Home/How to Survive in a Good Small Guild/ch 30

Chapter 30

The next day, I glanced at Morian, who was diligently working at his desk.

Morian seemed to be a fairly capable talent. Still, just in case, it would be wise to do some background checks—as befits an information guild.

I checked the address listed on Morian's documents. He lived near the guild, in the city center.

The rent must be quite expensive? Strange—if he had money, he wouldn't be working at our guild.

This point seemed suspicious, so I decided to look into it more closely.

"I'm going out for some fieldwork."

As I said that and stood up, I casually grabbed the ring I'd received from Latelle yesterday. Cedric looked at me with suspicious eyes.

"No, I'm really not going to make you work overtime... it was a joke... who in their right mind would use a one-time-use item for overtime! I'm just taking it just in case...!"

After offering him what felt like my umpteenth explanation, I stepped out of the guild. Alright, today let's find out more about Morian.

I went near the city center where Morian lived and loitered around the address listed on his documents.

No matter how I look at it, it's too nice of a house.

He was a bit older than me, but still, this was a villa that an ordinary twenty-something couldn't possibly afford.

I couldn't bring myself to go inside, so I was lingering near the villa when a middle-aged woman suddenly appeared and called out to me.

"Hey there, miss!"

"Y-yes?"

"Are you here to look at the house?"

"The house...?"

"Didn't you come after seeing the tenant recruitment notice?"

"Haha, yes, that's right."

Alright, since I'm here, I might as well take a detailed look inside the villa. It'd be awkward if word got back to Morian, but if I could keep this woman quiet...

Thinking that, I followed the middle-aged woman, and she led me inside the villa.

"I'm the owner of this villa. You look like the neat type who'd keep things tidy. You won't make a mess of the place."

"Haha, I suppose so... How much is it?"

"Deposit is 3 million pesos, monthly rent is 400,000 pesos."

"Oh? Is that so?"

That's strange—it's too cheap for a villa in the city center. You could find a place at this price? If I didn't have the house my parents left me, I'd be tempted myself at this rate.

"And monthly maintenance fees?"

"80,000 pesos per month."

"Why is the price so reasonable?"

"Right? As you saw on your way here, the transportation is great too. And the location is unbeatable."

"Yes, yes."

"It's perfectly safe for a young woman living alone too. There's a police station nearby, so patrols come by often."

"That's really nice."

As I nodded along with the middle-aged woman's words while walking down the hallway, I noticed something odd.

Why are there so many doors?

From the outside, the building didn't look like it had this many rooms.

Just then, the woman opened the door to one room. It seemed to be the one she was looking for a tenant for.

Soon, my jaw dropped at the sight before me.

"Th-this is..."

The hallway was so narrow I had to turn sideways to walk through. Inside was a small bed and a wardrobe, with barely any space to move.

"It's smaller than I thought..."

"Oh, for this price, it's only natural!"

"What about cooking or laundry...?"

"You can use the shared facilities on the first floor."

Only then did I realize the full situation. This villa had originally been built as single rooms, then divided into at least two, possibly three or four, smaller units.

Poor Morian...

Suddenly, I felt sorry for him having to live in a place like this and pay that much money. At this size, even 400,000 pesos was expensive...

"Where's the bathroom?"

"It's upstairs."

"......?"

I looked up and once again saw an unbelievable sight.

I'd thought the ceiling was oddly low, but there was a space that looked like a bathroom connected by stairs floating in midair.

Crazy. And I was a woman, so it was manageable—an average-height man wouldn't even be able to stand up straight here...

Morian was just a pitiful twenty-something too...

My suspicions toward him seemed to vanish entirely. Come to think of it, I'd heard he'd come up from the countryside—living alone in a place like this...

Honestly, the landlord was mostly at fault for carving up a house like this and charging this much rent...

"But the view is pretty good, at least."

Noticing my expression change, the middle-aged woman added.

"This room even has a window."

So there were rooms without windows too...?

"Here, look at this. It's a cemetery view."

"......?"

What? Why is there a cemetery behind it?

Ah, every single element of this place was so absurd it felt unjust... This would be the kind of place that even the hosts on a house-hunting show couldn't keep a straight face at, and viewers would curse at...

Forget the probation period—I should just make Morian a full employee as soon as possible.

And so, I resolved to stay with Morian for a long, long time.

---

"Where have you been wandering off to lately?"

"Father?"

After work, Cedrian flinched at the voice calling him and turned around. The sun of the Empire—his father—was standing behind him.

"I was working to find weaknesses in the Temple, which dares to oppose the Imperial Family."

"It's still a long time before you officially inherit state affairs, and I know you've been focusing on Temple matters, but..."

The Emperor looked at Cedrian with a suspicious face.

"Isn't it a bit much to be handling work outside the palace? How long do you plan to keep this up?"

"I'll get more opportunities to access Temple information soon."

He could feel his father looking at him with increasingly strange eyes, but Cedrian pretended not to notice.

His father only knew he'd infiltrated a guild—he had no idea he was handling all sorts of odd jobs there as a Senior Staff member. If he found out, he'd make him quit immediately. He absolutely couldn't let it slip this far.

"More importantly, Father, what brings you here?"

As Cedrian hastily changed the subject, his father finally seemed to remember and got to the point.

"You're of age now, so it's about time you got married."

"...Yes."

"Is there any young lady you have your eye on?"

"I've been busy lately..."

"Then you wouldn't mind if I arranged a suitable match for you."

"...No."

Cedrian's reply slowed. He'd never been particularly interested in women. As Crown Prince, he knew he'd have to marry someday, but that was all.

So he thought he wouldn't mind an arranged marriage, yet his father's question left him feeling strangely stifled.

"After discussing with the ministers, I'll arrange a gathering soon. If there are any qualities you'd like in a spouse, I'll consider them, so speak up if you wish."

Cedrian had never once thought about what kind of woman he liked. Faced with this monumental question, his mind grew complicated.

"Since it's an arranged marriage anyway, rather than falling in love, I'd prefer a lady with a sense of responsibility and good character who can observe proper etiquette and fulfill her duties."

"More specifically?"

"She'll have to learn internal palace affairs as the Crown Princess, so it'd be good if she can handle paperwork well."

"Paperwork?"

His father's gaze turned subtle, but Cedrian didn't notice.

"She should handle budgets well, know how to save and manage money efficiently... and since she'll have to manage subordinates, she should be good at delegating work... she should also know how to act and lie when necessary... Ah, and it'd be good if she has experience with labor so she can understand the people's hearts..."

"Why are you being so specific?"

His father was now looking at his son as if he were a stranger.

"How strange. I was expecting an answer like 'as long as she has a good personality.' Isn't that overly specific?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why are you describing someone as if you've already met her?"

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