By the Grace of the Gods: Volume 3

by Roy

  “They even say that you need to be part of a faction to get anywhere as a researcher. You either need connections with powerful people, or the political talent to navigate those tumultuous seas. Your research itself is the second or third priority. That’s the truth about low level researchers. Maybe it’s different if you manage to advance through the ranks, but we couldn’t tell you about that,” Caulkin said self-derisively, then laughed. “Nowadays, I question why I was ever so obsessed with that place. I was able to get food and a home here. I can earn enough to fund my research too. I don’t even have to waste my free time on meaningless power struggles.”

  “I feel that! That place was suffocating. This new job is relaxing by comparison, and the boss actually listens to us.”

  “I can focus on my research much more here than I did there. It’s kind of strange.”

  The three researchers agreed and laughed, enjoying the food and conversation. The day ended peacefully.

  Behind the Scenes of the Second Set of Hires

  “You’re the girls who came from Weizen?”

  “Yes!” the three young girls shouted. They were in a room at the merchant’s guild, gathered before the guildmaster. The girls were working for their living expenses while they studied and searched for more permanent jobs, when they were abruptly summoned by the guildmaster herself. They couldn’t hide their distress, but they tried to act natural.

  “I’m not going to scold you or anything, calm down.”

  “I see,” Fina said with a sigh of relief.

  “I’ll give you the full details when one more person arrives, but I wanted to talk about a job. The manager of a store is looking for some new hires. Sorry, but you’ll have to wait a bit longer.”

  “Hey, Fina, is the guildmaster supposed to do this stuff personally?”

  “Normally it would be handled by the appropriate department, but this manager happens to be someone I know,” the guildmaster answered when she heard Jane whisper.

  “Oh, thank you.”

  “Jane...”

  After the guildmaster responded, she started to silently stare at the girl’s face.

  “Um, what is it?”

  “You seem all right. You look loyal, and I think you’d have some fine intuition.”

  “Intuition?”

  “Yeah! You’re not that smart, Jane, but you have better intuition than anyone!”

  “Maria?!”

  The last of the girls interjected to agree with the guildmaster’s impressions, making her two friends freeze up.

  “Haha, now this girl’s a bold one,” Glissela laughed

  “Excuse me,” Chelma the chef said as she entered the tense room. They were then given the full details, and all four of them decided to work at Ryoma’s store.

  “Then I’ll need to have you go through the rest of the formalities with the manager. Jane, Fina.”

  “Yes?!”

  “Jane, you’re best off following your feelings, and Fina, you prefer to use your head. Maria’s the sort who can keep her composure in any situation. New workplaces bring new struggles, so make use of your strengths to help each other through it.”

  “OK!” they said.

  “You help them too, Chelma. These girls have never worked in the city before.”

  “Understood. It’s almost like I’ve gotten myself some daughters.”

  After that exchange, they met with their new employer.

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  Copyright

  By the Grace of the Gods: Volume 3

  by Roy

  Translated by Noah Rozenberg

  Edited by Nathan Redmond

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2018 Roy

  Illustrations Copyright © 2018 Ririnra

  Cover illustration by Ririnra

  All rights reserved.

  Original Japanese edition published in 2018 by Hobby Japan

  This English edition is published by arrangement with Hobby Japan, Tokyo

  English translation © 2020 J-Novel Club LLC

  All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property.

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  The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

  Ebook edition 1.0: May 2020