Unemployed (GXG) (GIRLXGIRL) (GL)

41

Merle holds her head in her hands as the line of people clamoring for an audience kept on going day after day.

“King Merle, why don’t you start a guild?” Lucille asked.

“A Guild?” Merle asked.

“Yes, the person with the problem commissions a quest and puts up money and supplies as compensation,” Lucille said. “Someone else solves their problem and claims the reward. You’ve been taking a lot of jobs you don’t need to bother with lately, so we could ask the people to solve their problems among themselves.”

“That sounds like a good idea!” Merle said.

“There’s a vacant house in the city that should work perfectly,” Lucille said. “If you remodel it into a Guild, I believe the burden on you will be lightened.”

“Okay!” Merle said. “Let’s make a Guild!”

As easily as Merle accepted Lucille’s proposal, so the Guild was launched on the same day. The vacant house was remodeled in hours with Slime spitting up and cloning herself, then soldiers from the castle were stationed there to serve as staff.

The Guild was established successfully and the people who were fighting for an audience with Merle started commissioning their quests there, and the people in need of money and supplies were ready to do the work.

But there were issues.

There weren’t enough heads to handle all the paperwork and the soldiers were overwhelmed. They were being hounded by constant clerical work while struggling with unfamiliar tasks; at times, the most experienced among them had customers complaining to their faces.

“Why can’t I commission this quest?!” a man shouts.

“Sorry, we’re not able to accept quests involving dragon slaying…” the young clerk replies apologizes.

The shouting and apologies repeat over and over again until the clerk looks like she was about to cry as she bowed yet in apology yet again.

“Damn it! I heard the Demon King can do anything, so I came all this way! Why can’t I commission a quest even though I’ve already paid for a room at an inn?!”

“I’m sorry!”

“Are there any problems?” asked the Guild Master, Lucille.

The man was shocked by the sudden appearance of a demon but upon realizing she was staff, he started shouting again. “I’ve traveled a long way to commission a quest! But what’s the point if I can’t get it posted?!”

Lucille takes the request from his hands. She reads “Dragon Slaying” at the top then rips the paper in two.

“What are you doing?!”

“We can’t exterminate dragons,” Lucille said. “Most of the contractors here don’t have that kind of combat experience. If you want to have a dragon slain, ask another Guild or a different royal government.”

The man’s face fell before he made a fist and struck out with all his anger.

Lucille caught it with one hand, squeezed it as hard as she could without breaking bone.

The man howled in pain. “You’re crushing my hand! You’re crushing my hand!”

“I’m not in a good mood, human!” Lucille cries. “I’m acting per the Demon King’s good intentions! This isn’t the place for garbage like yourself!”

Lucille lets go and kicks him in the stomach, the man falls to his knees and almost collapses.

“Don’t pick this bastard up!” Lucille says.

“Yes, Savior Succubus!” the soldier about to grab him says.

Lucille called out to the clerk who was being shouted out, now looking like she was about to break down into tears. She tapped her head and asked if she was okay, and when the woman doesn’t respond and starts silently crying, Lucille pulls her up to her feet.

“Come with me,” Lucille said as she rests her head on her shoulder then takes her to her office.

Lucille sat her down on the sofa, sat beside her, and patted her back until she calmed down. “What’s your name?” she asked.

“It’s… it’s Plum…” she blubbered.

Lucille patted her head.

“I so dearly wanted to be a soldier…” Plum sniffles. “I wanted to be a great soldier… but the King is gone and I can’t be one or anything like it under the Demon King… I don’t know what to do now…”

Plum wipes her tears with her hands.

Lucille wonders what to do as the Demon King’s orders are absolute. “As long as the Demon King commands it, you have to do your duty. But if there’s a problem like before, Her Majesty and I will assist you. Take the rest of the day off, Plum.”

Plum sniffles. “But I still have work to do…”

“It’s fine,” Lucille said. “I can’t force an injured girl to work. Go home and have something to drink.”

Plum blubbers and says, “Thank you, Ms. Succubus…”

“Don’t spend the rest of your life crying,” Lucille said, chuckling as she playfully poked Plum’s forehead.

To Plum, this demon’s smile looks like an angel’s. To Lucille, however, she just thinks that Plum’s chest was lightened.

With a cloudy head, Plum prepared to go home. Another clerk called out to her, but she only gave a weak reply.

“Hey, are you okay, Plum?” the other clerk asks. “Did Ms. Succubus get angry at you?”

Plum mumbles and says, “No, but… ahh…”

“If you don’t think this job’s for you, why don’t you ask Ms. Succubus or Her Majesty to change it? I’ll go with you then if you need me to.”

“I’ll be fine,” Plum said. “I’ll give it a while longer and keep giving it my all.”