Here you go."


    Lange serves tea to Gilles.


    Oh, hi," she says. Don''t mind if I do."


    ......"


    Gilles was ushered into the parlor of the workshop.


    Roland was wondering what to say to Jill, whom he had not seen for a long time.


    She was supposed to belong to the "Golden Hawk," but what in the world was her purpose for coming to the "Arsenal of Spirits"?


    （Was she a spy?　No, there is no need for us to go to such lengths now to probe into our home. If so, did you really come here by accident?)


    I''ll tell them that no one is to stop by here for a while, so you two can take your time and talk."


    Lange took such care to leave the parlor.


    The room is left alone with Roland and Gilles.


    Roland decided to explore.


    (Hopefully, he could find out the inner workings of the "Golden Eagle.")


    It''s been a long time. Jill."


    Jill shivered as if scared of something.


    How is the Golden Eagle these days?


    It''s already ...... a terrible mess."


    Jill began to talk about the current state of "Golden Eagle" too easily.


    Despite the urgent issues at hand, everyone is thinking only of self-preservation and career advancement, and suspicion and doubt are spreading.


    (After all, the "Golden Eagle" is in a state of considerable confusion right now, isn''t it?)


    Roland confirmed that his prediction was right on the money and reminded himself that the time to move was now.


    Excuse me, Mr. Roland?


    Jill suddenly sounded impassioned.


    She kneels on her knees on the floor and strikes a pose looking up at Loran.


    I didn''t visit Roland until now, not because I forgot how much I owe him, but because I was busy with that ....... Please understand that. ...... Anyway, I''m sorry!


    Jill puts her hands on the floor and tries to beg for forgiveness as if she is about to get down on her knees.


    Roland was more flustered by this.


    Hey, Jill," Roland said. It''s okay. You don''t have to go that far.


    But ......"


    I''m glad you remembered me. Just knowing that makes me feel better.


    Mr. Roland ......


    Now, please, sit in the chair. I''m sorry about that. I''m sorry I left the guild without saying anything to you. I was too busy taking care of myself.


    Mr. Roland ......"


    Jill looked at Loran with tears in her eyes.


    She looked at Jill, tears welling up in her eyes. Could you tell me a little more about it? Tell me a little more about what''s going on with the Golden Eagle right now.


    Yes."


    Jill sat back in her chair at Roland''s urging and began to talk about the inner workings of "The Golden Eagle.


    Most of Jill''s talk was a complaint against Lucius.


    First, Jill spoke about the injustice of Lukius''s banishment of Roland, and then she discussed the harm that has been done to the guild because of Roland''s disappearance, and how Lukius himself has become a blight on the guild.


    It''s terrible," he said. Even when we used to sneak into the ''mining dungeon'' ......"


    Jill continues to rub this in Lucius'' face.


    (After all, Rukius seems to be spinning his wheels quite a bit, doesn''t he? (It seems that Rukius is spinning his wheels, after all. (If it wasn''t so, the overwhelming dominance of the "Golden Hawk" wouldn''t have suddenly collapsed, would it?)


    There''s more. I have more complaints about the guy from Lukius. Oh, I''m sorry. I''m sorry for complaining so much even though we just met again.


    No, it''s okay. I was just wondering how things were going with the Golden Eagle.


    Jill was relieved by Roland''s attitude.


    He is still as gentle and caring as before, and he makes it a priority to listen to what we have to say.


    His eyes were full of tenderness, and there was a part of her that wanted to be pampered when he gazed at her.


    Jill was impatient.


    She could only complain about the guild even though she was able to meet Roland in this way.


    If it were true, she would have hugged him right now to show her affection.


    If I couldn''t do that, I wanted him to at least give me guidance like he used to.


    Finally, I couldn''t hold back and said something.


    Excuse me, Mr. Roland. If you don''t mind, would you train me?


    What?　By "training," you mean I''m training you?


    Yes, I am. Actually, I''ve been doing a lot of PR work lately, and to be honest, I''ve been feeling a little tired. ......


    Hmmm, sure ......


    Jill Irwin


    Arm strength (power): 60-100


    Endurance (toughness): 70-120


    Agility: 70-100


    Physical strength (stamina): 150-200


    (All of the basic stats are high enough to reach the highest value of 100, but all of the stats are between 30 and 50. Error. (Even though the adventuring business is on hiatus, this is terrible.)


    By the way, if we talk about the standard of status, 50 is average, 70-80 is excellent, 90 ?to 100 is extremely excellent, 30-40 is low, 10 ?The number of the "20" to "20" is extremely low.


    I know I am asking an unreasonable amount of you. But I''m no longer satisfied unless I''m under your guidance, Roland. ......"


    Jill ......"


    As for Loran, he always regretted Jill.


    Even though she was now a member of a guild that was practically hostile to him, she was still his student whom he had trained and trained hard.


    She had the potential to be a masterpiece.


    I wanted to train her somehow and make her an S-class adventurer.


    If there was anything I could do, I would do it. So, could you please do something for me?


    Jill sits down and bows her head.


    As much as I''d like to do something about you, ......


    Then ......"


    Jill''s eyes sparkle with anticipation.


    I''m a member of the ''Guardians of the Magic Tree'' now. I can''t do anything to disadvantage my guild by training you, even if you are a member of the Golden Eagle.


    Jill''s shoulders slumped when she heard this.


    ''So ...... is it? I knew it."


    (Should we transfer her to "Guardian of the Magical Tree"?　No, I can''t. There was no way they could afford such a transfer fee, even though the "Guardian of the Magical Tree" was in a difficult financial situation right now. I don''t know what to do. ...... Oh, that''s right.)


    "Jill, can you be a speaker at the seminar?"


    "You''re speaking at a seminar at ......?"


    Jill asks back with a scowling face.


    Yes," she replied. The "Guardian of the Magic Tree" has asked the "Arsenal of Spirits" to manage a "mining dungeon," but it is a little too much for the "Arsenal of Spirits" to manage a dungeon by itself. I''m thinking of holding a seminar on dungeon management for the alchemy guilds in town and recruiting guilds that would be willing to cooperate. You see, I''m still a young man, and I''m not sure if I can get everyone to follow me. So I could use a celebrity like you to give us a push. ......"


    I''ll do it!"


    Jill responded immediately.


    She knew nothing about the battle between the "Golden Eagle" and the "Arsenal of Spirits" over the city''s alchemy guild.


    ''Are you sure you want to ......?''


    You''re just going to stand on a platform and talk, aren''t you?　I would be totally willing to do something like that. It''s a small price to pay for the guidance of Mr. Roland.


    I see. Will you do it? Then it''s a quick conversation. I''ll talk to the guild and see if I can get permission.


    Yes, sir. Yes, by all means.


    Jill left the "Arsenal of Spirits" in a cheerful mood, as if her recent depression was a lie.


    She felt as if her life had become rosy just by knowing that she would be mentored by Roland again.


    (It''s kind of depressing, isn''t it? (I feel like I''m cheating him.)


    Roland watched Jill walk away, feeling a little guilty.


    I see. I''ll ask Jill-san to help us."


    Yes, I''ve had a good talk with her and I''m sure of it. After all, the inside of the Gilded Eagle seems to be in a mess right now.


    Roland and Lillianne were again talking in a private room.


    If she participates in the seminar organized by the "Arsenal of the Spirits," she will be able to show that the conflict with the "Golden Hawk" has been resolved, and the people in the alchemy guilds who have been hesitant because of fear of the "Golden Hawk" will join the "Arsenal of the Spirits" initiative to manage dungeons.


    So instead of asking Jill to come up to the podium, you''re going to train her?


    Yes. Yes, training her would increase the strength of the Golden Eagle, but it would still have a good chance of bringing the city''s alchemy guilds over to our side. It would be a gamble, but I think it''s worth a try."


    Are you all right?"


    From the way she talks, I can tell she is quite dissatisfied with Lukius. So I don''t think it''s likely that she would betray us.


    No, I''m not talking about whether or not Ms. Jill will betray you, I''m asking if you''re okay, Roland, I''m asking about you."


    What?


    You''re a former student of mine, aren''t you?　If you ask her to cooperate with you in that way, even temporarily, doesn''t that put her in a very difficult position inside the "Golden Eagle"?　Are you okay with that, Mr. Roland?"


    Roland squeezed his eyes shut as if conflicted.


    ''It certainly pains me to use her in this way. But now I am a member of the Guardians of the Magic Tree. I have no choice but to do so in order to destroy the Golden Eagle."


    Lillianne let out a satisfied laugh when she heard this.


    I was relieved to hear that," she said. If you are willing to go that far for us, I have nothing more to say. If you are willing to go that far for us, then we have nothing more to say to you. We will go along with it."


    The two parted ways after a detailed discussion about the seminar.


    Roland, wait for me.


    After his meeting with Lilianne, Roland was walking down the hallway when he was approached from behind.


    It was the voice of Ramon, the head of the guild.


    Hey, wait, Roland. I''m calling you. Why don''t you stop?　Hey, Roland."


    Roland kept walking fast when he was called out.


    The relationship between Roland and the guild leader had completely cooled since the incident of Monica and the others being pulled out of the guild.


    Roland was upset that Ramon had tried to sell Monica and the others without his permission, and Ramon was bitter because he felt he had been unnecessarily interrupted in the transfer negotiations.


    The two no longer cooperated with each other, but instead worked together on their own.


    Even when there were matters of concern that overlapped each other''s responsibilities, they ignored each other as a matter of course.


    Hey, wait up!


    Ramon grabbed Roland''s shoulder.


    Having no choice, Roland kept pace with Ramon.


    Roland, about the transfer of Monica and the others," Ramon said, "I''ve been thinking about it. I was wondering if you could encourage them to reconsider their transfer.


    If that is the case, I have already declined your offer. Besides, if that''s what you want to talk about, why don''t you just ignore me and approach them directly again, as you did before?


    Roland put it in a spiky way.


    ''Of course, I was going to do the same. They didn''t take me seriously.


    Ramon again tried to convince Monica and the others to transfer to the "Golden Eagle," but as soon as Monica was about to be talked into it by Ramon, she said, "Excuse me. I have been warned by Mr. Roland not to get involved in such a talk. I''ll leave such talk to Mr. Roland," and she quickly ran away.


    Shakuma and Yuffine were treated in a similar manner.


    They seem to be taking you into consideration and are holding back," he said. So you have to persuade them to come.


    I decline. They are at a critical time. This is not the time to bother their minds with such talk.


    Roland, I understand what you are saying. I understand what you are saying, Roland, but guilds have their own financial situations. Without money, the organization cannot run.


    I have no jurisdiction over financial matters. In the first place, we conquered the dungeon and produced A-class adventurers. Shouldn''t we be able to handle the financial situation?


    I don''t know what to say to that. Monica and the others will not receive their portrait rights income until next month, and we can''t manage the dungeon without the help of the Golden Eagle.


    That is none of my business.


    With that, Roland waved Ramon off and walked away.


    （He walked away. You young fool. You''re getting carried away just because I gave you a little credit. (Ugh, my stomach is in knots. ......)


    Ramon held his stomach.


    Lately, he had been suffering from stress-related stomach pains.


    The day of the seminar for alchemy guilds sponsored by the "Arsenal of Spirits" arrived.


    The name of the seminar was "A Meeting to Think about the Future of Dungeon Management.


    Roland wrote on the pamphlet he had distributed, "I have an important announcement to make regarding dungeon management for this term.


    The alchemy guild members took this "important announcement" to mean that the "Golden Eagle" and the "Arsenal of Spirits" had reached some sort of agreement, and that there would be an explanation for this.


    Therefore, most of the major alchemy guilds in town were to attend.


    The seminar was held in the auditorium of the facility owned by the "Guardian of the Magic Tree.


    Roland climbed up on the stage to make a speech.


    (Wind. I''m nervous as a rock.)


    Roland began speaking, a little nervous at the unaccustomed act of standing in front of an audience.


    He began, a little nervous. First of all, thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to gather here for this seminar. Today is a fine day for ......"


    The members of the Alchemy Guild listened attentively to Roland''s story, which was anything but simpering.


    Roland''s speech was vague and indescribable: "In the future, the Arsenal of Spirits will not only be the guild of the Guardian of the Magic Tree, but also the guild that will lead the alchemy guilds in the city," "The alchemy guild should make weapons more freely without asking the guild of adventurers'' opinions," and so on. The content was all over the place.


    This created an atmosphere of indescribable frustration in the hall.


    Everyone was impatiently waiting for the big announcement to be made.


    After making them wait as long as they could, Roland pulled Jill up to the podium.


    He said, "Well, ladies and gentlemen, I have a big announcement to make. Now I''m going to ask my friend and former colleague, Jill Irwin, to speak with us about the future of dungeon management."


    Instead of Roland stepping aside from the podium, Jill takes the stage.


    The audience was buzzing at the appearance of the senior member of the Gilded Eagle.


    Many people took her to be the representative of the Golden Eagle at the seminar.


    Uh, everyone," she said. My name is Jill Irwin, a senior member of the Golden Eagle. I would like to thank you, the esteemed Ms. Roland, for giving me the opportunity to address you here. It is a great pleasure for a young person like me to be able to speak before you in this way."


    Not a few people looked surprised.


    It was unusual for the "Golden Eagle" to be so poorly received by a guild of alchemists in such a public forum.


    Jill said that she was happy that the cooperation between the "Golden Hawk" and the "Guardian of the Magic Tree" was deepening.


    She also congratulated the "Arsenal of Spirits" for its development and the "Guardians of the Magical Tree" for their dungeon attack.


    He also made it clear that he would be happy if the alchemy guilds in the city would participate in the dungeon management led by the "Arsenal of Spirits.


    The alchemy guilds took Jill''s words as a sign of approval from the "Golden Eagle" for dungeon management led by the "Guardian of the Magical Tree.


    Some of them even took it as a sign that the long era of the Golden Eagle''s dominance was over and that the era of the "Guardian of the Magic Tree" had arrived.


    I will now conclude my speech.


    Jill bowed and left the podium.


    Thank you very much. Now we will turn to Ms. Lillianne, the "Guardian of the Magic Tree," to speak.


    Lillianne came up on the stage when Roland said so.


    ''Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you very much for your continued support. My name is Lillianne, a senior member of the "Guardians of the Magic Tree. I am here today to share with you the thoughts of the Guardians of the Magical Tree about dungeon management, which you are always thinking about.


    Lillianne smiled as she said this.


    As you all know, the Guardians of the Magic Tree and the Arsenal of Spirits are guilds that have a capital tie-up. The "Guardian of the Magic Tree" and the "Arsenal of Spirits" have always helped each other. The "Keeper of the Magical Tree" entrusts the "Arsenal of Spirits" and all the alchemy guilds that follow them with full authority and will do its best to support them in this dungeon management. Therefore, we would like to offer a discount on dungeon entrance fees to those guilds that sign a dungeon management contract with the "Arsenal of Spirits" today. We look forward to your signing!


    The audience cheered.


    It was impossible under the oppressive rule of the "Golden Eagle" that the entrance fee to the dungeon, which was being raised year by year, would be discounted.


    The people were the first in line to sign contracts with the "Arsenal of the Spirits.


    Only the alchemy guild of Zens left the venue to avoid being seen without signing a contract.


    At any rate, the management of the "Mining Dungeon" was now under the leadership of the "Arsenal of Spirits.


    In lieu of "The Gilded Eagle.