[650] The Way They Live (3)
Rian didn't understand what Shirone was getting at, but that was exactly what Shirone wanted to say.
"You did the right thing joining the guild. I used to think too simply."
"Hah. Even if Ra Enemi acts like that, I can't agree with the guild. I admit you, but if people trembled just at the sound of your name, there'd be nothing to worry about."
Rian vented the frustration he'd felt on the first floor.
"Those information cards too. They claim no one viewed them, but who knows? If we leave tomorrow they'll probably resell them for two gold."
"Haha! With a system that big, you can't fool it so easily. If we suspect something, everyone suspects it."
"Hmm, but it's still a loss if each viewing costs fifty silver. What if you buy hundreds of them?"
"I'd buy them anyway."
Shirone held an information card in his hand.
"People tend to think long stretches of time vaguely. Say you have to do something for a year. But when you break it down, a year is just a pile of seconds."
"True."
"Assume it takes us one year and thirty minutes to find Ra Enemi. What if someone else does it in one year and twenty-nine minutes?"
Rian blinked.
"It's too far in the future to feel real, but that situation can happen. And this very moment — that's the world we actually live in."
Shirone stood the card up.
"A one-minute difference. Whether you view the information even a day earlier can decide victory or defeat. If a single minute can wipe out a year's effort, paying fifty silver isn't a loss."
That was the philosophy of those who lived in this world.
No one showed you the way; you had to do everything yourself from start to finish.
"I was too inexperienced."
He realized anew how many capable people had been at his side and how much easier things had been because of them.
Shirone tossed the card onto the bed.
"Of course rest matters. You can't run a year straight without eating or sleeping. You'll have to make a lot of right calls."
"If you obsess over trivial things you might miss what's truly important. That's why you bought all the information cards."
"Yeah. You never know what will help. I imagine other guild mages made the same call."
At that moment Estella knocked.
"Shirone, are you in?"
"Yes, come in."
She waited until he spoke, then came in holding a guild application and a pen.
"I filled out the forms. Check them and just sign here."
Shirone scanned the terms.
Guild member ranks were Rookie, Senior, Veteran A, Veteran B — the fees and benefits varied wildly.
"Hmm."
As Shirone looked at the Rookie tier, perceptive Estella added, "The guild promises top treatment, of course. But you can't just raise your rank at will. This is... like a way of life for the members."
The higher the rank, the easier it was to earn money and the more it tied into one's honor.
"That's fine. I expected as much."
If they'd offered to bump his guild rank as a perk, it would've undermined their credibility.
"Instead, the guild will cover all unit expenses for any quests you take. And if you deposit funds with us, we can offer unusually high interest rates."
Shirone answered frankly. "Estella, I don't actually plan to be active in the Silvering Guild for long."
"I know. Most world-famous mages are like that. As long as you don't withdraw, the contract terms we offer last five years. If it's a foreign guild, you can hold multiple memberships anyway."
What Estella wanted was a single document proving that Arian Shirone had joined the Silvering Guild.
That alone would give them the edge over two of the kingdom's big three guilds—War Wagon and Bloodrose.
Shirone thought the same, so he didn't feel pressured.
"If it's within the country, the guild is definitely convenient."
Handing the pen back, Shirone asked, "Withdrawal is free, right?"
"Of course. I'm a mage too. I'm not that foolish."
Even if they were unlikely to bind him, she wasn't going to give up easily.
"I've done everything a manager can do for now."
The real test would be after Shirone reached Bashka, where the Silvering Guild's main branch sat.
"Oh, and about a job."
Estella pulled a letter from her pocket. "Since you're not joining for guild activities, this will be the easiest. The pay's high."
"Just deliver a letter?"
"Yeah. Go to the address and hand it to a man named Broux directly. There's a confirmation enclosed — get his signature and bring it to Silvering in the capital. They'll give you eighty-seven gold. That's after fees."
"Eighty-seven gold? That's a lot."
For merely delivering a letter, it was considerable.
"Quest pay doesn't always match danger. Sometimes finding a noble's lost cat pays more than risking your life in a fight."
"I see."
"Of course we don't trust just anyone with such tasks. Think of it as a sign of the guild's trust."
"Can I open it?"
He didn't like reading other people's mail, but it wasn't sealed and it might come up later.
"No problem. The client didn't specifically request it."
"Because they'd suspect us more?"
The more something's hidden, the more people want to pry it open.
"Depends. Maybe there's nothing to it. But in this case you're right: the letter's written in a code. It's a personal cipher, so even I can't read it."
"A cipher."
Even an easy-seeming job could carry the risk implied by eighty-seven gold.
"Understood. I'll deliver it when we reach the capital."
Estella stood. "What time will you leave? We'll have a house wagon ready."
"Excuse me? That's not necessary—"
Shirone knew hiring even the cheapest carriage for a day cost over ten gold.
"It's fine. I said earlier the guild covers all unit expenses."
Although Shirone's name alone could more than make up the cost, the guild was more interested in steering him naturally to their main branch.
He'd joined the guild to make the trip efficient, so he didn't quibble over small things.
"We'll leave at sunrise tomorrow."
"Alright. We'll prepare. If you need anything, come find me."
After Estella left, Shirone and Rian exchanged a shrug.
Everything was definitely convenient.
* * *
They rose before dawn, washed, and went down to the first floor.
Guild members hadn't arrived yet, and a small house wagon waited in the courtyard outside the back door.
Estella approached with a man in his fifties whose forehead was deeply lined.
"Let me introduce you. This is Austin, a guild member who'll guide you to the capital. He's fifty-three, specializes in flame magic, and his rank is Veteran A."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Shirone."
"He's Austin. Pleasure."
His lean frame and stern face spoke of a stubborn life.
"We'll leave at once, so board the wagon."
When Shirone and Rian climbed in, Austin glared at Estella. "What is this? You want me to be the coachman for a rookie who joined yesterday?"
"He's no ordinary rookie."
Austin knew who Shirone was, but thirty years as a mage had forged a pride not easily broken.
"Even so, why me? There are others."
"Oh, why act like that? We're not asking you to be the coachman—we want you to take Shirone to the main branch. That expands the guild, and it's good for you too. You'll be paid well."
"Do you think I'm sticking with Silvering at my age for the money? Not even an archmage can tell me how to live my life."
When his stubbornness wouldn't break, Estella sighed. "Austin, have you ever seen an archmage?"
"No."
"Right. I haven't either. So—"
Estella clenched her jaw. "Can't we both keep our mouths shut and just do it? I'm running on empty here!"
She didn't mean to treat someone who'd served the guild thirty years poorly, but Shirone was different.
It was a clear "if you don't want to, leave."
Austin bit his lip at the unexpected slight, then finally turned away with a resigned look.
"...Fine."
A Veteran A knew the world ran on money.
"Sorry. I didn't sleep and I'm on edge from preparing."
Estella wasn't at ease either, but this was business.
"I know it's hard. Being a manager isn't a job just anyone can do."
People had to work to live.
Austin climbed into the driver's seat, adjusted the harness, opened the passenger compartment window, and said, "Then let's depart. I'll take the fastest route, so rest comfortably."
"Thank you."
Shirone wasn't tone-deaf, but any comment would only get under Austin's skin, so he kept quiet and rested.
The wagon left Kentra, crossed the wide plains of Sadia—Nade's homeland—and entered the fringes of the Jijeo Mountains.
Three hours remained to the capital.
"Huh?"
For the first time, an expression crossed Austin's face as he drove without pause.
"What is it?"
A wounded-looking woman staggered toward the wagon.
The veteran reined the horses at a distance.
'It's quite far from the city; why is someone here...?'
"Please! Help me! Please!"
She spotted the wagon, clutching her torn clothes with one hand as she ran.
"Stop!"
A ball of flame flickered in Austin's hand.
When she didn't stop, he launched a burst of fire to block her approach.
"Aaah!"
This time he shouted, both hands shaping for a fireball. "Don't try anything foolish! I show no mercy with my flame magic!"
Shirone and Rian opened the doors on either side of the wagon and stepped out.
"What's going on?"
"Stay inside. It's a minor problem."
To Shirone it didn't look minor.
"She looks injured."
"She is injured. But it's not us who'll get hurt."
Shirone understood what the veteran meant, so instead of approaching he cupped his hands and called out, "Hey! What's going on?"
The woman, sitting behind the wall of fire, shouted back, "Bandits kidnapped me! Please help!"
"Bandits here?"
If so, this place wasn't safe either.
"I'll go."
With Austin keeping a fireball ready for cover, Rian approached the woman.
She wore only a torn top and had many scrapes as if she'd tumbled down the mountain.
"What happened?"
She grabbed Rian's pant leg. "I just managed to escape! You need to leave quickly! They'll chase after me!"
Rian glanced back at the wagon as if deferring the decision, and Shirone asked Austin, "Can we take her with us?"
"You rented the wagon. But I wouldn't recommend it."
"Are you saying she's lying?"
"Maybe. But suspicion doesn't matter. Whether she's telling the truth or lying—what I'm saying is, if you don't involve yourself, nothing will happen to you."
Perhaps that was the guild-bred attitude.
"But if there really are bandits, shouldn't we avoid them too?"
Austin had no counterargument to that.
"Rian!"
Shirone signaled, and Rian took the woman's hand and helped her to her feet.
"For now, get in the wagon. We'll hear her story."
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
Shivering from the cold, the woman sobbed as tears streamed down her face.