After that, Ryley dragged the thoroughly unhappy Vivian upstairs.
Presumably, they had a lot to talk about.
After Ryley left, everyone in the guild seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and returned to their noisy state.
Meanwhile, Tier, Lumya, and Merika stayed behind and approached Shien, who was still watching in the direction Ryley and Vivian had gone.
"Let's go."
Tier spoke calmly, then led Lumya and Merika out of the guild.
Shien withdrew his gaze and followed Tier and the others out of the guild hall.
Once the group had left the guild and come outside, someone called out to Shien.
"Um..."
Lumya spoke to Shien with a timid, hesitant manner.
"Hmm?"
Shien looked at Lumya.
The moment Shien looked at her, Lumya immediately shrank her neck, seemingly too afraid to speak to him.
But in the end, Lumya still gathered her courage.
"Th-this is for you!"
Lumya held something in her palms, squeezed her eyes shut, and held it out before Shien.
With that timid, bashful expression, Shien almost thought this cute Beastfolk girl was handing him a love letter and confessing to him.
Unfortunately, what Lumya handed Shien was not a love letter, but a money pouch.
"What is this?"
Shien was puzzled.
"Um... th-that..."
Lumya stammered so badly that she could not get a complete sentence out, making everyone anxious for her.
Merika, standing beside her, could not quite bear to watch any longer. After hesitating for a moment, she spoke on Lumya's behalf.
"Guildmaster Ryley secretly gave that to us just now," Merika said softly. "I think it is something the guildmaster intended to give you."
"I see." Shien stared blankly for a moment, looking at the money pouch before suddenly realizing something. "So, on the surface, she helped us eliminate any possible criticism