How to Survive in a Good Small Guild - Chapter 42

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

How to Survive in a Good Small Guild
Chapter 42
It was only instinct, but the Orphanage was nagging at me.
“All right, let’s talk about Bain and the Orphanage.”
Moments later, I found myself asking Bain this question.
“Did you happen to know that Maria Anje was sponsoring the Orphanage?”
“What? I’ve never heard such a thing. But she was fond of children, so it’s possible, I suppose.”
I handed Bain the documents I’d prepared in advance.
“Maria Anje apparently sponsored this Orphanage. Here’s a list of the children who were there at that time.”
“So you’re saying that letter might have been sent to the Orphanage? But what about the secret, and the promise to meet later, and why the Platinum Mercenary Corps’ emblem was there….”
He stopped his gaze at one point while examining the list of children.
Cedric and I had checked it beforehand too, and our eyes stopped at the same place. Because that name was on the list.
—Rakal
“Rakal!”
Bain exclaimed, which was rare for him.
“The Acting Commander of the Platinum Mercenary Corps!”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Rakal had been a boy in his late teens, so there was a possibility he could have exchanged letters with Maria Anje during that period.
“Why on earth is this name here….”
“What we know for certain is that Maria Anje has a connection to Rakal of the Platinum Mercenary Corps. Let’s go to the Platinum Mercenary Corps right now.”
***
When we came bursting into the Platinum Mercenary Corps again, Rakal looked exasperated. But he couldn’t turn away Bain, who was both the Captain of the Imperial Knights and a famous figure of the empire.
“What brings you back….”
“You said you knew nothing about the letter.”
“Yes, yes. I’m telling you, none of us received a letter from anyone named Maria Anje.”
“Rakal, when you were at the Orphanage, wasn’t there anyone who sponsored you and sent you letters?”
“You’ve investigated my background? …Wait, hold on.”
Rakal, who was about to protest, stopped mid-motion.
“The Orphanage… a letter…. Wait? That’s not right? Didn’t they say that letter was sent by an elderly woman?”
A thread seemed to be unraveling.
“What did you talk about with that elderly woman?”
“Well, that was….”
Rakal scratched his head vigorously, then suddenly looked at Bain and his face changed as if he’d realized something.
“Is it really…?”
He began speaking haltingly, his face full of shock.
“The woman who sponsored me was an elderly noblewoman. She said she felt she didn’t have long to live, and she was worried about her younger husband being left alone.”
“…….”
Bain’s expression grew calm. It seemed he had instinctively sensed that she was his lover. Maria Anje, afflicted with an incurable illness, must have changed her identity when speaking of herself.
“So she asked me to help him later… that if her husband came looking for me, I should help him. Saying he probably wouldn’t fit in with people and was living alone….”
“Didn’t she tell you who her husband was?”
“No, she said she’d tell me soon, but after that the letters stopped. I instinctively realized that she had passed away.”
Rakal spoke in a slightly gloomy voice.
He looked at Bain with a suspicious expression.
“But what if that husband was you, Bain….”
…I began to understand how this had played out in the original work.
After all, Bain eventually became the owner of the Platinum Mercenary Corps….
“Rakal.”
I asked Rakal, who was at a loss, directly to the point.
“Are you the owner of the Platinum Mercenary Corps?”
“……!”
At those words, Rakal jumped from his seat in surprise.
“No! That, that’s…!”
Then the story makes sense.
If later Bain and Rakal came to know each other, and Rakal asked Bain to become the owner of the Platinum Mercenary Corps.
After all, the Platinum Mercenary Corps itself must have been created by Rakal to repay his debt to Maria Anje, according to her wishes.
“Hah….”
Finally, Rakal let out a sigh and spoke.
“That’s right…. She recommended that I create an organization with strong power…. I didn’t have the courage, but… following her wishes, I learned Swordsmanship and awakened my talent, which allowed me to come this far…. Afterward, I gathered people and formed this organization.”
Because of his young age, no one suspected, but Rakal, who was thought to be merely the Acting Commander, was in fact the Commander himself.
“…Is there a letter left that she sent?”
“Yes, it’s something precious to me, so I’ve kept it all this time. When you first came to me and asked if I’d received a letter from Maria Anje, I didn’t recognize it… but thinking back now, I’m quite certain that person is Maria Anje.”
Rakal went to a safe in the corner, opened it, and retrieved several letters.
After examining the letters, Bain’s eyes grew red.
“…Yes, that’s her handwriting.”
“Ah….”
“She asked me to help her when we met later, shared ideas about the Platinum Mercenary Corps, and requested that I keep it secret.”
Rakal looked at Bain awkwardly.
Bain silently extended his hand to Rakal, who awkwardly took it and shook hands with him.
“If Maria supported you, then you are someone of meaning to me as well. From now on, I will fully support the Platinum Mercenary Corps.”
“Ah, no… If the person she asked was you, then….”
His initial prickly demeanor had melted away, and now Rakal was speaking to Bain with trembling earnestness.
In other words, the Platinum Mercenary Corps belonged to both Bain and Rakal.
More than that, it had been Maria Anje’s mercenary corps.
In this warm atmosphere, I interjected with an eager tone.
“So, how is it, Bain? Your commission is truly resolved, isn’t it?”
“…Yes, truly remarkable.”
Bain’s gaze turned toward me. He extended his hand in turn to both Cedric and me, shaking hands.
“You said this is the Arclight Guild. A most capable guild indeed. If I have need of anything in the future, I shall always bring my commissions to the Arclight Guild.”
“We’re grateful to have you as a regular patron!”
“And I shall be a patron to the Arclight Guild as well.”
Color rose to my cheeks at those words.
And for good reason—Bain, a man respected by all knights and mercenaries, becoming our patron was truly a momentous thing!
With this, not only the Red Rose Salon but the Platinum Mercenary Corps had become firmly our allies.
It seemed our guild’s path to survival, even apart from the Temple, was becoming clearer.
***
“Well, this is how our guild has achieved remarkable results.”
Cedric applauded as Odret presented the matter with the Platinum Mercenary Corps during the weekly meeting.
“Wow, Guild Master! That’s so impressive, hehe!”
“Ha, Susanna. There’s no bonus for flattery, you know.”
“Oh, I flattered you for nothing!”
Today, too, Susanna was as consistent as ever.
“Ooh, respect.”
Morian continued to pepper their speech with foreign words.
“I learned much.”
Cedric kept playing the part of a fresh-faced newcomer to society.
“Tomorrow’s the weekend. Everyone get some good rest!”
“What will you be doing, Guild Master?”
Cedric asked casually, and Odret answered in an offhanded tone.
“Ah, I have intern priest duties at the Temple.”
At those words, Cedric’s concern for Odret welled up again.
He knew how ruthless the Temple was as an organization, and how they treated Odret.
Worried but unable to voice his objections, Cedric trudged back to the Imperial Palace, only to be accosted by Eric.
“Your Highness, how much longer will you continue with this undercover work? The duties are piling up.”
“That’s why I work late every day—shouldn’t that cover it?”
“Regardless. So, can you trust this guild master person?”
“Absolutely. Too much, in fact. The way they sacrifice themselves….”
“…I see.”
“Actually, I’m troubled by something. The other day, we had a chance to dine together and talk in private, but what exactly should one discuss in casual conversation?”
“Why are you asking me that?”
“I simply don’t understand what men and women talk about when they meet alone together, aside from work. Is there anything interesting worth bringing up?”
“I suggest you think hard on it.”
“Your tone is disrespectful.”
“You’re mistaken.”
Eric’s hand moved quickly.
☑ Staring at mirror for extended periods
☑ Worrying about natural ways to strike up conversation
☑ Worrying about conversation topics for dates

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