I Became the Guild Leader in Exile

38 – #8 Alice’s Filth (2)

The guild members’ reactions were divided into two. There was a strong opinion within the guild to expel him immediately, and another opinion insisting on hearing the story first, creating a tense clash.

Thanks to this, Isaac could barely grasp the situation by collecting fragmented information. In summary, Dig, who had been acting strangely since yesterday, had stealthily taken money and disappeared.

Damn troublemaker.

I knew this would happen.

He’s creating trouble again.

Concept or whatever, whenever Isaac saw Dig, a feeling of nausea welled up inside him. The reason was the annoying junior from his military service days who constantly whined.

“We’ll postpone Dig’s expulsion for now.”

However, contrary to his inner thoughts, Isaac maintained a poker face as if nothing were out of the ordinary. Regardless of personal thoughts, the concept he had set for himself must be upheld.

“As expected, it turned out that way.”

“If he’s the master, I thought so.”

“He stepped back, but I don’t mind.”

And no one opposed the master’s decision. Since they knew what kind of person the master was. Despite stepping back, Cain didn’t mind.

He was saved by the master’s character.

Knowing the master’s temperament, even though he stepped back, he followed him. Cain locked eyes with Yulina. It seems they share the same thoughts.

“Well then, first, we need to find out Dig’s destination.”

“I know that.”

“How do you know?”

“I saw the request letter right next to him.”

“Excellent, it would have been better if you had blocked it while you were at it.”

Fortunately, Lars read the request letter right next to Dig, so he remembered the destination. Although Hans sarcastically suggested that it would have been better to block it. Thanks to Lars, they could trace Dig. He was the first to sift through his memories before forgetting and wrote down the contents of the request letter Dig had been reading.

“It was a request from Elise.”

“Where is Elise?”

“Elise is known as the city of light and gems. It’s a place where technology using gems and jewels has developed, just as the name suggests.”

Since Zeke, who hails from a rural village, still lacked knowledge, he tilted his head quizzically and asked. Isaac immediately replied, “Of course, it’s not just the craftsmanship that’s advanced here.”

“There are decorative jewels, but those are merely incidental. The real deal is the mana-infused gems.”

“Are jewels different from mana gems?”

“They exist on different planes. Their value, even conservatively estimated, is five times higher.”

Mana gems were gems imbued with rare magical properties found extremely scarcely in mines. Naturally, due to the boundless potential of mana gems, they sold for much higher prices compared to gems of the same weight.

However, for some reason, Elise seemed to be overflowing with such mana gems. Despite the inexplicably large quantities, no one questioned them.

It could sour relations with Elise, the leading producer of mana gems. Obtaining mana gems at such relatively low prices might become impossible. Isaac carefully examined the scarce request from Las.

“Is this about Elise’s waste disposal?”

“Waste disposal? Why would they commission us for that?”

“The waste from Elise is a bit different.”

The waste from Elise was, quite literally, living waste. This categorized them as monsters, leading to periodic requests for eradication by Gideon. Just like the one they were receiving now.

“Moreover, the commissions from Elise aren’t just for Gideon but also for the Holy Order and mercenaries, raising the competition.”

“The request itself doesn’t seem particularly unusual.”

“It actually looks like a normal request.”

Yurina and Cain echoed Isaac’s kindly explanation. As they said, the request didn’t seem strange at first glance. Only on the surface.

“Digg must have a reason too.”

“That’s right. Once a decision is made, we should act immediately.”

“I’ll get ready right away. Hey, kids, mind lending a hand?”

Veterans Hans and Sophia were the first to move. Whatever the situation, if the Master had made a decision, they could trust and follow. The guild members quickly realized this.

This time, the entire guild was participating in the request, unlike before. It bothered Zeke a bit, but he soon brushed off his concerns. It’s enjoyable and reassuring to go together with everyone.

“Zeke! Help me out here!”

“Yes! I’m coming!”

“Master, what are your thoughts on this matter?”

While Zeke helped Sophia pack, Hans asked Isaac about his thoughts on the current task with a serious expression. Third-rate mercenaries weren’t a problem, but…

“The biggest problem is the Holy Order.”

“Why is that a problem?”

“Just like we’ve seen before, they’re never clean.”

“…”

They are followers of the divine will, but that doesn’t necessarily qualify them as righteous. Once a member of the Holy Order himself, Hans keenly felt that truth.

“Be cautious, Master.”

There must be something more than meets the eye.

* * *

Surprisingly, there wasn’t much preparation needed for the expedition. They were able to use the teleportation device set up between Gideon and Alice in the golden deer.

Zeke and the kids, who tried teleportation for the first time, couldn’t close their mouths. They had moved to a different place in the blink of an eye. Isaac was no exception.

Just couldn’t show it in front of the guild members. Zeke turned his head to look around. Neatly paved roads and buildings filled with white were visible.

“Wow….”

“Are you that surprised?”

“Yes, I’ve never seen a place like this before.”

Zeke honestly answered Isaac’s question. It was more magnificent than Salen in terms of splendor. The reason for that was because Alice was a commercial city.

“But if there is a teleportation like this, was it necessary to secure the mountain?”

“It’s a good question. Setting up a teleportation device is not an easy task.”

“That’s true.”

It’s not a 100% success rate to install a teleportation device. Plus, it costs astronomical amounts every time. They usually don’t install it unless it’s absolutely necessary.

For example, like Gideon and Alice. They needed each other with the technology developed using maeseoks and the most efficient heroes in handling sewage.

And at that very moment when they were having small talk. Suddenly, a bubbling red liquid appeared from the ground. Hans was the first to react.

“Everyone, be careful! Something is coming out of the ground!”

“Calm down, Hans.”

“Master, do you know anything about that?”

“It’s just a rumor, but… it’s definitely not friendly.”

Isaac’s voice had strength. Thanks to that, the guild members who had gone on guard relaxed and put away their weapons. Eventually, the clay-like substance took on a form.

It took on the shape of a fully grown woman, shimmering ruby red. And she was a sensuous woman with very ample hips and breasts. Zeke reacted.

“Confirmed. A menacing golem.”

“Calm down.”

“That’s definitely a golem, Master.”

[Welcome to the city of Elise, the city of brightness. Heroes of Gideon, welcome.]

She greeted them, bowing exaggeratedly. However, unlike her exaggerated movements, her expressions and voice were extremely calm. Because of that, a sense of discomfort overwhelmed them.

“I see, that must be the golem I’ve only heard about.”

Cain, excluding Isaac, was the first among the guild members to notice its true identity. He had wandered around as a vagabond and seen and heard many things.

And among them, there was also a rumor about Elise’s doll. A doll that moved and lived like a human, but wasn’t human. At that time, he thought it was just a baseless rumor.

[Yes, you’re correct. I am Ruby 117, responsible for guiding Gideon’s heroes.]

Cain’s words were met with a positive response from the Golem. Seeing its reaction, Cain clicked his tongue. While he had heard that magical technology had advanced significantly, he never expected it to have progressed this far.

[Before providing guidance, let’s go through a brief entry procedure. What is the purpose of your visit to Elise?]

“I came to handle the disposal of Elise’s waste.”

[Confirmed. What is the name of your guild?]

“Iron Shield.”

[Blacklisted guild identified. However, a recommendation from the Golden Deer has been entered.]

Iron Shield was registered on the blacklist as a suspicious guild. Thanks to the Golden Deer’s recommendation, though, they could barely avoid expulsion. However, the request had been snatched away.

[Blacklisted guilds cannot perform Elise’s requests, and teleportation is restricted. Instead, a stay of up to three days is permitted for tourism purposes.]

“Well, that might be better. It’s a bit tight to find Dig, but…”

[Please refrain from using profanity.]

“Profanity?”

Ruby reacted to Hans’ words, which were already uncomfortable due to the interference of the Holy Order. However, even Hans was bewildered by the outrageous content.

“When did I use profanity?”

‘ ‘Dig’ is a colloquial term in Elise, denoting miners who only sell land. Please be mindful.’

However, everyone’s expressions stiffened at the soon-to-come response.