Chapter 322: Hotel Claire [1]

I had no desire to betray the Guild.

They’d given me generous pay and treated me fairly.

However, at the end of the day, my life came above loyalty. I was in desperate need of money and fragments. If the right offer came, I didn’t mind leaving.

...And it wasn’t like the Guild didn’t have any options. The moment I received an offer, they’d be notified, and as long as they matched the offer presented to me, I’d gladly stay with them.

I also knew and understood my worth.

Asking for ten million guaranteed wasn’t unreasonable of me. This was me being extremely reasonable.

This was how much I was worth.

If anything, I was probably worth even more. Still, I seemed to be the only one who believed that. The man across from me clearly didn’t share the thought.

"Ten million..."

It took a couple of seconds for Hermes’s face to return to normal following my words.

He raised his finger, trying his best to stay calm.

"Ten million...? As in how much we should offer the Guild for you, or—"

"Ten million a year. That’s how much I’m asking for you to pay me if you want me to join."

"....."

There was a moment of silence after I confirmed my thoughts.

The silence dragged on as Hermes struggled to keep his smile. He truly gave it his best, but in the end, the smile slipped away, leaving his expression neutral.

"Are you aware of what you’ve just asked?"

His voice was soft, but I could feel the coldness in it.

I still nodded.

"Yes, I’m aware. That’s my current value. Ask me the same question in a few days, and it will have changed again. If you intend to poach me, do it now; otherwise, you may not be able to afford me."

I planned on asking for twelve million by then.

’To me, this seems fair.’

Just me, of course.

"Ha."

Hermes let out a sudden chuckle and slipped off his sunglasses, his eyes narrowing sharply.

"I see what’s going on," he said, his chuckle dying off rather quickly. "You’re trying to show me your loyalty for the Guild, right? That must be it."

No, not really...

Stepping forward, he tapped the right side of my chest, pushing me back.

"I like loyal people, but you need to show your loyalty to the right place. Rejecting a place that can get you higher in the world’s ladder is not loyalty. It’s stupidity."

He tapped my chest again.

"Loyalty only gets you so far, and the Guild will be compensated if someone poaches you. Besides, you have no powers, and you are nowhere near as valuable as you think. If this stupid sense of loyalty is what made you name that outrageous sum, then you’re only burning your bridges."

He lifted his hand as if to tap my chest again, but hesitated, holding back. At last, he slid his sunglasses back on and turned away.

"I’ll give you some time to think about my offer. This will be the last time. The offer is for half a million guaranteed. Take it or leave it. If you reject our offer, don’t ever think about working for a Guild in the main island."

He proceeded to walk away right after that.

Staring at his parting back, I couldn’t help but mumble, "I wasn’t joking when I said the price will increase in a couple of days."

Maybe I hadn’t been quiet enough, but he seemed to catch my words, pausing abruptly. In the end, though, he shook his head and moved on, disappearing into the crowd.

I continued to stare in his direction before a thought struck me, and I looked around.

’Was he the one who had made me feel like I was being watched?’

No longer feeling the same sensation, I calmed down a little.

"I really hope that’s the case."

I proceeded to head to the Guild right after that.

"...I really do hope so."

***

"I’ve already sent the offer over, and I’m waiting for them to confirm. I’ll let you know more about the situation when I get a proper answer." Hermes walked along the busy street of Malovia, holding his phone to his ear.

After a short pause, he added, "I’ve also made another offer to someone whom I deemed to be worth recruiting. However, it looks like they’re extremely loyal to the Guild. I’m starting to second-guess my decision. I’ve decided to give him one last chance."

As Hermes spoke, he couldn’t help but think about the recent interaction.

He never once believed Seth was serious about the offer. It was obvious he was acting out of that foolish loyalty to the Guild.

Ten million guaranteed was something that only the absolute best of the best in the entire world would get offered.

Even Zoey and Kyle, whom he deemed to be amongst the top talents, only got offered 2.5 million a year.

There was simply no way a nobody like that would ever get paid ten million.

"He’s got talent, but it’s going to his head. It’s nothing unusual. He’ll be humbled and come back to me. Keep a draft of the contract ready and lower the terms."

Thinking thus far, Hermes chuckled.

"Ten million..."

He shook his head.

"How ridiculous."

***

A heavy silence pressed on within a certain room.

Two figures sat before the Section Chief, radiating a presence that pressed down on the room. The longer he stared at them, the more a satisfied smirk crept across his face.

"...I take it that both of you succeeded."

Kyle and Zoey looked at each other. Shortly after, the two smiled.

"Yes."

"Fortunately, I have."

The smile on the Section Chief’s face widened upon hearing their confirmation.

"Good, good."

He pressed his hand against the table.

"With the two of you reaching the Fifth Order, I’m a lot more confident about the upcoming Congress. While I don’t expect an amazing result, I still hope that we can achieve a better result than the other Guilds within the island."

As he spoke, the Section Chief’s expression grew serious, his gaze locking onto the two before him.

"With that said, I sincerely hope the two of you prepare thoroughly for the upcoming Congress. This year’s results will carry immense significance for us."

Kyle’s and Zoey’s expressions similarly turned serious.

"...If we manage to rank above the King Grade Guilds on the island during the Congress, there’s a strong chance the Guild could be promoted to the next rank. The two of you must understand the significance of this matter, right?"

As the Section Chief’s gaze lingered on them, Kyle and Zoey both drew a deep breath. They understood the gravity of the situation. Achieving King-Grade status wasn’t just a title. It carried far greater influence and weight.

It would make their Guild more prone to sponsorships and hold greater weight in the eyes of the people.

The amount of revenue they’d generate would multiply.

It would catapult their Guild to a whole new level.

"Currently, Clara is undergoing therapy, so her situation is a bit complicated."

"Huh?"

"Wait, what? Senior is undergoing therapy?"

The sudden revelation took both Kyle and Zoey aback. In their eyes, Clara was an all-mighty senior who completed all tasks in the fastest and most efficient ways. For her to be in therapy...

"Is it because of what happened at the gate?" Kyle suddenly asked, prompting the Section Chief to nod his head.

"Yes. You may not have noticed, but she couldn’t perform in that situation because of the trauma she experienced some time ago. I’ve tried numerous therapists, but none have been effective."

Kyle and Zoey’s faces only grew more and more serious.

Just when Zoey was about to raise up an issue, the Section Chief’s next words stole any words that were in her mouth.

"In the end, I sent her to Seth while I figure something out."

Immediately, the room fell silent.

That was until—

"Wait, what?!"

"Did you send her to Seth?"

Both Kyle and Zoey stood up.

"Hm?"

The Section Chief glanced up, noting the shocked expressions on Zoey and Kyle’s faces.

"What’s wrong? I’m not really counting on it working. I’m just trying it for now while I figure something out. I heard that Rowan had good results, so—"

"That’s the problem."

Zoey suddenly interjected, her fist clenching tightly as she looked at the Section Chief.

"Rowan... He hasn’t been normal since whatever sessions he’s been taking with Seth." A shudder ran down Zoey’s face as she thought about Rowan. In her mind, he used to be a sort of annoying guy who was trying to court her. That was who he used to be, but following the incident with Seth, he no longer appeared to hold any interest in her.

This would normally make her happy, but... the changes he experienced came with other ’quirks’.

"He’s obsessed with Seth."

Kyle spoke up, his face scrunching up slowly.

The Section Chief blinked his eyes.

"What...?"

Had the two of them lost it? Surely, they were joking... Yet as he looked at Zoey and then Kyle, he realized they were serious. Kyle’s expression in particular was especially solemn.

"Whenever he has the chance, he can’t stop talking about Seth and how impressive he is. He often glances toward Seth’s office, hoping to run into him while making it seem like a pure coincidence. He also lights up a candle every day, mumbling things like how grateful he is and so on."

Kyle shivered as he spoke, holding onto his arms while mumbling, ’Goosebumps, goosebumps...’

"That’s just a small list of creepy things he’s been doing since the arrangement." Zoey chimed in, holding both of her arms like Leon.

She then began to rant about the other things that Rowan had been doing lately.

Listening to all of this, the Section Chief’s face blanked.

What? What in the—

"I’m telling you, Section Chief. The way Rowan looks at Seth is almost like those crazy cultists that you see around occasionally!"

Both of them turned their gaze to the Section Chief and spoke in unison.

"Save senior Clara!"

"...You must stop this before it’s too late!"