05 — The Sage’s Legacy

05 — The Sage’s Legacy

The moment we entered the Adventurer’s Guild, all eyes focused on us. A second later, the room was abuzz with whispers. “The Dragonslayer,” they muttered. “The Hand of the Dragonewts.” “Hell’s Inquisitor.” “Child of Substance X.” “Slave Magnet.”

Now, the first one I could understand, but the rest were just getting out of hand. I mean, “Slave Magnet”? Come on. I was a victim of circumstance here. The bullying was uncalled for.

I ignored the quiet heckling and approached the reception desk. I’d earned quite the reputation for myself just two weeks after my bout with the dragon. Maybe healers slaying fire-breathing beasts of legend was a bit less common than I thought.

“Good morning,” I greeted the receptionist. “I’d like to speak with one of the guildmasters, if possible.”

“O-One moment please.”

The cat-woman flew upstairs in a fluster. Soon after, a pale-faced dragonewt descended, pouring sweat.

“You don’t need to look so terrified, Goldhus. It’s hurtful. Listen, I’m sorry I lost my temper and made you drink that stuff. I felt bad enough to take a mug myself, didn’t I?”

The murmurs behind us turned nasty, but Lionel and Ketty silenced them at once with a sharp glare.

A stiff, broken laugh escaped the guildmaster’s lips. “M-Me? Terrified? No, sir! Gods, I wonder what’s making me sweat so much these days! Anyway, how can I help you?”

Not even the children of dragons were safe from the substance’s carnage. I really did feel bad for the guy.

“I’d like to discuss the matter of attracting adventurers, the monsters in the southern forest, and some other things as well. Are you available right now?”

Goldhus dropped the comedy act and returned to his usual self.

“Of course. Let’s continue this in my office.”

He looked strangely unsettled as he led us towards the guildmaster’s quarters. Jeiyas was already inside, doing some bookkeeping by the look of it. He glanced up at his brother with a serious expression, then I was offered a seat.

“Now, what’s this about adventurers and monsters in the forest?” Goldhus asked loudly enough for his sibling to get the picture.

“Yes, well, we visited the forest yesterday, to scout for materials,” I explained. “But the majority of monsters we fought were plain old goblins, orcs, and wolves.”

Jeiyas furrowed his brow and closed his eyes. “I see.”

“We did find trolls and mandrakes but nothing an adventurer could realistically make a living on. I wanted to verify that with you.”

He opened his eyes. “The going rate for mandrakes at the Doctor’s Guild is about ten gold pieces. So it’s no lie that the forest contains lucrative marks, but you’ll find little else than those screeching weeds.”

“But the council told me it was teeming with rare monsters.”

“There was...a rumor in the past. That the forest was home to a spirit.”

Uh, it still is. But how did that translate to money? I didn’t think you could “hunt” a spirit, much less capture one.

“Oh, but we’re well aware that’s no longer the case,” he continued. “Back then, the woods were a popular destination for adventurers looking for its blessing or to capture it for fame and fortune.”

The Spirit of Tides didn’t have it easy. That might have been why it had been so cautious around me.

“That’s why the guild here has so few humans and elves.”

“That’s right. The council has tried to recruit more to act as settlers and tame the forest for them, but they failed spectacularly. Foreign adventurers were wise to the fact that there would be almost nothing in it for them.”

“Wait, they didn’t want me on the council just to use my status as an S-rank healer to advertise themselves, did they?”

“That seems likely.”

I sank a little. I should have known better than to let myself be taken in by the words of politicians, and politicians of a harsh, unforgiving world like this, no less. At least my eyes had been opened to their two-tongued ways sooner rather than later.

“Is the forest relevant to adventurers at all? Do you ever post missions related to it?”

“No, it’s too dangerous. The deeper you go, the less chance you have of ever coming back. And beasts prowl in the shade, regardless of the time of day. There are records detailing a past attempt to settle the area, but it ended in disaster when a massive stampede of monsters broke out. The Sage of Time is supposedly the one who put a stop to it.”

“He didn’t happen to...make any flashes of light, did he?”

“The records say he summoned the spirits to slay the monsters by the thousands. By himself.”

Summoning magic? This sage was the real deal.

“It sounds like he was incredibly strong.”

“That is what the books tell us. But he’s also credited with causing a mass exodus of adventurers and merchants from the city. After he defended Yenice, the sage shouted at the people and said that those with ‘evil hearts’ could never grasp the spirit that so many were after.”

I didn’t think it had anything to do with purity. The spirit had probably been hiding itself, or there were only certain races that could perceive its form. Whatever it was, I was starting to see the bigger picture.

“Is that related to why there used to be no Healer’s Guild here?”

“Yes. He was aware of the damage he had caused and did what he could to make things right, giving us water by way of the wells, bringing us our unique spices. But still, he was ultimately what triggered Yenice’s recession, and that was how history chose to see him: the arbiter of our problems. We were raised being taught that until emotions eventually boiled over, and the Healer’s Guild took the brunt of our frustrations.”

It almost hurt to listen to. The sage had saved the town from destruction, realized the weight that gave his words, and tried to use it for good. To save the spirit from greedy men. But in the process, he’d plunged Yenice into an economic crisis. Recognizing his mistake and that no short-term conciliation could right his wrong, he’d established industry and potential commerce for the good of the future. And what did he get for his trouble? Hatred.

“Could that be one of the reasons human supremacism started to take root in Shurule?”

“It’s entirely possible. For the sage’s part, documents say that many of his wives were beastfolk.”

Oh, another ladies’ man, huh? He’d been one of those people. He must have been generous in more ways than one. Actually, never mind. Thinking about it just made me feel dead inside.

Back to the main topic, this was a bad situation. The council was planning on luring adventurers in with false promises, then using them for their own ends at the expense of the S-rank name. Being the only S-rank healer, I would be made into a scam artist, the Order of Healing my network of liars. And the slander wouldn’t end there. Her Holiness would be caught up in it, or even my master and the others in Merratoni.

“Do you have any idea what the council’s plan to attract adventurers would’ve been if they hadn’t gotten a Healer’s Guild?”

Whatever the solution here was, there had to be a hint somewhere in that answer. The monsters didn’t need to be formidable as long as there was profit to be made, a living to be had.

Jeiyas stood up and took out a map. “You’ve seen this before, right? It’s here.” He pointed at the blotch of nothing to the west, where the primatians had fled to, according to Bryan. Meaning there was potential for conflict if adventurers started stomping around the area.

“I thought that region was blocked off by mountains and cliffs.”

“Right, but we’ve had word there’s more than just crags and spires there.”

“From who?”

“Bird-folk adventurers.”

That set off alarm bells in my head. I didn’t have the best impression of their representative, or the tiger or rabbit representatives, for that matter.

“Did they mention the kinds of monsters they found?”

“Harpies, lamias, rock-lizards, fay creatures like nymphs and dryads, as well as many species no one’s seen before.”

Those were fantasy monsters, all right. But I had an odd sense of déjà vu. Like I’d heard the same kind of rumor about the presence of mythical creatures meant to entice people. And recently too. Weird.

“I assume none of this has been confirmed. Did the adventurers have any corpses, body parts, magic stones? Anything to prove their claims?”

“No. And no one’s seen or heard anything of them ever since. The guild hasn’t officially acknowledged it.”

This was getting fishier and fishier. But that probably wouldn’t stop everyone. There was always at least one sucker who couldn’t help but wonder “what if” and get pulled in.

“That kind of gossip definitely edges on dangerous.”

“We’ve already had casualties from people trying to climb over the cliffs. That is, until the labyrinth reactivated, which distracted everyone long enough to let them forget everything, but we’re seeing signs that people are talking again.”

Jeiyas frowned, while Goldhus looked like this was the first he’d heard of such a thing. Thank goodness one of them had their act together.

“That can’t be good,” I said. “Oh, but for what it’s worth, I’m preparing special adventurer housing for the future.”

“That is reassuring, but how in the world did the council find the budget?”

One thing was sure among all this uncertainty: the council loved its money. At least, that was how their treasury logs had looked. I understood not wanting to gamble on risky ventures with your country’s hard-earned finances, but what else were they going to do with it? Save it? For what? The tight fist they held their purses with didn’t bode well for the future build quality of the medical district. I had to be prepared for the worst, but for now, all I could do was wait and see.

“Easy. I’m paying for it myself. That’s why I have full control of the entire project. The planned site right now is in the slums. I was going to ask the guild to take care of screening for residents.”

“You’re self-funding it? In the slums? Knowing you, you must have some scheme in mind. You want us to find respectable and adequate individuals, I take it.”

“That’s right. I trust you and Goldhus to sift through the unsavory types or people with racial biases. Also, if and when more adventurers start showing up, I’d like you to let me meet any high-rankers who are considering retiring.”

“Retired adventurers? What for?”

“I was thinking about having them take up teaching roles at the school when it opens.”

“Well, it’s clear you have big plans for Yenice, but be careful. Even positive change that comes too quickly can cause whiplash and by extension, conflict.”

Jeiyas wasn’t wrong. I had to wonder why he was the vice guildmaster and the less responsible of the siblings was the head honcho, but then again, I was a bumbling S-rank healer while Jord was the one who did actual work. An organization really was only as good as its number two.

I gladly accepted his warning and stood up to leave. “Thank you for the advice. I’ll do what I can to avoid that.”

Jeiyas stood with me. “You always have my personal support, of course.”

Goldhus followed. “And mine as well!”

I knew I could trust these two. I just had one more favor to ask of them. “I want to meet the Doctor’s Guild guildmaster, if you wouldn’t mind mediating.”

“Of course.”

With the groundwork laid, we exited the guildhall.

“So,” I said as we left, “what do you guys make of that? You think they played me by asking me to join the council?”

“Almost certainly,” Lionel replied. “Doubtless we’re going to meet even more obstacles as your plan progresses. We’ll need to nip problems in the bud as they arise.”

“Good thing we came to the Adventurer’s Guild, huh?” Ketty remarked.

I sighed. “Will you guys let me free you yet? Can’t you just be normal followers? Heck, I’ll even pay you if you want to be equals.”

But history repeats itself.

“I will stay as I am. I’m at peace with being a mere retainer. Use me as you will.”

“This kitty’s with Sir Lionel. Plus, it’s pretty easy to gather intel as a slave. You’ve got ambition, Chief, so I’m here for it.”

I slumped my shoulders. “Thanks, I guess.”

We walked on while my mind churned with thoughts of things to come.