Recruitment Plan

The procedures that followed were unexpectedly formal.

The Adventurer's Guild was, after all, an organization with thousands of years of history. There was no room for error in such matters.

The hostess carefully registered the Alchemy Workshop's information and verified its business permit before asking Angell about his requirements.

Angell had clearly discussed this with Mithril before setting out. "I need to hire ten to fifteen attendants, five cleaners, two chefs, and one bartender." Once the game live stream began, it would be about time to offer food and drink services to the customers.

"Male? Female? Or another gender?"

"No restrictions."

"Any age restrictions?"

"No restrictions, but they need to be physically fit."

"What about race? Must they be human?"

"No restrictions there either." Angell paused. "However, my current customers are all human, so the attendants should preferably suit human aesthetics. No races that would frighten ordinary humans. The chefs and bartender must also understand human tastes."

"What are the salary standards?"

"Fifteen silver a month for attendants and cleaners, paid monthly, with food and lodging included. Beginners are fine; we will provide standardized pre-employment training, uniforms for spring, summer, and winter, a medical examination every six months, and insurance. Chefs and bartenders will receive the above benefits, while their salaries are negotiable... Oh, and if they can cook using Alchemy, their salary can be doubled."

"Will your employees be required to do any 'gray-area' work?"

"No."

The hostess recorded Angell's conditions in detail and said in an utterly flat voice, "We will deliver resumes for attendants and cleaners to your residence within three days for you to select from. Bartenders and chefs will take longer, but the compensation you offer is excellent. I believe many people will be willing to serve you."

"I'll take your word for it," Angell said.

He accepted the documents the hostess had prepared, checked that there were no mistakes, and signed his name.

The entire process took only ten minutes.

The agency fees were as affordable as the hostess had said—one silver for each successful placement. Skilled workers like chefs and bartenders cost more, around three silver, and payment was only required after Angell and the employee had signed an employment contract. No deposit was needed for unsuccessful placements. It was both economical and convenient.

Angell was very satisfied.

Enlise, however, found it a little strange—were there really so many other races in this world? The adventure stories she had read were like that, but everyone she had encountered since childhood had been human.

And even though Enlise tried hard to focus on the conversation between Angell and the hostess, she felt unable to concentrate. It was like listening to someone speak through a door, leaving her with only a cold, diffuse sensation.

In the end, Angell patted her. "Enlise, we're leaving."

"Ah, okay." Only then did she come back to herself.

This time, before Angell could do anything, Enlise slipped into his cloak on her own.

But at that moment, Enlise heard a call.

"...^$$%$#."

Thinking back on it afterward, Enlise did not believe it had been calling her name. It had not even been a language she recognized. Yet she still turned around instinctively.

There was no one there, nor was there anything else.

The counter was empty. The stiffly standing hostess had vanished, and there was no one anywhere else either. Like Enlise's nightmares, everything was empty.

The next moment, Angell's cloak blocked Enlise's vision. When she looked again, she was already standing on the street.

Yet the crowd passing by could not dispel Enlise's fear.

Enlise felt that her hands and feet were terrifyingly cold.

Even Angell, who was not good at reading people, noticed that something was wrong. "Enlise?"

"..." Enlise tried to speak, but although she opened her mouth, no sound came out.

Seeing her like this, Angell frowned.

"Wait here!" Angell said, then headed across the street.

No, don't leave me behind!

Enlise nearly screamed, but in reality, she did not move at all. She stood there like a puppet, watching Angell cross the road and vanish from her sight.

The time that followed seemed especially long. Even a single second was unbearable to Enlise.

Fortunately, a voice rang out just then.

"Isn't that the maid from the Magic Gear Workshop?"

Upon hearing the words "Magic Gear," Enlise turned her gaze almost by reflex. Only then did she see a luxurious Carriage stopped not far away, with a head of exaggerated golden spiral curls peering at her through the window.

It was the Young Lady who had recently been visiting the Workshop often, the one apparently named Leisiphia?

Enlise's whole body was still cold, but part of her mind thought with its usual clarity.

Leisiphia, however, did not notice anything unusual about Enlise. She merely asked unhappily, "Why are you here? Don't tell me Magic Gear isn't open today?!"

"...No, Magic Gear is open as usual," Enlise answered stiffly. "Mr. Black Cat Mithril will welcome your visit."

"Is that so?" Leisiphia relaxed, but after a pause, she suddenly became angry as though someone had stepped on her foot while dancing. "Wh-Who said I was definitely going to Magic Gear?!"

"...You're not going?"

"I am going!" For some reason, the Young Lady seemed even angrier. "Come to think of it, this is all your fault! Why did you have to make a Leaderboard? Why not just sell the Game Table directly? Why hasn't the testing period ended yet?"

The Young Lady asked a string of questions, but to Enlise, only one seemed answerable.

"The testing period will end in fifteen days."

Leisiphia had been brushed off by Enlise for nearly a month. She had never expected to receive an answer.

She froze. "Really?"

"Really. Mr. Angell said this morning that since the Leaderboard had stirred everyone's enthusiasm, he wanted to hold an event to celebrate the end of the testing period," Enlise said. "And then give all the customers who preordered Game Tables an explanation." Though they might not necessarily sell the Game Tables.

Yet Leisiphia, who had been obsessing over preordering a Game Table, inexplicably did not care about being "given an explanation." Her attention was caught by Enlise's earlier words. "A Leaderboard event? What kind of event?"

Enlise shook her head.

"You don't know either!" Leisiphia frowned, but did not press the matter.

She was only a maid from an Alchemy Workshop. Naturally, her master could not possibly tell her every detail of his decisions.

But then the Young Lady covered her mouth with a lace folding fan and asked for confirmation, "Does anyone else know about the event?"

"No."

"Hmph—" Leisiphia raised her brows.

Enlise vaguely heard her mutter, "So that means I was the first to hear the news?" "Hehe, I'll definitely show those people what I'm made of!"

Leisiphia muttered to herself for quite a while before coming back to her senses and realizing that Enlise was staring at her expressionlessly.

Leisiphia immediately blushed and coughed twice, then pointed her folding fan at Enlise. "I order you not to tell anyone else about this!"

"...Yes?" Mr. Angell would announce it to the customers himself soon enough anyway, right?

"Very good." Leisiphia did not know what Enlise was thinking. She nodded in satisfaction, then seemed to remember something. She picked something up from inside the Carriage and had her maid pass it to Enlise.

"A reward for you."

The Young Lady said this arrogantly, then ended the conversation without even saying goodbye.

Enlise simply held the item in both hands and blankly watched the luxurious Carriage drive away before her.

Once the Carriage had gone, Enlise saw Angell standing on the other side of the road.

Enlise called out naturally.

"Mr. Angell!"

After that conversation, her hands and feet were still cold, but at least she had regained the ability to speak.

Besides, Angell quickly returned to her side. "Was that little girl your friend?"

"She is a customer of the shop."

"But she gave you something nice!" Angell nodded and stuffed a drink into Enlise's hands, which were still holding the gift. "It goes perfectly with hot chocolate milkshake."

"...With hot chocolate milkshake?"

Only then did Enlise lower her head and look at what she was holding.

She discovered that Leisiphia had given her a beautiful glass box containing an exquisite little cake, while Angell had handed her a steaming cup of hot chocolate milkshake.

Neither of those was something a commoner girl could afford.

In fact, for commoners, any dessert was a luxury.

Enlise finally came fully to her senses.

"Th-These are so expensive—"

She nearly threw the things in her hands away, but their high price made her unconsciously clutch them tighter instead.

"This is a bribe," Angell said.

"A br-bribe?"

"If that Argumentative Cat finds out I bought food outside again, it'll definitely nag me," Angell said, showing Enlise the Crème Brûlée Latte in his hand. "So I had no choice but to make you my accomplice."

"Even if you hadn't..." Enlise looked at Angell, then at the drink in her hands, and suddenly realized something. She did not refuse any further, only muttering, "Mr. Black Cat would never nag you!"

"No, it definitely would," Angell said, biting the rim of the cup holding the latte.

He did not look at Enlise again, nor did he say anything else. He simply walked straight ahead.

Enlise hurried after Angell.

She carefully carried the cake and chocolate milkshake for quite some distance before taking a sip of the milkshake.

So sweet!

And so hot!

But along with that warmth, the coldness in her hands and feet disappeared completely.

Her body felt comfortable again as well.

Enlise looked up at Angell's back and curled her lips into a smile, her eyes slightly red.

"Mr. Angell, where are we going?"

Enlise followed Angell across a street before thinking to ask that question.

By then, Enlise finally had the spare attention to notice her surroundings. Only then did she realize that she and Angell were on a street in the outer city.

Unlike most cities, Cecilia's outer city was instead the noble district.

When Archmage Cecilia had resisted the Demon Race invasion and built the city here, his Mage Tower had been the first line of defense. The Mages who followed later built their own Mage Towers at the front lines as well, creating a defensive network made up of Mage Towers. Naturally, Cecilia's important figures built their residences near those Mage Towers, forming the city's outer district.

No wonder they had run into Young Lady Leisiphia here.

This street was the only route to the inner city. She must have been preparing to head to Magic Gear by way of this road, right?

Enlise realized belatedly.

Angell, meanwhile, led Enlise in the direction opposite their Alchemy Workshop.

"We need to go to the Mage Association next," Angell explained. "That damned place claims to serve Mages, yet it forbids people from using magic to move directly inside. Still, some employees can only be recruited there."

Enlise was practically developing hiring PTSD. "Wh-what employees?"

"Rune Masters," Angell replied.

The other employees were merely incidental. To truly revive the Alchemy Workshop, Angell needed many, many Rune Masters.