforward. Heightening my guard, I headed toward the reception room.