Chapter 4 - Episode 1: A Guild Meeting of Irreconcilable Differences

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Scene: A Landsol guild house.

Saren
(Ah... I'm seriously fed up with this.)

Saren
(Every single day... Dealing with the fallout of Christina's attack on Kaon's guild house is so hectic.)

Saren
(I beg your pardon, but I don't have all the free time in the world. This is getting in the way of the everyday management of the Sarendia Orphanage.)

Saren
(There are children living at the Sarendia Orphanage. I'm the only one with fighting ability there, and with me being so ridiculously busy at this multi-day meeting, there's nobody there to protect them.)

Saren
(The other day, I couldn't do anything when those monster-like things called "shadows" attacked. It worried me to death... I can't afford to be wasting time here.)

Saren
(Beforehand... I could've asked my father to dispatch some security guards there.)

Saren
(But Father takes money from his relatives, too. He's ruthless.)

Saren
(Buying the children's safety with money would be worth it, but that would put a strain on administration. Our number of dependents has increased, so our finances would be in dire straits.)

Jun
Your face looks pale, Sarey.

Saren
... Please, call me by my real name, Miss Jun.^[1]

Jun
Sorry, I've been overly familiar. But I've known you since you were a child, Sarey... Saren.

Jun
No matter the reason, I've been treating you like a child. I apologize.

Saren
It's not that I mind. There were plenty of good times I had with you, Miss Jun.

Saren
Never looking down upon me, even sticking up for me... It must have been quite a bit of effort on your part.

Maho
The two of you, would you like some tea?

Jun
Ah... I'm deeply sorry for treating you as our waitress. Allow me to make up for my impoliteness.

Maho
It's all right, I quite enjoy providing hospitality... Having to speak so much every day has made my throat ache. So I also wanted to drink some tea!

Saren
(Hmm. She's a good person, the guild master of Kaon... Miss Maho.)

Saren
(Kind and gentle, a believer in peace. In calmer times, I would've liked to be friends with her.)

Saren
(But here we are, in extraordinary times, or even in a time of war. This kind of kindness is now a shackle. Even if Kaon was the victim of this incident.)

Saren
(Negotiating without strength, they're having a compromise imposed on them. It's hard for me to stomach, but... I'm only a third party here, so I can't lean too much one way or the other.)

Jun
Thank you for asking, but I'll pass on tea. In truth, I'm not here to have a tea party.

Maho
It's not as though I'm trying to bribe you or anything, you know?

Jun
Ah... I don't intend to distrust you or to slight you. It's just that, as you can see, beverages cannot reach my mouth. This helmet really does get in the way.

Maho
It seems like it'd be fine if you took it off. Isn't it impolite not to let people see your face?

Jun
No, there's a reason I can't allow people to see my face... I don't mean it as a slight to you, to Kaon, or to the beastpeople.

Jun
This turmoil was due to Nightmare's lieutenant captain... Due to Christina's independent actions.

Jun
She went rogue, causing you a great deal of trouble.

Jun
She will be sentenced to house arrest to reflect on her actions. If we're in agreement, then we can close the book on this incident. I, too, have grown tired of this long meeting.

Jun
(Well, Chris probably isn't going to reflect on anything at all...)

Jun
(House arrest is only a front for the suspicious activities she's been secretly ordered to conduct outside Landsol.)

Maho
I feel a little cheated that a public apology won't be issued. Several of our members were injured, you know. And others can't sleep at night out of fear of being attacked again.

Jun
I apologize. But Nightmare isn't in a position where we can admit fault and issue an official apology.

Jun
We are a guild serving directly under the royal family. As such, everyone in this country looks up to us.

Jun
We would be showing weakness to other countries. And this would spread distrust among the people as well.

Jun
The royal family wouldn't be able to rule as firmly as usual. And on a personal level, they would take it as an insult.

Jun
Moreover... The repair fees for the parts of the Kaon guild house that were destroyed will be treated as restitution, and paid for by Christina.

Jun
Reparations will also be paid to the injured.

Jun
She's amassed quite a fortune. So to put it simply, she will be paying it all.

Maho
No, this isn't a matter of money. This is a matter of sincerity, and of the heart.

Jun
Hm... Would you be satisfied with Christina's head on a platter?

Maho
N-Nobody said such a disturbing thing. Aren't you being too bloodthirsty?

Jun
That's just the character of Nightmare.

Jun
This is a grave matter of security. Christina's individual rampages... Would this not be for the sake of stopping them?

Maho
That's true, but... Not everyone would agree to such a thing.

Maho
(Ooh... I'm so tired... But I have to bear it.)

Maho
(If all we needed to do was resolve matters of money, then we could wrap up this incident right away... But unless we deal with this on a more basic level, the same thing might happen again.)

Maho
(The next time the same thing happens may end up in war...)

Maho
(An all-out war between humans and beastpeople. If that happens, then even more blood will be spilled.)

Maho
(I can calm down everyone in Kaon. But the beastpeople, and the Animal Garden, are all in a mood to go to war. I guess beastpeople really are more hotblooded?)

Maho
(No, if that happens... As much as I'd like to finish this up without a fuss, I can't just move past this incident as if nothing happened. The times are moving towards war, and we need to lead them back to peace somehow.)

Maho
(The beasts who live in Landsol have been living in peace for a long time. No matter how unpleasant this might be, I have to make an effort to endure it.)

Maho
(Of the accumulated events of the past, we treated not one as an accident that come to nothing. My ancestors would never have stood for such an affront.)

Maho
(But, that grand, historical mission... Can I bear the burden of those responsibilities?)

Maho
(I've gotten used to running, even from my own family circumstances.)

Saren
Miss Maho. To change the topic, has there been any progress on your investigation into the shadows?

Maho
Huh? Ahh, one of my guild members, Kasumi, has been looking into that.

Maho
Right now, it looks like shadows have only been sighted within the city. If they pose a great danger, then I think it should be safe to evacuate to outside the city.

Saren
Hmm... That's good. My children are quite frightened of them, you see.

Saren
Until the investigation into these shadows concludes... Perhaps I should have them evacuate to somewhere safe?

Maho
If you'd like, perhaps we could show you an evacuation route? There's a guild, Elizabeth Park, that Kaon is close to.

Maho
They live a safe, peaceful life in the mountains, far from the city. The guild master there is a human, but she's friendly with beastpeople. I think it should be a neutral safe zone.

Saren
Hmm... That seems quite good. I know it must be trouble, but could you show us?

Saren
You're also conducting an investigation into the shadows for us, to... I feel quite indebted to you.

Saren
I'm in agreement with your intentions. I also want to to avoid war, so might I lend you my support?

Jun
Wait, wait. Wasn't Sarendia Orphanage meant to be a neutral third party, Sarey?

Saren
The Sarendia Orphanage is also a member of the Princess Knights. That is the side we're on.

Saren
We're here to strike a fair compromise with the beastpeople, are we not?

Jun
Ahh, what to say to such a thing... You've always been proficient with your words. I'm not nearly as skilled, so I'm envious.

Jun
Oh, well. I'm with you in wishing for peace. Let's go on looking carefully and thoroughly for a solution where everyone can live peacefully.

Jun
Time isn't infinite, but we should still be able to make an extension.