Volume 2 Chapter 28-2 [Alliance SIDE] Loss of Trust
"Heh heh heh... Alvaro, looks like you're in a bit of a bind, huh?"
At the entrance to the meeting room, Sora's face peeked in.
"What exactly do you want?"
"I figured you'd be asking for cash in here, so I brought some."
Sora remained as carefree as ever, even in this tense situation.
"Oi! You're Sora, one of the Alliance's top brass, right? You're the ones responsible for the management──"
"Hold on a sec."
Sora raised a hand to silence them, then pushed a cart into the room from outside.
It was covered in cloth, so no one could see what was inside.
"What the hell did you bring? Don't tell me it's all gold coins in there?"
The merchants snickered, dismissing the idea.
"Open it."
With a flick of his wrist, Sora pulled the cloth away... and sure enough, there were piles of gold coins.
The cart was made of glass, so the sheer *amount* of gold was impossible to ignore.
"...W-What... where did you even get all this...?"
"Well, you know, gold's one of those things you can just... pull in if you've got the right connections. This should be more than enough to cover the 'financial damages' from this little fiasco."
Sora grinned, clearly enjoying himself.
"Hey, Alvaro. They said it, right? If you can't manage your responsibilities, you'd have to turn the bonds into cash and leave... Maybe it's time you really *did* leave, huh?"
"...I'm not like those fools back home. I won't fall this far..."
"Oh, right. Alvaro, you're the second son of the Duke Lecoitenides family, huh? But... I think someone like you, with your 'strong grasp on money,' would be highly valued by the current *King Valzeil*, don't you think?"
"..."
"You don't want to deal with cash because you nobles only work in gold, right? Well, don't knock it till you try it. Heh heh..."
Sora smiled slyly.
"...Fine. As the guildmaster, I'll step down."
"What?! You're really just going to leave like this?! You haven't even accounted for your failure to manage your subordinates──"
"Well, merchants, just kick them out. And I brought this, too."
Sora pulled out a document.
The merchants read it, their faces frozen in shock.
What was written there was...
"The current rampage of the Adventurers is not due to the guild 'Parasite' or Alvaro's instructions, but to their own arbitrary actions that defied their rules," and the 'Association Branch' guarantees it.
"So, Alvaro isn't responsible for their wild antics. You might want him to write a token apology, though. Ahahahaha! Well then, you guys do your best. I'll leave this coin here, okay?"
With that, Sora pulls Alvaro's arm and exits the room.
Then, instead of leaving the building, they head towards the rooftop.
"So, that's the end of the mission."
"...I take it we're beyond eavesdropping here, Sir Sora."
"That's right. I'll pass you some extra coins. Take those and return to the kingdom."
"...Understood."
Whatever kind of deal they had in the past, these two are having that conversation.
But that past...
"!"
Suddenly, a 'boom' from the outskirts of the treasure capital blows any thoughts of the past completely out of their minds.
"..."
Sora, who was all nonchalant just a moment ago, turns a surprised gaze towards it.
"That's..."
"Never mind, it's fine, just hurry up and go back, Alvaro."
Sora returns to his usual demeanor.
As for what's on his mind...
(I guess Sid will make his move soon. Now, what should I do?)
Well, that's what he was thinking about.
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