“I don’t really know what good this kind of behavior does.”

“I’m sure he has reasons.”  

“What’s the point of asking for wisdom from people who know nothing? Unless you want to be mocked.”

Gilsina was a place where the guilds were strong.  

Instead of electing a magistrate, the city was run by some administrative officials chosen from among the council members, who were usually guild representatives.

As such, guild members had tremendous pride in their knowledge and experience. In Gilsina, the masters of powerful guilds like the Merchants Guild, Masons Guild, Sailors Guild were practically city nobles.  

The Sailors Guild and the Captains Guild had the loudest voices in the hunt for the monster this time. To take their advice and offer a reward to the whole city. . .

They were worried that the city’s beggars might mock the guilds’ incompetence. 

“I’d like to hear how they plan to catch it. . .”

“I want to hear how he caught the cyclops. Surely not all of that was a lie.”

“Watch what you say. Don’t provoke someone you shouldn’t.”  

“Why, are you going to report me? I should be allowed to say this much.”

The people of the city had acknowledged Johan as the new master, but they did not immediately show undying loyalty. Loyalty did not come so easily.  

While commoners might be fooled by fame and rumors into singing praises, even the thick-headed council members did not do the same.

“Rumors tend to be exaggerated, but that’s not the new count’s fault. It’s the fault of gossipers.”

“That may be so, but. . . the idea that he fought and defeated a cyclops with his bare hands is just absurd. I even made a bet on it.”

“Big, big trouble!”

“?”  

As Ariku, representing the Masons Guild, came running urgently without even minding his slaves, the guild craftsmen were puzzled. Why was a guy who would sooner die than abandon the sedan chair carried by his slaves in such a state?

“The Emperor’s envoy is here!”

“What? Which Emperor?”  

“It must be the Holy Empire. Why would the old blind Empire send envoys to us? Anyway, Ariku, what’s with the fuss?”

“You idiot. . .”  

Ariku looked at them in disbelief. 

“Do you know the relationship between the new count and the Emperor and still say things like that? We were barely able to smooth things over, and now you want to make things worse by offending them? Everything we worked for, the hunts and everything else, could be ruined!”

“Ah. . . don’t you think you’re overworrying?”

“Mr. Ariku is right. This does call for some concern.”

The mistake on the day Johan arrived was barely smoothed over by blaming some unidentified stragglers, which Johan would hardly have taken happily. It was a matter of honor.  

And just when they’d barely patched that up, an imperial envoy had arrived. The townspeople wanted to weep. Why send an envoy so tactlessly? 

“Is His Excellency aware?”

“Of course it would have reached his ears! As if that could be called an arrival.” 

“No. It wasn’t noisy. They didn’t arrive like that.”  

“??”

The imperial envoy arrived without any noise?

To be precise, it wasn’t an officially sanctioned imperial envoy carrying a letter directly from the Emperor, but rather an envoy party sent by Viscount Ginolen, one of the Emperor’s proxies.  

And not even a formal envoy party at that. They had come quasi-officially, only to meet with certain people from Johan’s domain, visiting in the name of Ginolen’s house and several other houses.  

“They arrived quietly?”

“Out of consideration for the city’s situation. . . No, that’s unlikely.”  

That guess was quickly shot down by a craftsman’s derision. 

“They didn’t have the money.”

“Hahaha. . .”

The townspeople didn’t have an especially bad relationship with the viscount ruling a fiefdom across the sea under the Emperor. They engaged in trade, and would sometimes cooperate depending on circumstances.  

But business was business.  

The more the Emperor lost his mind and paid no attention here, the better for the city. They knew the viscount was in dire political straits lately.  

For him to barely send a shabby delegation like this, unable to afford the real thing. . . their laughter came naturally.  

“If they’ve come as personal friends rather than an official delegation, there’s no problem, is there?”

“I’m sure His Excellency the Count will be very understanding.”  

When someone sneered sarcastically, another craftsman shouted angrily.

“Who does this cheeky dyer think he’s talking to?”

“A craftsman who can’t even handle a single monster is mocking me?” 

“Quiet! This is no time to fight. Besides, even if they claim it’s not an official delegation, it clearly is. Our blustering means nothing.”

“Let’s just kick them out quietly.”  

The people nodded. If the viscount’s party didn’t want trouble, they would act carefully.  

Johan had barely been here long and was clearly a foreigner to the city.  

Since they were relaxing inside the keep where the delegation couldn’t discover them, if they just kicked them out quietly. . .

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

𝔞ẇ̇𝙚𝘣𝙨ṫ̇𝐨𝐫𝙞𝕖ṡ.𝔠𝚘𝚖

“Your Highness. There is incredible news. It seems the viscount has unofficially sent envoys.”  

“Oh my. Is there no one but you to tell me stuff like this?”

“The others’ loyalty isn’t as deep as my loyalty, is why.”  

The orc wearing emerald spectacles, Partutti, the representative of the Alchemists Guild, grinned wickedly.  

One thing Johan was careful about in dealing with the previous Count and gaining a foothold was the orcs. A wealthy and powerful group that had been mistreated. They were good targets for gaining loyalty.  

Furthermore, Johan showed his goodwill toward the orcs, having an orc scribe in the military encampment, starting with the Alarhim family.  

The intelligent orc families soon realized about the new Count’s actions! Surprisingly, he was well-disposed toward them!

Orcs were never really a popular race anywhere. As essentially atheists, they disliked any religion.  

“Actually, they didn’t tell me either.”  

“Oh my. Even though you represent a guild?”

“They’re ignorant fools who don’t even know what’s right.”  

Partutti spoke with characteristic orcish pride. It wasn’t for nothing that orcs had a bad reputation with other races for being unlucky, arrogant, and money-grubbing.  

“My spies have given me reports.”

“Quite ingenious. I don’t know why such an orc as yourself is so mistreated in this city.”  

“That’s what I’m saying!”

Though Partutti had met Johan only recently, he was already smitten as though reunited with a lifelong friend.  

This Count, soothing his itches and praising his remarkable intellect, what had he been up to before coming now?