Krill, the older gentleman and would-be cashier, didn’t seem to very much approve the younger woman’s blunt question regarding their pay, but visibly leaned in closer as not to miss Severin’s answer, nonetheless; the [Shopkeeper] himself, on the other hand, didn’t mind at all, as this inquiry to him only confirmed what he already suspected, even counted on.

That was, most ordinary, meaning classless, people in this world, would never make this much money relying on an honest job and would be unable to resist the temptation of his offer.

He readily confirmed Sabina’s question before reiterating to them a detail the Guild should have already conveyed to them beforehand. Just to make sure. And maybe to sweeten the deal even further.

“In the future, when the business grows further and the demand for staff increases, there will also be opportunities for promotions, I am sure.” Severin said without concern of putting himself in a disadvantageous negotiating position by letting his own eagerness show through.

“That means a more involved position, working directly to create some of our products. Just like Em over there. And of course, this would also mean a raise.”

“Even better pay?”

“That young lady over there, is…?”

Severin decided to ignore the would-be waitress and focused on the man’s observation instead.

“That’s right. She is currently not only selling but also crafting all these products you see here sitting on the shelves. The few that are still left, that is. As you can see, it is getting a bit much for her to handle on her own.”

“But doesn’t that require …?”

“And you say we would also be able to…?”

This time Severin only smiled meaningfully, not quite willing to answer the unspoken question after Emily’s class and the implications that came with it. If they wanted to find out more, they would have to prove their worth and loyalty first.

“Anything else you want to know?” he asked instead, not all so subtly changing the course of the conversation.

Realizing his intentions and that further efforts to get answers out of him would not only be in vain but might also cost them a hefty paycheck if they overdid it, all they could do was to comply.

Sabina’s reluctance in that regard was especially palpable, and so it was Krill, many years his senior, who took the initiative and asked Severin to see said products, Emily’s handiwork, from up close.

Not only, the man must have figured, were those items the closest thing they had to an actual answer, but he also understood his own role in all of this. If everything went according to plan, selling these items would soon fall to him; as someone who took pride in his professionalism, familiarizing himself with these products was the least he could do.

Besides, when else would a classless person ever get the opportunity to see such wondrous items? A sentiment that, put this way, the woman could only share.

Severin was naturally more than willing to grant this request and soon the three retraced inspector Geffrey’s steps through the rows of shelves and floating tooltips.

The sheer novelty of it was more than enough to distract the two from whatever other thoughts might have still been lingering in their minds and more than once Severin had to confirm that the prices were indeed correct and had to explain to them in great detail the use of various of his products. Like that of his [Weapon Oils] were the tooltip alone was not sufficient for most non-adventurers to understand just how useful and potentially even lifesaving its effect could be in a fight to the death – such matters were simply just too foreign to them.

Like this they had finally made it through the second row, when a underpaid and visibly stressed Guild inspector emerged from the group of customers standing in the back, started looking around searchingly, and, once he spotted the group, exclaimed, “Ah there you are!” and came running over.

“Mr. Geffrey! How is it? I hope everything is to your satisfaction. Have you concluded your inspection?” Severin tried not to sound too impatient. The other two could hardly keep their calm, either.

“Almost,” came the reply, accompanied by a grave nod, “but I figured I wouldn’t be doing my due if I didn’t go check in with the local Society’s branch as well. I’m sure you understand.”

“Of course,” Severin said, not letting his real thoughts show; displeasure, for wasting more time, and on the other hand, impressed by the man’s sense of duty despite obviously feeling very uncomfortable in his skin right now. “Just take your time.”

..

“Well then, shall we go outside as well? Take a look at the apartments, if you like? Or maybe I can offer you something to eat?” Severin suggested with only a slightly guilty conscious for creating even more work for poor Bandur.

In the end the group opted to do both, and in the process it was not only Severin who revealed more about himself, the store, and its circumstances, but in exchange also learned a bit about the two as well.

Both of them were very eager to work for him- that much was clear by now- with Sabina even going so far as to claim that in case that ,for one reason or another, the inspection would fall through, she would sever all relations she had with the Guild and hire with Severin directly; consequences be damned.

Buying her out from her current employer, a lecherous but very well-paying geezer, simply wasn’t acceptable to her if she was then kept from actually signing another, even more lucrative contract.

Considering that the people relying on the Free Worker’s Guild to find employment were not the most well off to begin with, Severin understood her all too well. But kept to himself that it was ultimately him who had paid the buyout fee, not the Guild, and kept nodding encouragingly.

Where the young adult counted on this job to secure her own future, the older man was in it to secure that of his children and grandchildren. He had long come to terms with his lot that required him to seek mostly short-term employment, even at his advanced age, but wanted something more for those that came after him. And a whole gold coin a day was most certainly the once in a lifetime opportunity to make this a reality.

Most notably, however, to Severin was something else regarding their attitudes.

All of his other customers currently on his mountain were in a position that allowed them to splurge many times a regular person’s monthly salary on just a single purchase, with most of these people owing their good fortune to the sheer luck of being born either directly as a classbearer, or into a rich family; a certain annoying [Duelist] and his taciturn childhood friend were probably the only exceptions to this rule.

And yet Severin, who knew very well the resentment he would feel in their stead, at no point could see any signs of hostility towards these people, neither from Krill nor Sabina.

Once he realized this, Severin’s impression of them greatly improved and when previously just about anyone would have done for him to hire, it now had to be them.

Like this, pleased and with hope for the future, all three of them waited for the good news, when with a strained smile on her face and followed by a profusely sweating Geffrey, a woman came charging out of the green windowed building and towards Severin.

“There you are!”