Sibonen followed Isrin through the maze-like corridors of the guild.

  "By the way, Sibonen," she asked casually, "which foreign languages are you fluent in?"

  He straightened proudly.

  "I speak the Northern Kingdom’s language fluently. I also know some Southern Confederation dialects and a bit of Eastern speech."

  Hearing this, Isrin frowned slightly.

  "Aside from the Northern Kingdom... the others might be tricky. But that's okay. I'll be with you."

  She flashed a bright smile.

  Curious, Sibonen ventured, "What about you, Isrin? Which languages are you fluent in?"

  She thought for a moment.

  "I’m fluent in Northern, Southern Confederation, Eastern, and even the Western Frontier dialects.

  Of course, when I first started, I wasn’t that great with the Western and Eastern languages either.

  You’ll pick it up quickly, Sibonen."

  Sibonen was... stunned.

  With that level of language mastery, she could easily have worked for the royal court or the embassy.

  He hesitated, then almost asked,

  "Why are you here?"

  But quickly swallowed the question.

  "Is something on your mind?" Isrin asked.

  "N-No, ma'am! I'll do my best!"

  She laughed.

  "Such a hardworking recruit.“

  Sibonen had once thought that merchant guild work would be simpler than governing a duchy.

  Now he realized — it was complex, sprawling, and massive.

  "Let's go meet the Head of Field Operations," Isrin said, getting up.

  "You’ll be reporting to her often."

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Before they could leave, Sibonen hesitated and nervously raised his hand.

  "You don't need to raise your hand like a child," Isrin chuckled. "Just ask."

  Sibonen cleared his throat.

  "This building... It’s not normal, is it?"

  From the outside, it looked three stories high.

  Inside, it felt like they’d climbed past ten floors.

  "Oh! I forgot to explain."

  Isrin quickly continued.

  "We’re not in the same building anymore.

  When you used the password spell at the door, it transported us to a secure location."

  She grinned.

  "Do you remember the password you said when you entered?"

  "I think it was something like... 'Thirteen Thicket Fifth Cart'?"

  "Correct! Impressive memory."

  She patted his shoulder.

  "The password spell allows only authorized people inside.

  You’ll find a list of the codes in the new recruit manual.“

  Finally, they arrived at a bustling office.

  Isrin led him to a woman buried behind towering stacks of paperwork.

  "This is Riche, the Head of Field Operations.

  You'll need her approval for most of your assignments."

  Riche barely glanced up — a woman around thirty, with chocolate-colored skin hinting at Southern Confederation roots.

  Seeing no reaction, Isrin moved on.

  "And this is Melvin. He mainly handles Eastern field operations."

  Melvin was a burly man with a short red beard.

  He gave a casual wave but kept glancing nervously at Riche.

  Before Sibonen could say anything, Riche stood up abruptly.

  "Isrin! We have an urgent task. Master Repl ordered the new recruit to be deployed immediately."

  "Already? He just joined today!" Isrin protested.

  "Take it up with Repl," Riche said, handing over a thick bundle of documents.

  Sighing, Isrin turned to Sibonen.

  "Come here. Let's see what they’ve dumped on us."

  They sat down, flipping through the papers.

  Northern Kingdom, Lograd.

  Task: Escorting five wagons of magic stones.

  Travel time: 7 days.

  Including one supply wagon.

  Budget: 7 gold coins, 23 silver coins.

  Lead escort: Senior Secretary Izi from Whisper.

  Field Operations Lead: Isrin.

  Security: Dish Team C — Jensen, Atari, plus six others.

  Additional mercenaries hired from the Northern Kingdom.

  Note: Mission Difficulty A. All personnel must wear protective gear if necessary.

  Approved by: Senior Secretary Izi.

  Isrin looked at Sibonen with a worried smile.

  "There’s some tension between the Empire and the Kingdom of Malan right now.

  This escort mission... won’t be easy."

  Sibonen had heard about the minor border skirmishes between the Empire and Malan.

  "If we can't cross the border," Isrin said, "we'll have to retreat through the Western Frontier."

  At the mention of the Western Frontier — a wild land filled with beasts — Sibonen shivered involuntarily.

  "Also... do you know how to measure distances on a map?"

  He nodded.

  "Good. Your first assignment is to calculate the supply distances and estimate travel time to Malan.

  We’ve been allocated seven gold and twenty-three silver coins. Check if that’s enough."

  "Understood. I’ll report back as soon as possible."

  Isrin laughed softly.

  "No need to rush. We still have to wait for permission from Karl Marquis's outpost.

  Take your time."

  It was his first real mission.

  Finally, he could prove himself.

  But first, Isrin took him to get a "mark" engraved onto his hand — a magical symbol allowing him to activate teleportation spells inside authorized zones.

  "Remember," she warned, "only use it within the commercial district."

  After Isrin left him alone, Sibonen didn’t go home.

  Instead, he opened the new recruit manual.

  Five major things caught his eye:

  Authorized Areas

  He had permission to enter the records archive.

  He decided to check it out later.

  Guild Structure

  The guild had three divisions: Plate (Field Operations), Whisper (Secretarial), and Dish (Security).

  Plate handled trade and logistics.

  Whisper oversaw operations and communications.

  Dish provided protection for goods and personnel.

  His department was Plate — mainly handling escort and trade logistics.

  "Administration and numbers... That's where I can shine."

  The Masters

  Each division had a number of 'Masters' — department heads.

  Repl, the man who had recruited him, was one of them.

  4–5. Employee Benefits and Mobility

  Surprisingly, the guild’s scale was enormous.

  "This place... might be bigger than any guild in the Empire,"

  he thought.

  "Strange though... I never saw them doing business with the Grand Duchy before."

  He shook off the thought.

  First, he had work to do.

  Taking a deep breath, he placed his marked hand on a door and whispered:

  "Password: Six Eight Coffee Cup, Second Refill."

  The door creaked open.

  Inside, a massive archive of books and scrolls awaited.

  As he stepped in, someone blocked his path.