"Phew, I'm so tired," I said, as the work at the forge wasn't as difficult as I had imagined, considering they didn't let us work on anything significant. Nevertheless, sorting through old junk had become tedious. "Aileen, what are you planning to do? At this rate, we'll never finish."
The workday was coming to an end as we approached the mayor's house, yet the Imperial Engineer seemed lost in deep thought.
"Don't worry; everything will be fine. We won't have to melt down all this crockery; we'll just give it the proper shape. Luckily, everything except the knives isn't made of steel, so we won't need to temper it again. We'll simply heat them until they're malleable and reshape them."
"But don't you think that not everything can be melted and remade? Many of these items have been lying in that cellar for too long, covered in thick layers of dirt and rust."
"Oh, don't fret about that; I'm already thinking about how to clean them. Hopefully, someone here has a moonshine still."
"What?"
"Yes, I'll modify it a bit, and we'll get the necessary reagents. Also, we'll need a strong press and a material for the mold that's heavy and sturdy enough."
"Ask the blacksmith for adamantine; if you flatter him a bit, he might give you some."
"Hmm, that's a good idea. I also noticed a waterwheel at that miser's place; we should discreetly connect it to a drive so we have energy for the press."
"I think if you explain everything in more detail, I might be able to help you with its construction."
"Alright, I'll sketch out a diagram for you. Tomorrow, I'll need to search for the required fuel ingredients and a few other things."
Aileen was genuinely invested in this seemingly trivial task, even though we could have completed a significant portion of the work the old-fashioned way.
"Hey, Lady Imperial Guard, why are you putting in so much effort for a task that was clearly given to us as a mockery?"
"Huh?" The girl stopped and gazed up at the sky. "Anyone can create something brilliant with all the latest technology, but building a flying ship using a hammer and chisel—that's something only a genius can do. I want to see what I can achieve with your primitive technology; maybe then I can compare myself to Trin in terms of talent."
"Haha, I see you've set high goals for yourself. Well, you can count on my help."
"Mainly for your brute physical strength; I doubt I can expect any real assistance from you."
"How rude," I grimaced, but deep down, I knew she was right. "Well, we've finally arrived."
We opened the door to the city hall, where a few of our comrades had already gathered, awaiting the evening feast. Two of them were even sprawled on the table, too engrossed to even greet us.
"Algo, Leira, what's gotten into you?"
Without lifting her head, the noblewoman murmured softly, "Children can be horribly active."
"I don't know how I'll survive the next day," Algo greeted us in a similar manner.
"I see you're having fun here," apart from this couple, Kurone, Katrina, Grain, and Ragni were already present. "I wonder how Rizel will cope with her task."
"Well, I don't think the children will cling to her with questions," Ragni chuckled mischievously. "Katrina, how did you handle your assignment?"
"Not bad, they actually separated me from everyone else," the princess sighed sadly. "But I found this work useful for training my magic."
"Scary to think what method you used. Please, princess, don't demolish the factory!"
"Everything will be fine; I didn't do much."
"And where are the others?"
"I went to get Levris, but she said she would be delayed," Grain answered my question. "As for Rizel, she seems to have some event planned, so she might be staying behind occasionally."
"And where are our young pastry chefs?"
"Um," Grain nervously glanced around. "They're in there experimenting with something in the kitchen, seems like they're coming up with new recipes for the bakery. I just hope they won't force-feed us."
"Come on, don't be such a pessimist; we always have Ragni to rely on."
"Huh? Are you putting it all on me again? Fine, but if I get food poisoning, I'll haunt you in your nightmares!!"
The kitchen door swung open, and two girls in aprons emerged, carrying large trays.
"Here we are! Time for tasting," everyone slowly stepped back, and Vina frowned in disapproval. "Stop right there! Where do you think you're going?! Don't think one Ragni will be enough for me."
"I'm afraid there's no escape for us," shedding a few manly tears, I turned to my comrades. "I was glad to have the chance to work with all of you."
I bravely stepped forward, shielding my comrades with my chest from the impending threat.
"Well, here's our first volunteer, hehehe," with a devilish grin, Vina approached me with a small pastry. "Eat it without hesitation."
"KRITO!!!," Katrina theatrically raised her hands, bidding me farewell on my final journey.
An hour later, the door swung open, and the lively Levris entered; it seemed she was the only one satisfied with her work.
"Hmm? What's all this?" The teacher surveyed the battlefield between the stomachs and the first culinary experience.
"As expected, not all the presented samples are suitable for consumption," Vina pondered while rubbing her chin thoughtfully, inspecting the casualties.
"Don't be so categorical. You can still use about six or seven of the specimens in your shop, another two could come in handy if you need to eliminate competitors, and the last three will be useful if there's a shortage of building materials for the bridge construction."
"Hey, not everything was that bad; stop pretending. The last batch just got a little burnt."
"Hehehe, I see you're having a great time here," a voice came from the corner, where a girl concealed herself under a black cloak.
"Rizel!? I didn't even hear you come in." After Levris, it seemed no one else entered, meaning she arrived while we were in the midst of tasting.
"Oh, I've been here for a while, didn't want to distract you from your interesting activity."
"How sweet. You could have taken our place during the tasting of the most dangerous types."
"Oh, no, don't say that. Although poisons don't affect me, I can still taste, so I preferred not to participate in that."
"Ah, our kind and caring Necromancer," I shook my head. "Tell us, how was your first day as a teacher? Did all the students run away, or did you disguise yourself?"
"Huh? Well, I dressed in a less frightening outfit, although I don't think there was anything particularly scary about my usual clothes. But after what I learned from my students, I don't think it's wise to show up before them in my regular attire and use my real name."
"Riz, is something wrong?" Katrina grew concerned for her friend.
"Well, nothing too serious, but I didn't expect this. Let me tell you everything."
Once again, we settled around the table, and the necromancer began her tale.
"It happened during the last class. It was an hour when I had to help the children with their questions they didn't understand and also prepare them for the upcoming festival. I knew I couldn't avoid questions about the Academy, but their queries were quite unexpected."
"Did they treat you poorly because you're a student at the Academy?"
"No, unlike most residents, the children regard Academy students as heroes, ahem," Rizel chuckled and paused for a moment. "It's because of the stories about the adventures of Academy heroes, which have become popular among common folk recently."
"What stories? I haven't heard anything like that," Katrina was puzzled.
"That's precisely the point; these stories are mostly spread outside the Academy, among ordinary people. Tales of great heroes traveling the world, fighting monsters, and helping common folk."
"But isn't that just a regular job for guilds? All students have been doing that before. What's changed?"
"I asked them the same question, and they genuinely surprised me by saying that these heroes fight for anyone who asks, no matter how strange the monster they face. And they charge as much as people can afford, not demanding extra if the task turns out to be more dangerous than expected."
"Why does this sound familiar?" A bad premonition began to form in my mind. "What kind of feats have they accomplished?"
"They saved a small village from dragon attacks, defeated a swamp monster, stopped an imperial army with just ten of them, and so on."
"Huh?" Katrina began to frantically think, comparing this record of service with her acquaintances. "You don't mean?"
"I also asked what they know about these heroes. Here's their response," the Necromancer took out a notebook from under her cloak, showing her notes. "They're all members of the same guild, consisting of both highborn nobles and poor commoners. They're all friends and work together splendidly."
"If you think about it, there's something special in that. For children from poor families, whom the nobles usually treated as servants at best, it sounds like a fairy tale," I glanced at our princesses, who were peacefully conversing with me, Kurone, Vina, and Algo, regardless of our origins.
"And here's the main thing!" Rizel raised her index finger emphatically. "In the guild, there's a brave but naive Guild-Master; a sullen and lazy deputy; a cute but gluttonous dragoness; a large and kind earth mage; a quiet and modest treasurer; an irritable but loyal lightning sorceress with her brave bodyguard; a beautiful and fiery sorceress; a kind and skilled earth magic teacher who is also an excellent cook; a powerful and mysterious necromancer; a not-so-assertive golem, and a kind, beautiful, and intelligent trade master."
It seems all the descriptions matched, but some were clearly embellished. Paying little attention to the conversation, Vina sat peacefully leafing through a recipe book. Only when everyone's gaze fell on her did she decide to join in.
"Well, what is it?"
"Doesn't it seem to you that someone received overly flattering reviews from people, or everyone?" We all nodded in agreement to my remark.
"Well, okay, it's my doing," Vina shrugged. "But what did you expect? You hardly promote your brand at all."
"Why did you do this? Now I'll feel awkward stepping outside the Academy," Katrina blushed with embarrassment.
"It's just a marketing move. If you continue to perform tasks like this, you won't see any new income in the treasury next year, except for treasure hunting," Vina replied.
"We are doing just fine with the tasks, and we don't do it for the money," Katrina defended.
"It's easy for you to say, princess," Vina narrowed her eyes disdainfully. "But not everyone has such a bright future as you. So I think about earning for everyone. If our guild becomes known throughout the country, we'll receive more individual orders, and they pay better. Or do you mean to say that the fame of your victory over one of the most terrifying swamp monsters, the one-on-one battle with the dragon, and the confrontation with the empire, is not worthy of respect?"
"No, but other guilds don't enjoy such fame. It will make me feel awkward."
"You clearly don't know the world around you, princess. Guild services are very expensive, so they are usually hired by feudal lords or wealthy merchants for protection or hunting down particularly troublesome monsters. That's why orders placed by small villages are often dangerous and poorly paid, and they might end up gathering dust on the job board. After all, the Hydra quest was there for over a year, and despite the decent payment, it wasn't worth the risk. A respectable feudal lord would offer three times as much. Katrina, even if you don't understand it, what you did, fighting against such monsters almost for free for common people, was a real feat."
"What? Alfred actually stooped so low?! He already has sufficient funding, why did he extort money from the villagers!?" Katrina seethed with anger.
"I don't know, even back then, I considered changing the guild. I didn't want to deal with that scum anymore. But when I was with Alfred, I often overheard his conversations with Miguel and Milena. He was determined to make his guild the best in the Academy, no matter what. I don't know why he needed it, considering he never saw himself as a Guild-Master."
"Hmph. Arrogant man," Katrina clenched her fists, as if she knew his hidden motives.
"That's why I hired a few people, mostly messengers working in the Academy, to travel around the country and spread stories about our deeds in all cities. I didn't even have to embellish the tales; you impressed everyone with your adventures."
"Oh, really? Oh, most magnificent, kindest, and wisest trade master, Lady Vina," I intentionally stretched each word, trying to press her pride.
"Okay, okay, I might have embellished a little, but nobody else came up with this idea, and I used my official position," Vina said.
"And that's not all, they're planning to put on a show at the upcoming festival with a scene of battling a black dragon. After looking at their script, I realized that many stories are horribly distorted," Rizel sighed heavily. "The brave princess rushed to defend the city's inhabitants oppressed by the dreadful monster, and while the lazy assistant distracted the dragon, she dealt the victorious blow."