How to Survive in a Good Small Guild - Chapter 16

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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How to Survive in a Small-Scale Guild
Chapter 16
“What on earth—!”
At first, Heindel seemed poised to deny my claim, but the moment I met his eyes in silence, his demeanor shifted.
“How could you possibly know?”
Of course. Heindel’s ownership of the Red Rose Salon was supposed to be secret.
I wouldn’t have discovered it myself without the source material’s information.
In the original work, Princess Calliard resolves a problem that arises at the Red Rose Salon, and later receives an invitation from the salon’s owner—only to be shocked upon learning it’s Heindel. That’s how the scene plays out.
From there, Princess Calliard goes on to tackle the four factions in sequence, and together with them, carries out the destruction of the temple.
“This is the Information Guild, after all. It wouldn’t be surprising if I’d uncovered that information.”
Even Sedric looked taken aback by my remark, his eyes widening with surprise.
When I nudged him sharply with my elbow, he quickly schooled his expression and backed up my statement.
“That’s right. This is the Information Guild, after all.”
“So that’s what an Information Guild really does… All this time, no one else managed to find out….”
“Yes, the Information Guild is precisely this sort of place.”
I answered Heindel’s suspicious gaze with shameless confidence.
“In any case, what matters is that if you invite us to the Red Rose Salon, we can resolve everything, don’t you think?”
“You’re certain you can resolve it?”
“Of course.”
By now, I’d practically become a snake-oil salesman.
“I’m the Information Guild’s agent, after all!”
***
Friday night found me standing at the entrance of an old theater alongside Sedric.
The theater had supposedly been abandoned for years after its owner went bankrupt—but in truth, the Red Rose Salon was held secretly in its basement.
“My, Sedric. That outfit looks remarkably natural on you.”
I marveled at the sight of Sedric wearing a mask that concealed his face and dressed in formal attire.
In any case, I’d needed to look noble, so I’d rented expensive clothes for a day—though they paled in comparison to a noble’s true wardrobe.
But Sedric’s suit genuinely looked like something a nobleman would wear.
“Th-this was a gift from my father, some time ago.”
“Ah, I see—one of those fine suits a person ought to own, then?”
“Yes, precisely.”
Donning an equally ornate mask myself, I stepped into the abandoned theater.
A guard appeared from nowhere in a smooth glide.
“How did you enter?”
“We have an Invitation Letter.”
I produced the invitation I’d received from Heindel beforehand, and we were permitted to descend safely into the theater’s basement.
In moments, a completely different world revealed itself—one that the theater’s decrepit exterior could never have hinted at.
“Wow.”
The basement was dimly lit, yet adorned with elaborate chandeliers and costly curtains. Everyone moving freely through the space wore masks, but they were unmistakably nobility.
Even with masks on, they recognized each other, making the whole affair less a true masquerade and more a game of willful pretense.
According to the original work’s description, the Red Rose Salon, held every Friday night, was where nobles’ various secrets traded hands.
It was a place where scandals, rumors, and investment opportunities—things that couldn’t be spoken of openly in daylight—were shared.
Possessing far greater power than the public social gatherings of the day, it naturally meant that the Count Ashilon’s House would participate here too.
“The distinguishing features of the Count Ashilon’s House members….”
I was scanning the crowd, recalling the physical descriptions I’d memorized beforehand, when Sedric’s gaze fixed suddenly on one figure.
“That is the eldest daughter of the Count Ashilon’s House.”
“Yes?”
A woman wearing an ornate mask adorned with purple roses.
“How did you recognize her at once? Now that you mention it, she does have the blonde hair I heard about, and that short cut is quite rare….”
“…I came to know her through my previous company.”
“That call center-like place handling customer complaints? You memorized nobles’ information there too?”
“I had to recognize them immediately, or I’d be in trouble….”
“Ah….”
The picture was becoming clearer.
“So it was a place where rude customers would demand ‘Don’t you know who I am?’ and you’d have to recognize them on the spot!”
“Don’t you know who I am… Y-yes, exactly that.”
So it really had been a job where he’d endured unreasonable demands. I looked at Sedric with newfound sympathy.
“In any case, she must be Charlotte Ashilon, the eldest daughter of Count Ashilon’s House.”
I needed to determine whether only Ashilon’s employee had been blackmailing Heindel’s wife, or if the entire Ashilon family was involved.
I smoothly accepted a glass of champagne from a circulating server and approached Charlotte Ashilon.
“Good evening. What a lovely hairstyle you have.”
“Oh, thank you. Though….”
The woman tilted her head as she took in Sedric and me. Likely because neither of us matched any nobleman she knew.
“I don’t believe we’ve met before.”
“The owner of the salon invited me directly. This is my first time.”
“My goodness, she extended a personal invitation? How intriguing. Is she the widow everyone speaks of—the one who’s retired from society and now seeks new amusements…?”
“I’m afraid I can’t discuss the salon’s owner, but I do have plenty of other interesting information to share.”
I opened my mouth, testing her waters.
“I hear the Marquis Heindel has come to the Capital recently.”
“Ah yes, it’s one of the hottest topics right now. Ever since he arrived, he hasn’t been seen with anyone….”
“Shall we talk about that? It should be quite fascinating.”
I swirled my glass and took a sip of Champagne. Ugh, why is this so bitter?
“Are you aware there are rumors of trouble between the Marquis and his wife?”
“Of course—I’ve already heard that much. Outside circles claim the Marquis Heindel keeps his distance from his wife, whom he married through a political marriage, but actually they’re quite close.”
Charlotte Ashilon clearly already knew that much. Yet as she spoke of the Marquis Heindel, she showed no particular agitation.
“True. They say he came to the Capital this time because of his wife. Apparently there was some problem that arose, and he rushed here to resolve it.”
“What sort of problem could it be?”
I decided to probe once more.
“The people from Viscount Meraund’s House supposedly found leverage against the Marquis’s wife and blackmailed her, causing her to flee. That’s why the Marquis grew angry with the Viscount’s family.”
“Ah, you mean the Marquis’s wife’s birth family. That house always seems to have troubles.”
So the blackmailer was unrelated to the Ashilon House. The odds were quite high it was the independent action of a single employee.
How did I know? It was a simple principle.
If Charlotte Ashilon knew the truth and I had just stated false information, she would have found it impossible not to reveal her superiority by showing that she alone knew the truth.
People’s mouths naturally open when someone says something wrong.
This was how I’d once discerned Park Geo-sung’s political leanings when he launched political attacks at work, allowing me to avoid them.
“By the way, who did everyone vote for in that election?”
“Well, if anyone had their wits about them, they’d have made the same choice. Speaking of which, isn’t the ◇◇ Party candidate polling higher these days?”
“What are you talking about? The ☐☐ Party is higher. Nobody seems to have their wits about them!”
“I agree. Personally, I voted for the ◇◇ Party.”
“Ha, a sensible choice indeed! Thank goodness our company employees have their heads on straight!”
It had been like that….
Recalling those bleak memories, I decided to ask something different this time.
“Actually, there was something I wanted advice on. I’m not very skilled at managing my employees. Could you offer me some guidance?”
“Oh, of course.”
Charlotte Ashilon nodded, apparently taking me for a nouveau riche.
“One of my household servants keeps poking around, wanting to know about the nobles’ private affairs. How should I handle this?”
“You must be strict, naturally. It’s a matter of discipline slackening. You need to rein them in firmly, so they don’t get any funny ideas.”
Relishing the chance to instruct me, words flowed smoothly from her lips.
“In my family, we conduct periodic information confidentiality training for all our servants. It’s a sort of disciplinary education, you see.”
Disciplinary education? Damn it, the trauma Park Geo-sung inflicted on me….
“For our house employees, information confidentiality is the most essential quality. Anyone caught trying to sell off information gained from the house will never find employment with another noble family again.”
In that moment, my mind lit up.
Yes, there was a way to discover exactly which employee from the Ashilon House had blackmailed the Marquis’s wife.
“Thank you for the advice.”
I excused myself from Charlotte Ashilon naturally and dragged Sedric away.
“There’s a record we should check once we’re back.”
“What record?”
“The culprit is an employee planning to leave soon.”
Otherwise, they wouldn’t risk losing their job forever and wouldn’t blackmail the Marquis’s wife using information they’d uncovered.
“So we should investigate which houses recently interviewed this departing employee?”
“That too. And one more thing.”
I spoke with gravity.
“Look for the person who’s been smiling while working.”
“Pardon?”
“The only people who smile while working are those planning to quit or transfer.”
It was a universal truth that applied to every workplace.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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