Chapter 362 - 362 - Kid, You've Still Got a Lot to Learn

The moment he heard the Guild was short on staff and needed support from every direction, a faint light flickered in Leon's eyes, and an idea came to him fast.

The lovely ladies of his household, each with her own distinct grace, flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern, and in the end he decided then and there to send out Margaret, Irisviel, and Lydia.

Margaret had shapeshifting magic as well as summoning magic, which made her perfectly suited as an escort.

The main support force, of course, would be Miss Irisviel von Einzbern and Miss Lydia Mel Elsioru Cürs.

Leon had his own reasons for sending them.

First, it was to let them build up real combat experience under high pressure.

Second, it was to give them a chance to meet the excellent healers of the various Familias, and if possible, by having them exchange ideas, learn from one another, and borrow each other's techniques, they would improve their own abilities.

There was an old saying in the East: among any three people walking together, one is bound to be my teacher.

Building a cart behind closed doors and expecting it to fit the ruts outside was a mindset to avoid.

Right now every major treatment house was already packed beyond capacity. Forget empty beds, you were lucky to claim a spot in the hallway. With medical resources stretched this thin, it was the perfect time for the two of them to show what they could do and hone their craft.

After all, having this many wounded patients to practice healing magic on... that wasn't an opportunity that came around often.

The moment Leon finished speaking, an obvious trace of displeasure surfaced on Royman's face.

Support, you call this? You're brushing me off with this?

What's the meaning of sending three Lv.1 rookies? The Demeter Familia may be a latecomer, but they clearly have a Lv.4 holding the fort. Fine, even if the captain can't be spared, sending a couple of Lv.2s would still beat this Lv.1 padding-the-numbers attitude, wouldn't it?

Noticing Royman's expression, Leon gave a slight smile and explained calmly:

"Guild Master, you really shouldn't underestimate these three girls of our Familia. Their levels may not be high, but what I'm telling you is... their abilities really can't be measured by level alone."

"Irisviel is a healer. I think quite a few people here have seen Iri's healing magic with their own eyes, and they can vouch for me."

Finn turned his gaze to Riveria.

The royal elf gave a nod and, unusually, spoke up in agreement:

"Royman, I can vouch for this. In my view... Miss Einzbern's healing ability is in no way inferior to Airmid or Heith Velvet. Mr. Hart is not brushing you off. Besides... since he dares to send another healer along with Miss Einzbern, I imagine her level of skill won't be far off either. Wouldn't you agree?"

When Riveria finished, Royman frowned at Leon for a moment, then his brow smoothed out and a smile spread across his round face:

"Hahaha, I see, I see. I misunderstood. My apologies, my apologies. But you know how it is, Leon. Orario is so large, with so many Familias, and on top of that I'm swamped with daily affairs. There's no way I can keep an eye on every single Adventurer in the city."

Leon raised a flawless smile in return:

"Understood, of course. Completely understood."

Watching the courtesy and theater practically written across both their faces, Asfi, Tsubaki, Lyra and the others all looked away as if by silent agreement. That deliberately manufactured air of cozy harmony left them feeling embarrassed on the two men's behalf.

Veterans like Finn and Hedin, on the other hand, didn't bat an eye.

Clearly, this kind of surface performance was old hat to them.

"Tch, these lords are such hypocrites."

"This is what they mean by 'no permanent friends, only permanent interests'..."

"Kid, you've still got a lot to learn."

...

...

As one agenda item after another inched through the back-and-forth tug-of-war and negotiation, the sky outside the window had long since gone completely dark.

Leon pulled out his pocket watch and glanced at it. Ten o'clock sharp.

Which meant this so-called "year-end assembly" had already dragged on for a full thirteen hours through everyone's pulling and squabbling.

Of course, as the single most crucial high-level meeting of the year, even running several days straight was perfectly normal. What's more... forget this isekai where the average person had an Adventurer's constitution, even in Leon's past life, "meeting supermen" who battled it out for weeks on end were no rare sight.

Leon drained his however-manyth cup of tea, lowered his eyes again, and went back to reviewing the documents on the table in front of him.

While he studied them, he traded a few low murmurs with Jeanne and Rose beside him.

As far as Leon was concerned, so long as a topic didn't touch his own interests, they could fuss over it however they liked. But if it had anything to do with their Demeter Familia's interests, then he'd put up a fight one way or another.

...

"Everyone, this work concerns the safety of Orario and the welfare of its people. It must be given the highest priority."

Royman straightened his back, his tone carrying its usual ceremonial gravity:

"After this meeting, each Familia is to ground itself in its own role, combine that with the actual situation, conduct in-depth study and repeated review of the relevant tasks, and draw up practical, workable implementation plans. Divide the labor clearly, pin down responsibility, and ensure every measure is pushed forward solidly and produces real results."

He paused briefly, his gaze sweeping slowly across the room before, ever so faintly, grazing past a certain cat man who was nodding off:

"Every task must be strictly measured against requirements: plan beforehand, supervise during, evaluate afterward. Especially the methods used during execution. You must be sure to keep a sense of proportion, mind your strategy, and firmly guard against being crude and heavy-handed or inflaming conflicts."

Here his tone abruptly hardened, carrying a clear note of warning:

"This time, I do not want to see complaint letters and reports piling up in the Guild's mailbox like snowflakes because certain Familias were too aggressive in their methods and too reckless in their conduct..."

"That kind of situation must be stamped out completely!"

Royman's manner was stern on the surface, but the instant his line of sight met Hedin's icy stare and Finn's not-quite-a-smile expression, he quickly looked away as if nothing had happened, his face all but instantly reverting to that smooth, ingratiating look.

Everyone: "..."

Your bullying-the-weak-and-fearing-the-strong attitude is showing a bit too plainly, isn't it!

"Royman."

Hedin pushed up his glasses, his voice steady yet carrying a note that brooked no evasion:

"The set agenda should be just about wrapped up, shouldn't it?"

At this, Alise, who had long since been unable to sit still, couldn't help but pipe up with a complaint:

"Huh? There's more?"

"Come on... our Familia's still got a whole pile of stuff waiting to be dealt with!"

But the seasoned veterans didn't take her bait. Instead, they all turned their eyes toward the Guild Master, the fat of his round face quivering faintly.

Something stirred in Leon, and he looked over at Finn.

Sure enough, the moment Hedin opened the door, Finn calmly picked up the thread:

"Then shall we move on to what everyone actually cares about?"

"For instance, this year's performance evaluations, the corresponding rewards and penalties, and... the reallocation of resources?"

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