The D-Rank Guild Master of the No. 1 Guild

The NPCs’ faces were filled with worry.

Why are those guys suddenly barging in on this dangerous situation? They’re not even the slightest bit helpful!

I barely remembered my role as the count’s daughter and opened my mouth to calm them down.

“Father, I’m all righ-.”

However, my temporary father’s hand lightly brushed past my shoulder and went behind me.

“Shemarin! Are you alright?”

Why is he more concerned about the maid, Shemarin, than his own daughter?

His hand gripped Shemarin’s shoulder, but it was soon roughly pushed away by his son, the young count.

“Father, why are you grabbing Shemarin so carelessly? Are you coveting the woman your son has set his sights on?”

“Watch your tone with your father! Shemarin was originally mine! You, who should be making a strategic marriage with a noble family, dare to covet my maid?”

I felt my mind starting to drift away. Forced to witness this insane love triangle, yet another person joined in.

“What are you talking about? How can you say that in front of your wife, in front of me?”

The temporary mother and wife of the count, Lady Clarence, rushed in, her dress hem gripped tightly, her face red.

She then shouted out while panting,

“Shemarin is deeply involved with me!”

My gaze slowly turned to one side.

Shemarin, who had been standing aside, averted her eyes from mine and rolled them slightly.

“I don’t understand why these people are acting like this-? I was just spying on them one by one as you instructed.”

It was a shameless feigned ignorance.

A ruined group project. Messy work, in-fighting among group members, a runaway member causing trouble… And then there was me, the group leader.

“Hey!!”

Finally, I exploded.

* * *

Hey!!

A lion’s roar echoed through the hall.

I screamed towards the banquet hall, which was about to descend into chaos, my eyes blazing with fury.

Of course, Agasa, the guild leader, wouldn’t just go on a rampage without thinking. This outburst was also part of a meticulous plan.

“……!”

The loud sound from my throat had an effect. Those self-assertive guild leaders all turned to look at me.

‘Has Rudel gone mad?’

They all had faces that seemed to say just that, but no. Right now, I’m the only sane one here.

Even though these group members had completely messed up the mission, my brain was working busily to salvage the situation.

If this mission fails like this, we’ll fall behind the other groups, damn it.

Alright, with things like this, I’ll end everything with a joke. Let’s try to grab some viewer support points.

I had something prepared for just such an occasion.

Swaaash-!

“??”

I tore the dress I was wearing straight down. The eyes of those nearby nearly popped out of their heads. Some, horrified, quickly covered their eyes.

First, I had succeeded in intimidating the crowd and the guild leaders with the shocking dress-ripping performance of the count’s daughter.

What was revealed beneath the fluttering dress pieces wasn’t my bare skin, but a black tracksuit.

Next, I pulled a black cap from under the dress and jammed it down over my head. My forehead and eyes were hidden by the brim, leaving only my menacing aura exposed.

It was a look I’d never shown to the viewers before. I’d been waiting for the right moment to reveal it, and now seemed like the perfect time.

Today, I debut. This is Instructor Rudel.

“Everyone, gather in front of the instructor.”

With the cap pulled low, I transformed into the top delinquent of the banquet hall, in charge of the guild leaders.

About five minutes later.

The NPCs had disappeared without a trace.

Under the status window blatantly displaying [Mission Failed!], I had kicked out the Duke of Kizen or whoever it was and had taken his seat at the head of the table.

Maintaining my strict demeanor, I yelled at the guild leaders standing before me.

“I’m very disappointed.”

When else would I have such a groundbreaking opportunity? As nothing more than a B-tier, the chance to line up these big shots and scold them?

“Hmph…”

Even Yudirei, either suppressed by my aura or simply treating me as prey, stood at the end with his arms crossed, not daring to challenge me.

That Yudirei wasn’t killing me on the spot meant I’d grown in his eyes.

If so, I too would grow.

I would bolster my guts, acting as if I’d die living only for today, proudly confronting this killer.

I raised one leg and draped it over the other. With my fingers, I adjusted the brim sticking out in front of my face.

“Given our devastating failure, I’ll allow each of you one minute to defend yourselves.”

Of course, the viewers might see this and think, ‘Who does this lowly Rudel think he is, reprimanding Aleon, Shemarin, and Yudirei?’

Well, I’d like to add that Instructor Rudel is another persona of mine, completely unrelated to the usual Rudel.

With this, the chaotic event round somehow ended with me gripping it by the scruff of its neck and closing it out.

* * *

The appearance of each fortress, left without their guild leaders due to the event round, varied greatly.

Among them, the Agasa guild, having the fewest members and an exceptionally high dependency on their guild leader, saw a notable decline in activity and a spread of silence.

Now, with the second generation’s appearance imminent and in the interest of fairness for new players, all training was prohibited.

However, the members of Agasa were diligent, much like their guild leader. Even during official free time, they avoided frivolous activities and sought opportunities to study in any way they could.

For instance, Unahar threw stones into an empty flowerpot, trying not to lose the feel of using his bazooka.

Ping, ping!

Kanel honed his shooting skills by firing a BB gun at the wall.

Tap, clink.

Meanwhile, a silver-haired girl tied her hair neatly and hurried into the library after opening the door.

‘I have to finish reading this book before Rudel returns!’

Lilith thought she was not particularly smart. Therefore, she decided to read books to be of help to Rudel.

Ambitiously, she picked up a classic novel and sat on the library sofa. Then she opened to the first page.

About twenty minutes later, Lilith blinked, dropped the book onto the sofa, and yawned.

‘How do Unahar and Kanel manage to read a whole book? It’s amazing. I can’t do it.’

She got up from her seat, swaying slightly.

‘I should get some coffee to drink while I read…’

It was when she grabbed the library door handle.

Clunk, clunk.

“Huh?”

The door didn’t open from the inside, as if it was broken. The doorknob wouldn’t budge.

“Oh no! What should I do?”

While Lilith, with her meager C-rank strength, was trying her best to shake the door, a shadow approached from behind.

Startled, Lilith moved aside without realizing it.

‘I didn’t know someone else was here.’

Although the boy wasn’t particularly stealthy, his footsteps were remarkably silent.

Lilith hadn’t noticed his presence even though they had been in the same space the whole time.

Akata slowly approached the door Lilith had just tried to open and grabbed the handle.

Despite applying pressure, the door didn’t move an inch.

“…”

Silently, he returned to his original seat and, with a serene expression, resumed reading his book, showing no further interest.

Watching this, Lilith felt somewhat bewildered.

‘Did he just give up after shaking it once?’

It was then that she understood why her precious friend worried about Akata. 

If no one came to open the door from the outside, he would likely sit there until he starved to death.

After thinking for a moment, Lilith decided to stop wrestling with the door and cautiously sat next to Akata.

She checked the cover of the book Akata was engrossed in.

[Taekwondo Manual]

Perhaps now, with the two of them trapped, was an opportunity.

Lilith, unsure whether driven by curiosity or stubbornness, felt determined to get a response from Akata at least once.

So, without hesitation, she started talking.

“A Taekwondo manual, huh? I didn’t know there was a book like that. Did you find it yourself?”

“……”

“That’s so cool! You’re preparing to take Taekwondo lessons with Rudel and Unahar! I know you’ll do great.”

“……”

“With such an impressive unique ability, just imagine how much stronger you’ll become if you improve your basic physical skills! I’m excited to see it!”

At that moment, Akata’s hand, which had been about to turn the page, stopped as if frozen.

Did I upset him by talking too much…? As Lilith, feeling shy, cautiously studied Akata’s expression,

“Yes, I found the book myself.”

To her surprise, after a long effort, the boy finally responded to Lilith.

“I need to take the Taekwondo lessons too, but if I join late, I’ll be behind. So I’m studying on my own.”

He suddenly began answering Lilith’s questions fluently.

It was astonishing that he remembered all her words after hearing them once, but what was even more surprising was Akata’s facial expression, which had softened significantly.

For the first time, it seemed like he was making eye contact with her.

As Lilith marveled at this, Akata thought to himself while looking at the girl across from him.

‘Someone Rudel cherishes and likes a lot.’

He had reached a point where he could slowly start reaching out to the things around Rudel.

Lilith looked at him, wondering if this was a dream or reality, her expression full of awe.

Just then, someone knocked on the door from outside.

“Are you in there? It’s Kanel. I heard the door was locked, so I brought a crowbar.”

Immediately, Lilith shouted in response from behind the door.

“It’s okay! You don’t need to open it! Thank you!”

“…?”

Ecstatic, Lilith chattered away, finding various topics of conversation. The minute hand on the library clock ticked away as time passed.

The library confinement incident ended with the boy suddenly getting up at some point, attempting to open the door and leave.

He looked visibly tired.

“Sorry, Akata… I was too chatty, wasn’t I?”

Feeling embarrassed, Lilith mumbled softly from behind him.

Nonetheless, the fact that she managed to have a conversation with Akata, even if she didn’t finish reading a book, became a significant source of pride for her.

Later, she boasted about this to Rudel when he returned from the event round, making her smile from ear to ear.

As a result, Lilith’s shoulders rose even higher with pride.