Chapter 345 – 345. Cheolhodan (2)
“You? How?”
“Then, what do you think about an individual who has been swindled as an adventurer and not a person from the duke’s family going to the Cheolhodan to protest?”
“… Are you going to do it alone?”
Although she knew Erin’s skills and ability to handle the white demons, could she allow her lady, who had just come of age, to do such a dangerous thing?
Eleanor looked at Erin with a worried look.
“No. I have a nasty companion who will be happy to greet you from the front if you provide me with a good magic stone.”
“Ah.”
Realizing who she meant, Eleanor let out a small sigh, then burst into laughter.
“Anyway, isn’t that kind of treatment a bit harsh?”
Her remark that she would proudly use her own brother as her meat shield was ridiculous.
“Joy. The treatment I receive is worse. Eleanor-sama, please say something later.”
Erin complained to Eleanor about Elvin’s proudly discriminating against Eris and himself.
“Whoa, I’m finally relieved a little.”
After talking about her plans, Jis candidly expressed her somewhat relieved mind.
“Madam, if things go well, can I get him some points?”
“Well.”
“Ah, please tell me. I’m living a really nice life these days.”
“I will deliver it well.”
It was only after hearing those words from Eleanor, who was smiling slightly, that Jess’ expression became much lighter.
“Are you so scared of Hyun?”
“… Miss. That man is from our department.”
“Yes?”
“The qualities of a swindler are better than mine.”
“Hyun is not like a con artist…”
Erin looked at Eleanor with a subtle look at Jess’ words, which were similar to gossip.
Anyhow, the gossiping remarks of his husband in front of her wife.
However, Eleanor also made a subtle expression as if there was a part of her that I could relate to.
“His skill at stabbing people in the back while sneakily working behind the scenes is excellent. Recently, the incident where he breathed in the captain of the Knights of Artia, whom he is close with, and treated the nobles of the court of Pernine as if they were sprayed with insecticide, treating them worse than insects, was also the work of that nobleman.”
“…”
Erin’s shoulders twitched at Jess’ words.
For merchants, nothing is as important as collecting information to understand the state of the country.
For this reason, even Jis, who was working as an adventurer and doing business as a merchant, was checking the situation of Fernias Kingdom, where he was currently staying, without omission.
“Ah, no matter how great that nobleman is, how can he create a situation so big that it can bring down high-ranking nobles all at once and shake the country? It’s nonsense.”
“Poop.”
Eleanor, who was listening to her story while drinking black tea, desperately held back her timid laughter.
“Is that so? Haha…”
Erin gave her an awkward smile as well.
“Anyway, to the extent that such scary rumors are spreading, it means that the lady’s teacher, Su-eun, doesn’t want to pretend to be with that nobleman.”
Jis’s desire to live a thin and long life by holding on to Eun-hyeon’s rope, which made her present living environment as fulfilling as possible, was sincere.
◆ ◆ ◆
In a room filled with a somber atmosphere, the man stared at the man who was on his knees begging for forgiveness.
“…”
The guild members of Cheolhodan, who were kneeling in the room under the gaze of the man, looked at each other and spared their words.
Eventually, the submaster of the guild, who was staring at him on his knees, asked in a cold voice.
“… So you just left them there?”
“Yes yes…”
Fuck!
“Cuck!”
When the guild member nodded his head awkwardly in a thin voice, his body flew through the air and hit the wall.
As soon as he answered, he ruthlessly kicked the guild member’s stomach with all his might.
As soon as he hit the wall with a bloody sound, he gasped and fell to the floor.
“Wake up.”
“Nice… Yes… !”
The guild members hurriedly tried to stand up at the words of Gareum, whose tone of voice was infinitely lowered by anger.
Because the shock to his abdomen still lingered and he couldn’t control himself, he crawled across the floor and returned to his original position in front of Gareum.
“Are you sure she is?”
“Wow, that’s for sure! I’m sure that woman is the disciple of Sueun!”
The guild member, who explains with an urgent expression while receiving a one-sided beating from Gareum, is one of the adventurers who cheated on the newbie adventurers who entered the Armitas Territory en masse.
At the same time, he was also an adventurer who met Erin in an alleyway, found out her identity, and ran away leaving her companions alone.
After running away from the alleyway, he immediately returns to the Cheolhodan guild building and reports the current situation.
“… Tsk.”
After hearing the explanation, Gareum frowned and clicked her tongue.
It was assumed that it would come to light someday, but even if it was discovered quickly, it was too soon.
It wasn’t long before the board was made with the aim of making a big profit by hitting the backs of many newbie adventurers after receiving a partnership offer from a scammer.
Of course, the number of victims who have been scammed is not much, and it is just beginning to enter the situation.
From the beginning, meeting the most difficult opponent, I realized that things were starting to get twisted, and my irritation rose.
‘Is this a coincidence?’
The timing is exquisite, as if they were cheating and waiting to be active.
Gareum couldn’t believe that the timing at which the current situation began to twist was so exquisite that Erin discovered the situation by chance.
There was only one possibility that came to his mind.
‘Is there a traitor within the guild?’
It was very likely that someone had leaked their business methods to Erinn or the Duke’s family.
‘Who is it?’
Even within the Cheolhodan Guild, only the submaster himself and some of the subordinates in the lowest rank knew about this plan.
Unfortunately, Gareum did not consider the possibility that the reason for the leakage of information was none other than the fraudster who offered him a partnership.
“… I guess I’ll have to step out first.”
I really didn’t like the fact that I had to step out because I hadn’t even started properly yet.
However, if someone from the Duke’s family side catches him, he will be in trouble.
It is obvious that not only the status of the guild, but even his position as the submaster of the guild will be at stake.
“X foot.”
In the end, Gareum spat out a curse.
The business that was planned to make a profit has gone to waste from the beginning, and it can’t be a good feeling.
“It’s okay. Go see.”
“Yes, yes!”
When Gareum’s order fell, the guild members who had run away leaving their colleagues behind hurriedly got up from their seats and walked towards the door.
“… Nice.”
A groan escaped from the throbbing stomach that had been beaten.
The guild member, who was about to open the doorknob and go outside with one arm wrapped around his abdomen, rushed in with a knocking sound, and had no choice but to stop at the action of someone who opened the door roughly.
“Boo, Master Boo!”
“What is going on?”
“Two men and women came to the guild out of nowhere and protested!”
“… Protest?”
Gareum’s eyes narrowed at the words of the lowest guild member who urgently conveyed the news while showing agitation.
Needless to say, at this very moment, the ominous feeling rising in his head grew out of control.
◆ ◆ ◆
“Um, why is that woman here?”
“…”
Erin, who was receiving her astonished gaze, put on her arms with a sullen expression and tried to ignore the people’s gaze.
Not to mention her skills, Erin was already a celebrity among adventurers.
Not only is she a disciple of Eun-hyeon, who is famous for rumors, but she is famous for her long-term solo career while possessing her excellent looks and body.
In addition, the reason why her attention to her rose rapidly was the appearance of a nine-tailed fox that she showed on the demon support front of the border of Mo Graf and the activities of the white demons who followed her orders.
“…”
Inside the guild building, the guild members of the Cheolhodan on the first floor all had tense faces.
Circumstances, not all members of Cheolhodan participated in the scam to swindle newbie adventurers, so it was because they couldn’t figure out why Erin was looking for Cheolhodan.
Erin tried to ignore her nervousness, longing, and curiosity, and she glanced at the man accompanying her, Alvin.
Understanding Erin’s gaze, Erwin gave her a small nod and stepped forward.
“Muh, why did you come here… ?”
One of the lower guild members approached Erwin with a nervous look on his face and carefully asked him about his business when he came to the Cheolhodan guild.
She didn’t recognize Elvin’s appearance when he wasn’t wearing jet-black armor.
When she was active as an adventurer, she always acted while wearing armor embodied in shadows.
No one recognized that he was not a human, but a magic, artificial spirit, or homunculus with a self.
Just as a person accompanied by Erin, she shows a confident attitude without any sign of nervousness.
I couldn’t help but think that she must be an unusual person.
“I bought equipment sold by guild members here.”
“That, by the way… ?”
The short talk that came out of the first meeting embarrassed the low-level adventurer who asked Erwin about his business.
It was so natural and appropriate that he didn’t even have time to feel bad.
Alvin didn’t care at all, showed her the staff he was holding in her hand and continued her words.
“I bought it for two gold coins, saying it was a staff made of a mysterious tree imbued with magic. But in fact, he was a cheap staff with flaws.”
“…”
Her worn-out staff, which Elvin offered her, were not worth two gold coins.
After hearing his story, many of the adventurers of the Cheolho Troops looked at Alvin with a bewildered look on their faces, unable to answer.
He looked like a veteran adventurer who radiated unusual majesty in his speaking tone, actions and facial expressions, but his reality was completely different.
“If… If you are looking for our guild… ?”
Hearing the lower guild member’s questionable expression and speculation, Erwin nodded her head.
“I’m here to protest. I would like a refund right away.”
“…”
In reality, he is a pathetic newbie adventurer himself who doesn’t even know how to see things properly.
“Poop…”
One guild member finally couldn’t stand it and burst into laughter.
The guild member burst into laughter and approached Erwin to talk.
“Are you a newbie?”
“…”
Alvin put on a calm expression, but she didn’t answer his question.
“Ah, if you asked, you should answer.”
“… Then?”
“Then? Look at this shit You’re a rookie, but your words are so damn short, right?”
In response to the question of the adventurer, who was shyly arguing, Alvin responded with an annoyed expression.
In fact, she had been out of the rookie label as an adventurer for a long time, but she didn’t feel the need to explain things like that.
He laughed at Erwin, but soon moved his gaze to Erin.
“Hey. Miss. This newcomer and what a special relationship, did you accompany me for such an odd thing? What do you want me to be your boyfriend for?”
“What? Is that human? Boy friend?”
Erin frowned at the guild member’s blatant provocation.
Although she tried to ignore her provocations, she was annoyed that she saw her own relationship with Alvin as her lover.
“Ah, if it’s nothing to do with anything, why would you go out of your way to wipe the back of a newbie adventurer like this hogu? And that’s it. It’s true that some guild members, including myself, sold quality equipment to newbies at a low price. There was no cheap, inferior equipment mixed in. Furthermore…”
The guild member glanced at the staff Elvin was holding and continued with a mocking expression.
“All the equipment we sold are swords. They didn’t deal with magic items like staffs.”
“…”
Erin hardened her expression at the words of the guild member who gave a fishy smile and looked at Elvin.
She had heard all of the series of events from Erin, and since she had a good method for herself, she trusted Elvin with her confidence to leave it to her, so she trusted it.
As a result, she felt that she was going in a strange direction.
‘How did this happen?’
She glared at Alvin and asked with her eyes, but Alvin turned her head away from Erin’s gaze.
“Did you dare to cheat us now? Is that also in the Cheolhodan guild?”
“…”
Erin wrapped herself around herself and smiled sternly, meanly, as she frowned as she watched the members of the Cheolhodan guild draw their weapons.
She asked as if arguing with Alvin, who quickly came to her side.
“What are we going to do?”
“I made a mistake. I never thought the staff wasn’t mixed in the equipment…”
“Ah, ask some questions and make plans! What is all this!”
The original plan was to pretend to be the victim and learn more about the internal situation.
The unfolding situation is, after all, a battleground.
He promised to leave it all to himself, and then made a complete mess.
“But I have assumed this situation as well, just in case. Go with plan B.”
“What? Brother, did you really think about that?”
Erin’s face, which had been disappointed with Erwin at the thought that she hadn’t acted as ignorant as she thought, began to turn a little bit of color.
“In the end, isn’t it a matter of catching all these guys? The presentation of this situation is as planned.”
Could it be that he doesn’t remember the words he just said, ‘I made a mistake’?
The anticipation in her head fell into disappointment again.
“After all, you’re just talking about knocking them all down! Why are you so shameless!”
