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「Grandmaster, why do you favor that girl so much?」
「That personage is the child of Mistress Fiiyanamia, the owner of Central’s lands. What’s wrong with favoring her?」
「We as the Hunter Guild shall not bow even to royalty, but instead engage with them as equals! Isn’t that our ironclad rule!?」

A relatively young member of the Hunter Guild executive staff passionately protested to me.
Ever since I became the grandmaster, I have been in many situations similar to this. Moreover, what this youngster is saying isn’t necessarily mistaken.
Fundamentally, the Hunter Guild doesn’t serve under the flag of any particular nation. We did not involve ourselves in national issues, as we were committed to our major role of keeping monster-related damage from spreading.

However, a change of policy happened during the time of the grandmaster before me, and nowadays, we have gained various other roles to play.

For example, we now also serve as a receptacle for outcasts and abandoned children.
As long as you can move your body, the Hunter Guild will accept you.
Those who live in the slums are no exception, and there were surely many who were able to resist turning to criminal acts for survival because they see a possible future in becoming a hunter.

People of those sorts do not have a high survival rate, and there are many cases of them overextending and losing their lives over the prospects of gaining more money.
It’s not like I have no sympathy for these youths, but from the nations’ perspective, not only does it prevent outcasts from committing crimes; if they find success, it aids the economy; if they fail, it’s one less mouth to feed.

All I’m saying is that the world doesn’t work only on pure niceties.

The Hunter Guild does make an effort to reduce casualties, but in the end, it all depends on the hunters themselves. There are also times when one must overextend themselves in order to survive. If we try to extend aid to every single hunter in dire straits, it will then be the guild itself that will be unable to survive.

All this aside, it’s a completely different story in regards to Lady Cielmer, but I should have already explained this before.

「Everything the Hunter Guild has done against Lady Cielmer. If you are able to compensate for all of it, then I’d be willing to hear you out.
Besides, there shouldn’t be any issues with giving some special treatment to our high-ranked hunters, isn’t there?」
「That’s… I know, but…」

He wanted to say something but decided to back down, so I will not pursue this topic any further. I can understand this youngster’s sentiments, but as long as we don’t act unwise, it’s all needless worries.

In short, he fears Lady Cielmer.

Climbing to A-rank—though I believe she has power befitting S-rank—at such a young age, she has previously swept the anti-Fiiyanamia faction in a sea of blood as though to flaunt her power.

If Mistress Fiiyanamia had an ambitious will, it wouldn’t be impossible for them to take over the Hunter Guild as their own.
If that ever happens, it could be a threat to his life and status.
Even if that’s not the case, they still have the power and influence to demand an executive position in the Hunter Guild if they so desire. Being in an executive position is known to enable one to live a lifestyle equal to that of nobility in foreign lands, and many aim to become one.
For this reason, he must want to snip any buds of uncertainty as early as possible.

Even if this action is not only meaningless but actually counterproductive, it’s in the nature of humans to wish for certainty.

Though I suppose wishing to be away from fearsome beings is not something limited to humans.
Rather, humans do also have the capacity to accept even those they fear. Otherwise, it would not have been possible for a former S-rank hunter such as myself to have become a grandmaster.

S-rank hunters have a clear line delineating them from A-rank hunters.
To reach that pinnacle, one must not only have their Job be compatible with their talents, but they must also devote themselves to improving many times more than their contemporaries.
I am no sorcerer, but it is said that sorcerers who have achieved magic are those who can become S-rank.
As S-rank hunters are such existences, people often see them as monsters and also as oddballs.

You can say that being idiosyncratic is part of being an S-rank hunter.
And that’s not different in the case of Lady Cielmer.

She has an extreme lack of interest in others.
She has no interest in the praise of others or in gaining influence; she values being able to walk her own path the most.
She shows no mercy on those obstructing her, but she also appears to be the type who wouldn’t start a ruckus unless bothered first.
And while I have yet to interact with her much, it’s safe to assume that Lady Ainsel is similar in that regard.

From my impression of her, Lady Ainsel seems to have a strong sense of wariness towards her surroundings.

There is no possibility of those two ever wanting to be Hunter Guild executives.
But I suppose one cannot know this without meeting them in person.
And even if there was an opportunity to meet the two, there’s still a chance of reaching a mistaken conclusion due to preconceived biases and lack of experience.

Even without this, it’s clear as day that favoring Lady Cielmer objectively brings great benefit to the Hunter Guild, and I cannot praise him for ignoring this fact.
However—… I just realized that I’ve been contemplating a youngster’s mindset once again. Is this due to my age or simply my natural disposition?
But if I have to say one thing, it’s that I will not change my treatment of Lady Cielmer.

This is yet another learning experience, youngster. As I was musing to myself, the girl in question seems to have arrived.
With the black hair, it must be Lady Ainsel. That’ll honestly help make the discussion flow easier… Would it be disrespectful of me to think so?

◇◇◇

「How rare of you to come visit, Lady Ainsel.」
「If I don’t start being active soon, my existence won’t be recognized.」
「That’s true. After all, while Lady Cielmer’s name has become well-known, your name have yet to known to the public.」

As we chatted, I sat down on the seat opposite Lady Ainsel’s.
Being face-to-face like this, I can immediately tell the difference between the two.
Her way of talking is different, of course, but so is her gaze towards me and caution towards her surroundings. Lady Ainsel has a much softer demeanor, but I find it more tense to interact with her.

How should I describe it? Lady Ainsel feels even more contradictory than Lady Cielmer.
It’s as if I’m facing a cunning old sorcerer and a fearful little girl at the same time, as if I’m before a mighty being, yet I feel no threat from her, but my instincts continue to tell me that I cannot win.
According to Mistress Fiiyanamia, Lady Ainsel can apparently rival her power in a particular field of expertise, so my instincts are unlikely to be wrong.

If I were a sorcerer, I might have been able to discern the answer behind her contradictions, but I only have a limited understanding of sorcery.

Nonetheless, I do understand that it must have taken extraordinary effort for Lady Ainsel to be where she is at her age.
And that deserves admiration and respect.

This time, it seems like we have the interlude narrator mic passed to the grandmaster! A Hunter Guild one-two combo, if you will. And the conversation with our girls will be on the menu for next week.

Quite interesting how this work’s Hunter Guild only recently had a shift to increased philanthropic (?) policies. As well as the fact that this shift actually happened at all. In many other isekai works, the adventurer guilds are just… well, not given that much thought, to be honest. It’s just the way it is, anyone can join just because. Which is not particularly bad, it’s just workable. And in other cases, it’s either the protagonist who changes the guild for the better, or the guild master of their generation, and it’s part of the main plotline. The young executive protesting to the grandmaster is really lucky that he isn’t part of the main plotline, lol. *So far*.

Also, it’s interesting how many people see Ain’s neuroticism seeping out of her composed front. Though it’s been mostly older people, now that I think about it.

Now then, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please feel free to comment. Stay healthy, stay safe, and have a nice day~!