I Became the Guardian of Big Shots in the Game

Asif Carodin.
Born as the third child of the Carodin viscounty family,
Although he didn’t inherit the title, he rose steadily with his excellent administrative abilities.
Dying merchant guilds, territories, and cities would come back to life as if nothing had happened after passing through his hands.
Serdin was a prime example.
It was entirely his achievement that transformed Serdin, which had fallen to being a perpetual second-rate city behind the royal capital Etrion, into the kingdom’s premier trade hub.
Due to his great contributions, he received overwhelming support from Serdin’s nobles to commoners and was ultimately elected as the mayor of Serdin.
That was already 15 years ago.
People called him a lifetime mayor and shouted for him to be mayor until he died,
No, even after death.
‘I want to quit.’
The person in question had turned 60 this year,
And was desperate to retire soon.
So he had been eagerly waiting for this mayoral election.
But then,
“The leading candidate, Baron Roan, has been arrested by the Inspection Bureau!”
“?”
The situation kept getting stranger.
“Mayor! Councilor Enfield has been arrested!”
“Councilor Enfield? On what charges…”
“According to the Inspection Bureau’s investigation, it seems he was involved in black magic.”
“Oh my.”
‘Damn fools. If they were going to do it, they should have at least not gotten caught.’
Separate from their involvement in dirty business,
Baron Roan and Councilor Enfield were skilled operators.
So people’s belief that ‘they might be able to replace Mayor Carodin’ had been growing,
But it all fell apart.
“Then the remaining candidates…”
He hurriedly looked through the list of minor candidates, but
‘There’s no one.’
Not a single one worth considering.
‘If this continues, naturally the next election candidate will be…’
There’s an old tradition in Serdin’s mayoral elections:
The incumbent mayor must run in the next election unless they’re dead.
Unfortunately, Asif Carodin was currently alive.
At this rate, it was only a matter of time before he’d be elected again.
“Oh dear.”
“I was surprised too that Councilor Enfield, the head of the city council, was a black mage. Mayor, I understand your dismay. But at times like these, you must show a strong face to the citizens!”
There were times when he wanted to sew his aide’s mouth shut.
Now was one of those times.
‘Isn’t there any way?’
He, who wanted to spend a peaceful old age,
Wanted to quit the Serdin mayoral position, which had many problems and even more troubles.
Soon, he came up with an idea.
“Hey, Michel.”
“Yes, Mayor.”
“The two leading mayoral candidates losing their eligibility. Isn’t this enough of a major incident to make the citizens anxious?”
“I… suppose so?”
Thinking there was sufficient justification, the mayor
Gave orders actively for the first time in a very long while.
“It’s decided. I’ll call an emergency city council meeting. Summon the Noble Alliance, City Council representatives, and Merchant Association immediately.”
If he played his cards right, he might be able to retire.
For the sake of the retirement life he’d been dreaming of,
He was willing to do anything.

The three representative groups thus summoned:
The Noble Alliance, City Council representatives, and Merchant Association.
All are influential groups that support a pillar of Serdin.
“Thank you all for gathering like this. The reason is…”
Mayor Carodin summarized the current situation,
Emphasized that it was an emergency, and suggested discussing countermeasures.
“……”
The Noble Alliance kept their mouths shut.
Their former representative, Baron Roan, had been taken by the Inspection Bureau,
And most of the alliance members had been closely associated with him.
“What does the City Council delegation think?”
“……”
They had nothing to say even if they had ten mouths.
Their leader, Councilor Enfield, had likewise been taken away.
‘As expected.’
Carodin, with at least 15 years of political experience,
If a suitable candidate emerged from the Merchant Association now,
He planned to subtly promote that candidate while hinting that he would step back from the next election.
‘Given the situation, if I give a hint to the Noble Alliance and City Council delegation, they’ll likely turn to support a single candidate from the Merchant Association.’
In exchange for avoiding political purges of the two groups,
He would increase the influence of the previously weak Merchant Association,
And he would step down from the mayoral position and retire.
It was a perfect plan.
But then,
“We recommend the young man Ethan, who saved the Free Market.”
“?”
He was flustered, having expected Merchant Guild Master Max of the Rosen Guild,
Or at least the Merchant Association President Redich, who was skilled at calculations, to come forward.
“…Who is Ethan?”
So who the hell is this guy?
“He’s an excellent young man who understands merchants’ difficulties and eliminated the evil of protection fees from underworld thugs.”
‘There’s such a person?’
“The Merchant Association recommends and supports him. Remember this well.”
So Mayor Carodin, following their guidance,
Came to meet this person called Ethan.
But then,
‘…What kind of fellow is this?’
That audacious young man,
Had taken over the disappeared Baron Roan’s mansion,
And when he met him after being guided in,
He looked like he had just turned 20 at most.
“Nice to meet you. I am Carodin, the mayor of Serdin.”
Even seeing Carodin, the city’s famous mayor, the young man remained calm.
As if trying to fully grasp the mayor’s intentions.
-M-Mayor.
Michel, the aide who chattered incessantly at all times, moved his mouth again this time.
-Be quiet, Michel. We’re in the middle of a conversation.
-This young man, sir. He’s the one!
-The one?
-The brave citizen who cleaned up Baron Roan and his gang in one go, and participated in Councilor Enfield’s arrest a few days ago! Rumors say he’s been appointed as the new head of the underworld.
Frowning slightly at the last sentence,
He rebuked, ‘Why are you saying this now?’
But the tactless aide just wore an expression saying ‘I did well, didn’t I?’
‘Was he a dangerous person?’
But because of that,
He was more suitable to hand over the mayoral position to.
At least he wouldn’t be incompetent.
“I’m really sorry for coming so suddenly. If you’re busy, I’ll get straight to the point.”
There was no need to drag out the conversation and irritate him unnecessarily.
The other party was the new head of the underworld.
He spoke the conclusion first.
“Would you be willing to become the next mayor of Serdin?”
“…Pardon?”
‘Even acting surprised. What an impressive young man.’
Pretending to be calm, then showing a slight hint of surprise.
And then returning to calmness again.
‘If I’m not careful, I might end up being the one persuaded.’
He gathered his thoughts and opened his mouth.
“As you know, Baron Roan and Councilor Enfield, who were considered strong mayoral candidates, have been disqualified.”
“Mayor, I have no plans to run in the next mayoral election. Nor do I have the qualifications.”
“You have more than enough qualifications. Wasn’t it with your help that Baron Roan’s corruption was uncovered and Councilor Enfield’s arrest was aided?”
“I’ve only settled in Serdin for a few days. For someone like me to be mayor…”
‘So he has no intention of coming to the surface himself?’
“Please think about it once more.”
Mayor Carodin took a step back for now.
Whether he intended to wait and observe for a while,
Or if he really didn’t need the mayoral position,
It was difficult for him to read the other’s mind.
As he was being guided out of the mansion,
“Stop for a moment.”
“?”
A silver-haired girl murmured.
Just as he was about to turn his head,
Mayor Carodin, feeling goosebumps all over his body,
Stopped in his tracks.
“What…”
“Asif Carodin. Three sons and two daughters. Thirteen grandchildren in total. You’ve built quite a happy extended family.”
“How do you-”
“I’ll get straight to the point too. Ethan-nim has no interest in the trivial position of Serdin’s mayor.”
“What?”
Although he wanted to abandon the mayoral position right away,
To him, who had served as Serdin’s mayor for 15 years, it was truly insulting words.
So he reacted, overcoming his fear.
But,
“Huk!”
His momentary courage was consumed by greater fear.
“If the city of Serdin itself disappears, wouldn’t the mayoral position become meaningless?”
The quick-witted Carodin realized this was a feasible threat.
“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
“It’s alright. Instead-”
As the girl snapped her fingers, the unidentified aura surrounding his body dissipated,
And only then could he breathe properly.
“Would you arrange a small position involved in city administration?”
“A position… you say?”
For the sake of her master,
Because his will was ‘to punish hidden evil throughout the world without revealing his identity’,
Levi wanted to arrange a suitable position for him.
“Yes, a position that’s inconspicuous, not too demanding, yet able to access the core of city administration… would be nice.”
“An aide position might be appropriate.”
“Yes, I’ll ask for that then.”
Levi, who supported Carodin who looked like he might collapse at any moment, guided him to the main entrance and
Said with a bright smile,
“Good luck with the election?”
Carodin decided to run for re-election, albeit reluctantly.
He had just personally experienced what kind of threat he might face if he didn’t.
All citizens welcomed the legendary mayor’s announcement to run for a fourth term.
And Ethan,
Acknowledged by merchants, nobles, and even the mayor,
Became the undisputed dark lord of Serdin.
“Achoo!”
That fact,
Only he himself remained unaware of.

On the 14th day since starting training,
[Detailed Stats: Health(26), Mana(26), Strength(11), Agility(11), Mana Sensitivity(11), Divine Adaptability(11), Luck(56), Composure(999), Hit Rate(2)]
‘Did they increase by 6 each due to the Auxiliary Stats?’
It wasn’t bad for two weeks of progress.
“Ethan-nim.”
“Ah, thank you, Levi.”
After wiping off his sweat with the towel Levi handed him, he changed into a fresh shirt.
“How’s Hwarin?”
“She just woke up. With no problems to her body. I came to tell you that.”
“Really? That’s good.”
Not only the two sisters,
But also the two slaves brought from Enfield’s mansion were in good condition.
Ethan thought he could relax for now as he walked.
‘There’s no need to worry anymore, right?’
Hwaryon’s fate of being reborn as a great evil,
And Hwarin’s fate of dying miserably on the street,
Should all have disappeared.
He opened the door with a warm smile.
But then,
“My lord!”
“Wha-?!”
Hwarin, in loose clothing,
Threw herself into Ethan’s arms.
‘Huh?’
It was the moment when Levi’s lips, standing behind, twisted subtly.