Chapter 14: Guild, beauty and broken legs (1)

"Damn, I almost lost my nerve!" exclaimed Aron as he passed through the gates of the town.

"What just happened? For a second, I thought you were going to kill those two guards," Raum inquired, noticing the intense emotions emanating from his friend.

"I don't know," Aron truthfully replied.

[Master, what happened is that the moment you saw the two guards, you unleashed tremendous killing intent. Fortunately, I was able to suppress it, or the two humans would have collapsed from the immense pressure alone] explained the system, which had been silent for some time, almost making Aron forget it existed.

'But why did that happen in the first place?'

Aron was confused about the whole thing; for some reason, he just lost control of his emotions and almost killed two guards. Killing them would only cause problems, but it's not like he cared at all.

[Hatred. The trigger was 'hatred.' When you saw those humans, hatred consumed you] the system responded.

'So I hate humans? Why?' Aron wondered for a bit, and the only thing he found was, 'Maybe they did something to me in the past?'

The more he thought about it, the more lost and confused he became, and a headache started to form. Aron did what he does best in these situations: he tossed it behind his back and completely ignored it. Suddenly, he remembered something important.

'Hey, System, you've been quiet for some time, and here I thought I managed to get rid of you,' Aron spoke in his mind. He had noticed that the system had some sort of personality, or rather, two of them. So he decided to tease it a little.

[Master~....*Hey! little brat, you stuck with me to the end of time or until you die…In fact, why don't you just die?*...]

"Pfft.. HAHAHA~" Aron laughed out loud inside his mind. He really liked this alternate personality of the system.

[Master, I am currently analyzing your entire body on a deeper level, so I must focus solely on it. I interfered this time because it was an emergency. I apologize beforehand, and I'll go silent for some time], the system explained.

Aron raised his eyebrow. 'Did you find anything?' he asked curiously.

[Yes, please be patient until I finish analyzing…* 'Yes! Yes! You fool, leave me to do my job in peace... Sho sho*...]

Aron chuckled inside his mind. He was eager to know but gave the system its time.

"A-Aron~" Raum's voice brought him out of his thoughts. The little raven looked truly worried about him.

Aron displayed a gentle smile and gently scratched Raum's feathers under his beak with his fingers. Raum calmed down instantly under the soothing touch.

"No need to worry about it, buddy," Aron reassured. "Now, where can we sell the cores?" he asked.

Raum didn't answer immediately, enjoying the most out of that gentle touch. It worked like magic, calming him and making him forget about the rest of the world. It was only when Aron stopped his touch that the raven snapped out of his state. He pouted, wanting more but managing to hold himself.

"We should sell them at the guilds. There are two guilds: the Adventure Guild and the Mercenary Guild. I suggest selling them at the Mercenary Guild," Raum suggested.

Aron raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with the Adventure Guild?" he asked.

Raum tilted his head slightly, recalling something. "I don't know, I just saw a man one time complaining outside the Adventure Guild about how they paid him less for his cores. So, I thought it would be better to avoid them altogether."

"That makes sense," Aron agreed, nodding in understanding. "To the Mercenary Guild, then."

With their decision made, the two friends set out to explore the town in search of the Mercenary Guild.

Aron couldn't help but be amazed at the town's size. The majority of buildings stood two stories tall, constructed from a mix of wood and stone, with a large number of shops and stores selling all kinds of goods. The bustling streets were wide and clean, filled with a massive number of people running around doing all kinds of activities.

What surprised him even more was the diverse array of races inhabiting the town. There were many races, not just humans, elves, dwarves, and beastfolk, among others. As Aron observed the crowd, he noticed some individuals wearing collars around their necks. Many of them were engaged in laborious tasks, toiling away at construction sites or performing backbreaking work.

Others, dressed in fine attire, mostly women, went in and out of shops, with men and women wearing decent clothes and a collar on their necks carrying their bags.

"What's that on their necks?" he asked Raum about the collar.

"Hmm?... That is a slave collar,"

"Slave?"

Raum told him that there are two types of slaves. The first group consisted of town or city slaves, often criminals or those unable to repay their debts, serving the city for a specific period as punishment.

The second group comprised personal slaves belonging to wealthy individuals, mostly nobles. Depending on their master and a little bit of luck, they either get a good and decent life or something far less desirable.

Aron clearly saw the difference between the two from their clothes, facial expressions, and type of work. In his heart, he felt rage and disgust. Imagining himself as a slave, he would prefer to take his own life rather than being someone else's puppet.

Freedom above anything else, standing at the top and not taking orders from anyone. After all, Aron is a dragon, and dragons are at the top of the food chain. Yet he understood that to attain that level of freedom, he needed strength to become an unstoppable force like a raging volcano that consumed everything in its path.

"The safest place is on the top."

After exploring the town for a while and seeking directions from friendly women who were more than happy to answer him with a gentle and lovely smile, Aron found it strange. But he didn't pay too much attention to it since his stomach was screaming from hunger.

Eventually, the two friends found themselves standing in front of a distinctive stone building resembling a small fortress with a wide wooden door. Above the entrance was a brown banner featuring a central sword symbol. Aron's face lit up with a wide smile as he rushed toward the entrance of the guild.

Stepping inside, he was greeted by a lively scene: men and women donning various armors and wielding diverse weapons. Some gathered around wooden tables, engaged in merry conversations, drinking and laughing, or planning their next hunts.

Others stood before a massive board with a tremendous accumulation of papers taped to it. Overall, the environment created the impression that it was all about money, fighting, and drinking.

"It feels like home, sweet home."

Towards the back of the bustling hall sat a young, beautiful woman with long red hair cascading down to her waist. Her emerald eyes sparkled with a hint of fatigue as she diligently organized guild quests from behind a wooden counter.

'...Boring, the never-ending paperwork.' Letting out a sigh, she murmured to herself, 'My back is aching from sitting all day.'

She raised her arms and stretched her body, showing her perfectly proportioned breasts, which matched her graceful figure quite well. She was wearing a white shirt with a blue two-button vest and a black long skirt.

As she stood there, she couldn't help but feel the familiar gaze of lust and desire from the men around her. Many had approached her in the past, but she had rejected all of them.

'Tsk… Always those eyes staring at my body. They all want the same thing. Disgusting,' she sighed, feeling frustrated. 'Nobody actually sees me.'

She refocused on her work, determined to ignore the lustful and greedy eyes. But then, a sudden silence fell upon the hall, as if a powerful mage had cast a spell to suppress all sounds.

Intrigued, the red-haired woman raised her eyes. She glanced at the mercenaries and saw them staring at the guild entrance. Her eyes shifted to the entrance, following the rest.

Her eyes landed on a tall, black-haired man clad in old armor and a cloak. Two black weapons hung from his back, and on his left shoulder, he held a leather bag while a raven perched on his right shoulder.

The woman's brain didn't register any of this. Everything else faded into the background as she found herself captivated by this man's undeniable handsomeness.

He surpassed any other man she had ever seen, even the nobles who occasionally visited the guild for business. Not a single one of them is as handsome as him. The red-haired woman couldn't help but be drawn to his presence, his charm amplified by the aura of a seasoned warrior.

The tall man glanced around the hall with a wide smile on his face, scanning everything and everyone. Soon, his eyes fell on the red-haired woman behind the wooden counter.

'!!!'The woman trembled slightly as she felt his gaze upon her. The man started to make his way toward her, ignoring the cold stares from some men and the seductive eyes of a few women.

The red-haired receptionist rose from her seat, her face showing a neutral and professional expression. After all, she is a guild employee, and she must act professionally.

However, with each step he took toward her, the pressure and chaos inside her intensified. The overwhelming combination of his physical attractiveness and warrior-like aura left her in a state of internal turmoil.

"Greetings, sir. Welcome to the mercenary guild. How may I assist you?" She managed to speak with a calm and composed tone, despite the chaos within.

The man's eyes swept across the hall before finally settling on the red-haired woman behind the wooden counter. To her surprise, he flashed a smile that momentarily took her aback. However, she maintained her professional demeanor, not letting any emotion show on her face.

'....Damn, a smile with that face is illegal,' she cursed inside her head.

"Nice place you guys have. I like it," he commented casually, causing a slight curve to form on the beautiful red-haired receptionist's lips.

"Oh! I have a few magic cores I would like to sell. Can you help with that?" he asked in a gentle tone.

"Of course, sir. We accept magic cores. But are you a guild member?" She inquired politely.

"No," he answered honestly.

The red-haired beauty bowed her head slightly and apologized, "Sorry, sir. We only accept guild members. Our services are mainly for members and business partners."

The man's smile momentarily faded and before he spoke up again. She raised her head and offered him a solution.

"Would you like to join the Mercenary Guild, sir? That way, we can accept your cores."

He rubbed his chin as he pondered the suggestion but quickly said something to the red-haired beauty.

"By the way, enough with 'Sir.' Just call me Aron. But before I make my decision, I have a question."

"Of course, Mister Aro~"

"Aron," he corrected her.

"Heh...?"

"Just Aron and nothing else," he insisted, his gentle tone and smile leaving her no room for argument.

'...At least he's not arrogant like most men,' she thought.

"It's my pleasure to meet you, Aron. You may call me Cila. I am a guild receptionist," she introduced herself with a slight bow.

"The pleasure is mine, Cila," he responded warmly. She couldn't help but feel a sense of happiness as he spoke her name. She quickly shook off the feeling, reminding herself to remain professional.

'...Why am I happy about that?'

"My friend here mentioned that there are two guilds: the Adventure Guild and the Mercenary Guild. I ask, what's the difference between the two?" Aron pointed to Raum, who sat perched on his shoulder while casually stroking its feathers. Raum rolled its eyes in annoyance.

'Tsk... now you remember that you have a friend,' he was annoyed by the attention Aron was giving to this red-haired female.

"In essence, both guilds function similarly, but there is a slight difference. The Adventure Guild, being more established and well-funded, offers greater rewards and has better connections. However, they require their members to sign a heavy contract. Think of them as a special force working under the kingdom."

Cila paused for a moment, then elaborated, "This led some adventurers to leave the guild and form what is now known as the Mercenary Guild. We are a new and independent organization, and we like to give our members fewer restrictions."

"So, to summarize," Aron noted, capturing the key points, "the Adventure Guild offers more benefits and rewards but imposes heavy restrictions on its members. On the other hand, the Mercenary Guild provides fewer benefits with fewer restrictions. Is that correct?"

"Yes, that's basically it," Cila agreed, but in her mind, she added another important matter.

'...Not to mention that they put heavy pressure on us by denying us new members. Those who do join don't last a week before leaving the guild to join the adventurers... Sigh... We haven't had a new member in a whole month now.'

Frustration welled up within her as she was also being harassed by several adventurers who were trying to persuade her to switch guilds.

While Aron pondered the information about the two guilds, his gaze momentarily shifted to Raum.

Meanwhile, Cila scanned Aron with her emerald eyes, taking in the two giant black weapons on his back, the old armor that gave the feeling that he walked out from a battlefield, and the death bird perched on his shoulder, adding to his aura of mystery. Not to mention the heavy and captivating pressure he exuded.

'...And he's so handsome. The Adventure Guild would do anything to recruit him... Sigh... But what can we do? They have more money t~'

"I'll join," Aron suddenly interrupted her thoughts.