*Chapter 7: An Unwanted Task*

The guild master's voice broke Kagami from his deep thoughts. "So, did you reach a decision? You seemed like you went deep there."

Kagami snapped back to the present, realizing he had been lost in contemplation. He replied, "To be honest, I struggled to remember the second time just now. Besides, who goes out of their way to annoy themselves with drunk people sleeping on the middle of the road? Sorry, I don't think we have any amends to make."

Astaria, looking nervous, felt the guild master's gaze on her, which further diminished her appetite.

The guild master, while appearing threatening at times, was also laid-back and charismatic. She responded, "Now, now, that's rude. I've been in that kind of situation before. If I were to go missing and somehow knew my rescuers were discussing such a thing about me, instead of coming up with a plan to find me, I would be hurt."

Astaria with a slight hesitation asked, "But it wasn't our fault, right? Can we just go? Or can you at least just take Kagami-san instead?"

Kagami nodded in agreement with Astaria first half, eager to leave the tense and weird atmosphere. But started to pull her cheeks out because of the rest.

"It wasn't your fault, that I agree on," the guild master admitted. "But are you really going to turn down a direct commission and request from the guild master? There are both money and benefits in taking this. After all, I did say it could be more of a reward."

Kagami, always straightforward, asked, "How much 'Sa' are we talking about, and what benefits? And, more importantly, what kind of commission is this? If you already know about us, you'll know we're not in a position to take on anything too difficult. We are just beginners after all."

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The guild master maintained her smile and said reassuringly, "Please don't worry. Do you really think I would send children to their deaths? I may not be the best person in the world or the most honest, but I'm a bit disappointed that you think so little of me."

Kagami couldn't help but think that she was lying through her teeth, She didn't even try to hide it much, but he didn't voice his doubts. Not wanting to be on the bad side of his 'boss'.

Meanwhile, Astaria stood up to protest being called a child, oblivious to the subtle hints and information being conveyed at the moment. Kagami chose not to intervene this time, lost in thought about what to do next. Astaria's complaints to the guild master made the guild master apologize, but the whole situation seemed more like, an adult apologizing to a child for eating their ice cream or something of the sort.

After a few minutes of this interaction, the guild master finally addressed Kagami directly. "So, what will you do? Shake it or take it?"

Kagami, aware of the power dynamics at play, reluctantly responded, "I don't think you'll let us go easily if we don't, so yeah, we'll take it." Astaria followed suit after a brief hesitation. Even though she had burst with anger at the guild master moments ago, she wasn't foolish enough to ignore the situation this time.

The guild master kept her smile intact as she handed them the details of their new mission. It was located on the outskirts of the city, where the missing lady was last seen. She had entered some sort of domain, and their mission was to investigate and bring her back.

Kagami asked a critical question, "What would happen if we stumble upon her dead body?"

The whole situation seemed a bit odd to him but he needed to know what would happen if they fail the mission completely.

The guild master replied confidently, "She's not the kind to just die like that. If she did, I would be disappointed in her."

After providing them with the relevant information, she mentioned that they would be accompanied by someone she had chosen especially for them. Kagami and Astaria were puzzled. The guild master called the person in, and after a tense 2 minutes silence, the door swung open with tremendous force.

A beautiful girl with bright orange hair, dressed like a nun, entered dramatically and assumed a fighting stance. She declared, "You lowly pathetic mortals, behold my Excellency!"

..

A new wild card and potentially pain in the Ass, had entered the fray. The situation had just become even more complicated.

- Continue? -

To be continued...