- Shari -

 

Just how did I again get into this?
'You barely need to do anything at all' he said.
That was moments before we got dragged to the big adventurer gathering in the guild hall.
Gareth, for some reason, wanted us, out of everyone in this whole army, to go with him to the adventurers.
It stands to reason that I'm still not completely convinced about how great of an idea this is.

In particular, I wasn't a big fan of that "killing-monsters-is-our-calling" part of the speech.
Especially of the way it was spoken with quite a fervor.

So that's how I got here.
Standing in a hall full of pissed off adventurers.
I'm kinda curious how Gareth intends to draw them to his side.

 

"Ladies! Gentlemen! First, I'd like you to know that your guild master spoke true. I don't intend to arrest a single one of you for your past transgressions. By tomorrow, we'll have more than enough to do dealing with the other criminals for me to want to spend any time on you." (Gareth)

 

Well, this hopefully eased them down a bit.
We can't really do much more than guarantee their well-being.

 

"However, in exchange for some truly grandiose backhand deals, shenanigans, and promises I had to make, all I want from you is that you now sheath your weapons for the day, and spend a nice, and more importantly, peaceful time here." (Gareth)

"Fuck you, Gareth!"

 

Yeah, it was to be expected that this raid wouldn't find all that much favor, but do they really have to get personal?
However, while there's ambient hostility, nobody makes a move yet to attack the guard troop by themselves.
A bit of rational thought seems still prevalent.

 

"As many of you should know, I was an adventurer like you before. I know how one has to watch out to keep up with living expenses, how little of the reward one has risked their life for remains, especially if you also have to pay for a healer and equipment maintenance. How this town's very economic system is solely tailored to pull every last copper coin out of your pockets. Oh, it seems all so easy a solution to just accept a proposal one has to do so very little for. I guess that's a trap many of us fell in. Some more eagerly than others. Some may even see the guys they're now associated with as friends. In which case, I'd advise finding new ones. Anyways, this town we all live in is just like that. It's not going to change. To survive in this festering shithole one needs to become a part of it and play its game, isn't that so?" (Gareth)

 

A long pause follows.
The words linger in the room for everyone to think about.
Yet before the answer comes, Gareth's voice echoes again.

 

"However, I'm sick of it! I'm sick of having to live like this! To bow down to people I wouldn't even want to share the same street with. The kind of parasitic scum that can only exist on the expense of others, worse than any bloodsucker in the Evergrove! I don't know how it is for you, and honestly, I don't care, but I'll change this all today, so I may live afterwards a peaceful life in a town that stopped being such a headache. And if any one of you wants to get in my way on this, I swear to you, I'll cut, you, down!" (Gareth)

 

In the end, Gareth grew emotional, his words blazing with fury.
Only a fool would challenge him now.

 

"Shut up you fucking moron! Are we really gonna take that?! I say no! Let's take him down!" (worthless-possibly-bribed-scum)

 

Shit!
I really can't have him convince anyone now.

 

"Liqu! Make this one stop talking! Quick!" (Shari)

 

I know that Liqu is, at the moment, well-saturated.
Therefore, it makes more sense for her to spend resources on something like this.
That way, I can still fight at full capacity if things go badly from here on.

 

"Yes, yes!" (Liqu)

 

An instant later, a slime bullet flies straight into the man's face.
For some reason, it seems to be super sticky, which is enough to not only stop him from speaking by gluing his mouth, but also successfully puts him out of commission.
As an added benefit, he now looks pitiful enough for most to not wish to join this guy, while not making us appear super cruel.
All in all, a very proficient way to deal with this.

 

"Good job, Liqu. You did really well." (Shari)

"Yay!" (Liqu)

 

Unfortunately, as quiet as it was, even the slowest among these people have recognized by now that the shot came from us.

 

"Hey, isn't that the alchemist?"

"I think so. That mask is quite recognizable."

"What are they doing with the guards?"

 

I have no idea what to say now in this situation.
For this reason, I wait for Gareth to handle this.
While he speaks, some guards have already taken the guy into custody.

 

"Anyone want to know what this man has done? I do know, and it certainly isn't pretty. You see, the capital sent us two agents to make sure that my little operation runs smoothly. If you don't want to end up like that one, I'd suggest you don't antagonize them. While I'm not sure how far you thought everything through here, you should possibly consider very closely if you truly intend to go against the whole country." (Gareth)

"And if you don’t trust his word, I confirmed personally that those two are indeed royal agents." (Elkon)

 

Ehm, am I supposed to say something now?

 

"Ahem. I don't know about you, but I at least would feel much better about living in a town where kidnappings for the purpose of slavery wouldn't be a thing." (Shari)

 

It seems like not many are thinking about picking a fight at this point.
Not sure if Liqu waving is making anything better here, though.

 

"However, fortunately, you don't have to. The alternative is quite easy. You just need to stay here for the day. Have a nice time. Talk, drink, play some games, and by evening, it will all be over. For this purpose, the country even goes as far as to cover your catering!" (Gareth)

 

He truly did!
Right on cue, guards drag trolleys with all kinds of food inside the hall.
They begin unloading it, and at rapid speed, a lavish buffet is served.
There's even meat!
Seriously, who would now still want to fight instead?
On another note, who's gonna cover these kinds of expenses?
At least some look interested in the food.

 

"If you want some, you only need to temporarily hand over your weapons to the guild at the registry. Your guild master will make sure you get them back afterwards. Don't worry, there's enough for everyone. Don't forget the booze!" (Gareth)

 

Oh damn.
This was the magic word.
Only a few holdouts remain at this point, and I’m sure the guildmaster can handle them.
As the guild receptionists are doing an official registry, and apparently everything is completely handled by the guild, nobody even seems too concerned about a possible betrayal.
After all, those people were always responsible for handling their affairs.
Why mistrust them now?

In any case, I'm glad things didn't turn violent.
It's nice when things work out and I don't need to worry.
I mean, a monster attack in the guild would really have been the pinnacle of irony.
It was just super risky to even bring us here, even if it helped in the end.

 

"What the heck are you doing here?!" (Jacob)

 

If only I knew that!!!