“It’s a refreshing sight to see the table surrounded by this many people,” Ektor says, his words warm and sincere.
I guess there’s usually only the three of them. With a table this large, there’s plenty of space to go around.
Rinny and Macro nod in agreement.
Can’t help but think about how lonely my parents must feel, looking at their own kitchen table and seeing the opposite… I should write to them soon and tell them how things are going.
“Since we’re all gathered here, we might as well use this time to talk,” Ektor suggests as we sip our tea. “First of all, I want to explain why we asked you to join our guild.”
“Oh? I assumed it was because you needed more guild members. Plus, you know exactly how powerful we are after that monster incident back at the village,” I say.
Or at least, that was the impression I got from our parents back home. Everything had moved so fast that there’s a very possible chance I missed something, though.
Claire scrutinizes Ektor to see how he reacts to my question.
Don’t glare at him like that! I know Clare assumes, as another Reborn, Ektor wants to follow the story exactly, but we don’t know anything for sure!
According to Claire, in the original story, our village is wiped out and we’re taken in by the Lanakiller guild. In reality, though, we successfully protected our village from destruction. Afterward, Ektor convinced our parents to allow us to join them. I know that’s what happened! The night before we left, Claire made a huge fuss about it. I had a rough time calming her down. But why did Ektor do that?
“That’s about right. Well, we originally had no plans of expanding membership past the three of us. We’ve never run into any issues thus far, and everything is simply easier with fewer folks around.” Ektor stares right back into Claire’s distrustful gaze as he speaks.
It’s clear the three of them have no trouble finding enough work. They’re all incredibly strong and competent. Perhaps the only real difficulty was in keeping the mansion clean, which is an incredibly easy problem to solve. Which means…
“In other words, you must have a specific reason for wanting more guild members, right?” Claire asks the question that’s running through my mind.
“Correct,” Ektor says in response, beaming with joy, causing her glare to deepen even more.
What’s her problem?!
“We’re a mid-tier guild now. However, the League of Guilds recently gave us the opportunity to rank up.”
“Huh? That’s great…!” I can’t help but blurt out after hearing Ektor say that.
The fact he’d managed to grow his guild to mid-tier was, in itself, impressive. Establishing a guild is pretty easy, so a lot of folks do, but most end up never advancing past beginner rank. Guilds can’t advance to mid-tier without completing a specified number of jobs within a specified time limit. Plus, not all jobs count in the same way; you need legitimate jobs from reputable sources. Add in the guild’s reputation over the course of the year and any achievements worth mentioning, and they can finally rank up.
I heard the requirements for making it as a renowned guild are exceptionally rough. At least, that’s what the shop owners in town say, so who knows how reliable their word is… Generally speaking, only those guilds deemed reputable by others can advance to mid-tier or beyond, so I assume crossing that barrier must have been really tough. This is why most people tend to join pre-existing guilds instead of forming their own. There’s less at risk personally, and it’s a lot easier.
However! That’s neither here nor there. To get a personal invitation to rank up from the League of Guilds themselves! They must have proven themselves in a variety of ways as a mid-tier guild, making it all the more impressive!
“Although, there’s one requirement to ranking up that we’re missing. Something we’ve never done before.” Ektor rests his chin in his hands, a vague smile playing on his lips as he speaks.
“Only one?” I ask.
They’d met all the other requirements, leaving only one obstacle blocking their way to top-tier status.
“I don’t really care about leveling up myself,” Rinny tosses out there.
“Huh? You dumb ginger!” Macro snaps at him. “How can someone who loves money as much as you do say something like that? The rewards we’ll get from high-ranking jobs will be significantly better. You’d seriously turn your nose up at that?”
“The only penny-pincher around here is you.”
“Shut up, you irresponsible slob.”
Rinny and Macro are at it again.
S-So, in other words, higher ranking guilds get higher ranking rewards? The jobs themselves will probably get more difficult as well, but they all seem strong enough to take on anything.
“We’ve already talked about this,” Ektor says, stopping their fight. “With Miku and Claire joining our guild, we’re going to need more money. This invitation comes at the perfect time.”
“Um…so this is kind of our fault?” I ask, my tail drooping.
They would naturally need more money to cover our expenses. We were planning on working anyway, since we’d need money no matter what, but hearing him say it like that makes me feel a little guilty.
“No, that’s not it!” Ektor hurriedly denies it. “Like I said, this invitation comes at literally the perfect time. In other words…”
Perfect timing for what?
He waves his hand in front of his face, as if shooing away my concerns, before delving into an explanation. “The only requirement holding us back is our lack of members. There’s only the three of us, right? In order to rank up, we need at least ten members. In that sense, having the two of you join our guild will help a lot toward finally meeting our goal,” he says with a smile.
I see. They don’t have enough guild members. This really is perfect timing, then. Plus, we can use the extra money to cover our share of the expenses! We can thank them for helping save our village by joining their guild. Granted, everything depends on our actions from here on out, but I’ll do the best that I can!
“With us on board, you only need five more members, right? Did you have anyone in mind?” Claire asks as she sets her teacup down on the table.
Oh, that’s right. Even with the two of us, we still need to find five more to make the total ten.
“Yep. There are some folks I’ve been meaning to ask, but haven’t yet.”
“Is there still enough time for that…?” Claire cocks an eyebrow at him.
He still hasn’t asked yet? How can I not be a little worried?
Rinny, who’s been watching us from his favorite spot on the couch with his legs crossed, suddenly pipes up, laughing. “Don’t worry! It’ll be fine! We won’t take no for an answer!”
“You’re going to force them?!”
“Rinny, don’t say it like that…” Ektor face-palms while muttering under his breath while Claire flinches in response to Rinny’s words.
What’ll we do with him? He really is crude in a variety of ways, and yet, at the same time, strangely persuasive. Still, he won’t ACTUALLY intimidate anyone into joining the guild…right?
“We know their weaknesses and can use them against them.”
“Macro, I didn’t ask for a follow-up on his statement,” Ektor sighs.
Macro is the scariest one here! What the heck do they mean by “weaknesses”?! These two are a bit too much for me sometimes! Or is this how most people think?
I begin worrying about my ability to make it in this city.
“Just ignore them. Let me explain who we’re planning on inviting.” Ektor clears his throat noisily, trying to get the conversation back on track.
That’s right. It would be nice to know who’s potentially joining us. We can figure out the specifics later. Honestly, the more I think about it, the more worried I get!
Claire has her usual scowl on her face, but Ektor ignores it as he continues, “Basically, I’d planned on recruiting the remaining five members from people who already live here in the city and are currently guildless. Everyone has their own personal prerogatives and businesses, so I’m willing to let them continue doing whatever they want.”
“Huh? Are you sure that’s okay?” Claire asks.
“Of course, as long as they’re available to help us out when we need them. Whenever we require extra help, we renegotiate the reward. Considering more advanced jobs will net advanced-level pay, they’d be pretty dumb passing up an opportunity like this one.”
Since pay from guild jobs alone wouldn’t be enough to support someone, it explains why Ektor is fine with them continuing their side businesses. In my opinion, it seems like a lot to work two jobs simultaneously, but if he doesn’t always need help, then it shouldn’t be too bad.
“Everyone on my list has helped us before, so our working relationship shouldn’t change too much from how it is already,” Ektor continues. “That’s why I doubt we’ll have to worry about them saying no.”
From the way he puts it, it sounds like these are old friends of theirs. It should be fine, I guess.
“So, instead of forcing them to lend a hand, you’ll simply get more money to pay them for helping out…” Claire summarizes. “Is that about, right?”
“More or less.”
He really thought this through. It sounds like a win-win situation in theory, but I can’t help but feel weird about forcing people to work when we need them.
“We’ve been acting pretty recklessly lately. I have a feeling a lot of folks will balk at the thought of stepping up to help us out.”
I’m about to nod in agreement when Rinny pipes up, increasing my worries with his lighthearted laughter.
Acting recklessly?! What sort of jobs have they accepted recently? Will this really be, okay? I have to believe it will be, somehow!
After listening to exactly what sort of people the mystery five are, we end our impromptu meeting for the day. The three guys want to head back into the city to report on the monsters they took down and gather supplies. They seem pretty busy for having just arrived home. Rinny lazily gets to his feet, clearly annoyed at having work to do. Oh, and of course, Macro is right there next to him, scowling angrily.
Are they about to fight again? I hope not!
“Miku and Claire, please try and relax. I’m sure you’re both exhausted from traveling such a long way, and to a strange city, no less. Aside from our bedrooms, the mansion is yours to explore. Make yourselves at home. Our home is your home.”
Rinny and Macro left together, shooting angry glares at each other the whole time. Ektor spoke to us briefly on his way out, before leaving Claire and I alone in the mansion.
“That’s all well and good…”
“But there’s no way we can sit around doing nothing.”
Claire giggles as I finish her sentence. It’s clear we’re on the same page.
“They took us in, so the least we can do is clean the place up,” I say.