“… So, this amount of the funds will go towards the emergency reserves… Interesting,” nodded Nobina.

Progress on the financial review was going swimmingly. After handling her end of the matters regarding the upcoming financial progress, both Carina and Mustan had convinced Aunai to let the two handle the financial crisis. In the meantime, Nobina would be able to continue to perform her review before the crisis affected the guild’s financials.

Mustan had finished his own review of the situation regarding the dragon, and his report had determined that the impact of the evacuation of Wistern would result in a loss of twenty percent to the territory’s economic revenue for the year. At the very least, that was the long-term estimate. There were a lot of factors Mustan’s ability could not take into account, making the ability, at best, a rough estimate. However, it was better than nothing, and the ability to monitor finances on such a large scale wasn’t to be underestimated.

“So… with my review done. That should give me some time to now determine the impact of swapping the guild’s financial system. I’ll have to see how it performs day to day, but this part shouldn’t take too long.”

Nobina gave herself a nod, feeling proud. While economics wasn’t her strong suit, she had spoken to a few of her co-workers who did perform a review of a company’s financials. They talked about terminology she was somewhat familiar with but not to the level she felt confident in performing a review herself.

“Nobina,” called Carina, prompting Nobina to stand and head over to her desk.

Looking at it, Nobina saw that Carina was still as busy as ever, handling financial documents not only of the guild but of the town and territory as a whole. As the liaison between Lord Kasanta and the guild, she had become extremely busy over the past few days. Nobina had done her best to assist her, but dealing with finance at the largest scale was a tall ask for her.

“Yes Carina,” asked Nobina, waiting patiently for her to finish reading the paper she had in her hand.

As she waited, her bag glowed, prompting both Carina and Nobina to look at it. She reached into her bag and pulled out a book called Economics for Dummies and Idiots, Vol. 26 of 6

“Huh… wow. This is actually so useful considering everything,” said Nobina out loud.

“What is it?” asked Carina, standing and looking at the book Nobina had just received. “Wait… why is this book called ‘for dummies and idiots’ Nobina?”

Nobina merely sighed, shaking her head.

“Ok. So the bag has a sense of humor and likes to do stuff like this…”

Before she could say anything else, a tiny flash of light appeared in the bag. From it came something that landed on her hand. Both Nobina and Carina stared at the tiny thing that was on it, seeing it was a bunny that was the size of an ant.

“What is this tiny fellow,” said Nobina, her face in awe at the sight of a tiny bunny on her hand.

Before she could say anything else, both she and Carina found themselves completely drenched in another large water explosion. Nobina’s face went pale as she realized how insanely bad this water explosion was.

Her gaze looked around, seeing a lot of documents on Carina’s table completely drenched in water. Carina was dumbfounded, staring at Nobina so intently that she felt like daggers were being stuck into her.

“Ok Carina… I… I can explain… So…”

Nobina’s mind was trying to figure out what she could do to resolve the issue. Her mind instantly went to the scroll that would let her cast any spell at a cost, but it felt extremely drastic for a situation like the current one.

Once again, her bag flashed, with Nobina reaching in and grabbing a ring with a note from it.

“Nobina!” yelled Carina, causing Nobina to fumble the ring out of her hands.

“Yes Carina,” she said, straightening up immediately.

“What did you do!”

Her fury felt extremely hostile as she stared at Nobina with an untamable fury. The pressure to respond correctly was so strong that Nobina found herself frozen, unable to respond. Before she could say anything, Carina gave her the out she needed.

“I hope you have a way to fix this, because you’ve just ruined so many financial documents by wetting them.”

“Right,” said Nobina, going to the ground to pick up the ring. “I got a way to fix this.”

Carina stared at the ring, confused about its purpose. Nobina then went to put it on and read the letter.

“All I have to say is ‘Restore what is dirty’ and…”

In a massive flash, the whole room began glowing a light-blue glow. All the water that had splashed everywhere began to disappear, and the papers themselves returned to the condition they were before the splash. Before she knew it, the area itself was back to how it was, causing Nobina to give a sigh of relief.

“This ring cleans an area. It has one time use per week, but it doesn’t have a cost,” replied Nobina.

Carina’s anger subsided a bit, but there was still a bit of fury in her as she shook her head.

“Nobina. You understand how ridiculous and irresponsible this whole situation was, right? Causing a mess, even if you cleaned it moments later, in such a large scale would normally land you in so much unspeakable trouble. You are lucky that it was fixable, and it was just me. If this happened to Lord Kasanta, it would be off with your head.”

Nobina gave an audible gulp, realizing how right Carina was. If the timing was worse, who knows what would have happened.

“I’m so sorry Carina. I’ll be sure to open this bag at a proper time.”

Carina’s last bit of anger finally left her as she gave a sigh.

“Fine… I might have been a bit too angry there, but understand it was rightfully earned.”

Nobina could only nod in agreement.

“Squeak,” came the tiny bunny that was on the desk nearby.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Oh my god,” said Nobina, turning her attention to the new bunny. “Are you alright little guy? Did you get wet?”

The tiny bunny shook its head, causing Nobina to feel relieved. She didn’t expect to receive another companion anytime soon. This time, it was a bunny the size of an ant. There was no note regarding its name though, making Nobina wonder if she’d have to figure it out this time around.

“What is this thing Nobina?” asked Carina as she brought her face close to it.

“It’s a bunny that the bag gave. It sometimes gives companions who seem to have their own purposes. Not sure what the purpose of this little guy is, but for now I’ll keep watch over him.”

“Squeak,” the tiny bunny responded.

Things were already hectic for Nobina, and it seemed today was going to be no different. It was apparent that she had to be extremely cautious about her bag, as she realized that it was, for some reason, dropping water balloons that exploded in a watery blast. Luckily, it was only in an area a meter wide around Nobina, but it was serious enough that it almost ruined Carina’s financial documents. If not for the fact they used parchment paper, she would have been extremely worried that the ring would have failed to fix the issue.

“This is so much,” sighed Carina. “I was going to show you the market and talk finances, but I need a break. Shall we go to the café for lunch?”

“I’m so down,” nodded Nobina, excited at the prospect of trying more deserts.

With that, the two went back to work, with Nobina’s new companion now keeping watch of Nobina as she began the next part of her review. She was now reviewing the specific parts of the guild’s financials that related directly to income and expenses, as her system would involve keeping track of the individual items. It was a daunting task, and it was possible the overall cost of the system implementation would not be worth its value. Mustan alone also made it possible that the best route was to leave the current system as is. The fact he could perform such large-scale financial analysis thanks to Grand Economics was a godsend that could make it completely unnecessary for Navira to swap. That being said, if Mustan were to ever leave, the situation would be much different.

“This bag… do the entities even understand the trouble they are getting me into?”

There was a growing worry from Nobina that the Gaze would drag her into a serious situation that could get her killed. If this water balloon thing the Gaze was doing happened at the wrong time, Nobina feared the worst.

A few hours went by, and soon, the two of them were off to Café Larent, the same café Carina had brought Nobina to previously. The two asked for a seat in the back but were informed that it was already occupied.

“Who in the right mind would…”

Carina found herself frozen as she stared at the section of the café they were going to. Sitting in one of the seats was Doriten, who seemed to be enjoying a cup of tea. Doriten didn’t fail to notice both Carina and Nobina standing at the entrance of the café.

“Oh, what perfect timing,” smiled Doriten. “I was just planning to enjoy a cup of tea and head back to my duties, but it seems you two have decided to appear before me. Please! Join me for some tea. The Sunset Tea is a good choice for some, but I do prefer Dawn Tea instead. A tea meant to awaken someone to the new day, or I guess new dawn would be more appropriate.”

Carina seemed to freeze, not knowing what she wanted to do. However, Nobina felt the pressure of Doriten to answer positively. Seeing no other choice, she merely nodded.

“Ok,” she said, walking to join Doriten.

Seeing no other choice, Carina sighed and joined him as well.

The three of them sat there in silence for a good few minutes, merely looking at each other while both Carina and Nobina waited for their tea. Once it arrived, Carina drank it immediately while Nobina took a sip of it. Like Doriten said, the tea gave Nobina a warm feeling, as if the morning sun was now shining on her. Thinking about it more, it was shining behind her, making her radiate in what felt like the bright glow of the new dawn.

“Did you enjoy the tea Nobina?” asked Doriten, merely giving a pleasant yet scary smile as she waited for a response.

“Yes… it was pleasant,” she said, her voice a bit quieter than she would have liked.

“Hm,” replied Doriten, his finger to his chin. “Oh! Right. With both of you here, I wanted to ask you how you are dealing with the financial crisis. I know both of you work with the guild, who are the main party in charge of resolving the incoming crisis. Hopefully you’re not letting any of us down Carina.”

“Of course not,” she replied, showing a bit of a proud face before Doriten. However, that only made him chuckle as he shook his head.

“Always one to make yourself large Carina. It’s truly sad sometimes. But let’s verify that claim. Do you think things are being handled well Nobina?” asked Doriten, his smile once again being both calm and scary.

“Uh… yes. The numbers have been run by Mustan and we are…”

“Nobina,” said Carina, causing Nobina to go silent.

“Tsk tsk Carina,” said Doriten. “It’s not appropriate to interrupt a conversation between your superior and another individual.”

Nobina could see sparks fly immediately the moment Doriten threw around his influence. Carina wanted to blow up on Doriten right then and there, but she held back. Instead, she merely made a comment to address his words.

“While you do have a right to know what a commoner is thinking, matters involving guild employees are under my jurisdiction. Please do not attempt to extract knowledge or pressure the employees unless given explicit permission by Lord Kasanta,” said Carina calmly.

Doriten merely smiled and nodded.

“At the very least you aren’t dumb enough to let someone spill the guild’s secrets. It is why Aunai trusts you as much as she does, despite the fact that you truly work for our team.”

Nobina wondered if that was Doriten was trying to manipulate her by making Carina someone untrustworthy. Before she could say anything, the gaze bag glowed again, prompting all of them to freeze.

“Hm? What is that?” asked Doriten, looking at the Gaze bag.

Carina immediately spoke up, hoping to prevent Doriten from learning what Nobina’s bag did.

“It’s a bag that…”

“Silence,” said Doriten, his voice now exuding an authority Nobina and Carina clearly felt. “If one is to cast unknown magic, they leave me no choice but to exert my authority. Nobina. Answer me and tell me what that bag is and what that glow was.”

Nobina felt compelled to tell Doriten what the bag’s true secret was. It was an unbelievably strong force that Nobina was struggling to resist.

“The bag… is called the… G…”

Before she could finish her words, a single ding could be heard in the room. Nobina felt the sudden urge to speak vanish as she suddenly went silent.

“Wait… what did you just do,” said Doriten, standing up. “Guards.”

Immediately, his two knights approached Nobina, causing her to freeze as she feared the worst.

“Answer me immediately,” said Doriten, his voice speaking in authority yet again. However, Nobina felt no urge to answer. At least, there was no urge due to his authority. Rather, the intimidation of the knights made Nobina extremely fearful of not answering.

When Nobina didn’t answer, Doriten merely sighed, shaking his head.

“Fine… if you will refuse me, you leave me no choice. Nobina. Under the authority vested me as a noble, I hereby arr…”

“You leave me no choice Doriten,” said Carina, finally speaking up. “I sponsor Nobina as a Noble by Merit to serve under him directly. You will not interfere until the judgment is given.”

Immediately, Doriten expression went cold as he stared daggers at both of them.

“I see,” he said, standing up. “Then I shall leave this matter alone… for now. I wish you the best Nobina… The test truly will be exciting. Also… I hope the risk is worth it Carina.”

Doriten walked out of the café without another word. The two knights began following him, not saying a word themselves. Once they were all gone, both of them felt a sense of pure relief. However, that was short-lived as Carina held her hands to her head.

“Damn that man,” said Carina. “Forcing me to directly sponsor you.”

“What does this mean Carina?” asked Nobina. “Do I have to become a noble?”

“No… but a lot of problems are going to appear really soon for you Nobina. For now, we’ll continue to resolve the crisis. I shall let Aunai know the situation and hopefully the two of us can save you from what’s to come.”

“But what’s to come?” asked Nobina in a bit of a plea.

“A test that will show your true colors and self. One that will show everyone in this estate who you truly are Nobina,” said Carina, her voice reflecting the seriousness of the situation.

Nobina felt herself wanting to collapse to the floor. Once again, things were getting complicated, and the gaze was a part of it.

“Things can never be simple huh,” said Nobina, peeking into her bag.

When she saw the title of the book, The Secrets of the Guild, she didn’t say a word as she left it in the bag. It wasn’t something she intended to bring out now, but she fully intended to see what this book was about and determine why it was so necessary that she received it now at all times. Why was the Gaze causing her so much trouble right now? Was what was happening due to her Path or something else entirely? Was she just unlucky at this point?

“At least there wasn’t a water ballon,” she replied to herself, taking another sip of her Dawn Tea.