After finishing her task, Renya quietly made her way back to the inn. Once outside, she leapt onto the roof in one swift motion and contacted Hilda.
"Hilda, open the window," she said, waiting while watching the quiet cityscape below.
Moments later, the window slid open. Renya slipped inside effortlessly. Hilda moved to close it again, but was interrupted by a sudden voice through the communicator—it was Greta.
"Wait for me...!! Huff... huff... huff..." Greta's breath came in ragged gasps.
Renya, already annoyed, quickly called back. "Use the front door... it's easier."
There was a short pause.
"Ah... right." Greta froze mid-jump, then dropped down casually and muttered, "Yeah... I forgot," in a sheepish tone as she strolled toward the entrance.
Ten minutes later, Greta finally stepped into the room, full of energy, starting with, "Alright! So how—"
DING—DING—DING!
The city's warning bells suddenly rang out, cutting her off mid-sentence.
Startled, Greta turned toward the window. "They're fast..." she murmured, surprised.
Hilda, Ursula, and Anna silently nodded. Renya stood by the window, arms folded, her back resting against the wall. Her face was tense, eyes scanning the streets outside.
"This is more complicated than we imagined..." she said quietly, her tone weary.
Greta glanced over, puzzled by Renya's serious expression. Tilting her head slightly, she asked, "So... what do you mean?"
Hearing that, Renya looked at Greta and said, "Look outside..." with an expressionless face, then turned her gaze back to the window.
Greta walked toward the window, but halfway there, she suddenly stopped. From outside, they could hear the sounds of hurried footsteps and frantic shouting.
"Where is he?!"
"Maybe over there!"
"Hurry, move!"
Greta's face went pale. "Impossible... how many of them are there?" she muttered in a slightly shaken tone.
Even after several minutes, the shouting and footsteps didn't stop. Still frozen in place, Greta turned to Renya with disbelief in her eyes and asked, "But... wasn't it clearly stated in the Fighter Guild registration that only 100 members are allowed?"
Renya simply shook her head, her face still emotionless. "I don't know... but it looks like..." she trailed off, still gazing out the window and listening to the chaos below.
Greta stood silently, confusion written all over her face as she stared at Renya.
With a sigh, Renya finally said, "They're using a loophole in the Adventurer Guild's guild-creation system," her tone calm but certain.
Greta blinked, even more puzzled. "You mean...?" she asked hesitantly.
Hilda, Ursula, and Anna all turned to look at Renya as well, their faces mirroring Greta's confusion.
Hearing that, Renya slapped her forehead. She looked at Greta with her usual expressionless face and said in a firm tone,
"Do you understand what it means if all the original members register themselves as leaders of newly formed guilds—and they start recruiting people by intimidating them, all at once?"
Then, turning to Hilda, Ursula, and Anna one by one, she continued in a serious voice,
"Then what do you think will happen?"
Greta, Hilda, Ursula, and Anna immediately turned pale.
Just as Hilda opened her mouth to mutter, "So many—"
—she was abruptly cut off by the sounds:
CLAP-CLAP-CLAP-CLAP!
CLANK! CLANK!
Boots echoed through the alleyways—running back and forth in all directions.
Greta froze in place, her face stiffening.
"Impossible... even the city knights are moving?" she whispered, her voice full of disbelief and her complexion drained of color.
Hearing that, Renya shook her head and calmly walked toward the chair.
"Take it easy..." she said in a relaxed tone.
Everyone turned to look at her, puzzled.
After sitting down and leaning back casually, Renya glanced at Greta, Hilda, Ursula, and Anna one by one and added,
"Maybe it's just a report... There's no way the Countess would allow something like that to happen openly."
She shifted her gaze toward the window as another group of adventurers passed by outside, moving back and forth.Hearing that, the others nodded and sighed in agreement.
"Oh... that's right."
"Yeah... true."
They each settled down a bit.
Just as Greta finally sat down with a relieved smile, Renya suddenly spoke,
"Greta."
Greta blinked and turned to her, confused.
Renya narrowed her eyes.
"You weren't seen by anyone, right?" she asked, her tone serious.
Greta nodded quickly, cheerfully saying,
"Mm-hmm!"
Then froze. Her smile twitched.
"I mean—yes, yes... no—nothing..." she stammered, her voice cracking with nerves.
Renya sat upright and fixed Greta with a piercing stare.
"Really...?" she asked flatly.
Greta tensed up. Her shoulders stiffened, and goosebumps rose on her skin.
"Y-yes, yes..." she answered awkwardly, avoiding eye contact and glancing out the window instead.
Five long, tense minutes passed. Renya didn't look away—her stare unrelenting.
Finally, Greta raised one hand and sighed in defeat.
"Okay, okay... I give up," she said miserably, her eyes downcast.
Seeing Greta's behavior, Renya immediately ignored it and gave her a single nod, as if to say, "Come on, spit it out," her gaze sharp and stern.
Greta's face twisted into a grimace as she mumbled, "Y-yeah... I was seen. I even ran into someone on the way..." Her voice grew quieter, laced with embarrassment.
Hilda, Ursula, and Anna let out a collective sigh of resignation, while Renya, her annoyance barely concealed, muttered, "I figured as much."
Without wasting a second, Renya fixed her gaze on Greta and asked coldly, "Who was it?"
Caught off guard, Greta stiffened. "S-Someone from the guild's admin section. Her name is C-Calra..." she answered, shrinking under Renya's stare, her voice barely audible.
Greta was about to ask, "So what do we—" when Renya raised a hand, signaling her to stop. "Wait a moment," she said, her other hand already pressing a finger to the heat-set on her ear.
Once the connection to Paul was established, Renya spoke clearly, "Prince, we've got a problem..."