How to Survive in a Good Small Guild - Chapter 48

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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 Decent Small-Scale Guild
Chapter 48
Before long, we had genuinely become Temple priests.
I fastened the Lower Priest Badge I’d been carrying to my clothing, and the other guild members and Rakal agreed to pose as my subordinates.
Well, it’s not like we were impersonating anyone—as long as we didn’t harm the Temple, it should be fine. I was legitimately using the Temple’s authority as a guild operating under Temple jurisdiction.
We made our way toward the estate of the Hartfield Family.
“Good day. We’ve come from the Temple.”
“Why does the Temple….”
“We’d like to inform you about an event the Temple is hosting.”
After telling the guard that much, we were invited inside a short while later.
After all, the Temple was one of the three major powers, so one couldn’t simply ignore its authority.
Sitting in the reception room, we waited for Count Hartfield to arrive.
“This coffee aroma is incredible. It’s a whole different league from what’s in the break room.”
“Should we switch to better coffee too? For that to happen, it seems like Susanna would need to work much harder for the guild’s development.”
“Th-that was just me talking….”
Just then, the door opened and a middle-aged woman appeared. So that would be….
“The Countess Hartfield.”
Cedric whispered.
“May blessings fall upon you.”
I quickly offered the priest’s greeting, and the other guild members followed suit. The Countess sat down across from us with a smile.
“What brings the priests here today?”
“Ah, well, we….”
My performance began.
“We happened to pass by this estate recently, and I sensed a misfortune clinging to it.”
This world truly was a perfect Korean-style romance fantasy. Speaking of Korean blessings and fortune was entirely natural here.
“Misfortune?”
“Yes, I sense troubles may befall this estate soon. Your face is etched with worry.”
“No, this is….”
“Are you familiar with the Temple’s teachings regarding one’s Ancestors?”
“Pardon? Of course. I’m a believer, after all….”
Perfect! No wonder the Countess had received the Temple’s visit so readily—she was a believer.
“Precisely. Your Ancestors should be bestowing blessings upon you, but the flow of fortune is blocked. We’ve come to clear that blockage for you.”
“Sigh….”
I myself doubted whether this was truly the Temple of a romance fantasy world, but remarkably, the Temple of this world did indeed go around saying such things, so the Countess naturally let out a sigh.
“Well, truth be told, there has been an unpleasant situation, but I’m sure it will work out.”
“I’m not so certain. If left as is, misfortune will continue to befall you. Have you heard of the Nine Curse?”
“I heard about it once in an advanced doctrine class back in the day….”
“Yes, the Nine Curse has taken hold of you.”
As I rattled off nonsense, the Countess seemed to hesitate, then began to speak.
“I do have something troubling me… I wish I could confide in someone.”
“Don’t worry. Whatever Confession or prayer, we always keep it strictly confidential.”
As I brazenly prompted the Countess to open up, Cedric whispered softly.
“If I’m not mistaken, the Hartfield Family doesn’t stand with the Imperial Family. If we use the fact that the Imperial Family and Temple are on opposing sides, we might be able to extract information.”
“……!”
That was helpful information. I spoke quickly.
“Especially since there’s virtually no chance the information will leak to the Imperial Family, so you needn’t worry about that at all.”
“In that case….”
“And if this concern of yours happens to be something we can help with, we might be able to lend you aid….”
As I subtly hinted at the conflict between the Temple and Imperial Family, the Countess wet her lips.
“It seems you’ve already guessed some part of this. You’ve come to speak of ‘that matter,’ haven’t you?”
“Well, we didn’t deliberately go out of our way to learn it… but it’s quite clear that we, rather than the Imperial Family, can help your house. If you simply tell us honestly from the start, we can determine whether there’s anything we can do to assist.”
Our posture—as Temple people who seemed to know something and had come to confirm it—apparently worked. Finally, the Countess began to speak.
“Very well. As you’d know, we received a Miraculous Artifact from the High Priest before. A music box that enthralls people’s minds.”
“Yes, surely all is thanks to the great High Priest’s miraculous power.”
“Yes, in fact, a traitor within our family stole it and fled….”
“My, where did this traitor flee to?”
“To District 17.”
Wait? Was this not a lie after all?
“That’s where the trouble began. District 17 is such a poor place to hide… it seems the mercenaries found the traitor quite quickly….”
We had made an incorrect assumption somewhere.
District 17 is a poor place to hide. The Traitor did indeed flee there, but as expected, he couldn’t remain concealed for long before Orion caught him quite swiftly.
Then shouldn’t it have ended there? Orion would have brought the Traitor back to the Hartfield estate.
“The problem is, that mercenary interrogated the Traitor and discovered something….”
“Discovered what?”
“That we were attempting to develop the Miraculous Artifact into military supplies.”
Cedric coughed violently, nearly choking. I nudged Morian, who sat to my right, and he in turn covered Cedric’s mouth with his hand.
It was shocking, to say the least. Conducting secret research into military supplies—wasn’t that a grave crime?
“Military supplies, you say….”
I murmured the words without showing alarm, and the Countess Hartfield replied in an unruffled tone.
“Yes, you’ve heard of it before. We consulted with you about it previously, after all.”
So the Temple was involved in this too? No wonder they’d handed over information so readily—they’d mistaken us for allies.
“Indeed. I’ve heard of it.”
I spoke carefully, fishing for more, and the Countess nodded.
“We paid hush money at the time… but wait, have you come demanding more?”
The Temple wasn’t directly involved—they’d simply discovered the scheme and were extorting hush money. This made the deception easier to maintain.
“I should contact some mid-ranked priests. Would it be possible to use a telephone for a moment?”
“Yes? Of course.”
I stood before the telephone and pretended to call the Temple.
“Yes, we’re currently visiting the Hartfield estate. We’re calling regarding the military supplies matter. We heard that there was nearly a breach because of an internal traitor, but now another problem has arisen. Another mercenary has learned about this. We’re concerned the Temple might be exposed as well. Yes, yes.”
After ending the call, I smiled reassuringly at the anxious Countess Hartfield.
“I’ve updated our superiors. There’s no need for additional payment—we’re in just as much trouble as you are.”
“Ah, I see….”
“The records of payments made to us haven’t been leaked, have they?”
“Of course not. Even the servants of the Hartfield household don’t know about it. Only my husband, myself, and the butler are aware.”
“Very well. Please remain vigilant about security going forward.”
I’d played the part of a Temple agent convincingly, but the situation had become far more grave.
The Hartfield family had been secretly conducting independent research into military supplies—a serious crime that needed to be reported to the Imperial Family immediately.
Orion must have learned of this from the Traitor he’d been pursuing, the one who fled with the Music Box. Fearing that Orion would reveal the secret, the Hartfield family had taken him into custody.
When I finished my conversation with the Countess, Rakal asked, his voice trembling.
“Then what about that mercenary now…?”
“We’ve been holding him in the mansion for now.”
The remaining course of action was clear. I needed to slip away from this estate naturally, report everything to the Imperial Family, and then raid the Hartfield mansion to rescue Orion.
If the Temple ever tried to make this an issue later, I would simply claim that I had kept them from being implicated by the Imperial Family. That would serve as my defense.
Just as I signaled the Guild members to prepare our escape, the reception room door opened again.
A man who appeared to be Count Hartfield looked at us with narrowed eyes.
“What’s this? Priests? I wasn’t expecting any visitors.”
“May blessings fall upon you, Count Hartfield. We sensed an air of misfortune clinging to you as we passed by….”
“Ah, so you’re here for more hush money, is that it?”
“That is….”
“Wait, something’s off. Why would priests I’ve never seen before be visiting our estate?”
At his question, I swallowed hard. If suspicion fell on us here, we’d all be taken into custody.
“Strange indeed. The priests who spoke with us about the Music Box research said they would keep this matter secret within the Temple….”
I began improvising an escape.
“We received our instructions from them. We’re part of the same operation….”
“What’s the name of the priest who briefed you?”
…….
“Seize them! These are suspicious individuals!”

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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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