88 Oversigh

Renka was in a bad mood, but, after serving as a receptionist for well over a decade, her expression didn't falter in response to Kano's question. Instead, she gave him a pointed look, stating in a curt tone, "The investigations conducted by the Guild are not the business of its affiliates. Unless there is something to report, move to the side so I can deal with other guests and clientele."

Hearing Renka's response, Kano just snorted through his nose before looking over his shoulder at the virtually empty line. Few people were willing to antagonize him by standing in line whenever he was trying to hit on Renka. If they tried, his 'friends' would be paying them a visit soon after, making sure they never interfered in his matters a second time.

As Kano looked behind him, Renka's frown deepened, her eyes darting to the other lines in an effort to find a scapegoat to send the man on his way. If she selected someone already in line, they would be unable to refuse. This would also put Kano into a disadvantageous situation, as, while he had the clout to throw his weight around, arbitrarily involving others would earn him the ire of Scarlet...

Seeing Renka eye them, most of the Adventurers standing in line had thoughts of walking away, but, before they were able to, she pointed towards a group and said, "My counter is open. Get over here and report your Quest results. I know you've been standing in line for a while so be grateful that I'm willing to attend you."

The moment he heard Renka's words, Kano glowered towards the Adventurers standing in other lines. Unfortunately, he didn't have the authority to effectively close down the Guild's functions just to hit on one of its receptionists so this wasn't the first time Renka had used this card to escape.

Before Kano could offer any complaints or try to threaten the reluctant Party, Renka fixed her gaze on him, stating in a firm tone, "Adventurer Kano, you are interfering with the smooth operations of the Guild. Do I need to report your actions to the Branch Head?"

In response to Renka's words, Kano elected to laugh in a lighthearted manner, dismissively waving his hand as he said, "I wouldn't think of interfering with the Guild's operation. I'm this Branch's Ace, after all, so I should be setting a proper example...isn't that right?"

With his words finished, Kano turned to the trio that had approached the counter, an amiable smile on his face as he placed his hand upon the Party Leader's shoulder and said, "Forgive me for getting in the way, okay? As your Senior, feel free to let me know if you are having any trouble in the future. After all, my Company is always willing to support up and coming talents, hahahaha~."

Since he didn't want to make an enemy out of the Guild's rather notorious 'Ace', the Party Leader offered a polite smile in response, answering, "I'll keep that in mind...thank you, Senior..."

Hearing the man's response, Kano nodded in approval, lightly patting the man's shoulder a few times before walking off. What most people missed, including the man who had his shoulder struck, was a very brief flicker of bluish-white electricity flowing from Kano's palm. He wouldn't be able to put too much pressure on an 'unrelated party', but that didn't stop him from leaving a little surprise for the man to discover the next time he exerted himself...

As she had been watching him closely, Renka hadn't missed the 'present' Kano had left behind in the unsuspecting Party Leader's body. Despite this, she wasn't going to directly intervene as, unless he wanted to have his Status depict him as a Murderer, Kano wasn't stupid enough to kill using his own hand. Thus, she would simply report his behavior to her sister, adding to the mountain-sized case file that was just waiting for Kano to slip up.

Understanding her fault in the matter, Renka did her best to service the unsuspecting Party with a smile on her face. She also emphasized, several times, that they take it easy over the next couple of days. At the same time, she made a mental note to pass on instructions to the Guild's agents to keep an eye on them, and, if necessary, try to inflame the man's condition before he exposed himself and his Party to actual danger.

Even if a person ended up losing an arm, they would eventually recover completely, so, while it was a little unfair to the unsuspecting man, Renka wasn't particularly concerned about his well-being. If he had been a Potentiate or a particularly useful member of the Guild, that would be one thing. Instead, he and his Party had been lingering around C-Rank for the last couple of years, appearing to accept Quests only when they had squandered all of their Soul Kindling.

Though the public order on the Fifth Floor was relatively stable, that didn't mean it was an inherently kind place. They still existed in a society where the strong reigned supreme over the weak, so, if you weren't 'useful' to those that held real power, it was best to lay low and take on the jobs others were unwilling to do.

After sending off the trio's Party, Renka pulled out her notepad to write a reminder to have someone watch over them for a few days. She might not really care about them, but, as their misfortune was the direct result of her actions, ignoring them completely was out of the question.

Renka knew she wasn't exactly a 'good' person, but she also didn't consider herself to be a bad one either. If anything, she was more bored than anything else, directly contributing to her propensity to tease the various Adventurers that frequented her counter.

Were it not for the fact she was actually a Debtee, purchased by her sister, Renka would have left the Briggs Settlement a long time ago. Instead, she was forced to dutifully work double shifts six days a week, leaving her with very little time to do other things. This had turned her life into a monotonous affair, one that was fated to continue even longer due to her most recent mistake...

Just as this thought crossed her mind, Renka noticed a new Party enter into the Guild, lead by what could only be described as an adorable little boy. This returned a smile to her face, as, if things went well, there was a chance she could receive some clemency from her sister.

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Before he could send someone else to come up, Renka flagged down Linnaeus' Party with her hand, loudly exclaiming, "My counter is open, Linnaeus! Come on over, don't be shy~!"

Hearing someone shout his name, Linnaeus couldn't help but frown, especially when his [Sense Danger] Skill was briefly triggered. His eyes quickly darted to his surroundings, but, after the very brief pulse of killing intent, it had faded away completely. All he saw were a few Adventurers with teasing looks on their faces, some encouraging him, others cursing him...

Since he had already been called out, Linnaeus was intending to approach the counter. Before that, however, he turned to his Party, saying, "Stay on your toes...I sensed malicious intent directed toward us. Don't wander off on your own..."

Despite taking Linnaeus' words to heart, Eliza and Emilia showed no change in their expressions as they nodded their heads in understanding. As for Krone, his face was as stony as his skin tone, so, from start to finish, he had a deadpan expression as he followed behind Eliza and Emilia, procuring a place to enjoy their dinner.

With an unreadable expression of his own, Linnaeus fearlessly approached Renka's counter, his focus largely on objects in the periphery of his vision. Part of him was tempted to lambast the thoughtless woman for drawing attention to him, but, going by her expression, she was already aware of her faux pas.

After reaching the counter, Linnaeus placed the materials his Party had collected on the countertop, explaining, "We weren't able to complete every Quest in a single outing. I'd like to accept a few other requests now so that we can head out in the morning without coming to the Guild. We'll finish up all that remains before returning around lunch...is that okay?"

Though it wasn't the standard way they did business, Renka felt bad about drawing attention to the young Potentiate before her. She was actually quite fond of him, as he was rather adorable, so, with her fate somewhat tied to his, she ultimately nodded her head, answering, "Certainly. This will be an exception, though, so don't make a habit of this. We typically don't issue Quests while you still have ongoing tasks."

Since he was well aware of the Guild's policies, due to a concerted effort to memorize the entire handbook they passed out, Linnaeus knew Renka was telling the truth. He took advantage of the fact she had made a mistake, both as a matter of convenience and to determine just how much special treatment their Party was receiving...

After signing the pertinent documents and having his materials whisked away by an employee to be processed, Linnaeus gave a curt nod of approval before saying, "I hope you have a pleasant evening, Miss Renka. You seemed a little out of it today so I was worried about you. Take care of yourself..."

Not expecting Linnaeus' sudden gentle words, Renka raised her brows in surprise before a smile spread across her admittedly beautiful face. She then shooed him away with her hand, saying, "Get out of here you little flirt. Don't think you can get away with teasing me so easily. The next time you comment on my evening, don't blame me if I whisk you away to teach you a lesson~."

Though there were sound dampening devices to prevent the conversation between Guild employees and Adventurers from being easily overheard, Renka's smile and bodily reaction were easily seen by those closely observing her. As a result, Linnaeus felt another burst of killing intent directed toward him, confirming his earlier suspicions...

While formulating a plan within his mind, Linnaeus made his way over to where his companions were seated, his expression and casual demeanor concealing the fact he was actually in an alert state. He knew someone was targeting him as a result of Renka's interest in him, but, even after searching his surroundings, Linnaeus didn't notice anyone displaying the tell-tale signs of a predator stalking its prey.

Without knowing the appearance, characteristics, and strength of his opponent, Linnaeus felt like he had been completely exposed. This caused him to feel a small amount of hatred toward Renka, but, understanding her behavior was likely related to circumstances behind the scenes, he couldn't lay all the blame on her. After all, he didn't have to bait her towards the very end just to confirm whether or not someone was targeting him because of her.

After reaching the booth where his Party was seated, Vahn sat across from Eliza and Emilia, rather than sitting between them. They interpreted this as him wanting to appear somewhat distant to them, as, if their enemies were the malicious sort, targeting someone's 'partner' was an easy way to knock them off-kilter.

Linnaeus was grateful for how perceptive Eliza and Emilia could be in situations like this. It made it seem as though his efforts to teach them had paid off, making the smile on his face more natural as he enjoyed a rather sumptuous meal. There was no way to know what the coming night would bring so if this ended up being one of his last meals, he wanted to make it count...