Chapter 22: The Guild’s Impartiality  

After seeing Sean off, Velrian leaned in with a smile.  

“Planning something?”  

“Hm?”  

“To expose the guild’s lie, you need solid evidence. You deliberately mentioned gear and antidotes, didn’t you? Hinting at that noble boy to catch them red-handed?”  

Mistaking a minor beast for a calamity-level crystal rock centipede wasn’t a mistake the adventurers’ guild would make.  

From the start, they were out to scam money.  

Reporting low-tier beasts as high-tier ones was a common tactic across guilds—tried and true, with little accountability.  

For one, the guild monopolized beast subjugation. Most people, even nobles, lacked the expertise to identify specific beast subspecies, leaving them open to being fleeced.  

Even if caught, it was useless. 

The guild had countless excuses: mistaken identification, destroyed beast remains leaving no proof, or “we’re reviewing, please wait” while dragging it out for years.  

At best, you’d get an apology and compensation—then they’d do it again.  

Pursuing accountability? 

Dream on.  

But this time was different.  

Claiming to hunt a crystal rock centipede but using gear and antidotes for lesser beasts? 

If caught, it’s undeniable proof.  

“You’re stirring conflict between the guild and the lord?”  

Eze smirked and shrugged.  

“That’s harsh. I’m not stirring anything—their conflict’s old news. I’m just giving it a nudge to break open.”  

“How so?”  

Sean Edgar, 19, eldest son. Inherited the family headship six months ago after his father’s death.

Young but sharp, he kept other nobles’ influence out of the Tafia.  

Two younger brothers, one sister, a childhood sweetheart fiancée with a good relationship. 

Enjoys horseback riding and chess, knows some noble swordsmanship but lacks combat experience, prefers Saint Feller wine from the southern Empire, and in kingdom faction disputes, he leans toward… hm? 

What’s with that look? 

Seeing Velrian’s exasperated expression, Eze, mid-ramble, stopped.  

“Eze, into guys?”  

“What?”  

“Into pretty boys like him? Stalking to dig up every detail, even their underwear? Sorry, instead of a maid, I should’ve made you a butler…”  

“What nonsense is in your head?”  

Eze waved dismissively, annoyed.  

“It’s part of a backup plan. If we didn’t beat you at Anlin Plain, we’d retreat to Tafia to regroup. To ‘negotiate’ better then, I gathered intel. Know your enemy, right?”  

Who’d have thought that prep would come in handy now?  

“Anyway, my intel says Sean Edgar has a terrible relationship with the local adventurers’ guild.”  

“Why?”  

Eze shrugged.  

“Tafia’s a frontline against demons, with plenty of strong beasts from their territory—a major cash cow for the guild.  

Taking advantage of a new lord still finding his footing, they’ve jacked up subjugation fees. Cases like this—reporting low-tier beasts as high-tier for massive profits—are common.”  

In this rigidly hierarchical noble world, only the adventurers’ guild achieved true equality.  

Commoner or wealthy noble, they’d bleed you dry without mercy.  

In a way, it was almost admirable.  

“Lord Edgar’s been itching to rein in the guild. Give him even a small opening, and he won’t let it slip. I didn’t need to say much—a hint was enough.”  

This way, it’d look unrelated to Eze, reducing risks.  

“Your goal?”  

Eze casually scratched his hair.  

“Goal? Obvious, isn’t it? The guild’s people messed with me yesterday—I’ve got to hit back. Plus, cozying up to the local bigshot—what’s not to like?”  

Not entirely true.  

In reality, Eze wanted to know what the local guild was scheming.  

A town’s strongest adventurer team deliberately targeting a random restaurant? 

That kind of high-effort, no-reward move had to hide some big plot.  

So, using the lord to stir trouble was a way to shake the tree and see what fell out.  

As for Velrian, Eze still didn’t fully trust her, so no need to spell out his little scheme.  

He looked at her, shifting the topic:  

“Enough about that—what are “you” scheming?”  

Velrian blinked innocently.  

“Hm? About what?”  

“Don’t play dumb. I mean this fake couple nonsense!”  

“Oh, that? It’s for the disguise, obviously. A young man and woman living together—what’s a better cover than husband and wife?”  

“There are tons! Butler, guard, attendant—plenty of options. Why “spouse”?”  

One lie needs more to cover it.  

But lies vary—some Eze could tell without blinking, others made his sanity plummet.  

From now until they leave Tafia, they’d have to keep this couple from acting in public, or risk trouble.  

Just thinking about it gave Eze a headache.  

“No way.”  

The ever-smiling witch suddenly turned serious, firmly rejecting his argument.  

“You broke the spell on me, making you my benefactor. Treat my benefactor like a servant? I’d rather have died back then!”  

“It’s just acting.”  

And what’s wrong with being a butler, attendant, or guard? Better than his old situation.  

Hero? Even a dog wouldn’t do it—ptui!  

“Acting’s not okay either!!”  

Velrian, seeming genuinely upset, shut Eze down with an unyielding tone.  

Speechless, Eze thought for a moment and pivoted.  

He sighed, speaking earnestly:  

“Listen, I’m no savior. Back at Anlin Plain, my sword was meant to kill you, not save you. Saving you was just a fluke.”  

“So?”  

“So… you don’t have to do this…”  

For the first time, Velrian looked impatient, cutting him off.  

“You saved me, period. That’s enough!”  

Eze had nothing left to say. Her sincerity made his distrust waver, pricking his conscience.  

In the silent stare-down, Velrian seemed to recall something.  

“You don’t want to play a couple—because of that woman? The one who called herself your fiancée?”  

The “woman” was, of course, Heidi.  

Technically, she was Eze’s fiancée, backed by official documents.  

Mentioning her, Velrian’s face showed a trace of disdain:  

“Forget her. She’s just using you, PUA-ing you.”  

“Well, it’s a long story.”  

Eze sighed softly, his expression turning complex.  

After a moment’s thought, feeling a bit deflated, he shook his head with a wry smile:  

“I’m kinda hungry. Can we have lunch first?”