Chapter 787
Chapter 787: Upgrade (5)
I didn’t particularly doubt my ears. And why would I? There’s a higher chance that this guy is throwing around blank checks than one of my sensory organs suddenly malfunctioning.
Yeah, So…..
“You must know the weight of your words, having lived as long as you have.”
I lowered my voice, speaking cynically. His claim made no sense. How could a mere Guild Master possess such a precious treasure like a Dragon’s Heart—.
“Of course, I understand the weight of my words.”
“…You really have a Dragon’s Heart?”
“To be precise, it’s owned by the guild.”
What? Is he trying to mess with me? I stared at him, letting out an involuntary scoff, and the Guild Master shrugged nonchalantly.
“It’s an item that’s been kept in storage for centuries. Who would notice if it were to go missing? Moreover, treasures like that can only be accessed by the Guild Master.”
I couldn’t help but be amazed at his words.
“Wow……”
I have a rough idea of what he’s trying to convey. If he can hold onto his position as Guild Master for life, there’d be no issue in giving away a Dragon’s Heart that’s just gathering dust in a vault. But that makes it even more impressive.
“How on earth are you planning to handle the aftermath……?”
Is this guy planning to live only for a few more years? His position as Guild Master wont last forever. Even if he manages to get away with this now, eventually he’ll have to pass on his position to someone else.
“The moment they find out you’ve stolen the Dragon’s Heart, not only you but your entire family will bear the consequences.”
“You don’t need to worry about that. My wife and children have already benefited plenty from me. They should share in the burden of my failures too.”
“Wow……”
My second exclamation that came out during this short conversation. Is this guy actually insane?
“And there’s a famous saying among gamblers, do you know it?”
“What is it?”
“Just win it back.”
“……”
“No matter how long it takes, I just need to find a new Dragon’s Heart and place it back before stepping down as Guild Master, don’t I?”
Wow……
Barely holding back a third exclamation, and decided to confirm one last thing.
“…By any chance, do you have any barbarian ancestors?”
“None that I know of?”
Right, none……
***
In the end, I decided to accept the Guild Master’s offer to join forces. After looking into it through Amelia, I confirmed that the guild truly did possess a Dragon’s Heart. Well, I’m still not thrilled about venturing into the labyrinth with someone I barely know, but……
‘It’s not something I can find just anywhere, anytime, so I can’t afford to refuse.’
Still, something feels off. Should I say the numbers don’t quite add up? No matter how important his position as Guild Master is, it doesn’t make sense to give up a ‘Dragon’s Heart’ just to fill a vacancy in our clan. Although it’s technically the guild’s property, it seems he’s planning to replace it with his own funds someday.
“It still feels like there’s something I’m missing……”
“It seems his standing within the guild is precarious. He has quite a few rivals. Maybe this is his last desperate gamble.”
“Hmm……”
“If you’re still uneasy, I’ll look into it more.”
“Please do.”
For now, I’ll wait for Amelia’s investigation into the Guild Master……
“Let’s go. Everyone’s waiting.”
“Alright.”
As I headed to the meeting place with Amelia, the clan members gathered in the clearing welcomed us.
It’s been a long while since the last time all the members of the Anabada Clan had gathered in the holy land……
“Ah, you’re here?”
“It’s been a while, Kaislan. Did you rest well?”
“Well, considering no one called for me, I did manage to get some rest…… But who are those three?”
“Two of them are new members, and one is a guest who will be entering the labyrinth with us.”
“A guest……?”
“I’ll explain everything, so everyone listen up.”
Kaislan’s eyes were filled with questions, but he held back his curiosity and stepped aside when I promised to explain.
“Sorry for calling you all during your break. I called you all here today because there are a few things we need to discuss. First, the most important thing, the labyrinth will be opened soon.”
“Oh… Is that true?”
“It’s been a while since we’ve breathed the labyrinth’s air.”
The clan members buzzed with excitement at the news of the labyrinth’s reopening. Naturally, none of them questioned the authenticity of the information. After all, I am a baron, the barbarian chieftain, and a renowned explorer. Usually, when I share something, everyone assumes I must have gotten it from a reliable source.
“And the second reason I’ve gathered you here is to introduce our new members.”
I called each of them forward to be introduced.
Former vice-captain of the Third Magic Corps, Arua Raven.
Hero of the Elves, Beleg Shucia di Tersia.
Introducing these two didn’t stir up much fuss. Everyone was already aware of my connection with Raven, and Beleg had ties with Erwen, so that helped ease them in.
“The vacant wizard and archer positions have been filled, I see.”
“The Golden Wizard and a Hero of the Elves…… Seems like no one ordinary ever joins this clan.”
There was a bit of surprise at their names, but the overall atmosphere was one of acceptance. At least until Raven pointed to someone else after finishing her brief introduction.
“But why is the Guild Master here? Is he also a new member?”
Raven wore an expression that clearly conveyed she found this situation incomprehensible, and the other members were no different.
“I heard his position has been precarious these days……”
“Could it be he quit his position to join us……?”
Before the murmurs could grow louder, I quickly clarified.
“Illya Adnus is not officially joining us. He’ll be entering the labyrinth with us a few times as a guest. Don’t ask why, it’s troublesome to explain.”
Looks suggesting the explanation wasn’t sufficient came from all directions, but like a proper Shield Barbarian, I cleanly ignored them. Ah, of course, there was a slight need to change the topic.
“Anyway, the third reason I’ve gathered you all is…… To form new teams. We’ll be splitting into two teams of six for our labyrinth exploration.”
As soon as the team formation topic came up, everyone shifted their focus from the Guild Master to me. Even if we were going to regroup at the sixth floor, for explorers, which team they’d be in was an extremely important matter. While all 12 members could form a single group, there were often times when the two teams would operate separately depending on the situation.
“I’ve already decided the teams in advance. If anyone has objections, I’m willing to hear them out, but just know that any objections will be resolved by a vote.”
Though I claimed to uphold democratic procedures as a leader of the new era, the reaction was less than enthusiastic.
“…Hah!”
“Um… Miss Raven? Why are they reacting like that?”
“Mr. Adnus, didn’t you check the clan’s internal rules before coming?”
“Ahem……”
“It’s written in the rules. The clan leader’s vote counts for as many votes as there are members in the clan. Which means, in practice, any objections you raise won’t be accepted.”
“Ah… I see……”
Ahem……
Well, if you’re unhappy with it, become the clan leader yourself. Besides, I’m the clan leader, so wouldn’t it be unfair for me if I had the same number of votes as the regular members?
“…Then, I’ll announce Team 1.”
Regardless of what the members had to say, I confidently revealed the squad I had put together.
[Anabada Clan Team 1]
Tank: Me.
Melee DPS 1: Missha Karlstein.
Melee DPS 2: Kaislan.
Ranged DPS (Guide): Beleg Shucia di Tersia.
Wizard: Arua Raven.
Non-Combatant: Illya Adnus.
[Anabada Clan Team 2]
Tank: Sven Parav.
Melee DPS 1: Ainar Fenelin.
Melee DPS 2 (Guide): Emily Raines.
Ranged DPS: Erwen Fornacci di Tersia.
Wizard: Lilith Marrone.
Non-Combatant: Auyen Rockrobe.
This was, in my opinion, the optimal team configuration. Well, there were some objections. As expected, the strongest opposition came from Erwen.
“What? This has to be a mistake, right? Why am I on Team 2 instead of Team 1? What? This isn’t right!”
“……Please understand.”
To be honest, I didn’t want to assign Erwen to Team 2 either. However, I had no other choice.
“Didn’t you say you didn’t want to be on the same team as your uncle?”
“T-That’s true, but……! What about merging! Who will you merge with if I’m not there!”
“Merging…… Yandel… You’ve merged with my niece……?”
Ugh, my head……
“It’s not what you’re thinking, so don’t get the wrong idea.”
The merging Erwen was referring was the Eli Barbarian Mode through [Elementalization]. I worried about this too, but since merging would rarely be needed until the sixth floor anyway, I made this decision.
“At least tell me why! Why am I in Team 2!”
I cut off Erwen’s whining more firmly than usual.
“Enough.”
“……What?”
“If you want a vote, ask for one. Otherwise, stay quiet.”
“……”
Seeing her shocked expression pained me as well, but it couldn’t be helped. Allowing Erwen to throw a tantrum like this in front of everyone wasn’t good for the group, and as their leader, indulging her was even worse. Also, not only that……
“This is unexpected. I thought I’d be on Team 2… But they were positioned here as well.”
It’s also detrimental if members start thinking that Team 1 is the ‘A-team’ and Team 2 is the ‘B-team’ in the long term. After all, they are all members of my clan and my comrades.
“I suppose you assigned Miss Raines to lead Team 2 because you needed someone reliable here…… As for assigning Blood Spirit to Team 2, maybe you wanted to observe the new recruits a bit longer. Miss Fenelin was probably assigned here because she listens well to Miss Raines.”
“Ah, is that the reason? Miss Marrone.”
“Just my guess! Hehe, but I’m glad we’re on the same team.”
“Seems like the Captain thought we’d work well together.”
“Ah, maybe that’s true? I look forward to working with you.”
By the way, these two. They seem to have gotten quite close lately, haven’t they?
***
After announcing the teams, we all spent some time having a meal together. I thought it was important for everyone to build camaraderie before entering the labyrinth…… It was a bit surprising, though, even the Guild Master stayed behind to join us.
“Ahaha… The reason I’ll be joining you in the labyrinth? I apologize, but there are some circumstances… I’ll explain everything when the opportunity arises.”
Was it because you need to be skilled in politics to rise to the rank of Guild Master? He was quite good at conversation and wasn’t afraid to talk with strangers. Well, it did make me wonder if a Guild Master should be spending his time here like this……
‘Well, He probably arranged for some time off or something like that.’
That wasn’t something I needed to concern myself with.
“What! You experienced such unfair treatment at Branch 17? As soon as I return to the guild, I’ll look into it right away. I sincerely apologize that you had to go through such trouble.”
“Ah, no… you don’t need to go that far…… Anyway, thank you.”
While watching the Guild Master getting friendly with the other clan members, I turned my gaze toward Raven. With her background as an explorer and military experience, Raven, as expected, was fitting in well with the group. Well, she already knew people like Missha and Ainar for a long time, and though she entered with a different group, she had also participated in exploring the first basement floor with us.
‘The problem is this guy……’
Erwen’s uncle was, as expected, distancing himself. He politely declined any offers of drinks, and even when someone struck up a conversation, he would respond amicably but never extended the exchange. It was as if he had didn’t want to create any new deep connections with others.
‘…It’ll get better with time.’
Forcing something right from the start seemed premature, so I decided to simply observe for the time being. After that, I also joined in with the others, spending time socializing.
And……
“Baron Yandel is entering!”
The day of the promotion ceremony had arrived.
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