The Wickedness of Human Hearts
Upon hearing Hughes's words, Dobengal felt cold sweat involuntarily trickle down his forehead.
He vaguely saw his new identity as a dark mage beckoning to him.
"President, kidnapping ordinary people will get you wanted by the Magic Council across the entire continent!" Dobengal said with a pained expression.
Hughes: (-)
When did he say he was going to kidnap someone?
"Wait, you guys aren't getting the wrong idea; what I mean is, I'm going to find the wealthy people in town and persuade them to pool their money to hire us to drive away or eliminate the wild animals around the town."
"Give more to the wealthy, and less to those with fewer assets!"
"The area outside the town is mountainous, and there are many ferocious wild animals in the mountains; the wealthy people in the town, who used to trade goods frequently, must have long been unable to tolerate the wild animals outside the town."
"Furthermore, we can sell the beasts we kill. Magic shops buy beast carcasses regularly, and the prices are quite high!"
"After the two sides discussed it, they've almost raised enough money to build the new guild!"
Dobengal:
Should he apologize, or should he blame the chairman for not explaining things clearly beforehand, causing him to be anxious?
Hughes shook his head at Dobengal with slight disappointment. "Sigh, Dobengal, it seems you still misunderstand me. I am a legitimate mage, why would I do something like kidnapping and extortion?"
Dobengal wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He really wanted to retort that no legitimate mage would come knocking on someone else's guild door, wipe out the guild leader, and then seize control of the guild.
But he dared not...
So Dobengal clasped his hands in a respectful greeting and said, "Chairman, please wait a few minutes. I'll go and compile the list and information of the wealthy people in town."
Hughes nodded in satisfaction. That was a good attitude. He wished Laxus could be as polite as Dobengal someday.
In the afternoon, Hughes threw twenty million J at Dobengal.
"Get to work, let's get to work!"
The people in this town are all talented and have pleasant manners; every household he visited received him with utmost respect.
Before he could even finish speaking, they gave him the money and carefully asked if it was enough. They were such kind-hearted people; Hughes was almost moved to tears.
"President, could you please return my clothes and knife?"
Dobengal didn't even glance at the money pouch on his person; instead, he looked at Hughes with a pitiful expression.
"Ugh, Dobengal, you're so stingy! I only borrowed this outfit because I wanted to try it Ninja!" Hughes said disappointedly as he tore off his black mask.
"Ah, yes, yes, yes!"
Dobengal deftly took the mask from Hughes's hand, angrily broke it in half, threw it into the newly lit fire, and then threw the clothes Hughes had handed him in as well, burning them to ashes.
Looking at the raging flames and wisps of black smoke before him, Dobengal's eyes immediately welled up with tears.
"I was so stupid to believe the chairman and lend him my clothes and mask."
Goodbye, my Ninja life!
Hughes, having changed back into his own clothes, patted him on the shoulder and added, "And the knife, remember to dispose of it too; although I didn't put it to their throats, they'll definitely be on their guard."
Tears welled up in Dobengal's eyes instantly. "Thank you so much, Chairman!"
"We're brothers, no need to be so polite! And while you're thanking me, don't thank my ancestors for eighteen generations!"
Dobengal's cheeks streaked with even more tears; he knew that staying any longer would only make him more heartbroken.
Wiping away his tears, Dobengal quickly picked up the small sack full of money from the ground and Earth Flow without looking back.
Hughes waved to Dobengal's somewhat tragic figure as he walked away. "Build the guild well, don't worry about spending money, there are still quite a few people on that list who haven't joined yet!"
Upon hearing this, Dobengal staggered slightly, then his walking speed visibly increased, and he disappeared from sight in no time.
"Why do you always bully people wherever you go!" Mira said with a smile from behind Hughes.
Hughes turned to her and shrugged. "Don't accuse me wrongly. I'm just bridging the gap. Haven't you seen how much less distant Dobengal and I are now? Kids, observe and learn; these are all valuable experiences."
Upon hearing the word "little brat, "Mira immediately pouted and retorted angrily, "You're the little brat!"
"Ah, right, right, the little brat's gone. Time to go and clear out the wild animals around town."
"Rogue, Minerva, you two come too. Mira and I will handle the big one, and you two can handle the small one," Hughes said, taking two steps forward first.
The frog whose name hadn't been mentioned raised its hand. "Fro, Fro?"
"Frosch, you can come too, but remember to stay behind me."
Upon hearing this, Frosch excitedly spread his arms and circled around Hughes.
While Hughes was clearing wild animals from the forest with three people and a cat, the wealthy people who were frightened by Hughes and "voluntarily" handed over the cost of clearing the wild animals surrounded the mayor in a fit of rage.
"Mayor, that thief stole five million J from me."
"Mayor, I've been robbed of ten million J."
The richest man in the town where the Sabertooth guild was located slammed his fist on the table. "What's this little bit of money you guys have? I'm the one who's in a terrible situation. He demanded a whopping 50 million J before he'd leave!"
The town mayor frowned and pondered for a moment, "To be honest, my family was also asked for twenty million."
The crowd's excited chatter abruptly ceased, and all eyes turned to the town mayor, their contempt evident.
The atmosphere fell silent for a few moments, then someone in the crowd whispered, "Mayor, we only paid ten times the amount. You're trying to get something for nothing; you're even more ruthless than us!"
"Ahem, I can report this to the Magic Council for you, and I can also help you deal with the envoys who come to investigate."
The crowd quieted down for a few moments.
"I can testify that the mayor was indeed robbed of 20 million J!"
The group, realizing what was happening, exchanged glances and echoed each other's sentiments.
"I can testify as well!"
"I can too..."
The mayor nodded in satisfaction. "Then please wait patiently for good news. This thief stole a total of 220 million J from us, a huge amount. I believe the Magic Council will send someone to investigate soon."
I also hope everyone will do their job properly these next two days. If anyone gets caught, don't blame us for kicking them while they're down!
Two days later, the brand-new Sabertooth Guild was established. Hughes sat in the main seat, with about thirty people, including Mira, below him.
"I've already explained the guild philosophy of New Sabertooth to everyone before, so there's no need to be so formal. Just treat the guild like a big family."
"In addition, I will keep my position as guild leader a secret for now, and I am not often in the guild. I only come back from time to time. During my absence, the guild will be temporarily managed by Dobengal!"
For important matters, you can also contact me through the Communication Magic Crystal!
These words shocked everyone except Mira. In all their years, they had never heard of anyone acting as a president like this. Wasn't she afraid of being sidelined?
(ps: Thanks to 19910526 for the monthly pass)