Supply Manager: "..."
'- Weren't you a level 1 Swordsman? How can you have a storage ring, and why don't I have one??!!!! I've worked all my life on minimum wage and got my house only because of the housing allowance the state gave me. Guys like you… I think... You're a drug dealer, aren't you?!'
'I don't know why, but I feel like I should throw a shenanigan right now.'
"Don't move; wait for me here. I'll be right back."
'- This is not what I was ordered to do… I must ask for new instructions!'
After his words, the supply manager hurried away from the place.
Minutes later, he returned with an Adventurer at his side.
"It turns out there was an Adventurer who has yet to fill his inventory. You don't have to worry about carrying those boxes, Emir. He will do it for you."
"Oh, I see. That's good to hear."
I very kindly removed the boxes from my storage ring and positioned them in front of the Adventurer. I don't know why, but somehow, the boxes appear to form a leaning tower. At the slightest movement, they will fall over. Could it be my doing?
Then, very seriously, I said, "You must be very careful, since each box contains extremely valuable potions. If you drop one, you will have to pay for everything!"
'- Why do those words sound so familiar to me?'
Since the supply manager looked at me warmly, I smiled at him and approached him.
"Is there anything else that requires my help?"
"You have keen instincts… and, yes, you are right. Come, follow me."
The supply manager began to walk ahead of me, leading the way with a very polite face. And, indicating that I respect elders regardless of the class in their status, I followed him.
"Oops"
On the way, I slipped on a stone and nearly fell over. Luckily, the stone flew off, allowing me to balance at the last moment.
"F*****ck!!! The boxes!!!"
'Mm? Did I hear someone screaming? Nah, it must be my imagination.'
Wiping the dust off my hands, I smiled.
***
"Sorry for giving you this task, but we are too tightly staffed." The supply manager apologized.
In front of us is a stable with dozens of horses walking nearby. Each one of them seemed to have a special gleam in their eyes, indicating that they are smarter than the dumb horse Delia is taking care of.
And as for my homework...
"Don't worry! I'll take care of the horses as if they were your family!"
'- You're telling me horse face?! No, impossible. His smile is so kind and sincere that his words must not have had any double meaning. I must be thinking too much.'
Once the supply manager left, I returned my expression to normal.
"This stupid barn is full of horse poop!"
I've only been in this place a few seconds, and I've already lost my sense of smell. These guys seem to use this place as a punishment for those who misbehave. Something like 'Private Ryan, go clean the men's bathroom as punishment!' Just change the word bathroom to stable and men to horses, and the sentence would fit perfectly.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one comes near this place because of the smell, I check my inventory and keep all the poop in it!
'Nice! All neat. Haa. I know this is not a very adventurous job, but it's all for the sake of revenge! I'll be sure to return this offense to you at some point, Golden Lion Guild! I swear!'
Only now that it's all clean do I cross the fence and go over to the horses.
They are all well trained. Even as I approached them and petted them, none of them showed any resistance. Now, among the tasks to take care of them is the task of feeding them properly.
Although inside the barn there is a room with the sign 'Supplies', I don't want to do my task half-heartedly and commonly feed them. Because if I am going to feed them, it has to be in a big way!
For a few minutes, I walked around the outside of the barn, which is very close to the forest, looking for plants to feed them.
My search paid off when I found a very special plant.
"It won't hurt to eat Valerian roots, will it? I remember hearing that they are horse laxatives if they overeat... Nah! Rumors are never true."
'That the user interface calls them [Magic Valerians (Extremely Potent)] shouldn't matter much.'
After removing dozens of Valerians, I approached the stable.
At that very moment, the horses raised their heads; their noses moved at great speed, trying to sniff as if their lives depended on it. The next second, they all looked in my direction.
"Come on, come on. I won't be stingy!"
At my words, all the horses ran towards me. Luckily, I am outside the fence; otherwise, they would have run me over in their stampede.
"That's it. Eat, eat, eat, eat, my little time bombs. Muahahahaha"
I just gave them the roots to eat, but the horses opened their eyes wide as if they were eating dope.
*GRRR* *GRRRR*
In less than 5 minutes, all the horses finished eating, and at times their stomachs roared ferociously as if they had swallowed a lion.
'Hm, it must be their natural digestion process, right? Well, it's not my fault if something happens. I'm just a temporary worker.'
***
Sometime later, the supply manager came back.
"Emir, how did it go? Did you manage to finish the task-...?" He stopped his words midway.
The man looked around with his mouth open, unable to believe that the horse sty had turned into a real stable!
'- Holy Solus! Even the horses that couldn't stand still before are now calmly looking up at the sky... Wait, why does their look seem to say, 'I regret nothing!' ... N- Nah, it must be my imagination.'
After coming to his senses, he walked towards me.
"Good job, Emir. I would have never thought that you had so much experience taking care of horses."
"It's not a big deal; I just wanted to do my bit for the coming war, that's all," I say, smiling sincerely.
Supply Manager: "!!!!"
'- Could it be... Could it be that the guild master picked the wrong person? I can't believe that such a good man is an enemy!'
The supply manager was silent for a moment and then smiled back at me.
"I originally came all the way here to entrust you with another task, but never mind. I'll ask someone else to do it for you, so don't worry; go and get some rest."
"Are you sure? I still have plenty of strength to continue helping the guild."
"I'm sure. Now go, go; I'll take care of the rest." Without waiting for my reply, he lightly pushed me away from the place.
'Who would have thought it? The horse-faced manager is a nice person.'
When I go back to the area where the Golden Lion guild is gathered, along with the extra staff, I see that all are doing the finishing touches, either sharpening their weapons or arranging their armor to avoid any possible mistakes.
Since I am currently free, I approached the same group of young men I had breakfast with, pretending to sharpen my sword and fit my chainmail while talking to them.
About an hour later, Fabio, the Guild Master, stood before a podium and gave a speech to all present.
"The Castemira kingdom has always enjoyed greater freedom compared to the other kingdoms. Something as simple as a law to regulate taxes has greatly benefited our kingdom. Being able to buy or sell while knowing that you have the kingdom's backing gives undeniable confidence..."
His words quickly caught everyone's attention. Touching such a delicate subject as taxation attracted everyone's curiosity. It is impossible to deny his words. This kingdom has a great tax policy with which merchants cannot easily conspire, even if they wanted to.
Because of this, the prices of goods rarely rise or fall exorbitantly. They are always maintained over time.
His speech at some point changed by mentioning the difference between the Drial Cenit kingdom, in whose laws there are no stipulations regarding taxes. In other words, there is greater corruption among merchants.
He skillfully played with the words until, at last, I could understand the reason for his speech.
I just looked around, and patriotism went through the roof. If before everyone wished to fight the war between guilds because of the merits it would bring, now many will do so for the simple fact of representing their kingdom and their loved ones.
"...As for the Red Flag guild. Haa... There is very little relationship between its members. While we cannot deny that it is a guild in the middle category, there is a high mortality rate in their fights for power..."
Then he started to talk about the Golden Lion guild and the Red Flag guild.
'It's quite interesting to see how he trades black for white, making his guild look like a white dove and making his rivals look like evildoers in comparison. But well, I can't say that I've heard bad rumors about the Golden Lion guild. On the contrary, it seems to be one of the guilds that possesses greater prospects for the future… Unfortunately, it won't be for long.'