135: Talking about not wanting to become some big shot

"Guildmaster!?"

I blurted out, and Grim Dondor waved a finger at me like he was acting.

"From today, I'm the Guild Grandmaster!"

He thumbed himself up, giving a thumbs-up straight to his own face.

Leifan jerked his head up. "Eh!?"

"Leifan, what's a Guild Grandmaster?"

"Well... it's the head of all the production guilds in the Maugaria Kingdom."

"Wait—no way! That's insane!"

"Hey, you two, aren't you forgetting who's supposed to be the main character here?"

Grim Grandmaster pouted.

"Congratulations! I never thought I'd skip straight to Grandmaster over the capital's guildmaster!"

"Ah, me neither."

Grim was running the Guildmaster position for Gandar, right? So that’s the top dog in the production guild of Lord Bairoroad’s territory—the land where Kyle’s dad’s from.

I don’t care much about promotions, so I don’t know what comes after that.

“Hey, Leifan. What’s the order of power in the production guilds… the hierarchy, you know?”

“Well, production guilds are split by region, and each has a guildmaster. I’m one of them. Remember when we first moved to the frontier village? Back then, there was nothing else around, right? That’s why we needed a ceremonial guildmaster for the detached territory.”

I nodded, getting it, when Grandmaster Grim narrowed his eyes.

“Wait, wait. What are you even saying? Leifan, you’ve had regional authority as a guildmaster for ages now.”

““Eh?!””

My voice and Leifan’s overlapped perfectly.

Having regional authority means you’ve got the same power as Grim did when he was leading the Gandar Guild.

“Um… I didn’t hear about this?”

“Ah! Right, I didn’t send word! Heh heh heh! Sorry, sorry!”

Grim laughed heartily—then a massive hammer slammed down right in front of him.

It was a mithril battle hammer, beautifully engraved—Leifan’s own war mace.

“G-i-l-d… C-h-a-i-r-m-a-n?”

Leifan gave Grim a deep, slow grin. Instantly, Grim dropped to his knees.

“Sorry!”

“You always said to always contact me about important stuff! One second I look away, and you’re already doing this!? I’ve said it before—Guildmaster’s a sloppy job…!”

Leifan didn’t even notice his title had slipped back from “Grandmaster” to “Guildmaster.” He was already lecturing Grim.

That’s probably how their relationship was meant to be from the start.

The Grandmaster sitting cross-legged, his head level with Leifan’s—looked like a little kid being scolded by someone bigger.

…Yeah, I probably look like that from the outside too. Huh. Gotta watch myself.

The lecture went on for a while longer, and finally Grim was allowed to stand.

Who’s the Grandmaster here, anyway?

“Ah, anyway, from today on, this’ll be the headquarters for the production guild in the Kingdom of Maugaria.”

“The headquarters isn’t in the capital?”

“Yeah. That’s also why I skipped over the guildmaster in the capital and got the position. The guildmaster in Midlights was making a mess of things….”

“The Midlights guildmaster was supposed to be top-tier, wasn’t he? He was even next in line for Grandmaster.”

Leifan tilted his head.

"Of course. But I don’t believe a word about all the mess you lot’ve caused. I knew you, so I got the potion distribution ready and lined up mass production of hardened stone before the capital’s guild even showed up. They lagged behind, got publicly humiliated, the guildmaster resigned, and the Midlights guildmaster—his toady—had his appointment rescinded. That’s how I ended up here."

Politics? Not interested.

A yawn slips out.

"So, I’m starting work here today. No problem with the space, right?"

This production guild, with me and Leifan in it, gets blatant favoritism from Kyle, so we’ve got a massive, grand, solid building in prime real estate.

Even if we double the staff, no issue.

"First, set up headquarters on the upper floor. Leifan, find us some rooms—whatever’s handy."

Understood. There’s plenty of room. Honestly, I’d welcome more staff—wouldn’t mind if the place was packed.

Muttering, slightly deflated.

“Hey, hey—I said I’d help first, didn’t I? Naturally, I brought top talent from every guild. They’re still moving in. Ready to work tomorrow.”

“Guild Grandmaster!”

Leifan, overcome, lunged and wrapped his arms around Grim’s waist.

Looked like father and son.

“Hahaha! Still no growth there, Leifan!”

*Crack!*

The empty barrel nearby exploded.

Where the barrel had been, a hammer hung in midair, swung down.

Leifan stood silent, smiling up at the Grandmaster.

Cold sweat trickled down my back, even though I had nothing to do with it.

“Said something? Did you?”

“N-Nothing! Nothing at all!”

Grandmaster Grim grabbed a random stack of documents and flung himself at the desk in the corner, clearing out the ledgers only a guildmaster could handle.

Leifan exhaled deeply, then muttered a line of absolute zero.

"Nothing left, huh?"

Ah. So that’s how you do it.

I ducked into the alchemy room just like I was fleeing a grumpy Leifan.

◆

The next day, the elite recruits arrived.

All of them looked sharp as hell.

They dove straight into work—no surprise, they were good.

Deciding the upper floors would be headquarters, they had the whole setup running in no time.

Since it was a production guild headquarters, top-tier craftsmen delivered top-tier goods.

Even a single office desk was adorned with exquisite carving.

The Guildmaster’s office was built too.

Luxury carpet, curtains. Thick paintings. Grand candlesticks. Heavy desk. Delicate pens standing upright. A leather chair. And there sat Grim, the Guildmaster.

“Doesn’t suit you.”

“Shut up. Using top-tier furniture is part of the job.”

After all, this was a production guild. It was expected.

Leifan’s Golden Dune production guild had, until now, focused solely on survival in the frontier’s harsh conditions. But from now on, they’d be handling such luxuries too.

“Craft, that’s not your job. But you’re still a production guild member. Start sharpening your eye for quality.”

“I’ll work on it.”

Nothing on display looked ordinary—even to a layman. But if you asked how extraordinary it really was, you couldn’t say.

Hey, let’s study up. Alchemy’s the priority, that’s for sure.

You can get a decent read with “鉴定,” but info accuracy drops off a cliff for stuff that’s not alchemy-related.

Frowning at the weird sculpture on the hearth, the door to the Grandmaster’s office clicked open.

“Grandmaster Grim. Headquarters is back online. Minimal functionality, but it’s working.”

A gaunt man in his forties stepped in.

“Perfect timing. Let me introduce my right hand—Syndery. He’s basically senior to me.”

That’s a stretch, if you ask me.

The guild grandmaster turned his gaze back to Syndery.

“This is the alchemist, Craft, the one I was telling you about.”

Syndery locked eyes with me, sharp and cold.

“Ah, you’re… Nice to meet you. I’m Syndery Stonework. We’ll be working together for a long time. Pleased to serve.”

She introduces herself politely. I’m the one who’s surprised.

“Craft Walker. I thought I’d be looked down on as a country bumpkin. That’s why I’m surprised.”

She’s my superior. I make sure to keep my tone as respectful as possible.

Ah.

Right, she’s been like that with Grandmaster Grim too. Well, whatever.

“Not going to look down on a twilight alchemist—more precious than gold, more rare than orichalcum. Leave the guild’s daily chores to me.”

Leave it to me? That’s not going to kill me, is it?

She’s that skinny.

Must’ve sensed my worry, because Grandmaster Grim waved a hand dismissively.

“Don’t worry. Syndery may look like that, but she’s perfectly healthy. No issues at all. Just her build.”

"Yeah. I'm used to people getting the wrong idea at first glance. I keep stamina potions on hand, so leave the paperwork to me. Focus on alchemy, Craft. I’ll arrange for you to take a few days off to catch up on your vacation."

Sindery, so thin she looked like a skeleton or a fox with a mean glare, managed a faint smile.

Actually, it’s kind of scary. Just keep that blank expression.

Looks aside, she’s reliable as hell.

"Better than Grandmaster Grim, aren’t you?"

"Right?"

Grim sat back in his pompous chair, shrugging.

Yeah.

Production Guild’s secure.

And so, after what felt like an eternity of chaos, the Production Guild finally settled back into normal rhythm.

Craft Alchemy Vol. 4 — Now Available!

It’s doing well, so if you grab a copy before the stock runs out, I’d be happy.