"So you want to send some of our best talents to the Containment Department?"
Carmen Johansberg, the Section Chief of the Hoarde department, raised his brow as he looked at the Guild Master. He was really struggling to understand what the Guild Master's intentions were with this.
...And that made him extremely cautious.
While Carmen was the Section Chief of one of the most powerful departments within the entire guild, he was still extremely cautious of the friendly-looking man before him.
He, of all people, knew the true nature of the Guild Master.
Though he wore a friendly smile, it was nothing more than a carefully maintained facade. No Guild rose to such prominence without making sacrifices and staining their hands in the process.
Behind the clean and friendly smile were hands that were filled with nothing but blood.
"Yes, that's correct," the Guild Master continued with that friendly smile of his, "That's all you'll have to do. Just send a few of your best talents. Pick whoever you want, and we'll have them interact with those of the Containment Department. Have them perform there to see if it's truly as easy as you think it is."
The room fell silent once again, all eyes focused on the smiling Guild Master.
"...You don't have to send all your talents at once. We can have it happen by department. Or each of you can just send one or two talents each. It doesn't particularly matter, right?" The Guild Master asked, turning his attention towards the haggard-looking Section Chief of the Containment Department.
"Uh... Yeah, sure. It doesn't really matter."
Carmen frowned as he watched the man's nonchalant expression and the ease with which he addressed the Guild Master, doing his best to mask the flicker of displeasure tightening his features.
'Annoying bastard.'
While Carmen did believe that the Containment Department of their Guild was the least useful of all their departments, providing the least profits and results, the main reason for such thoughts was the lazy-looking figure beside the Guild Master.
He couldn't understand it.
What did the Guild Master see in him to treat him so well?
None of the other Section Chiefs even dared to think of treating the Guild Master the way that he did. So... nonchalantly and so unprofessionally.
Not only that, but he also hardly brought any results.
How could any of the Section Chiefs like him?
He was a cancer to them. A cancer that threatened to topple the entire Guild over if not handled correctly.
"So...? I have yet to receive an answer. What do you think?"
Hearing the Guild Master's voice again, Carmen turned towards the other Section Chiefs. They all appeared to have their own thoughts on the matter, but in the end, they all turned to the Guild Master and nodded.
"I'll let Christian know. He'll go down to the Containment Department when this starts."
"...I'm on board as well."
"Same."
In the end, the only one that was left was Carmen, who remained silent as he watched the others agree.
Feeling everyone's gaze, Carmen eventually relented as well.
"I'll do so as well."
"Goo—"
"But!"
Carmen cut off the Guild Master before he could start speaking as he looked straight at him in the eye. Although he feared and respected the Guild Master, there were certain things that had to be done.
"If our talents can excel in the Containment Department, I wish for you to allocate the budget towards our departments. If even people who aren't trained to handle such gates can clear it, I don't see how we should waste money on their department."
His words were met with a bout of silence as everyone looked at him in surprise.
But then—
"That's a good idea."
"...Yes, I agree with this."
"I also think this is a great idea."
With all of the Section Chiefs keen on the idea, the Guild Master could only smile.
"Alright, as you wish."
He waved his hand lightly.
"I'll agree on your terms. If you can truly prove to me that the Containment Department doesn't deserve the budget increase, I'll listen to you. I'll reward them with something else if that's truly the case."
"Understood."
Carmen lowered his head, a thin smile forming on his lips.
That moment marked the start of the agreement
***
News of the exchange rapidly spread throughout the Guild.
There was not one single person who didn't hear or talk about it. This was especially massive for those within the Containment Department.
Although... it wasn't for the greatest of reasons.
"....Ugh, fuck."
With both her feet on her desk, Zoey groaned.
With her phone dangling down her hand, her head rolled around the back of her seat as her eyes settled over to Kyle, who was sitting next to her table, alongside a couple of other figures.
Of those, she managed to recognize Rowan talking to a couple of first years, who included Myles, alongside Terrance and a few others she couldn't quite recognize.
"Say something."
Zoey poked Kyle's thigh with her phone.
"Do you not care at all about the fact that they're sending those bastards over?"
"Hm?"
Looking at her, Kyle cocked his head.
"Why should I care?"
"That's..."
Zoey didn't even know what to say. But then thinking about it, Kyle didn't really care to socialize with the people of the other departments. It was probably why he wasn't aware of how annoying they were.
Not only were those bastards arrogant, but they really thought their department was much harder than theirs.
Just thinking about the last interaction she had with them, Zoey's head throbbed.
"Oh, Seth!"
It was Kyle's words that brought her out of her thoughts.
Seth? Did he say Seth?
Her head snapped up at once, catching sight of a familiar figure approaching in the distance.
His posture was slightly hunched, and his face looked unusually pale. Most striking of all were the dark circles under his eyes, stark against his skin as he turned toward them, clutching what looked like a cup of coffee.
"Oh."
Even the way he sounded felt dead.
What sort of...
Kyle was the first to approach him, his expression somewhat concerned.
"Are you okay? You look...."
"It's... nothing."
Seth replied, his voice slightly hoarse.
"I'm fine."
He didn't look fine at all, Zoey thought. In fact, he looked like a walking zombie.
"...Just a lot of work."
Turning his head slightly, his eyes paused on Rowan, and his face flinched. This didn't escape Zoey's sight as she looked at Rowan, who sat upright, his entire presence radiating respect.
'???'
Did she miss something?
No, he did act strangely before, but it wasn't this strange.
Zoey squinted her eyes, feeling something amiss. Nevertheless, she quickly dismissed the thought as she adjusted her seating and pretended to do some work while secretly trying to peek in on the conversation between Seth and Kyle.
But...
Looking to her right, she also realized she wasn't the only one, with several others peeking at their conversation.
The fuc—
'So what have you been up to lately? I hardly see you these days.'
'Uh, ah... well, like I said. A lot of work.'
'Work? You have a lot of patients?'
'Not really.'
'Then...?'
'I'm developing a new gam—'
Clank!
The conversation was suddenly interrupted by the sound of something falling. Slowly, everyone's attention turned towards Terrance, whose face twitched.
He then forced a smile as he picked up his laptop and sat down, covering his face with both hands as he saw the massive crack spread on the screen. Zoey felt a little bit of pity for him, but not that much.
He made plenty of money.
Either way, looking at the others, it felt as though everyone was acting somewhat weirdly.
She couldn't quite put it into words, but it felt like everyone was somehow paying a lot of attention to Seth.
It almost felt like he had his own secret fan club.
'No, there's no way...'
Zoey tried to dismiss the thought, but her face sank when she saw the others looking at her weirdly.
Wha—
"Hm?"
Zoey's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a commotion.
Turning her head, her face quickly sank, alongside that of a few others, as several figures appeared in the distance.
"They're here."
She heard someone mumble, and her lips pursed.
Indeed, they were.
Those from the other departments.