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However, overpowered by the guild master’s intensity, I reluctantly nodded and listened.

「Where do I start… I suppose I’ll talk about that client first. Or I guess former client.」
「You mean the mother of the ill child?」
「That’s right. Those two, specifically the mother, will be banned from posting requests in the Hunter Guild from here on out. If someone ever posts a request in her stead, it’d be invalidated immediately upon discovery. Well, it’s the most we can do.」
「Wait, then―」
「That kid won’t be saved, you think?」

Anticipating my words, I nodded. If they can’t post a request, then it’ll be difficult for them to obtain the Rifolgo grass… I think. At the very least, it’s not something you could buy with money.
Even if there is some for sale, it’d still be at a price only accessible to wealthy people. However, if a request for the herb was posted in the hunter guild instead, there’s a chance that it’ll be answered. At the very least, the child hasn’t done anything wrong.

「But you know, we can’t risk sacrificing multiple lives just to save one kid. That’s how dangerous that request is. Naturally, it’s up to the hunter whether they’d accept a request and die as a result.
But will you gladly sacrifice 10 or more hunters just to save that kid?」
「That’s…」
「Moreover, they apparently don’t even know of a way to turn that herb into useful medicine. What if the kid doesn’t get saved anyway?
Still, that’s none of our concern. The problem is that she was going to force low-rank hunters―students at that―to do a request that’s dangerous even for high-rank hunters. I don’t know about other branches, but at the very least, that’s not how we do things in Royal Capital Ausente.」

In other words, the mother turning to us was the last straw. But that’s a trivial issue; at the very least, I’m still alive right now.

「You don’t think that’s not a problem, do you?」
「How did you…」
「It’s written all over your face. It might not sound like a big deal for you, but what if it was a classmate of yours instead? What if she just got a random student, only telling them that she needs a certain medical herb? I tried talking to the woman, but she’s no good. She’s the type that only believes in what she wants to. Moreover, she interprets your words in a way convenient for her perspective.
*It’s just a plant,* she said. When she should already know that it’s not something you can get just by having money.」

I feel cold sweat running down my back. I didn’t even consider what the mother would have done after that.
But that made me recall being taught a similar lesson. That was, yes, about bandits. That I should kill the bandits I encounter bandits I can.
When I heard that, I thought that was too much. So I asked if beating them up would be enough to make them reflect on their actions.

That person, with a completely straight face, then told me, 「Then your family might be the ones attacked next.」 The people who resort to banditry wouldn’t reform from mere punishment, they said; overlooking them would only result in other people being attacked. While I thought that killing them was excessive, I was also told that capturing them is fine too, but I’d need to be strong to be able to capture them safely.

「Besides, while the kid is afflicted with a heavy illness, they don’t even need something as expensive as Rifolgo grass to cure it. A kid needing Rifolgo won’t be healthy enough to walk outdoors to begin with.
And yet, for whatever reason, the woman has it in her head that only Rifolgo grass could cure her son.」

*’She feeling like a tragic heroine or something?’* The guild master grumbled. Hearing that, perhaps we should’ve asked for more information like Shelate contemplated.
However, if there’s a cheaper cure available, then we should be able to help them out.

「From what I saw, the medicine that can cure the sick kid should be around 6-7 gold coins in terms of price. In short, if she could afford the reward she posted, she should be able to afford the cure. I already told them that, so don’t involve yourselves any more.
If you even try helping her, we’ll need to think about what to do with your party.」
「… Understood.」

As long as the child is saved, I have no complaints.

「Is that what you meant by penalizing us?」
「Nah. Well, you’re not wrong, but that’s not all.」
「There are other things?」

While I reluctantly agree on the matter with the mother, I don’t remember doing anything else.
However, the guild master looked at me with exasperation.

「Normally, I wouldn’t be this meddlesome… But you’ve wedged yourselves too much into other hunters’ affairs. A fight, I could turn a blind eye to, but you just did one thing I can’t ignore.」
「Wedged ourselves, what!?」
「Normally, I’d just observe how things go the first time around and have guild staff caution you afterwards. And this is your first offense. If you mess up a second time, you’ll be penalized.」
「What did I even do!?」
「You made another hunter take a request.」

Unable to understand what the guild master meant, I tilt my head.
What’s wrong with a hunter having to accept a request?

「Snatching a request that another hunter was eyeing, that’s fine. It’ll cause a problem, but it’s not ours to handle.
However, forcing someone else to accept a request they don’t want to―that’s a different story.
To put it simply… You and your party will go to Central ASAP and bring back the material of a monster from the 50th strata of the den. Guild master’s orders.」
「What are you talking about!? There’s no way we can do that!」
「Right? That’s why you shouldn’t force another hunter to take a request.」
「But Ailneige had the Rifolgo grass…」
「It was lucky that she did, but apparently, there was no confirmation on whether she had it or not at the time. I’m told that the little lady was just staring at the requests when the woman suddenly cornered her. Now what would she have done if she didn’t have it?」
「If she didn’t have it, she could have just said so.」
「She wanted to do that, but that woman didn’t give her a chance to speak.
Back to the original topic, you should never force another to accept a request. That’s a rule. The only exception to this are emergency requests given by the guild. No matter how trivial the request, even if it was successfully completed, we can’t allow it; otherwise, it’ll set a terrible example.」

I can understand what he’s saying. Rules must be adhered to. They must, but people’s lives are irreplaceable. Perhaps the dissatisfaction was seeping from my face, as the guild master added on.

「If human life needs to be prioritized, then I guess the church should be healing people at the brink of death for free.」

Shocked, I turned to Shelate. Her eyes were downcast and she looked uncomfortable. Speaking strictly on Shelate’s behalf, she would never take money after healing a person dying right before her eyes. Not only that, I’ve seen her use sorcery on children with minor wounds and old people in pain without asking for compensation many times before. However, the church as a whole isn’t like that.

「In the first place, your party probably didn’t consider this at all, but that little lady likely planned to use the Rifolgo grass herself. Which is why she wasn’t willing to accept the request in the beginning.」
「T-that shouldn’t be―…」

Being told this, I finally realized. I wanted to argue against it, but I just couldn’t. After all, we never heard her side.
It wasn’t that lady that we didn’t ask about; we didn’t ask Ailneige’s circumstances either.

「I need to apologize…」
「And what? Can you get her a replacement for the Rifolgo grass?」
「I can’t, but―!」

Overwhelmed by the consequences of my own actions, 「In that case, it’d be better to just forget it. At least that’s what I think,」 the guild master’s response didn’t reach my ears.