MTLNOVEL Chapter 118
“I can treat him well too. In our guild, Akata would undoubtedly be a star. No chance of being overshadowed by more outstanding members.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Do you really think you can take him away with that?”
Unahar’s cold tone was unwavering. Although it was unlikely, it was certain that if Akata left the guild, it would be a significant loss.
But… despite his sharp retort, Unahar felt a thorn stuck in his throat.
There was no doubt that the comment was rude, but for some reason, he couldn’t fully express his anger.
For reasons he couldn’t tell anyone.
“If our guild offers good terms to trade Akata, would you at least consider listening to the offer?”
“……”
As a result, Unahar couldn’t respond immediately after Hon finished speaking.
By the time Unahar realized his mistake, several seconds of silence had already passed.
His heart sank. The humiliation of having made a huge blunder hit him late.
Hon inwardly celebrated. He wanted to laugh out loud.
‘So, Akata is a thorn in your side too, isn’t he? The guild interview special made it clear. Well, I shouldn’t say this outright. Unahar has a lot of pride.’
Just as Unahar hesitated and was about to weakly retort, “Stop talking nonsense.”
“Ha- what should I do with this clumsy man-.”
A low, husky female voice echoed from behind.
As soon as Unahar recognized who it was, he cursed inwardly and closed his eyes.
‘This is the worst.’
From the perspective of real-world users, the appearance of the sensuous guild leader Shemarin of Red Monarch was itself a topic of a three-way confrontation.
Both Hon and Shemarin were characters that Unahar had previously tried to seduce and swindle.
In Shemarin’s case, her playful engagement with Unahar had led to a dramatic chase involving Rudel.
Thus, viewers anticipated that the situation would be absolutely disadvantageous for Unahar…
However, Shemarin, who brushed her dark blue hair aside, looked not at Unahar, but at Hon.
“Unahar, search that one’s body.”
She ordered curtly, gesturing towards Hon with her chin.
Huh? Hon’s peridot-colored eyes widened.
Contrary to his fresh, fairy-like appearance, his response was unexpectedly rough and fierce.
“Why should I do as you say? Do you think I’m a man who cleans your shoes in your guild?”
“Your words are sharp, aren’t they? Refusing a body search because you have something to hide?”
“As a fellow guild leader, why should I follow the orders of someone who couldn’t even beat me one-on-one?”
“Hmm… but now it’s two against one.”
Shemarin murmured meaningfully, her expression unchanged.
Unahar was momentarily shocked when he realized Shemarin had grouped herself and him as a team.
However, knowing it would be disadvantageous to argue, he kept his mouth shut.
“Besides, in the shop, we fight without our unique abilities, right? So, is there anyone here who can walk away unscathed after facing me?”
Shemarin raised her sleek, alluring arms as she spoke. Despite appearances, she possessed the only A+ grade arms.
“Unless Zaet shows up.”
Mentioning an unrelated name was Shemarin’s way of indicating that this person was still on her mind.
“……”
A frustrated hiss escaped Hon’s lips.
[Guild Return]
Whether because he lost the argument or had something to hide, Hon left the area before Unahar.
Silence settled in the corner of the shop with only the two of them remaining.
“If you run away now, you’re no better than him. Planning to be the second to flee in front of me?”
Unahar, who had been about to press [Guild Return], stopped abruptly. Shemarin’s taunt about being the second was remarkably effective.
“…Why did you tell me to search Hon?”
Even as he asked, the handsome man continued to avoid looking at her, as if conversing with no one.
Despite finding his attitude annoying, Shemarin, recalling her alliance with Rudel, simply smirked.
“Do you think Rudel would hand over Akata to someone else? You know better. Let me ask you this. Why were you listening to that nonsense?”
“What does that have to do with searching Hon?”
“Even Hon knew. Other guilds can’t covet Akata. Wake up. His target wasn’t Akata. It was you.”
Unahar, who had been stubbornly avoiding her gaze, finally looked up and met Shemarin’s eyes at her last statement.
Hon’s target was not Akata but him?
“I saw that guy buying a recorder in the shop earlier.”
Shemarin’s reason for wanting to search Hon was to uncover the recorder he had.
Most likely, the recorder had been running during his conversation with Unahar.
“Hon was planning to record your lukewarm statements about Akata’s guild transfer and play them to Rudel, trying to drive a wedge between you and Rudel.”
* * *
Unahar trembled silently, unable to tell whether it was due to Hon or Shemarin, then turned and disappeared without a word.
Left alone, Shemarin furrowed her thick eyebrows in thought.
‘Honestly, even if Hon goes and badmouths Unahar, would Rudel even flinch? More likely, Rudel would hunt down Hon like a rat. Rudel, you should feel honored. You’re the only woman I care about this much.’
Shemarin soon found and pressed the ‘Guild Leader Communication’ button in her status window. Naturally, she contacted Rudel, the leader of Agasa, where Unahar belonged.
“Rudel, could you keep an eye on Unahar?”
[“Suddenly?”]
Rudel, initially puzzled, quickly grasped Shemarin’s intent.
[“I know I’ve been neglecting him compared to when we first met. But why are you saying this now?”]
Rudel’s voice was cold as she demanded an explanation.
“I don’t think you fully understand him yet.”
Shemarin then relayed the recent events to Rudel.
“I have ten men entranced by me, so I can tell what Unahar’s face signifies.”
He must have hesitated slightly at Hon’s proposal to hand over Akata, which is why he didn’t respond immediately.
“If left alone, he’ll cause trouble.”
From Shemarin’s perspective, Unahar was the type easily swayed by his emotions.
It wouldn’t be a problem if only he suffered, but his actions repeatedly put his entire guild at risk.
His susceptibility to Blance’s provocations during the siege battle, and the mess he made of the guild interview special, all stemmed from this.
The cause of Unahar’s deterioration was obvious.
“Rudel, do you have any feelings for Unahar?”
Shemarin asked directly, half interrogating, half curious.
Rudel, relieved that the conversation was via long-distance communication, turned pale.
A brief silence followed, indicating that the Agasa guild leader was deep in thought.
Rudel set aside the fact that Unahar was a game character and considered him as a person, as a man.
A conclusion soon followed.
[“…Unahar is a comrade. I worry about him and want to take care of him, but I don’t feel any romantic excitement.”]
It was a shocking statement that would have made ‘Rudel x Unahar’ fans worldwide cry out.
Knowing this, Rudel still declared it in the shop’s communication channel.
I thought it was time to set things straight. I owed it to Unahar to stop using our pairing to gain points through coupling.
Shemarin, who I expected to comment on how pitiful Unahar was, said something unexpected.
“You must be having a hard time.”
It was so surprising that I, Rudel, was momentarily taken aback.
[“What, Shemarin? I didn’t expect you to say something like that.”]
“You and I are different. I can be shameless and sometimes give my admirers a carrot to keep them around, but for you, your guild members are like family, right?”
Suddenly, the person I was talking to felt unfamiliar.
If it were Lilith, maybe, but who would have thought Shemarin would have such a genuine conversation with me?
“If you ever need to distance yourself from Unahar, you can entrust him to me for a while. Or consider Aleon as well.”
[“Do you think I would do that? That won’t solve anything. I’m done, I’m hanging up.”]
But I didn’t hang up immediately. After a moment, I spoke again.
[“…Anyway, thank you, Shemarin. Thanks to you, I think I can seriously consider things now.”]
* * *
After the call with Shemarin, I spent a long time contemplating.
Akata is not overly attached to me. Being young, he seems happy just to admire me from afar.
Unahar, on the other hand, clearly wants more from me, driven by emotional instability.
Shemarin hinted that I should be wary of Unahar’s possessiveness.
…I need to think of a polite way to reject Unahar from now on.