I Became the Guardian of Big Shots in the Game

Ethan had no particular feelings towards the rough-looking merchant in front of him.
He did end up rolling on the floor after getting caught up with the man the merchant shoved aside as he was about to enter the guild.
But it wasn’t intentional, just something that happened by chance.
However.
‘She seems extremely angry.’
Ailey, whom he glanced at.
Was enraged as if she might shoot destruction beams from her eyes.
As the direct administrative officer under the respected four-term mayor, she must have enormous power.
Perhaps the merchant might be banned from doing business in the Free Market for this one mistake.
Thinking that seems a bit excessive, just as it crossed his mind.
‘Right, at times like this.’
Before Ailey explodes in anger.
If he shows some anger, the situation might be mitigated a bit.
In other words, like a preventive shot to get hit less hard.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“I-I’m sorry!”
Ethan unleashed a barrage of scolding towards the nameless merchant prostrating himself.
“I don’t know what this is all about, but punching a young man out of nowhere in broad daylight, and in the guild where lots of people are watching, no less.”
“Please forgive me!”
Leaving the merchant who was prostrating as if trying to dig into the ground.
He helped Albert up.
“Get up, Albert-ssi. Are you alright?”
“N-No. I deserve to be hit.”
“Don’t say that. Here.”
He roughly dusted off the victim’s clothes.
After helping up the prostrated merchant and mediating reconciliation between the two.
Ethan checked Ailey’s state again.
Her anger seemed to have subsided, but.
For some reason, her expression was strangely subtle.
*
Ailey, who often heard she looked gruff and overbearing.
Thanks to that, she was well past marriageable age and on the verge of becoming an old maid, but.
Even someone like her would have at least one person she had feelings for.
It was Albert, a diligent but constantly scolded young man.
How they met was simple.
When he visited city hall on guild business.
Albert spoke to Ailey kindly without prejudice.
Ailey, who fell for his gentleness at once.
Today too, she had come to the guild on business and to see Albert.
As expected.
Albert getting scolded as soon as they met.
She wanted to step in for him, but.
Every time, she recalled Albert’s precious dream story that he quietly shared.
-You know, I want to establish my own guild someday.
Albert, who lost his parents to an epidemic after settling in Serdin as a child.
His dream is to lead a grand guild that won’t be looked down on by others.
That’s why she couldn’t step in even more.
A merchant protected by the mayor’s exclusive administrative officer.
The Free Market merchants wouldn’t leave such a person alone.
They’d probably try to eliminate him by any means necessary.
Because she liked him, she could only watch from afar.
Just praying from afar that Albert would safely overcome the difficulties.
But.
Unexpectedly, Ethan stepped in.
He helped up the crumpled Albert and dusted him off.
He even scolded the merchant instead.
Strangely, the merchant who was twice Ethan’s size.
Even cowered before him.
That sight was impressive.
Moreover.
“I deserve to be hit. Why for someone like me…”
Albert, whose self-esteem had plummeted, still showed a pathetic attitude, but.
Ethan pointed out his strengths one by one.
“Albert-ssi. You have unlimited potential.”
“…Me?”
“That’s right. From what I just heard, you seem like a very diligent merchant.”
“Are you rephrasing the part about ‘doing things on my own without being told’?”
“Rephrasing? Lazy people don’t even move until others give them work.”
Ailey strongly agreed inwardly.
“And even though you’re just an employee of the guild, you have a thorough sense of ownership, as if you’re the guild master.”
“If you’re rephrasing ‘Do you think you’re the guild master?’ and ‘Presumptuously starting various tasks’…”
“An employee who just adequately receives their salary wouldn’t step up like you. Because no matter how hard they work, the guild master wouldn’t appreciate it, and their pay wouldn’t increase.”
Ailey thought it was really true.
The reason Albert made many mistakes is.
It’s also proof that he worked that much more, and harder.
“So what? I just got fired.”
“So, are you going to sit down and cry?”
“What?”
He frowned as if about to burst out ‘What do you know!’
Ethan answered with a smirk.
“See? You’re someone ready to get up and run right away even if you fall. That’s also your strength.”
Ailey wanted to give Ethan a standing ovation right away.
‘What? The new aide is the underworld boss and a villain? Rumors are just rumors after all.’
She hurled curses at her past self who had compared him to Michel recently.
And gave Ethan the highest score in her heart.
*
The merchant kind are insensitive to praise.
Because they know it’s just the other person’s pretense for price negotiation.
So Ethan packaged only the truth nicely and handed it to Albert.
“Ah, forget it.”
A reluctantly denying expression and attitude.
No matter how you look at it, it’s the appearance of someone whose likability has greatly increased.
‘This much work should be enough, right?’
In fact, it’s not even really work because.
The character Albert Hugo was the master of ‘Ragin Guild’, called the best on the continent around the start of the main story.
There’s nothing the Ragin Guild doesn’t deal in.
Its scale is so large that when the Great War broke out, the Ragin Guild alone handled the supplies for three countries.
A genius merchant who achieved all this from nothing.
That’s Albert.
Such a talent not being able to show his potential, and being mistreated by a common neighborhood merchant?
‘I can’t stand for this.’
Ethan decided to immediately start buying at the bottom.
“Albert-ssi. If you need a job, would it be alright if I employ you?”
“Excuse me, but what do you do? Seeing you with Ailey-ssi, you seem like a city hall employee.”
“That’s right. I’m Ethan, newly appointed as the mayor’s aide.”
“!”
Albert muttered lowly ‘New aide, Ethan, him, new owner of the White Mansion’ etc. and asked.
“I’m just an ordinary merchant, no, less than ordinary. What use would someone like me be to you?”
“I was looking for someone with all the strengths I just mentioned. Preferably with low wages too.”
“…Would you give me some time to think?”
“Of course. If you’re inclined, come to the mansion on the hill. You’re welcome anytime.”
He nodded with a half-doubting face and left the guild.
[The World Tree’s First Root warns the user. Brace for impact.]
‘What warning? Oof!’
-Smack!
A smashing blow that flew to his back.
Ethan hurriedly turned around and.
“Ow, Ad-Administrative Officer-nim.”
His boss, whom he had forgotten while saying nice things to recruit the future great merchant, looked ready to beat him to death… but didn’t actually hit him.
“Well done. You’re quite good, huh?”
“…Pardon?”
It was a bit painful, but.
It wasn’t out of anger.
An expression of being impressed? That kind of feeling.
“It’s nothing. Let’s head back to city hall. I have work to teach you.”
Her tone had softened a bit too.
Even her stiff impression seemed to have eased.
From Ailey who kept patting his shoulder.
Ethan felt an inexplicable friendliness.
The next day.
Albert came to visit.
“Please give me any task, boss!”
“I’ve been waiting, Albert-ssi.”
Ethan grinned and handed over a thick backpack.
“This is…”
“It’s a bit much from the start, but. It’s a business trip task.”
The heavy pouch he handed over next.
Albert opened the string with trembling hands.
A wave of gold flashed in both his eyes.
“Whoa!”
“If you perform well, I’ll even add a bonus.”
“I-I’ll do my best!”
It was the moment he recruited the future great merchant Albert.
*
After learning various tasks from the enthusiastic Ailey today too.
He was only able to leave work long after other employees had all gone home.
‘Go home and wash up, eat dinner, rest a bit, then have evening lessons with Hwaryon too.’
Ethan’s day wasn’t over yet.
[The World Tree’s First Root comforts the user saying he worked hard.]
‘Thanks, even if it’s just words.’
Though he hadn’t been working at city hall for long.
It seems the root had absorbed quite a bit of the World Tree’s mana.
[Item: World Tree’s First Root.]
[Enhancement state: LV.3]
‘Grow well like this.’
That way the skill levels will go up too.
It was strangely odd that he now had to take care of not only Levi and the Hwarin and Hwaryon sisters, but an item too.
But anyway, since it was helpful, it wasn’t hard to accept.
“I’m home.”
“Big brother!”
Pitter-patter-
Hwaryon running and jumping into his arms, and.
“Welcome back.”
“My lord, you worked hard.”
Levi and Hwarin who came out to greet him as if they were waiting.
It was a moment when the day’s fatigue seemed to disappear completely.
However.
The happy moment didn’t last long.
“Oh, oh my. You’re back?”
“Doberr?”
The slave trader Doberr whom he had given a request to.
Why are you coming out of here-
“What about the request…”
“Of course, I fulfilled it faithfully.”
“But why…”
Why do you look like that-
Ethan swallowed the words that seemed about to burst out.
Because Doberr was tightly bound with ropes.
Soon, the person holding the rope walked out from inside the mansion.
Wearing full plate armor from head to toe.
With a sword at the waist.
A knight with long blond hair fluttering for a man.
“Doberr, what on earth did you do wrong…”
“I’ve been wronged. I only purchased gladiator slaves as requested, I really didn’t do anything wrong!”
But why are you tied up by a knight?
Just as he was so flustered he couldn’t speak properly.
“Are you the one who tried to kidnap me using this vicious baldy!”
“?”
A girl with a wagging tail and two fluffy ears perked up popped out from behind the knight.
She shouted as she charged at Ethan.
“Take this!!!”
It was a truly adorable strike.
…
[The fate of ‘Gladiator Slave Ponya’ has been changed.]
[Ponya’s fate is currently being reconfigured.]