I Became the Guild Leader in Exile

45 – 9# Hero Bronze Golem Man Appears! (1)

A strange uneasiness began to flow through his bones.

Isaac smirked. He sensed that something was odd, but couldn’t figure out what it was. However, he soon shook his head.

What’s important now is safely taking the potatoes he received as payment today back home. Gideon is a city of survival of the fittest, merciful to the strong.

But for the weak, it was a city more cruel than anything. And Isaac belonged to the position of the weak. Just earning enough for a day’s meal and living was overwhelming for him.

“We’re not free either, so get lost!”

“Oh my!”

“……?”

However, at that busy moment of urging his steps, a short noise echoed, and an old man tumbled to the ground. The open door slammed shut harshly.

The old man was wearing tattered clothes. His exposed face and skin were covered in various stains. No matter how you looked at it, he seemed like a penniless wanderer.

“So miserably wretched.”

“Hey.”

“Hmm?”

Even though there was no room to feed his own family, for some reason, Isaac was talking to the old man. Cheap sympathy wouldn’t be of any help.

“If it’s okay, would you come to our house?”

“Really? Is it okay?”

“Yes?”

“Your situation doesn’t seem great either, but at least we have a house to shelter from the storm.”

The old man reluctantly nodded at Isaac. And so, Isaac and the old man headed home together. While walking, the old man asked a question.

“A rare sincere young man you are. But your situation doesn’t seem too good. What’s the reason for your kindness?”

“If you do nothing in despair about reality, nothing will change eventually.”

“I see.”

“By the way, what’s your name?”

“They call me Philemon.”

As Philemon and Isaac walked the streets, they had many conversations. As the fairly enjoyable conversation was coming to an end, Isaac and Philemon could finally reach home.

“Brother’s here!”

“I’m hungry, brother!”

“Yeah, yeah. Just wait a bit.”

“You have quite a few siblings.”

“They’re not actually blood-related siblings.”

Children abandoned by their parents in Gideon were referred to as the children of the gods. Naturally, Isaac was one of them. However, despite the lack of resources.

Isaac was trying his best to help the children he could help. The result was this. Isaac smiled weakly as he put the potato bundles down.

After doing odd jobs at the store and getting some leftover vegetables and fruits as payment, he could usually bring quite a few potatoes. Today, thanks to the owner’s generosity, he could get a considerable amount of potatoes.

Of course, even if he and his siblings each had one, it would all disappear in a day. While Isaac was putting firewood into the stove, he realized one problem.

“Come to think of it, there was a guest.”

Because of an unexpected guest, there weren’t enough potatoes. But the dilemma didn’t last long. After a while, holding roughly baked potatoes, Isaac headed to the dining table.

“Here, it’s done. Eat one by one.”

“We’ll eat well!”

“Are you not eating?”

“I already ate at work.”

It was, of course, a lie. The shop owner wasn’t someone with enough abundance to provide all meals. Nevertheless, Isaac handed a potato to Philemon while hiding the circumstances.

Philemon, who had been silently staring at it, took the potato from Isaac and began to eat. After a while, as the meal concluded, Isaac started cleaning up the leftovers.

“Sorry. We should have at least kept some water so you could wash up….”

“It’s okay. Where can one find shelter from the storm and fill their stomach?”

“If you think that way, I appreciate it.”

“By the way, isn’t it tough? Just the kids here seem to be more than seven.”

The house was so cramped that even lying on the floor was extremely difficult. Thanks to that, Isaac and Philemon had to sleep in the kitchen. Moreover, the amount they ate each day was substantial.

“Of course, it’s tough.”

“Yet, why don’t you give up on the kids?”

“Well…”

He heard it from a complete stranger. He wasn’t angered. Instead, he found himself thinking again after hearing those words. Why am I not giving up on the kids?

The contemplation didn’t last long.

As if it had always been there.

Isaac smiled quietly.

“No matter how hard it is, how can one abandon their family?”

“Even if blood isn’t connecting them, if they care for and protect each other, isn’t that family?”

“… I see, indeed, she must be cherished deeply.”

Busy with cleaning up, he couldn’t hear the last words properly. It was at that moment, as he was about to finish work and rest on the floor. Philemon, who had been waiting for him, spoke up.

“Do you have a wish by any chance?”

“A wish? What kind of wish?”

“Yeah, a wish. If you have one, why not share it?”

Again, a feeling similar to before engulfed him. It felt as though he had to confess everything without a single lie when facing an absolute being.

A wish. A wish.

Naturally, there were many wishes he wanted to make. The power to open up the heavens. A never-ending supply of money would be fine too. However, at this moment, he could think of only one.

“I hope my family stays healthy and happy for a very long time.”

From Noble mtl dot com

“Even in this situation, you make a wish for someone else rather than yourself.”

“That’s right. Even thinking about it, it’s quite strange.”

“Crazy. Pathetic. But that’s how solid it is.”nnThat wish.nnIt must be fulfilled.nn* * *nn”Young master.”nnThe young boy woke up from his sleep as if he had been struck by lightning, and the people nearby laughed at the commotion in the stormy weather. Unfortunately, there was no one around.nnHe had dreamed of something profound, but had forgotten it strangely, only remembering fragments of a cold and hungry dream. The young boy looked around.nnSnow had already started to fall outside the window. It had been two months since Elis’s waste was taken care of, and the cold winter was approaching, signaling the end of the year.nn”Already a year?”nnThe young boy always felt that time passed quickly, but in reality, it was only natural. From the start of the Lion King’s request to Elis, there had been many commissions.nnFortunately, the young boy had managed to resolve the commissions with a happy ending. The authority to monopolize the stone at Elis had brought an unexpected fortune.nnOf course, the golden antelope related to the iron fan was like mocking the revenge of the Lion King. With a considerable amount of money, the guild had started to strengthen its members.nnAs a result, the once struggling iron fan guild now boasted luxurious facilities, but the young boy had no intention of stopping there.nn”Master, can I enter?”nn”Sophia, what’s the matter?”nn”I want to see the ‘benefits’ Master spoke of.”nn”So, you do.”nnThe young boy bowed his head. It wasn’t just about taking care of the subordinates; he had also established a systematic welfare system for the guild members.nnOf course, there were still many issues to be resolved, as it was still in the experimental stage, but it wasn’t a bad start. Moreover, the guild members also didn’t react negatively. Sophia pursed her lips.nn”How did you come up with this idea of spending money like this?”nn”A compliment?”nn”Half of it.”nn”Then the rest must be complaints.”nnHowever, from Sophia’s perspective, it was natural. She thought it was a waste to spend money directly on the development of the guild, as it would be better spent on welfare.nnBut what could she do?nnThis was their master.nnBesides, all the money spent was directly earned by the master, so even if she had any complaints, she didn’t think it was worth mentioning. Financially, they were still comfortable.nn”Did any good commissions come in?”nn”There’s one. It’s a C-rank commission, if I’m not mistaken.”nn”Not like the last Lion King’s commission, right?

“Of course, it’s different. It’s the commission from the Golden Stag.”

Unlike Hades, who took control in Gideon, the Golden Stag is just a merchant. They can’t casually set the commission rank like Hades does. Their credibility has dropped.

So, the Golden Stag thoroughly investigates commissions and ranks them before mediating. Knowing this, Isaac nodded as he read the commission document brought by Sophia.

“The Bronze Golem Man? I’ve heard that name before.”

“The Bronze Golem Man isn’t that strong. The problem is that no matter how many times you kill him, he keeps coming back.”

“An immortal?”

“It doesn’t feel like undead.”

“In any case, we have to go find him ourselves.”

Even in a situation where money overflowed, Isaac didn’t refuse the commission. That was because he didn’t want to lose the value of a hero because of money. Sophia felt the same way.

There are no guarantees that the money will last forever anyway.

In preparation for the worst-case scenario, they always need to hone their skills.

“Should we take the children with us on this commission?”

Diego, Sasha, and Hertz showed remarkable performance in the previous commission.

So now, it would be a good idea to check their abilities through an official commission.