This time, before anyone inside could even react with surprise to the knock, the person outside had already volunteered his identity and his business.
"A Guild postman... no, an employee? And a letter?"
"Now that's a rarity."
Jeanne, who was sweeping snow in the courtyard, straightened up, the white puff of her breath scattering quickly in the cold wind. She paused for a moment, then caught on, and as she started toward the front gate she raised her voice in reply.
"Coming!"
...
Outside, the "postman" wore the standard winter uniform of a Guild employee: a dark, heavy overcoat over a crisp three-piece set of shirt, vest, and suit, with that familiar Guild crest pinned at his collar. While he waited, he lowered his head again to double-check the recipient's address and name on the envelope, and only after confirming everything was correct did he tidy his lapels and his appearance a little, making sure he wouldn't come across as rude.
Soon, clear footsteps sounded from within the courtyard.
The oak gate in front of him creaked open from the inside.
Standing there was a woman with her long golden hair plaited into a neat braid, her posture upright, her face bright and striking. With the good training his job demanded, the employee quickly identified her.
A member of the Demeter Familia, the Holy Maiden, Jeanne d'Arc, Level: Lv.2 (Lv.3).
"Good day. Miss d'Arc, I presume?"
Jeanne nodded politely, her tone calm.
"That's me."
Seeing it wasn't Leon himself didn't bother the postman in the least. As long as the person was a member of the Demeter Familia, that was enough.
"This is a letter addressed to your Familia. Please accept it."
He held the envelope out with both hands, then took out the notebook he carried, flipped it open to the signature column, and tapped the bottom right corner with a fingertip.
"Once you've confirmed it, please sign here."
Jeanne took the envelope, her eyes running over the neatly written words on its face, "To the Demeter Familia, for Leon Hart." Confirming there was no mistake, she signed her name crisply in the designated spot.
"Very good, the letter has been delivered. I won't trouble you any further, then."
The postman put his notebook away and dipped his head slightly.
"Have a pleasant day."
With the simple handoff complete, the postman turned and stepped out into the snowy street, his figure soon vanishing into the vast winter scene.
Jeanne drew her gaze back from him and closed the door, holding the envelope with a puzzled look.
"A letter from the Guild? Strange..."
Murmuring quietly to herself, she made her way back inside along the bluestone path she'd just cleared into rough shape.
Then, under the curious stares of Laurier and the others, she handed the letter to Leon.
"Here. Your letter."
Leon wiped his hands on his apron and took the envelope. He glanced at the wax seal and the sender, his mouth quirking up, and grinned at everyone.
"See that? Show off a bit of strength out in the open, and people start treating us differently."
Of course they all understood what he meant. Though their officially recorded Guild levels, their so-called "public levels," were a tier or two below the truth, the value they'd shown in yesterday's attack went far beyond anything a level could pin down.
Whether it was Iri's group buffs that could turn the tide of a battle outright, or those super-wide-area healing spells that all but ignored level gaps, both sent a clear signal: this Familia could not be measured by ordinary standards.
At his words, Rose's lips curved up, her smile beaming.
"That's a roundabout way of putting it... Are you saying President Royman is a snob?"
"I never said that," Leon replied without looking up, deftly breaking the wax seal and unfolding the letter. "I'm just 'admiring' our President Royman's knack for reading the wind and going with the flow."
Everyone: "..."
"Tch," he went on, his eyes scanning the page. "Currying favor, sizing people up before deciding how to treat them... he's really got that whole game down."
"Look at how cold and strictly by-the-book he used to be, then look at this 'timely' letter now..."
He gave the letter a light shake and pronounced his verdict.
"See? Influence and status alone aren't enough. Only real, solid strength..."
He gave the letter another light shake, leaving the sentence unfinished, only a meaningful smile behind it.
But everyone had already caught his drift.
"Save the 'praise' for our beloved President," Jeanne cut in. "What does the letter actually say?"
Leon handed it to her and shrugged.
"What else? An emergency meeting about the 'Blood-Red Christmas.' With things blown up this big, there's no way Royman sits on his hands. The casualties and losses are within manageable limits for now, but the hit to Orario's reputation, that's no small matter."
He clicked his tongue and continued.
"From the sound of the letter, it's been less than a day, right? And the 'Blood-Red Christmas' has already spread to several nearby countries and city-states. Who's going to believe Evilus didn't have a hand in that?"
"And there you have it. The moment Royman could get out of bed at the Dian Cecht Familia Treatment Center, the first thing he did was scramble to call a meeting."
"Which goes to show, the other side is genuinely rattled."
Persephone lifted her eyes from the letter, pushed up her glasses, a faint glint passing through them.
"Heh, I suppose this is the first time our Demeter Familia has been formally invited to one of the Guild's deliberations? So... we're being 'counted on,' are we?"
Rose tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked at Leon, smiling brightly.
"Looks like a certain someone's 'winter wonderland' yesterday gets the credit. I hear that blizzard of yours spread all the way from the plaza out into the nearby streets... Let me guess, you didn't do that on purpose, did you?"
Faced with the probing looks everyone turned on him, Leon only smiled and said nothing.
Some things can be said but not done.
And some things can be done but not said out loud...
Yesterday, in front of all those gods and the crowds of adventurers in the city, he'd unleashed Super-Wide-Area Annihilation Magic, deliberately suppressing its power through [Circle Linking] while maxing out its area of effect. And what for?
To put on a big show, obviously!
As for being treated with such gravity by the Guild's upper ranks because of it, that was a pleasant surprise.
Even he hadn't expected it...
He'd only let off one magic spell with a lot of bluster, and somehow he'd scared the seasoned, weathered President Royman clean out of consciousness.
Margaret looked at Leon, then at Persephone, hesitated a moment, and spoke up.
"So... does this mean we've been recognized?"
Leon gave a bear shrug.
"As things stand, yeah. But don't anyone get ahead of themselves. At the end of the day we're new players, and there's still a huge gap between us and the old-guard Familias like Freya, Loki, and Ganesha."
[Read 60+ chapters ahead on Patreon: patreon.com/NiaXD]