The Guild Master of Demon Hunters that the Empire is Obsessed With

1 – Takeover of the Ruined Guild (1)

I rode slowly in the warm late summer sun.

It’s been three days since I left the imperial castle.

The surrounding landscape, which had been slowly changing, is now starting to exude a fairytale-like atmosphere unique to the Principality of Nantes.

Under the dazzling sun, the wide vineyards that meander through the cool windy hills come into view at a glance.

Because it was grape harvest season, the vineyards were full of workers.

In one corner, the work of putting the harvested grapes in a large barrel and stepping on them barefoot is in full swing.

Intense and heavy sweetness and fragrance emanated from the grapes crushed by the feet of the beautiful maidens.

It is the origin of the continent’s most famous wines.

I put my gaze a little further back, and I could see the city faintly in the distance.

Over there is the border city of the Duchy of Nantes.

You’ve come to the right place.

Over there, I plan to establish and run a guild, one of the game’s many contents, and do my own healing.

I have quite a bit of money, and the settings and worldview of the game are all in my head, so if I run a guild based on that, I won’t have to worry about making a living.

Anyway, going back to the present life is something I gave up on a long time ago, and I’m enjoying living like this.

I was going along the road, thinking about this and that, when I saw armed cavalrymen coming my way from the other side.

It seemed to be the border guards of the principality.

“There. Come this way.”

The leading cavalryman spotted me and beckoned.

It may seem a little rude to travelers seeing it for the first time, but this is definitely a border area.

It’s a shame since it’s the Duchy of Nantes. If it was the border of another country, they would have already drawn their swords and been screaming to get off their horses.

A normal border area is full of wanted people, robbers, and all sorts of bad things.

“Let me see your ID.”

As I took the papers out of my pocket, the guard read them and asked.

“Why did you visit the principality?”

“I want to emigrate. I tasted Nantes wine the other day and fell in love with it. As you know, imperial wine tastes like a gutter.”

As soon as the wine, the pride of the principality, was served, a smile appeared on the garrison’s face.

“Our principality’s wine catches a lot of people. There are quite a few people who migrate for that reason.”

With a much more serious tone than before, the guard raised his hand and pointed to the other side of him.

“Continue down this road and you’ll find Schlesi. Go to City Hall and you’ll probably get some help.”

“Thank you for letting me know.”

“You’re welcome. Good luck.”

We parted ways from the waving border guards and continued walking.

The late summer sunlight was warm and the grapes smelled fragrant.

This Duchy of Nantes is really the best country to start a second life.

* * * * *

I walked a few more hours and entered Schlesie.

We headed for City Hall, which the guards had told us about, passing through a complex road lined with buildings that glowed white from the sunlight.

I stopped my horse and entered the lobby, where a civil servant who seemed to be in charge of visitors was sitting leisurely and smiling at me.

“Welcome. How can I help you?”

“I want to move to the principality.”

A public official told me to go to the civil affairs office.

“I came here because of the dukedom migration. I am a subject of the Grand Test.”

As I stood in front of the civil service room door and spoke, my face came up on the partition over there.

“Come this way!”

When I went there, a young woman with short black hair greeted me.

The short sitting height makes it look like a half elf at first glance.

But looking at her eyes and ears, it’s definitely human.

It’s just that her body is small and she looks young.

“Hello. I’m Clemence, the immigration officer.”

The woman introduced herself as Clémence and smiled briskly, puffing out her dimples.

“This is Leonard. Thank you very much.”

“Please show me your ID.”

As I gave her identity card, Clemence quickly began to write down my personal information on an empty sheet of paper.

It seems that a lot of other subjects have already gone through it, besides me.

“Hmm, Mr. Leonard. What was your job in the Empire?”

“He was a demon hunter.”

“Ah, yes. Demon hunter… Yes?!”

When Clemence shouted, everyone in the office looked this way in surprise.

“Are demon hunters unable to migrate?”

“hahahaha, no. It’s not like that, it’s just amazing…”

Embarrassed, Clemence continued to fill his form with dimples.

“By the way, are you still working as a demon hunter in the principality?”

“No. It’s not like that. I’m trying to establish a small guild here in Schlesie.”

“Which guild is it? Skill combination?”

“The mercenary guild. We will do it in the form of regular employment, not short-term service.”

“Ummm, it’s a mercenary guild for regular employment. Yes, yes…”

Clemence, who had filled the paper, took out a tattered booklet from the corner of the desk.

At first glance, it was titled ‘Guild Establishment and Management Act’.

“You’re welcome. I’m also holding the same position. Of course, I’ve just been assigned, so I don’t know much about it. I’ve been so busy these days that I don’t have time to figure out what I’m doing…”

And then Clemence laughed bashfully as if he was embarrassed again.

You seem to be the type to overcome difficult situations with laughter.

“Let’s see, let’s see. Guild establishment, guild establishment qualifications…”

Clemence, who was going through the bookshelves and pointing his fingers, found a certain part and read it according to the article.

“Article 1 Guild Establishment Section 1. A person who wishes to establish a guild must meet the following qualifications. First. A person who has a diploma from an academy recognized by the principality.”

Clemence asked, glancing up at me.

“Did you graduate from the academy?”

“Academy? No? I never went.”

“Umm, then it gets blocked from the beginning… Let’s see…”

Clemence stuttered the next entry, frowning.

“Second is a person who has worked in a related industry for more than 10 years in the principality… Are you sure that is not the case…?”

“Of course not. If that’s not the case, then you can’t establish a guild?”

“Yes…They say the law is like this…”

I didn’t expect this?

You have to graduate from an academy? What kind of laws are there?

Why does the mercenary guild need an academy diploma?

“If guilds are scattered, the quality of service will deteriorate and it will have a negative impact on the entire principality, eh… That’s why people with more professional qualifications uh…”

What kind of academy? I don’t have the time or money to spend on it.

When I didn’t say anything, Clemence leaned over to me and whispered secretly.

“If that’s not the case, there are other ways. This is a bit of a trick, but…”

“What is it?”

“I’m putting forward the leader of the pants guild. Actually, Mr. Leonard is running it.”

“The pants guild leader? Is there anyone who can do that? If you’re qualified, you’d better do it yourself.”

“That’s true, but in the case of a guild that is on the verge of bankruptcy, they do business that way.”

“Is that so? Hmm, but who the hell buys a ruined guild?”

“Sometimes buy them. Because they are much cheaper than the cost of establishing a guild.”

With that, Clemence took out the abacus and started bouncing it diligently with his small hands.

“Securing the guild headquarters building and training ground, business registration and all related taxes, plus a lump sum payment of five years’ worth of annual membership fees in addition to the guild association membership fee.”

Muttering, Clemence stretched out his five fingers.

“Fifty thousand gold coins.”

“Wow, how expensive is that?”

“In addition, the academy tuition fee is separate. So I’m saying that it might be better to buy a suitable guild and make it the leader of the pants guild. It’s called the office manager’s guild.”

Once I heard it, it seemed like it was right again.

“By the way, is it okay for a public official to tell me such an expedient?”

Then Clemence suddenly rolled his eyes in panic.

“I just told you that there is such a thing…”

It was so cute that I couldn’t help but smile.

“Okay. I need to think about many things. By the way, is there such a guild on the verge of ruin even here in Schlesie?”

At my question, Clemence leaned his upper body again and whispered lowly.

“There is one place. I think Mr. Leonard will like it.”

* * * * *

Is this the place?

After seeing the address on the note Clemence wrote, I came to a two-story building standing inside a busy alley in the city.

Obviously, when it was first built, the appearance was quite sophisticated, but now it is worn out and discolored.

You mean this is the guild on the verge of ruin?

No matter how you look at it, it doesn’t look much different from the other buildings around it.

Let’s go inside.

When I knocked on the door, I heard something from inside.

I didn’t know if it was asking me to come in or who it was, so I just opened the door and went inside.

“Ugh, what is it?”

The first thing that greeted me was the strong smell of alcohol.

Even though it was midday, when I drew the curtains and stepped into the dark house, I found an empty bottle at my toe.

What is it, really?

According to Clements, he hasn’t gone out of business yet.

“Is anyone there?”

“Come on…”

From the other side, a voice with an extremely crushing pronunciation was heard.

I turned my head and saw something popping up on the sofa in the back.

A blonde woman with tousled hair stared at me as she scratched her neck.

Could that woman be the guild leader here… ?