I Was the Strongest Sword God in My Past Life

part 19

Thanks to a preference for high-rise views, Bluema’s office was decided to be here. An entire floor for just one office.

“It’s quite fascinating, isn’t it? Journalists really do have a keen nose. To sniff out like this, tsk.”

[The Broom of Annihilation. The purification of Mount Ebeus is complete.]

[All participants have been anonymized…]

[It is known that there were students among them…]

Bluema put away her phone.

“A hotshot rookie demanding a private audience with a mere third-rate guild leader like me. What brings you here?”

Bluema.

The guild leader of The Broom of Annihilation, always ranking high in the field of ‘monster cleaning.’

She was a 6th-class Saber who had achieved the overall rank of 17th. Her previous remark was a bit of her own sarcasm.

“I regret to hear about the incident at Mount Ebeus. I apologize on behalf of the guild.”

“You would regret it. After all, Mount Ebeus, which you had finally obtained, has been purified.”

At Zien’s words, Bluema’s eyebrows twitched. But it was truly a fleeting moment. Bluema spoke again in the same kind voice as before.

“Purifying dungeons is the goal of the cleaners… But why the regret?”

Bluema’s eyes narrowed. The words she spat out seemed to carry a chill, cooling the air around her.

‘Intimidating a student. What a petty thing to do.’

Jien felt the mana blossoming around Bluma. The subtle mana she had been exuding since earlier.

In such an enclosed space, increasing the mana density could make it difficult for ordinary people to breathe under the pressure.

But Jien was not one to back down.

“You’re not the guild leader, are you?”

Cutting through the pressure, Jien spoke and took something out of his pocket and placed it on the table.

Thud.

Bluma glared at Jien instead of the object he had put down.

“Why this?”

Bluma’s question was cold, even though he knew the answer.

“You know what this is, right? It’s inseparable from this case, isn’t it?”

Tense tension.

The unseen battle of energy between Bluma and Jien was intense.

Bluma was the first to speak.

“Of course, I know. But I don’t see how this incident and our cosmetics are related?”

The item Jien had placed on the table.

It was a cosmetic made from the snails of Mount Ebeus. A filial product that had given a tremendous amount of money to the Broom of Annihilation. Jien looked at Bluma with cold eyes.

“You must be heartbroken to have lost the giant snail farm.”

‘Oh, that far?’

Bluma dropped the pretense and curled the corners of his mouth at Jien’s provocation. Indeed, Mount Ebeus was one of the guild’s main sources of income, thanks to the snails that appeared when it turned into a dungeon.

“A snail that’s worth the call. It would be a shame to kill the boss and purify the dungeon just like that.”

Bluma laughed as if amused by Jien’s sarcastic tone.

“That’s a plausible deduction.”

“You would have hidden the Hapherus originally. I’m not even curious about how you managed it.”

Contempt flickered in Jien’s eyes.

But even against the aggressive tone of the other, Bluma responded calmly as if he had prepared a manual.

“……The Broom of Annihilation is such a large guild that it manages many dungeons.”

Bluma extended an envelope.

And then he smiled again, briefly.

“With so many dungeons around, one might… ‘slip up,’ don’t you think?”

From Bluema’s triumphant expression, Gian could clearly discern the meaning conveyed by the envelope. This money was the price of silence.

Even fully understanding its meaning, Gian asked as if clueless, “What’s this?”

The envelope in front of Gian.

It was quite thin. Naturally, since it contained nothing but a blank check.

“A modest reward. You’ve cleansed a dungeon and averted a potentially major incident.”

‘Eat and scram!’

At Bluema’s gesturing to accept it, Gian reached out. And then.

Rip.

He tore the envelope and threw it to the floor.

“Well received.”

Bluema silently stared at the fallen envelope. Her eyebrows twitched again. Now, she didn’t hide her soured mood.

‘…This tiny thing.’

Despite Bluema’s reaction, Gian leisurely sipped his tea, unbothered. The tea was good, though not as exquisite as the premium black tea brewed by the principal.

“The tea tastes nice.”

Bluema seemed to reach her limit, letting out a long sigh. She leaned back in her chair, stretching her legs out on the table. Her hands clasped over her belly, she looked quite comfortable.

“Ha! It feels like I’m dealing with a snake, not a student.”

Bluema, stripped of pretense.

She flung a piece of paper. The paper, carried by mana, fluttered down in front of Gian.

“That’s our report.”

A report with all the guild-damaging details omitted. Bluema wore a bitter smile.

“It seems you’ve come to make an offer, taking that deduction as a hostage. Would the government really care about a student’s tip-off?”

Initially, Gian and Bluema were opponents who couldn’t establish a fight. Bluema, having the upper hand, continued.

“Or will they believe my word? Did I pamper you because you were cute, and now you’re climbing too high?”

Bluema, a Level 6 Saber and head of a massive guild, had the power to make Gian disappear without a trace from this place. That was true both socially and physically.

An opponent still absolutely unmatchable. Yet Gian responded without faltering.

“If it were just my word, surely. But what if another Level 6 Saber did? What if that person were to report all your misdeeds?”

“What? Level 6?”

Bluema’s face contorted.

‘You’re cute, so I kept watching you. Where did you get that bluff from.’

Jien seemed to expect such a reaction and took out his phone.

“Yes, Grade 6. I’m a student at Arcana and quite a model one.”

He pressed the call button firmly.

Jien smirked bitterly. It was time to change the game, to show the hidden joker card.

“I have a special relationship with Headmaster Selfis.”

Click.

The call connected.

– Who is this?

A voice familiar to Bluema started coming from the speakerphone.

– Hahaha! I heard you went out of town today?

“Correct, Headmaster. There’s been a small problem.”

– What! A problem has arisen when the off-campus event is just around the corner?

Selfis reacted with surprise. Jien answered in a subdued voice.

“Yes. A very small problem.”

To the pale Bluema, Jien returned the smile she had shown him.

“So, may I ask you for a small favor, Headmaster?”

– A small favor? Of course! Tell me quickly!

“Yes. I will call you back shortly, Headmaster Selfis.”

Jien emphasized each syllable of Selfis’s name, making sure Bluema heard. The influence of Selfis, the headmaster of Arcana Academy, where the chairman was the tower master, was significant enough to affect Bluema.

Thud.

Jien stretched out his legs on the table, just like Bluema had.

“The boss keeps catching snails, hidden away as ingredients for cosmetics… And to think you’ve been extracting extra money from the government under the guise of dungeon purification. Quite thrifty of you.”

Jien began to count on his fingers, looking at Bluema.

‘Let’s see. How many faults does this woman have.’

From mana pressure to threats and seduction, to corruption. And then there were Brogo and Gail, who ended up hospitalized.

“If the current headmaster of Arcana were to reveal this… it would be great for the school’s image.”

Both were Grade 6 Sabers. Although not currently in office, Selfis’s reputation was well-known to Bluema.

“……”

Bluema glared at Jien as if she wanted to kill him. However, her posture changed. Bluema, as gentle as she was at the beginning, lowered her legs and took out a contract.

Now the roles have reversed for the two.

Bluma bit her lip hard, and Zien, like Bluma before, casually spoke with his hands folded over his belly.

“Guild Master. Shall we start the negotiations?”

* * *

Negotiations over, Bluma was left alone.

“Ah…”

She sighed deeply and reread the paper with the negotiation details. It wasn’t a legally binding contract. Yet, it held a force more fearsome than any government law.

“What a disgrace…”

The contents of the paper, if summarized, were as follows:

1. No more meddling with the dungeon.

2. Pay 300 million coins each to Brogo, Maselin, and Gail.

3. Promise guild-level support to Zien Russel.

4. Transfer the artifacts obtained as dungeon rewards to Zien, who defeated the boss.

Quite cunning.

Agreeable to a point where it’s not upsetting, yet ensuring to take everything of value…

Especially for Bluma, point three was notable. It was akin to a blank check, but since it was written as ‘support,’ it somehow didn’t feel too bad.

‘Perhaps he’s considering joining the guild?’

After a series of events, there were only a handful of guilds that could surpass the ‘Broom of Annihilation’ in the cleaning sector.

‘Hmm…’

Bluma’s assessment of Zien was this: A brat with no manners, but good skills. The courage and wit to stand up to her, a 6th-grade Saber.

‘Well, I must acknowledge it. It’s clearly our fault that Hapherus escaped.’

But that guy, even if he’s a nemesis now, is a talent worth coveting. If such a talent could be scouted, this loss would be nothing.

‘Yes, I took a hit, but this is an investment.’

Not just a guild member, but a talent worth considering for the next Guild Master. Thinking this way, losing two precious artifacts somehow felt like an investment.

‘If the principal is Selfis, it must be Arcana… Was it Irel who went to Arcana?’

Bluma picked up her phone.

‘It’s blatant, so not a scout for now… Let’s start with information.’

[Hey, junior? Let’s talk. Come to the office.]

Bluma sent a message to Irel. Her interest in Zien had only grown after their private meeting.

* * *

An unexpected reward.

For a student, the chance to defeat a boss monster is rare. And the opportunity to monopolize the artifact as a reward? Ji-en’s lips curled up involuntarily.

‘I’ve never indulged in such luxury even in my past life…’

An artifact of mystical grade in the first year.

Ji-en was gazing fondly at the two artifacts laid out on the dormitory table. In his previous life, his only hobby was collecting equipment, so it was natural for him to feel pleased.

‘One of these artifacts is unnecessary for me. But the other one…’

Just then, Ji-en had been wanting to enhance his body’s mana. And what do you know, the perfect artifact dropped in Mount Ebeus.

He had his eye on it the moment he saw it.

‘I really like it.’

The information about the artifact, checked via the app on his phone, was as follows:

＜ Mana Elixir ＞

Grade – Mystical

Information – An elixir created by the great archmage Phelail of the 4th District with Hapherus’s blood. A mystical potion crafted with the secret techniques of alchemy and magic.

Effect – Enhances physical abilities and mana.