New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

Chapter 658 Grass Cut Under Her Foot

Singing Grove seemed almost disinterested in the whole affair and was laid back in her chair, her eyes almost closed. Astaroth knew this was about to change, though.

"So, Dilya. We called you here today because we have an offer to make you. And we called the guild master because she must also approve of this," Astaroth started.

This statement alone made the Guild Master raise a brow and made the Elven girl shrink even more.

'What could a king and queen possibly want from me?' she wondered, her mind filling with angst.

Phoenix took the torch from there, and leaned in, propping herself on the table with her elbows, clasping her hands together.

"We would like you to become a commander for a magic regiment we intend to form. You came highly recommended by the three current commanders, and they said they would love working with you.

"You would work directly for the kingdom, and wouldn't have to go on dangerous adventure runs if you accept. Of course, you would be free to relinquish the role at any moment, give you elect a replacement for yourself, and your freedom would not be otherwise restricted.

"What say you?" she asked, at the end of her sales pitch.

Singing Grove, who had been laying back and relaxing, was now alert and invested.

She looked to her right, at Dilya Naemenor, and wondered what the girl would say to this. As the guild master, she was wholly against losing this precious asset.

But she couldn't force her to stay, either.

At best, she could offer large incentives to try to change her mind. But the moment she did this, there was the risk of devolving into a bidding war with the kingdom.

Even though the Adventurers' Guild was a massive organization, they were each tasked with controlling their branch's budget on their own.

So she wasn't that wealthy to begin with.

Dilya looked to her left, noticing the heavy gaze of Singing Grove, and her shoulders drooped a bit as her heart rate sped up.

She could hear the darned thing beating in her ears and feared the others could hear it, too.

Astaroth kept a composed face, even as he watched Dilya's ear tips turn red from the quickening blood flow. He could hear her heart thumping in her chest, with his heightened senses, and knew she was nervous as hell.

So he threw out an additional incentive.

"Working under us may sound like a tedious job, but I can assure you it is not. My intention with the kingdom is to lead it into being a pillar of resistance against the encroaching demon forces.

"Some day, it might even be the last kingdom lasting, gods forbid, and for this, I will need the troops under it to train, constantly, to become powerful. That will include sorties and contractual aid to other nations. Which means you won't stay locked inside the palace, doing boring paperwork"

Dilya looked at the king, and his words echoed in her mind. As an adventurer, her goal had always been to travel the world. She had only stopped in Stellar Woodlands to take missions and make money before heading on the next leg of her journey.

So the offer of going out of the kingdom to help other nations was an enticing one.

And Singing Grove could see her eyes change.

She knew she had to act now or lose the asset.

Astaroth watched as Singing Grove opened her mouth to speak, for the first time in his presence.

"You don't have to answer them now. I'm sure they are willing to give you some time to think this over, Dilya, my dear."

Her soothing came as a surprise to Astaroth, who had expected her voice to be icy, for some reason. But her words were obvious to him.

She wanted to get the girl to back away now, so she had time to convince her back in the guild buildings.

Fortunately, Astaroth was ready for it as well.

"This offer is not something that you should take lightly, and I agree with Lady Grove, that you should take some time to think on it. But I can also offer you a trial run. Give you the position temporarily, and let you experience what it is you will have to do.

"And once the trial is done, let's say, three days, you can give me your definitive answer. If you don't wish to take the position, then no harm is done, and you can go back to the Adventurer's Guild, with no consequences coming your way.

"This would be a no-strings-attached trial. And at any moment, if you don't like it, you are welcome to tell us and be on your merry way. But after the three days, a decision will have to be made. What do you say? Are you interested in that?"

Singing Grove almost seethed at the king. He worded this in such a fashion that he seemed like a good guy.

But she could see through it. This would give her three days around him, and away from her, cancelling out any way for her to entice the girl to stay in the Adventurers' Guild.

His ruse surprised her. And it impressed another person at the table.

Phoenix, who had discussed this matter a bit with him beforehand, had warned him of the tricks Singing Grove might try to buy time. But she was certain she would have to deal with this.

When Astaroth took things in hand, his shrewdness astounded her.

She sent a quick private message to him.

'Nice going. You make me feel a certain way when you take charge like this.'

She sent a winky face emoji, as well, to drive her point home.

Astaroth read the message and had to focus on not coughing or becoming red-faced.

Singing Grove's mind was spinning at full speed, trying to find a way to counter his offer.

But before she could open her mouth to speak, Dilya's voice interrupted her train of thought.

"I will take the trial. You assure me there will be no repercussions if I dislike it?"

Astaroth smiled warmly.

"Of course! No strings attached. Just you trying out the post and deciding for yourself if you want to work for us. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Then I'll take it!" she replied, a smile stretching on her face.

Singing Grove clenched her fists under the table.

'Shrewd little king. We'll have a talk later,' she thought to herself, making her face into a smile.