My Disciples Became Scoundrels - Chapter 17

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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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When establishing a Guild or Domus, the rule was that you couldn’t use a name identical to any other organization. So instead of oak, we chose acorn. Because oak trees grow from acorns, after all.
Cesare propped his chin on his hand and grumbled.
“Still, acorn isn’t as good as something else. Wolf, lion—that sort of thing.”
“Those names were all taken.”
The names people find impressive tend to be strikingly similar. I stood up from my seat, clearing away the dishes.
“Now that we’ve finished eating, I think it’s time we headed to the Management Bureau to register the Domus. You two should come along.”
“Sure thing. Just let me finish the dishes. Hey, Jenia—let’s play rock-paper-scissors to decide who does the dishes.”
“Okay! Rock, paper, scissors!”
After Cesare lost at rock-paper-scissors and finished washing everything, we set off toward the Management Bureau.
The Management Bureau—the institution that oversaw all matters related to Guilds and Domuses.
The first floor was crowded with people who’d come to post commissions and those searching for work to complete them. The atmosphere was just as bustling now as it had been in the past.
“Master, I think the registration desk is over there,” Jenia said, tugging at my sleeve. In a corner, there was a window for registering new organizations.
We approached the counter and addressed an employee who looked rather worn down.
“Hello. We’d like to establish a new organization.”
“Yes, yes. Please fill out the forms over there.”
I filled out the documents quickly and handed them to him. The employee, who wore thick spectacles, looked at me with some confusion.
“You’re registering under the name Balanus Domus, correct? Why insist on that particular name?”
Did he know the circumstances? He wore the same wary, reluctant expression toward Balanus that I’d seen before. Cesare, standing beside me, growled.
“We’re reestablishing it. Is there a problem? Or is it a duplicate name?”
The way his fangs showed as he spoke was threatening, almost bestial. The employee flinched visibly.
“No problem at all! Let me just verify something—one moment please!”
He hurried away from his desk. Cesare spoke with a sullen tone.
“These Management Bureau types ignore anyone who isn’t a high-ranking organization. You have to talk tough to get them to move.”
“That’s true enough from the old days as well. But don’t use that kind of language, yes?”
“That kind of… is language?”
He looked genuinely surprised. I couldn’t fathom what Cesare considered profanity versus everyday speech.
Not long after, the employee returned. His tone was noticeably more respectful than before.
“You’ve been registered as Balanus Domus. You’re eligible for Iron Grade commissions—those notices are posted on the board over there.”
A large bulletin board was plastered with notices. The location had changed, but the system appeared much the same as before.
As we moved toward the board, Jenia asked a question.
“What’s Iron Grade?”
“The lowest rank among organization grades.”
Guilds and Domuses were ranked based on strength, character, and other factors.
They were divided into Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Black Jade, White Jade, and Holy Jade Grades, and the commissions available varied by rank.
After hearing the explanation, Jenia’s expression brightened. She looked eager, even.
Jenia read aloud from a notice posted at the very bottom of the board.
“Cockroaches infested our house, so we left. It’s been three days and we haven’t been able to go back. Please exterminate them for us instead. Cockroach Extermination Commission—30,000 Batz.”
Thirty thousand Batz was worth about three bowls of food. Jenia tilted her head and read another notice.
“My dog wants to go for walks five times a day, and I’m at my wit’s end. Please walk him for me instead. Dog-Walking Commission—30,000 Batz.”
Iron Grade commissions were mostly trivial errands.
Most of them were the sort any random person could handle, and as simple as they were, the compensation was meager. Or else…
“Slay the Three-Headed Dragon and retrieve the Dragon’s Heart—50,000 Batz.”
“The Dragon’s Heart for 50,000 Batz? What conscience-dead bastard put in a commission like that?”
Cesare spoke as if it were absurd. Most Iron Grade commissions were like this.
“Cesare, ‘bastard’ is profanity, and so is ‘conscience-dead.'”
“Yes. There are many people lacking in conscience. But are we really going to take on work like this?”
Given our Domus’s capabilities, all these commissions seemed far too easy.
We could obtain the Dragon’s Heart if we wanted, but I didn’t want to develop an image of undercutting our services.
We’d prefer more challenging work with better pay, but that wasn’t realistic at this point.
“No matter how strong we are, our reputation is low, so no one will entrust us with high-level commissions.”
People rarely entrust important work to organizations they’ve never heard of. Cesare spoke with a sour expression.
“Still, that doesn’t mean we should do errands like these, does it?”
“Of course not. If the Auxiliary System still exists, I plan to use that instead.”
At those words, Jenia tilted her head in question.
“What’s the Auxiliary System?”
“A system where an organization receives assistance from another organization.”
Occasionally, there are organizations with high ranks but insufficient capability. These organizations hire auxiliaries.
They collaborate with organizations like ours—low-ranking but strong in actual capability. Cesare spoke with his arms crossed.

“Well, it’s not bad. Though I gather the pay is paltry. Still, would any organization actually take on someone as new as us?”
“You’re a skilled mercenary. Once they know you exist, they’ll want to bring you on as support.”
It was fortunate that at least one of us had any recognized credentials. Cesare’s expression mingled embarrassment with unmistakable confidence.
“Of course. Naturally. There are guilds lining up to hire Cesare. So let’s go talk to other organizations. I’ll find out if there are any worth approaching.”
Cesare sought out the staff member from before. After some exchange—conversation or perhaps something closer to negotiation—he returned with a list of organizations seeking support.
Five guilds. All of them Silver Grade; aside from one, I recognized none of the names. I pointed to the one I did know and spoke.
“We’ll save that one for last.”
“Understood. Let’s go through them in order then. Just trust me.”
I followed the confident Cesare toward the first guild seeking support. The moment we stepped through the door, someone recognized him. Surprise flashed across their face.
“Cesare? What brings you here?”
“You know me?”
“Of course. You’re well-known, after all…….”
At those words, Cesare’s shoulders shot up as though they might pierce the ceiling.
“Well, I’m part of a Domus now. You’re looking for support, aren’t you? We’ll help you out specially. We may be few in number, but I guarantee our skill.”
The other man glanced uncertainly between me and Jenia, then spoke with visible discomfort.
“I’m afraid support won’t be possible.”
“Why? Because we’re new?”
“There’s that, but…….”
He hesitated, then finally spoke.
“You’re a strong mercenary, Cesare, but we don’t work with alcoholics.”
“What?”
“Please leave.”
And so we were thrown out of the first guild. Jenia studied Cesare intently and remarked.
“You’re unpopular, big brother.”
“No! They just lacked an excuse to reject us for being new, so they grabbed onto me as a reason!”
“Doesn’t seem that way to me.”
“We’ve got another guild anyway, don’t we? Let’s go!”
And so Cesare strode ahead toward the next guild.
The second guild.
“Cesare? Aren’t you the one who beat up your employer last time? Ah, well, that’s…….”
The third guild.
“It seems you’re here to pursue questionable work. I’d suggest you try elsewhere. Our reputation suffers if we get tangled up with Cesare…….”
The fourth guild.
“I’m sorry, but no matter how desperate, I can’t tarnish the guild’s name. I’ve heard Cesare has broken contracts unilaterally on multiple occasions.”
We were rejected at all four places.
As Cesare emerged from the last guild building, he bore the look of someone genuinely shaken. He muttered as if he couldn’t quite believe it.
“They all…… they all refused me?”
So that’s why, despite his skill, he’d been stuck taking odd jobs. An attitude problem. Jenia, watching his despair, patted him gently in comfort.
“It’s okay, big brother. Even if you’re a reckless handful who skips appointments to drink, beats up employers who displease you, breaks contracts, takes on illegal work, and has everyone refusing you—I still love you.”
“God, I’m so grateful…….”
“Grateful, yet why are you pinching my cheek?”
Watching their beautiful sibling affection, I fell into thought for a moment. One guild remained. Not a place I particularly wanted to visit, but we had no choice.
“Shall we try the fifth guild then?”
At that, Cesare—currently grappling with Jenia—spoke up.
“Are you sure, Master? Perhaps it would be better if I didn’t go…….”
“It’s fine. Let’s go together.”
I led the two of them toward the last guild. The gleaming building was as lavish as any famous guild.
For a Silver Grade operation, they clearly did well. Fifteen years ago, this place wasn’t the kind of guild to afford such a building. Time changes things.
The nameplate beside the entrance was crafted from expensive ebony. The guild’s name was inscribed in gold leaf, with an elegant swallow symbol beside it. Jenia gazed at it and read aloud, enunciating carefully.
“Nidus Hirundinis Crepuscularis Guild.”
“What a name. What does it mean?”
Still such a long, difficult name to pronounce. I rapped on the guild’s door as I spoke.
“Twilight Swallow Nest, I believe. That’s likely the meaning. Let’s go in.”
As we entered, a middle-aged staff member greeted us. I recognized him.
“We’ve come as you’re seeking support.”
His gaze settled upon me coldly, then withdrew. That calculating look remained unchanged after all these years.
“Cooperation with an understaffed, unproven new organization would be difficult.”
“We haven’t even told you our name yet.”
“And what would that be?”
Less a genuine question than a dismissal—a coldness that said speak and go. I smiled quietly.
“Dain Balanus. I belong to Balanus Domus.”
The clerk’s eyes widened. His face went pale, as if he’d glimpsed a ghost.
“What? That doesn’t make any sense……”
“To be precise, the Dain you know is my father. We simply share the same name. Though I suppose our skills are rather similar as well.”
This lie sits easily on my tongue now. I spoke to the man whose gaze had shifted. “Blood doesn’t lie, does it? Surely that’s a decent enough guarantee.”
Blood — the surest collateral in this world.
This clerk knows who I was. He knows my strength. If I claim to carry Dain’s blood, he cannot dismiss me so easily.
“Guildmaster Gaspar would find this quite interesting, I imagine.”
“……Please wait a moment.”
The moment I invoked the guildmaster’s name, the clerk’s expression grew more urgent. After he hurried away, Jenia turned to me, her eyes bright with curiosity.
“Master, do you know the guildmaster here? That clerk recognized you earlier too.”
“Yes, we know each other. Though he’s not a face I’m eager to see again.”
Not quite an old feud, but not someone I’d choose to meet. Still, circumstances are pressing now, so it can’t be helped.
We waited only a short time before the clerk returned. He led us to the second floor — to the guildmaster’s office.
“Guildmaster, I’ve brought him.”
“……Come in.”
The door opened. In the center of the antiquated office stood a man. Rough-featured like a brigand, with a vulpine nose and a perpetual scowl etched into his face.
Gaspar. The man who’d been my age fifteen years ago now bore the weight of middle years.
“……You look identical. I never thought that bastard would have a child.”
He raked me with a menacing gaze, then smiled with contempt.
“All that preening about nobility, and here you are — just as corrupt as ever. Playing the saint while scheming in the shadows.”

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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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