Welcome to the Monsters' Guild ~ The Strongest Group Who Did Everything, for a Price ~ Chapter 14

"Raiz, someone is going after you."

Stated Merck, his former comrade, and the next moment Arachne brought the suspicious people she had just caught.

"They look like civilians but have calluses on their hands. They probably have combat experience."

Added Merck after examining the men.
They decided to move the bodies beyond the hill so that the carpenters couldn’t see them.

"Couldn't they be farmers or adventurers?"

"No, their muscles don’t match farmers’ builds. They would be more credible as adventurers, but their equipment is something an a.s.sa.s.sin would wear."

He took a black dagger and a little bottle filled with a hideous liquid from their clothes.

"Black knives are used to avoid the reflection of light on the blade, and this is undoubtedly poison.
They weren’t hanging around your ranch to go after some villager or merchant."

Tension started to build up along with his words.

"Raiz! Just come back with us! We won’t know when it might be too late!"

Lety tried to persuade him desperately, her face already pale.
Her reaction wasn’t something expected from a simple former co-worker.

"…I have to think about it. I still have some stuff I must take care of."

"Who cares about them! They’re trying to kill you!"

She insisted firmly, but he simply shut his eyes and ignored her.

"Lety, don’t force him. He needs some time to think."

"But…!"

"I also want him to join the army again, but forcing him is no good."

"…Fine."

Even though she was so opposed until a moment before, Merck managed to calm her down.

"Raiz, we’ll bring these guys with us to the city. We'll settle in some inn for a little while, so if you change your mind about our proposal, feel free to come. Of course, we will also come to check how things are doing here."

"We'll come here every single day!"

Lety was dead-set on convincing Raiz, but she had no choice but to give up for today.
After informing the tamer, they finally left the ranch.

"Lord Raiz, what will you do?"

Lamia looked at his master with an anxious expression.
The monsters didn’t trust the army that fired them, and some were even hostile to it.

"Well, let’s see… I don’t want to return for now."

The presents let out a sigh of relief.

"Anyway, where did they come from?"

He wondered out loud thoughtfully.

"Maybe someone sent them from the Kingdom of Serga."

Raiz nodded at Lamia’s guess.
Still, he didn’t seem to be satisfied.

"That might be possible."

"Is there something that doesn’t feel right?"

"No, I was just thinking about their proposal. Does the army really want me back?"

"I don’t understand human’s wars, but I do understand that they would seek for powerful allies."

Lamia was a monster, but thanks to her half-human side, she had the intelligence and flexibility to understand humans.

"It would be great if people acted and moved by reason only…"

Still, there are some parts of what they said that feel suspicious.

He didn’t want to worry his subordinates even more, so he kept that thought for himself.
The presents glanced at him one after the other, but even Lamia didn’t seem to notice anything.

"Well, I don’t want to return to the army. We even started a serious business here! Also, I can’t leave this place until Dragon’s gear is fully paid!"

Hearing the monsters chuckle, Raiz relaxed.
Now that the war ended, he didn’t want to make his dear subordinates fight again.

"You’re right. Oh, and now that the carpenters are building us a new house, it would be a shame to leave it empty!"

"Indeed."

◆

Warmed by the light of a bonfire, Raiz looked up at the sky.
It was a beautiful, cloudless evening.

A meow reached his ears.

"Are you back?"

He turned to face a lovely cat covered by a soft fur.

"Cat Sith repurrting for duty."

The cat stood on his hind legs and climbed on Raiz’s lap.

"Have you found out anything?"

The monster faced Raiz and extended his paw without uttering a word.

"…"

The tamer moved his hand without thinking and pressed on the cat’s squishy paw.

"Purr~! Oh yes, a ma.s.sage…! No, I mean, yessshhh!"

He rose both his ears and tail while hissing.

"Sorry, I was fooling around."

Raiz then took some dried meat from a leather bag and handed it over.

"Thank you, Meowster."

Cat Sith was different from the other monsters.
He agreed to report useful information periodically in exchange for payment.
There weren’t many monsters that acted like this, and tamers like Raiz were more inclined to use big monsters.

"So, do you have any information for me?"

Raiz asked again while the monster bit its reward.
He rose his paw slowly.

"Of course. I found out something amazing, Meowster."

That was a long night for the tamer.