Nork knew his luck had to be extremely bad. First the kid and now this. Upper ranks of different guilds were shrouded in secrecy for a good reason. No guild wanted to show all the cards they held to the others. And here in front of him was someone who rivaled his own guild's echelon and was technically qualified to challenge for a Vanguard spot! This was someone he could not afford to offend at any cost.
Jynx chuckled at Nork being visibly shaken. "Oh my, oh my… you saw the armband, didn't you? What a shame. I was hoping to see what you'd let out. Oh well." Jynx moved his staff and backed up. He went to slightly tap his staff on Haruto. "Stay still as the mana reconstructs your body, you reckless boy." He winked at Haruto again, and Haruto felt slightly awkward by this.
As he slowly healed, Nork tried to slip out, and when he turned, he bumped into the man who was suddenly no longer next to V and was now standing in his path, smiling. Nork immediately looked toward the armband and saw the diamond insignia. His luck really couldn't be that bad.
The man was none other than the Guild Master of Orion's Heart. Yet another member he could not afford to offend. The man tipped his hat to Jynx, who flamboyantly started waving at him.
"Well, well… Nork, you've caused quite the pickle." The man had scruffy facial hair, a leather vest, and rough exterior pants. He wore riding boots with the ensemble. As Haruto lifted himself up, he looked at the new arrival and thought he was seeing things. "Is that a cowboy?" The man was dressed exactly like one, and he figured they had to be important by how Nork was no longer acting high and mighty.
Sneed, seeing everything take place, wanted no part and quickly tried to escape. "Not so fast, tiger." V was now in front of the man, smiling. Sneed looked toward her arm and saw the number 1. What terrible luck! The Guild Master, Rank 1, and Rank 2 of the Orion's Heart guild all here together! That damn brat was a beacon for bad luck. If Sylvie was present, she could have warned them of Haruto's penchant for getting himself into situations.
Haruto, finally healed enough to stand, stood up slowly and felt a lot better. As he did, the cowboy started to scold Nork.
"Causing a public disturbance, involving civilians in a magic fight, not initiating your Mana Dome for a proper duel, and not to mention…" He leaned in closer to Nork, "picking a fight with one of Vanguard Serena's newest warlords… Tsk tsk, what would she do to you three if she found out about this little indiscretion? You know how she feels about cowardly acts. In fact, she even recently cut off two of the initiates' heads to prove a point. What do you think she'd do to you three who blatantly disregarded Warlord rules?"
Nork almost wet himself even at the mention of Serena's name, and now he found out she cut off someone's head!
"Now I can let all this slide…" Nork saw he had a devilish grin and wasn't looking forward to the next part. "…But you must pay the price. You three will pay your next three months' salary to that woman and her child for your harassment." Nork almost choked. That came out to almost 90,000 Coins! They had all bought their weapons on loan and borrowed money from the guild to pay the fees. This wouldn't have been as bad, except they added the magic upgrade of the Vine beast, which tripled the price of each weapon. How would they pay the guild back now? They'd be working off the debt for the next year!
Brax crawled out of the crater just in time to hear this and instantly wanted to crawl back in. The brat really brought the worst luck to them all. He was like a walking calamity!
Nork, knowing he had lost, could do nothing but nod in agreement. He helped Brax out of the crater and grabbed Sneed. Before he left, he stopped and turned.
"Remember this, Guild Master… Kane may not be Guild Master anymore, but his teachings run deep. We are many more than you think. I'd watch my step if I were you. Because whether you're ready or not, all of your times will come." Nork and Sneed helped carry Brax and walked off as the crowd dispersed.
Haruto, now fully healed, heard this ominous warning from Nork and made a mental note of what he'd said.
"Well, now that the fun is over, I must be off, my wonderful boss. V, let's go! We have more shopping to do!"
V, hearing this, ran over. "Ok boss, see ya later." As Jynx turned to leave, he winked at Haruto, as did V, and they both walked off.
Haruto started to wonder if Dimitri had a hand in this. Why did he keep attracting these weirdo people? As he looked toward the cowboy, he noticed the man explaining the deal to the woman that he had struck. She immediately started to cry and thanked him. As they turned to leave, the cowboy turned and headed towards him.
"You! Come here!" Haruto couldn't imagine what he had done now.