Published: July 31, 2025
Magical Beast Subjugation – Day 4
After finishing work at the abandoned mine shaft today, I headed straight to Mr. Serge’s place upon returning to town.
“Good evening, Mr. Serge.”
“I’ve been expecting you, Lord Ryoma. Shall we go?”
We boarded the prepared carriage and headed a little south from the city center.
Eventually, we arrived at the commercial guild building, which had a simple and sturdy atmosphere. A faint light seeped from the entrance doors. Inside, although sparse, there seemed to be people other than the staff I had heard about.
As we walked toward the reception desk, the receptionist quickly ushered us into a back room. Seeing Mr. Serge relay our business confidently, the receptionist bowed politely and left. From this exchange, it seemed Mr. Serge was treated with considerable respect.
I heard he was the head of a large trading company, so that makes sense, I suppose.
After a few minutes, a skinny man and a stooped elderly woman entered the room. When we rose to greet them, the old woman smiled and gestured for us to stay seated. Then the man spoke.
“Well, Serge, long time no see. Haven’t heard much gossip about you lately, so I was wondering what you’ve been up to.”
He spoke with a sort of fake Kansai dialect? It was such a nostalgic accent that I wondered how it would translate. I’ve had a boss like this before...
“Long time no see, Pioro.”
“What brings you here today? It’s rare to see you come to the Guild except at meetings. And this young lad with you, nice to meet you. I’m Griciela, the Guild Master of this commercial guild.”
“My name is Ryoma Takebayashi. I am here to register with the commercial guild today. I’m still inexperienced, but I look forward to your guidance and support.”
“Well, thank you for the polite greeting. Serge, is this kid your new servant?”
“That’s right. I’m Pioro Saionji. Nice to meet you. Feel free to speak to me casually.”
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Ryoma Takebayashi.”
Saionji? That sounds like a Japanese surname. Also, with his black hair and eyes, something about him feels like a descendant of past transferees.
“You’re Ryoma-kun, right? I’ll remember that. So, as Griciela said, what brings you here, Serge?”
“I’m here to register Lord Ryoma with the guild. I’m just accompanying him.”
At Mr. Serge’s words, their eyes turned to me. The Guild Master peered closely at my face.
“Hmm… Wait a moment.”
He took up a staff and gave Mr. Serge a sharp tap on the head.
“You idiot! Why make the kid worry about things?”
“Ouch, please don’t hit me with the staff, Guild Master...”
“I don’t know the full circumstances, but this kid seems earnest. If a clearly older guy like you tries to be respectful, he’d be embarrassed and feel uncomfortable.”
How did he know what I was secretly thinking!? Does he have a mind-reading skill!?
“Ryoma, I can’t read minds.”
But clearly, you’re reading mine!
“I’m not. I just noticed you had a distant look when you mentioned ‘people’s hearts’.”
Seriously!?
“Was that the expression you had?”
“Like a middle-aged man reminiscing about the past.”
That’s exactly right!
“Well, you seem surprised, but you’re here to register with the guild, right? It’s getting late, so let’s get the paperwork done quickly.”
With that, I filled out the registration form.
“Hm… What is your occupation here? Isn’t it ‘merchant’?”
“You write down the type of business you want to do. If you want to sell weapons, write ‘weapons merchant,’ and so on. You can list multiple. You can add more later if needed, so no rush to write everything now. There’s a table of basic job types on the back for reference.”
“Understood.”
I recalled hearing that adventurers sometimes do peddling… So I wrote that and also “town merchant” for the main shop I plan to open.
…What is this ‘bard’ job? I understand the words, but do they really consider that a merchant?
Finishing the form and handing it to the Guild Master, he said: