At the same moment, in the topmost guildmaster's office, Leili was as expected being complained to by Vivian.
"Alright, alright. It's my wrong, alright." Leili surrendered, "I just wanted to help you guys out a bit, so how'd it end up like this?"
The guildmaster of Lamdrion's adventurer's guild looked completely helpless. She must have gotten ground down by Vivian.
But Vivian's attitude was still the same.
"No matter what, this is an internal matter of my party. For you to forcibly intervene like that isn't very good for you either, right?"
Vivian was still giving her grief.
But Vivian wasn't wrong either.
"If you as guildmaster end up interfering with adventurer's parties as you like, and it's on a matter as sensitive as the reward. If that ends up getting leaked out by someone with ulterior motives, other adventurer's parties would likely end up distancing from you. Is that really fine?"
Vivian wasn't worried over nothing.
This isn't just fear mongering.
Leili understood full well. What she did today, if things really didn't go well and end up getting used by someone with ulterior motives, it will likely end up as a troublesome issue for her.
However, Leili wasn't too worried.
"You think I've been guildmaster here for these last three years for nothing?" Leili gave a laugh, "Something like that, I would have smothered in its cradle before it had a chance to show. Others might not realize, but do you not understand this either?"
Hearing Leili say so, Vivian finally relaxed somewhat.
Just like how Leili understands Vivian, Vivian also understands Leili quite well. She knows full will how mindful this lone heiress of high nobility is, and that she wouldn't let that kind of possibility happen.
Other highly placed individuals might show their abilities after a situation had occurred and then perfectly resolve the issue to show off to the world their smarts and abilities, gaining praise. Leili however is different. She doesn't want to waste effort dealing with something after it's occurred. Instead, she's quite set on dealing with things before it had a chance to blow up, killing it in the cradle.
Thanks to that, the impression that that people of Lamdrion have towards Leili tend towards just her being a high noble or her being kind. They look at her concern for newbies with warmth and kindliness, but they didn't realize that Leili's reason for doing such things is in the same style as her preferred method of dealing with issues proactively.
Newbies will often encounter danger?
Then support them. Improve their equipment and support items. Help guarantee their safety as much as possible.
Capable adventurers only appear very rarely?
Then put additional importance on them when they are still newbies. Properly raise them up.
Thus methods are all because Leili's talent lies in being proactive. Or rather, she's obsessed with being proactive.
Thanks to such a way of doing things, Leili had in the past dealt with several issues that almost blew up into huge matters in the cradle, allowing those three years to pass peacefully without worries.
Thus, the people only knew that this guildmaster is kind and generous. They had no idea that she's mindful enough to discover the seeds of various matters and crush them in their infancy.
It's also for that reason that a newcomer like Shien would catch Leili's attention and be set within Vivian's party. It was also why Leili would come down to the main hall to see Shin the moment she got word that Vivian' party had returned.
Someone else probably wouldn't have acted directly like that and met someone she wanted to see of her own initiative. Rather, they probably would have used their position as guildmaster to have the staff bring the person to their office for a meeting, right?
To tell the truth, the reason why Vivian would be so caring for newbies and have no problems with bringing up a newbie was really due to Leili's influence.
Otherwise, it's one thing to be kind or gentle, but Vivian wasn't to the point where she'd care for everyone to such equal degree.
For the Leili who influenced Vivian so, there's no way she'd allow any unsettling rumors to appear.
"Fine." Vivian sighed, "I know that I didn't consider as much as you, nor am I as smart as you."
Vivian could only admit it.
"Don't say it that like." Leili smiled while picking up a quill and tapped it against her desk, "I'm quite happy to have gotten the chance to run downstairs this time. How else would I have been able to see that newbie?"
"What?" Vivian was surprised, "You've already realized how extraordinary Shien is?"
"No, I haven't." Leili was quite direct, "But from how you, Diere, and the rest are treating that newbie, I can basically guess it. There's something about him that you found worth admiring."
Naturally, Leili's sharp gaze was able to see through the unusual attitude that Vivian's party had towards Shien.
"Originally, you aside, I had thought that due to the previous incidents, Diere and them should be quite unwelcoming of that newbie." Leili gave a half grin, "However, from the look of things today, besides little Lumia still being the same, the attitudes that you three are showing that newbie are quite unusual."
It was especially Diere's attitude that Leili found most unexpected.
That's because Leili had never seen a male adventurer who could get that close to Diere.
Never mind male adventurer. Even for female ones, if they're unfamiliar to her, Diere would completely ignore them.
This can be called the pride of a prodigy. Leili had basically gotten used to it too.
Yet, with how much she had gotten used to it, Leili found today just as unexpected.
For Diere, who had dared to even break all four limbs of that certain handsy successor of a noble family, to show such an attitude. However else, I can only consider that newbie to have some kind of virtue." Leili focused on Vivian, "Well? Did you manage to find out something about him?"
That's the job that Leili gave Vivian, for her to investigate Shien somewhat to see if this newbie really did not learn any skills, or if something unusual was going on.
And yet…
"… My apologies, but I do not want to say."
Vivian went silent for a while, and then gave out such an answer.
"Don't want to say?"
Leilie never considered that Vivian would have said something like that, so she too was stunned for a moment.
"Shien definitely have some kind of secret." Vivian gave a bitter smile at that, "But, just from what little bit that I've managed to glimpsed, I can only say that this secret might be greater than what we imagined. I'm afraid that we might not be able to carry such a weight."
Such a statement made Leili loose all words.
"… It is super troublesom?"
Leili straightened her back slightly and stared right at Vivian.
"Hn. It should be very troublesome." Vivian met Leili's gaze and spoke very seriously, "I hope it's not what I think. Otherwise, Shien's existence could very well collapse the current fragile peace maintained between the three races."
At that moment, even Leili couldn't help but lose control over her expressions.
"It's to that degree?"
Leili wrinkled her brow and her tapping against the table intensified.
Vivian knows that it was a habit of Leili when she's thinking.
Right now, Leili's mind was probably speeding at a rate beyond what normal people could even imagine, right?
Yet, this period wasn't maintained for long.
"Since you've already gone that far, it looks like I have no choice but to believe it no matter how much I might not want to."
Leili gave that kind of summary.
"What do you plan on doing?"
Vivian asked.
"What else could I do?" Leili spoke as if complaining, "Help that newbie clean up."
"Clean up?" Vivian understood in an instant, "You've already investigated Shien?"
"Basically." Lieli grimaced, "You know my personality, I like being proactive. Since I'm especially taking care of that newbie, then just to be safe, I'd naturally first do some investigating to avoid any problems cropping up."
However, the result was that Leili didn't manage to get anything. It was as if Shien sprung out of a crack in the ground fully formed.
"Originally I just thought that it was due to the lack of time that I wasn't able to dig up anything worthwhile, but from the look of things now, not only can I keep this investigation running, but I'm also going to have to help him cover up is information, and even create a fake identity for him."
Leili planned to do that.
"Is it doable?"
Vivian still asked out of politeness.
"Shouldn't be an issue. I can just fake him an identity as someone from the orphanage that I support."
Lieli had perfectly considered everything without much trouble.
Due to a number of adventurers who already had families ended up encountering danger during their adventures and loosing their lives, Leili had set up an orphanage for the children left behind by those adventurers.
The kids from that orphanage would often step on the same path as their parents. Perhaps it was also to thank Leili for helping them gain independence too.
Thanks to that, if Leili wanted to, it was quite simple to fake an identity for Shien.
"This is all on the premise that Shien's trustworthy though?" Leili reminded, "I don't want to have ended up helping a spy from some other country or even the demons. Can you guarantee that?"
Leili stared intently at Vivian.
Vivian strongly nodded without a hint of hesitation in response.
"Although my time in contact with him is short, and his very existence is a very unstable spark. I can guarantee though that he's not the spy for another country or the demons."
Vivian remembered Shien's reactions when he heard about the war a thousand years ago, and spoke with determination.
"If something happens, I'll take full responsibility."
Hearing that, Leili immediately laughed.
"To be able to get you to go that far, that newbie really is lucky." Leilie shrugged, "Alright, I'll be in the same boat as you then."
Vivian's heart was warmed by that.
She knows too, Leili's decision to do that also carried with it an enormous amount of danger.
To Leili who aimed to smother every bit of risk in the cradle, that's definitely not an easy decision for her.
Vivian could only say one word in response.
"Thank."
Everything was encompassed by that one word.
"Well, I've already supported that newbie after all. In that case, let's just follow it through to the end."
Lieli laughed.
However…
"I'm getting more and more curious towards that newbie though. I need to find a good chance to have a drink or two with him at some point."
