The startling news came to Lucius at the headquarters of the Golden Eagle.


    Just when he thought that the problems concerning Jill had been settled, he received a startling news.


    What?　Ramon has been expelled from the ''Guardians of the Magic Tree''!"


    (d*mn. We had gone to a great deal of effort and time to prepare the funds to pull Monica out. (After all the hard work and time we put in to prepare the funds to get Monica out, now that Ramon has been expelled, it''s as if the channel for negotiation has been severed.)


    From now on, we must negotiate directly with Roland and Lilianne.


    The attempt to extract him from the company was as good as failed.


    (d*mn. Why is everything going so wrong?)


    Lukius was in over his head.


    It was not only Monica and the others that were bothering him.


    Jill was already showing signs of rebellion again.


    The other day, when Lukius had instructed her to submit a plan for the next dungeon, she had rebelled.


    He said, "I was only asked to assume the position of unit leader, and I don''t recall saying I would follow your orders!"


    Tensions between Lucius and Jill continued.


    Furthermore, Gilles seemed to be planning to reinstate Roland.


    The Golden Eagle" had gone crazy only after Roland''s expulsion. If we welcome him back, the Golden Eagle will be reborn as a healthy guild that focuses on nurturing.


    Jill was steadily laying the groundwork for Roland''s return by infusing those who had antipathy toward Lukius with such a message.


    At first, Jill''s activities were not well understood, but gradually people began to remember Roland, and they said, "Yes, that''s right. He was certainly a good guy," or "He was certainly capable. Why did Lukius expel Roland?


    Because of this, a group calling itself the Roland faction was steadily forming to replace the Gilles faction.


    Rukius was annoyed by Jill''s behavior, but he could not do anything wrong because of the situation.


    If this issue were to become public now, the investors of the "Golden Eagle" would finally take a hard look at the company.


    They fear risk more than anything else.


    Lukius, out of necessity, promised Jill that Roland would return to the company as a temporary measure.


    However, Gilles said that he would never give his word to Lucius until Roland was really back in the game.


    There was no way that Roland would ever return.


    For Lukius, the series of troubles related to Jill was becoming a problem with no end in sight.


    He again pressured the city''s alchemy guild to stop doing business with the "Arsenal of the Spirits," but this was also met with opposition.


    Already fed up with Lucius'' methods, they rebelled in unison.


    ''Screw you!　I won''t be pushed around any more!"


    The more Lukius ordered them to be more overbearing, the more they rebelled, and the more they adhered to their contractual relationship with the "Arsenal of the Spirits.


    (Somehow, someway, we must do something about it. ......)


    Tomorrow, the bankers were to come to Lucius to inquire about the success or failure of the pullout operation.


    If he could not show some kind of success there, Rukius'' position would be in jeopardy.


    Roland went to the quest office for the dungeon attack.


    (This time, we have to prepare not only Monica''s quest, but also Rick''s.) Oh dear. It''s not easy when there are more people.)


    Mr. Roland?"　Aren''t you Mr. Roland?"


    Yes?"　Yes, sir?"


    I knew it. It''s been a long time.


    That voice, is that Claria by any chance?


    Yes, I am."


    Roland could not believe his eyes at the sight of Claria.


    The glamour of the past had completely disappeared, and she was now a dreary figure.


    Her clothes were shabby, her hair was shaggy, and she could have been mistaken for a tramp.


    What''s wrong?　You look like that."


    That''s the thing, Mr. Roland, listen to me!


    Claria clung to Roland and tearfully began to tell him what had happened.


    She had been fired as a receptionist after being accused by Roland.


    She was also fined three months'' salary by the court and her property was seized.


    She was fired from her previous job and was unable to find a new one, and she could no longer afford to pay her rent, so she was forced to live in the gutter.


    I was fired from my job and had to pay a fine, so I couldn''t make any progress, and the other day I was evicted from the inn," he said.


    You said you were kicked out of the inn. ......, you didn''t have any savings or anything, did you?　You didn''t do ......."


    Roland recalled her appearance when she was a receptionist, and the overly expensive ornaments that a receptionist would wear.


    Since she wore such things, she must have been living an extravagant lifestyle as well.


    I haven''t had a bath or eaten anything decent for several days now.


    I see. I''m sorry to hear that. Oh, yes. I have an urgent matter to attend to. I''ll see you later.


    Wait!


    Claria grabs Roland''s arm firmly.


    I heard about this, Mr. Roland. I heard that you have become an investor in The Guardian of the Magical Tree.


    Yeah, yeah. Well."


    Please hire me."


    What?　You?


    It''s not fair that only Mr. Roland gets a promotion. Please help me, too.


    I''m not asking you to help me. ......


    Roland appraised Claria on her skills.


    Item appraisal B -> B


    Skill appraisal C to C


    (Ummm, umm ......, subtle ......)


    Claria. I''m sorry, but with your skills ......"


    Wow." "Wow. Please. Please don''t abandon me."


    Claria clung to Roland more and more.


    Wait, Claria!


    People on the street look at Loran and Claria and start whispering to each other.


    Clinging to the young woman who had lost her body, with her pleas for help, this made it look like Roland had done her a terrible disservice.


    I was just following my boss''s orders, and to be stifled like this, isn''t it too much?


    Calm down. I understand. I understand.


    Roland calms her down and pulls her away from his body.


    She continues to sit on the ground and cry mesotically.


    ''Ugh. ......''


    Um, so do you want to be my secretary?"


    I will do it. I''ll do it. I''ll be your secretary, mistress, whatever you want.


    ''...... what are you talking about? Let''s not be silly and get cleaned up first. You won''t get the job done looking like that.


    I hear the head of the Guardians of the Magical Tree has changed.


    In the heavily furnished guest room, the banker pushed his cigar into an ashtray.


    Lucius had no choice but to fall silent.


    ''The pullout failed ....... Is that what you mean?"


    ......"


    What are you going to do about it? If you continue to lag behind the ''Keepers of the Magic Tree'' this month, I will have no choice but to pull my funding."


    Don''t worry. We will definitely make a comeback.


    "Rebound?　With this gap in strength?"


    The banker said in dismay.


    ''......''


    ''Well, if you insist, I''ll give you one last chance. But this is really the last time. If we don''t see tangible results this month, ...... you know what I mean?"


    Yes, of course.


    Do you really understand?　It''s no longer just a matter of words and attitude, my friend. We need you to show us by your actions."


    What do you mean when you say ......?"


    I''m going to hold you accountable for your actions. You will be stripped of your position as head of the Golden Eagle Guild. The board of directors will be renewed. In addition, you will compensate us, the investors, for the losses we have suffered.


    "Yes, sir."


    Lucius reluctantly agreed.


    Dianna, who was standing by listening, was astonished.


    （What do you mean, a complete overhaul of the board of directors?　Don''t tell me you''re going to fire me too?)


    Dianna pales.


    What would happen if she was fired from "Golden Hawk" and became an ordinary worker?


    She would work hard all day long, and after making compensation out of her meager salary, she would have to live a modest life with what little money she had left.


    It was a future she shuddered to even think about.


    (I''m not kidding. I can''t be fired from my job too, just because of Lukius. I have to do something to save myself somehow. ......)


    Lucius moved quickly to fulfill his commitment to the bankers.


    A dungeon strategy meeting is held at the headquarters of the Golden Eagle.


    However, Sebasta is now gone, and Gilles has also been slacking off on his work as a troop leader, so Arik is the only troop leader present.


    (d*mn. Oh, my God. This guild had such powerful members, but now Alik was the only one who could use them.)


    So the meeting was Alik''s sole domain.


    It seems that three more dungeons will appear in this city this month. But we can no longer afford to spread our forces around!"


    With Sebasta gone and Lucius losing political power, no one can argue with Arik.


    Now the positions of the ''Golden Eagle'' and the ''Guardian of the Magic Tree'' have completely switched. On the other hand, the "Guardians of the Magic Tree" are now swarming with promising adventurers. Our advantage has completely disappeared. Under these circumstances, it would be foolish to spread the guild''s forces across three dungeons. There is only one way for us to win against the "Guardians of the Magic Tree"!　There is no other way but to concentrate all our efforts on the "mining dungeon"!　If we can get the "Mine Dungeon," we should be able to win back the hearts and minds of the alchemy guilds that have drifted away. Then we will once again become the most powerful adventurers'' guild."


    Arik spoke passionately of this.


    In fact, if they conquer the "mining dungeon," where they can get a lot of metals, the alchemy guild will have to rely on the "golden hawk" again.


    Therefore, I think we should assign the strongest adventurers and the strongest troops in the guild to the "Mine Dungeon. With your permission, I, Arik, the only A-class adventurer in the Golden Hawk, and the troops under my command, would like to take charge of the "Dungeon in the Mine. Surely no one has any objections?"


    The meeting was silent.


    No one opposed or disagreed with Arik.


    Everyone simply nodded their heads in acquiescence to what Arik was saying.


    Even Lucius had no room to argue.


    （I never thought I would have no choice but to rely on Alik.)


    Compared to a few months ago, Lukius felt ashamed of his own circumstances.


    While Alik was making a passionate speech in "The Golden Eagle," a dungeon strategy meeting was being held in "The Guardian of the Magical Tree" as well.


    With Sebasta gone and internal conflicts brewing, Alik''s unit was the only one that needed to be on alert in the Golden Eagle.


    Roland spoke up from the seat closest to the guild leaders.


    I see. In other words, as long as Arik''s unit is in control, the others are insignificant. Is that what you mean?


    Lilianne asked from the guild president''s seat to confirm.


    Yes."


    Then, let''s put the strongest unit of the "Guardians of the Magic Tree" against Arik''s unit. The ''Golden Eagle'' will want to bring the alchemy guild back under their control. We can expect Arik''s troops to head for the ''Mining Dungeon.


    I think so. If not, we will just have to watch Arik''s movements and match them with our own.


    I agree. So, ......, which unit of the Guardians of the Magical Tree would you put up against Arik?"


    Since the guild leader has only been in office for a short time, I think he should remain at headquarters for a while.


    I see. Then, "Mining Dungeon" can be found at ......."


    I''ll go.


    Roland said quietly but decisively.


    (I''m going to put a stop to this. (To the Golden Eagle, and to Lucius!)


    <>