Chapter 303: A “Friendly” Conversation
"Hoh, we finally meet, Shye Crowley, ace representative of this year's finest academy. I find it sad that our first meeting was because of a complaint, however, worry not as I do understand where you're coming from."
"Hello, Guild Master Corvus, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Shye offered a deep bow to his guild master, whom he quickly found himself liking.
Just from Corvus' initial words, it was evident that while he might not possess the same level of skill as Soaring Raven as an adventurer, he was undeniably a fair and empathetic guild master.
"Hahaha! I've heard of your epic tales as the notorious rookie. Makes me wonder how not even a single guildsman has recognized you." Corvus said with a beaming smile, probing how Shye would react.
Being a guild master, he understood the importance of knowing the personalities of his guild members, particularly someone like Shye, who was likely to elevate the overall rank of his branch.
A good casual conversation will surely do the trick.
"Hahaha, well, I'm donning mage equipment and is known as a mage by the guildsmen. Maybe that's the reason why." Shye replied with a mild laugh.
Even he found it weird that no one recognized him yet.
Well, it works in his favor though, hence, he had no qualms about his current situation.
After all, suddenly revealing the fact that he was also a mighty warrior would surely net him a hefty amount of points.
As for Corvus, he hadn't expected Shye's easygoing reply at all.
He thought that such a talented rookie would surely be someone prideful and arrogant.
He even heard quite a few rumors about Shye's unbridled arrogance, thus, he prepared himself for an unpleasant conversation.
Well, Corvus wasn't wrong.
As of late, Shye had indeed been someone rather prideful and arrogant.
However, he only reveals his arrogant side to those individuals who deserve it, while amiable individuals like Corvus would undoubtedly be treated with respect.
Corvus didn't immediately buy his "well-mannered" act though.
"Hahaha! Well, you're more amiable than I thought, however, I also know that you're not someone so innocent and I am aware of your…unfortunate encounter with the rookie, Mason Randall." Corvus replied with a mysterious smile.
While he had no intention of taking sides, he was curious to observe how Shye would react to the revelation of one of his darkest secrets.
'Now then, Shye Crowley, show me who you truly are.'
"I see that you already know what happened, Guild Master. However, it pains me to know that you didn't even do anything as one of your rookies was about to be assassinated." Shye craftily replied—his expression—turned into one of utter disappointment. Experience the saga at m-vlem|p-yr
Witnessing the drastic changes in Shye's countenance, it was Corvus who panicked.
Indeed, it was he who was at fault why the unfortunate event even happened.
He had the chance to stop it but he didn't.
To be fair, Corvus desired to halt Mason's actions. However, his authority wasn't sufficient to intervene in matters involving "challenges that would aid a talented rookie in reaching their peak."
Soaring Raven warned him to not intervene too much and let Shye solve his own problems, hence, he had no choice but to simply watch as his guildsmen attempted to assassinate the ace representative of the strongest academy—his most promising rookie.
'Crap…me and my stupid mouth!' Corvus inwardly cursed, he wanted to pin the blame on Soaring Raven, however, if the main guild master finds out…
Suppressing his urge to shiver at the thought, Corvus cleared his throat before feigning a dignified look as he gazed straight toward Shye's eyes.
"Well, I apologize for merely observing as they carried out their assassination attempt. However, as a guild master, I must refrain from excessive intervention, or you won't reach your full potential. I believe you do understand that overcoming challenges leads to greater strength. Therefore, I permitted them to proceed, confident that you would emerge victorious."
Spouting out some bullshit reasoning that was only partly true, Corvus observed Shye's reaction.
Naturally, Shye knew that Corvus was probably under orders from Soaring Raven and that's why he didn't dare intervene.
It was just that he found Corvus' probing words unpleasant, hence, Shye decided to make things slightly difficult for the guild master.
Since Corvus at least made an effort to appease his heart, Shye didn't feel the need to escalate the situation.
Hence, he replied "cordially"—feigning ignorance.
"Oh! So that's what it was! I totally believe you, guild master! I now understand that you only want the best for me."
Hearing Shye's words, Corvus almost choked on his saliva and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
This rookie was indeed a bit too vengeful.
His words sounded sincere, however, one couldn't know if he was being sarcastic or not.
Hence, Corvus opted to just change the topic.
"MHMM! I'm glad you understand. Now, let's get down to business. Regarding your complaint, I do agree that the rewards seem way too meager compared to the difficulty and danger you and Ramah faced. Tell me, what is it you desire?"
Hearing Corvus' words Shye's ears almost clapped in glee.
With such an advantageous position in a negotiation, he might as well kill himself if he couldn't capitalize
This time, the guild master couldn't hold back a shiver from creeping down his spine.
He knew that the rookie…was about to extort rewards from him like a veteran bandit.
However, what options did he have? He was unquestionably at fault for not verifying the information before permitting such a high-level quest to be posted on the quest board.
If it were any other guild members ranked lower than Emerald who took on the quest, they would undoubtedly have perished by now, all due to his negligence.
Upon realizing this, Corvus suddenly felt that rewarding this rookie for not only completing the quest but also saving a few guild members from certain doom was justified.
The initial stinginess he felt had now dissipated.
"Thank you, guild master, for indulging me. Here are my conditions…"