CH 12

Chapter 12 – Good News and an Omen(Magic Artificer Guild 2)

The Magic Artificer Guild in the western frontier town.

The guild chief had returned past midday after spending the night at a banquet in the royal capital, and his voice sounded very excited.

“Listen to me. The Marquis introduced me to a certain someone. Can you guess who it is?”

“Who? I have no idea.”

Replied the vice-chief, and the guild chief smiled proudly about this achievement.

“Arthur Oswalt, the grand duke and owner of the Oswalt Company.”

“Ah, that Oswalt…!?”

The vice-chief was right to be surprised.

And even if the guild chief was the son of a baron who owned some land, this was someone much too important to have anything to do with him.

“Bu-but, why?”

The vice-chief’s voice shook. He could hardly believe his ears.

“Apparently, he took a liking to the crystal balls that we make. ‘I’ve never seen one of such high quality. I would very much like to discuss terms with you.’ That was what he said.”

“In-indeed…! You will be trading with the Oswalt Company then…!”

The Oswalt Company was known for only doing business with the very best.

The Grand Duke had a good eye, and so he was very strict when it came to selecting merchants. And so this approval was the greatest kind of honor that the Magic Artificer Guild could hope for.

“If they start selling our products, then our guild’s name will be famous throughout the kingdom, no, the entire world.”

“Now, it will definitely be necessary to hire more personnel. And if Grand Duke Oswalt is pleased with us, I might be given the title of viscount or even count.”

“Could it be… Well, of course, he will. You are very admirable.”

“Bah. It is a simple thing for me.”

The guild chief said boastfully.

The vice-chief also smiled, for the future looked promising for him as well.

“Still, I’m surprised that Grand Duke Oswalt has such bad taste. After all, our crystal balls are made by useless workers who cannot do more important work.”

“He probably just acts like he knows what he is talking about, but really knows nothing. You can fool such people by just adjusting the appearance of something.”

“Brilliant observation. It is no wonder you are the chief.”

And then with a satisfied smile, the guild chief said,

“I’m going to rest now. Just tell the others that I have a meeting or something, as you always do.”

“Certainly.”

The vice-chief knew all about how the guild chief would claim to have meetings, but would actually go home to drown himself in wine.

However, he did not think that this was a bad thing.

It was his belief that people who stood on the top deserved to be rewarded in such ways, and he himself spent most of his time outside of the workshop in order to rest and relax.

(I will take the day off as well. It is necessary to rest in preparation for this big event.)

In hindsight, he would have done well to go to the workshop that day.

He would have been able to see how the situation was there. However, he had gotten this position through bribery as he had no experience, and so he knew that he would only embarrass himself.

But since he was someone who pushed all the work onto his subordinates and was slothful every day, he did not notice that anything was amiss.

Days after their lowly Magic Artificer was gone.

There was a mountain of work that was left undone in the back of the workshop.

It continued to lay there, untouched by anyone.