GalaxyTL
“Well, it’ll be a while before you’re officially assigned somewhere. It’s not my place to say, and besides, it’s not part of my job.”
Ah, is that so? I thought it was about to be decided. I knew it wouldn’t be that easy, but I was hoping to try out different things, like a trial period. But to say it wasn’t part of his job… It’s like I’m a temp worker.
And so, the studies continued. Next, Reki told me about the other Special-grade guilds besides Ortus. Yeah, I was definitely curious about them.
“First, Stella. They’re the orthodox guild. They mainly handle requests from the country but also take on general requests. They’re a bit inflexible, but they’re serious. For better or for worse.”
So, they probably didn’t make exceptions, insisting that rules were rules. Well, rules were important, and if they made exceptions for everyone, it would be chaos. In a sense, it was a necessary stance.
“Next, Annulus. They’re a purely commercial guild. Most large trading companies are affiliated with them. We’ve worked with them often, so we have a good relationship.”
I see. They focused solely on commerce. That was definitely a necessary field! I’d keep that in mind, since even Ortus had worked with them before. Annulus… Ugh, I don’t think I can say that properly!
“Lastly, Nemo. This one… You’re better off avoiding them.”
“Why?”
Reki’s face contorted when Nemo’s name was mentioned. I wondered what was wrong.
“Nemo is, simply put, a human resources agency. In a broad sense, we’re also a human resources agency… But Nemo handles… people, literally. They don’t just lend out a person’s skills, they lend out the person themselves.”
The person themselves…? I didn’t quite understand the difference, but I had a bad feeling about this.
“Slavery is generally prohibited in this country. But there are still many countries that practice it. It’s fine if there are rules in place to ensure slaves are treated well, but that’s not always the case. …In the underworld, there’s still a black market for slaves.”
But apparently, the overt trading of people was generally prohibited. It felt very vague. Like there were loopholes you could easily exploit. So, was Nemo exploiting those loopholes?
“Nemo lends out people. They gather their own personnel to lend out, but it’s all very shady. But because they operate as a lending service, we can’t really expose them, and they’re good at hiding evidence.”
So they were in a gray area, bordering on black. It made me worry about how the people they lent out were being treated. I asked him cautiously about it.
“…It’s better for you not to know the details. But let’s just say… they’re not treated well.”
Apparently, the people who were being lent out couldn’t really complain because they were being paid handsomely, it was a “job” they’d agreed to.
A job, huh. Of course, there would be a gap between the rich and the poor. Not everyone could live a comfortable life, with three meals a day. No one had the right to judge families struggling to survive for utilizing a guild like that. It was a disgusting situation, but perhaps a guild like Nemo was necessary in this world… At least, those people could eat, even if it meant being subjected to terrible treatment.
Thinking about it that way, I could have ended up in a similar situation. I wouldn’t know until I was in that position, but would I also think, “I’ll do anything if it means surviving”? Or maybe, if it was just me, I’d think it was better to die.
But what if I had family? If I had people I cared about? Then there’d only be one choice. A heavy, complicated feeling settled in my chest.
“…There’s no point in dwelling on it. Even if you want to change things, you can’t do anything without power.”
Even with power, there were some things you just couldn’t change, Reki added. I sensed the weight in his quiet words, but I couldn’t bring myself to press further.
Despite the heavy atmosphere, Reki decided to explain Ortus’s absolute rules. Oh, wasn’t this the most important part of today’s lesson? OK, I’m ready for my mental notes!
“One: Accept requests that move your heart. However, if the request is beyond your capabilities, always consult with your comrades.”
Requests that move your heart, huh. That’s… kind of hot, Ortus. But the part about consulting if it’s beyond your capabilities was reassuring. Blindly forcing yourself would be a disaster. Really.
“Two: Always strive for growth. Those who cease to grow will lose their right to belong to the guild.”
Ooh, basically, always be motivated to improve. It was hard to objectively judge whether someone was growing or not. But as long as you kept moving forward, you could say you were growing, even if it was just a little bit. That’s what I believed.
“Three: Never betray your comrades. Cherish your comrades. This is the most important rule at Ortus. No matter how many members we have, fighting amongst ourselves is forbidden. Well, except for those little squabbles, those happen all the time.”
It’s true that Juma-kun was always being punished by someone. I thought they were a little rough on him, but maybe to them it was just playful banter. Ah, but Schlie-san seemed to scold him seriously. But even that was a form of love, wasn’t it? You wouldn’t bother reprimanding someone you didn’t care about.
“We help each other out when someone’s in trouble. Our guild is known for its strong bonds. And we have a small number of members, even for a Special-grade guild.”
“Small…?”
It felt like a lot of people worked here…
“Overwhelmingly so. Since one of our guild rules is to never betray our comrades, we don’t let in anyone we can’t trust. And not just anyone can join, you know? Newcomers are scrutinized, tested in all sorts of ways, even if it doesn’t seem like it.”
S-So that meant I was currently being tested? Ooh, I don’t think I can pass!
Perhaps reading my thoughts, Reki added with a sigh, his tone annoyed,
“You’re just being babied because you’re a child. Don’t get any wrong ideas.”
Right. I’m not even considered combat-ready yet. But I couldn’t be complacent. I had to work hard so I’d be accepted as a proper member when I grew up!
“…Though you seem to have passed most of the tests.”
Reki grumbled something under his breath, but I didn’t quite catch it. Hmm, it seemed like Reki had been through a lot too…