The Kshans, who called themselves warriors of the desert.
They lived by the saying, "A Kshan's soul resides in their sword..." They were a small desert tribe of warriors who wore masks and thin veils that covered their entire bodies.
True to their name, the Kshans were incredibly strong fighters. They once drove the entire army of the Boyota Kingdom, who had invaded their oasis, to the brink of annihilation with only about 40 warriors.
When their oasis dried up, they followed their leader, left their home, and entered the Empire. There, they formed the guild 'Black Night.'
Black Night: the Empire's first S-rank guild.
Their powerful fighting skills were beyond question, and their desert heritage made them incredibly trustworthy.
Because of this, everyone wanted to hire the Black Night Guild when they were active, but the waiting list was supposedly insane.
The sudden disappearance of the Black Night Guild stirred up all sorts of rumors in the Empire.
Some said their leader had died, others that they had collapsed due to internal strife within the guild, or that they had been destroyed by an attack from a coalition of guilds. Gossipers came up with all sorts of theories, but the Black Night Guild never gave any answers, true or false.
Since then, everyone seemed to believe whatever they wanted about the Black Night Guild's disappearance.
But it's all wrong...
Kinemia remembered the original story.
Their leader hadn't died, nor had there been internal strife or an attack by a coalition of guilds.
To be exact, it was because their leader quit after his sword broke.
Desert swords were known for their high quality. The Kshans were extremely proud of this, but it became a problem.
When the heirloom sword, passed down to the leader, broke, Low declared that no sword in the world could surpass it. He said that as a Kshans who had lost his soul, he would lay down his sword.
In response, the other guild members also gave up their swords, plunging the Black Night Guild into darkness.
After that, Black Night became a legendary guild, only spoken of in stories—at least, until the later part of the original story.
'Right, the legendary guild.'
Kinemia clasped her hands together, a sly smile on her face.
'If only I could revive that Black Night…'
Securing a stable supply of magic stones.
A supply and distribution of magic stones that wasn't controlled by grudges.
If I could just make that happen, I could run two heaters in my room!
Just two? I'd put one in every hallway!
My nanny wouldn't even scold me if I used magic stones like some rich snob!
Just imagining it made me giddy.
Besides, reviving the Black Night Guild early wasn't just for Kinemia's own selfish reasons. It was for a greater cause, too.
'For the peace of the Empire!'
In the original story, the Kshans were villains. They threatened the peace of the Empire with a part-time worker's union strike!
So... this is how they became villains.
The Kshans had never held anything but swords their entire lives, right?
This meant they were pretty useless once they put down their swords.
The Kshans only knew strength and swordsmanship. Because of this, they had to scrape by with part-time jobs like inn clerks, tavern servers, kitchen assistants, you name it.
But that wasn't the only problem.
They were desert warriors; they lived and died by the sword.
...Naturally, they were totally clueless about the real world.
The shop owners quickly picked up on how naive the Kshans were.
In the end, they were tricked into 'part-time jobs with room and board,' but they were exploited like slaves on a salt farm, not even getting minimum wage.
Even if they didn't get paid properly, the shop owners would weasel their way out of it, claiming they hadn't worked hard enough.
They were trapped by the owners saying things like, 'Where else would you get room and board, and such good treatment?'
Several years later, some welfare workers came to the area and told the Kshans they were stuck in unfair contracts.
Furious, they formed a labor union and staged a violent protest, demanding fair wages for part-time workers...
If they'd been ordinary people, it wouldn't have been a problem.
But they were Kshans—the desert's messengers of death.
Their strike was a huge disaster for the Empire.
In the original story, the protagonist uses force to suppress the Kshans, the villains threatening the peace of the Empire.
That's when Kshans Low appeared. He helped the protagonist stop his subordinates' rampage.
So, the Kshans, served justice by the protagonist and their leader, cried out, 'We just wanted to be paid fairly for our work!'
Then, the righteous protagonist says that even if they do this, the time they spent working so hard won't come back.
Instead, they should find a way to peacefully improve the unfair working conditions for part-time workers, forget the past, and find a new direction...
It was a story about how the Kshans, hearing those words, had a change of heart.
While reading that part, Kinemia thought, 'So, they should just get paid for that time.'
'They should get properly compensated for all that hard work. With money...'
Well, they must have had something only they understood.
'Probably.'
Anyway, Low, who didn't know the Kshans were living in such awful conditions, deeply regretted quitting. Afterwards, it was a happy ending where he rebuilt the Black Night Guild.
'Right! Black Night was going to turn bad anyway!'
So, if she could get them back on track before they turned bad, wouldn't it be a win-win for both Kinemia and the Empire?
'Total win-win!'
While Kinemia was busy justifying herself, Shen Tien spoke up.
“I heard his sword broke, but there are swords everywhere. Why's he being so picky? It's like they say, a good craftsman doesn't blame his tools. He should work on his mental game first...”
As he started grumbling, Kinemia cut him off.
“Then, should I talk to Nyanpapa?”
If it's just because his sword broke, it should be easy to fix, right?
'All I need to do is make him a new sword!'
One that's even better than the broken one!
She'd just mined some mythril. No swordsman could resist a mythril sword.
“Yeah, take that jerk and make him a slave, sell him, whatever—just get him out of my sight.”
Shen Tien took a drag of his tobacco, looking disgusted.
Kinemia responded with an awkward smile.
“I’ll see if I can get Nyanpapa to pick up his sword again.”
But slavery is a bit much...
As he nodded, Kinemia pictured herself swimming in magic stones and smiled, happy with the thought.
“So, what brings you to Hyeminwon, kiddo?”
“Huh? Oh, today I-”
Just then, a server brought in tea and some sweets that looked like yanggaeng. As he set the tea and snacks in front of them, Shen Tien raised his hand.
“Go ahead, dig in.”
“Thanks, I will.”
Kinemia picked up her teacup. Is that ssanghwa tea? I hope it's not bitter like that herbal medicine... She took a worried sip, and a sweet taste filled her mouth.
'Hmm, not bad.'
Shen Tien smiled and nodded, seeing that Kinemia was enjoying the tea.
“Yeah, it’s good for growth, so drink up. You're...”
He looked Kinemia up and down.
“Yes?”
“……”
“……?”
“Yeah, a little.”
Just say I'm small, why don't you?!
“So, are you sleeping okay?”
“Yes.”
Kinemia nodded, stuffing her mouth with yanggaeng.
“Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?”
“Um, nope.”
Then, Shen Tien whispered something to the server. The server nodded right away.
“Grab a potion from Ichi on your way out. Drink it regularly, and you'll shoot right up.”
Woohoo! That's exactly why I came. Kinemia swallowed the yanggaeng in one gulp and bowed.
“I'll definitely take it, Older Brother. Thanks for looking out for me.”
“I just whipped it up on the spot, so don't worry about it.”
“Still.”
Shen Tien chuckled at Kinemia's bright smile.
'She looks like any other kid.'
This little kid was the reason the alchemists kicked out of the East Continent could get together and set up Hyeminwon.
He was always amazed that such cleverness and guts came from such a small kid.
In fact, that's why Shen Tien brought up Low. He had a gut feeling that Kinemia could handle him.
Shen Tien Xinghai, like Low and his sword, was a craftsman who'd only done alchemy since he was born.
When he was first expelled, Sing Kakan tried to cut off his wrist, so he understood Low's despair at having to give up his sword.
He says he's done with it and all that...
'Deep down, he's gotta want to pick up his sword again.'
That was his conviction, as someone who'd walked a similar path. He's stubborn, though, so it won't be easy.
Shen Tien, lost in thought with his chin in his hand, stroked Kinemia's hair. He liked her soft blonde hair and the way her face lit up when their eyes met.
'I've never been a fan of kids, but...'
She was special. To Hyeminwon, and to him.
He hoped she could do the same for that jerk, too.
