Investing In My Four Crippled Yandere Wives Get 1000x Returns
Chapter 34|A Guild of Their Own

Chapter 34: 34|A Guild of Their Own

The summons to Halden’s office arrived with unusual formality — a formal Association seal rather than the casual invitations of previous meetings, prompting Myria to spend the car ride over running through every possible reason the Association president might want such a structured conversation.

"Reginald’s documentation was verified three days ago," she said, tablet still displaying the confirmation notice. "If this is related, it could mean formal charges against your father are finally moving forward."

"Or it could be something else entirely," Vivian added. "Halden’s tone in the summons felt different. Less procedural, more... personal."

They found out soon enough. Halden greeted them with a warmth that had steadily grown less guarded with each meeting, gesturing them toward seats arranged more casually than his office’s usual formal configuration.

"I’ll get straight to it," he said, once they’d settled. "The Association’s oversight committee has been discussing your party’s status rather extensively since the duel. Growth this significant, combined with Fallen Crown’s demonstrated combat capability and the... considerable public attention surrounding recent events, has created a rather unusual opportunity."

"What kind of opportunity?" Allen asked carefully.

"Full guild recognition," Halden said. "Not merely a registered party, but an independent guild in your own right, eligible for the same resources, rift priority access, and formal standing currently reserved for the top five established guilds." He leaned forward slightly. "It’s not a designation typically granted this quickly. Most guilds spend a decade or more building the reputation and infrastructure required. But exceptional circumstances occasionally warrant exceptional consideration."

Allen absorbed the offer carefully, glancing toward Myria, whose sharp calculating expression suggested she was already several steps ahead in weighing the implications.

"What would this require of us?" she asked.

"Formal registration, a permanent guild headquarters meeting minimum operational standards, and continued demonstrated combat readiness," Halden explained. "In exchange, you’d gain considerably more autonomy, resources, and protection under Association guild law — protections that would make any future attempts at the kind of sabotage you’ve already endured considerably more legally consequential for whoever attempts them."

"That last part," Irene said, grinning fiercely, "sounds extremely appealing."

Halden’s mouth twitched with faint amusement before his expression sobered slightly. "I won’t pretend this comes without complications. Guild status means increased visibility, increased political entanglement, and inevitably, increased scrutiny from bodies beyond the Association itself." His gaze grew more serious. "I mentioned the World Hunter Regulatory Inquisition Board previously. I’ll be direct with you now — they’ve already opened a preliminary file regarding your anomalous growth pattern. Guild status wouldn’t create that scrutiny. It already exists. But it would provide you considerably more legal standing and protection while navigating it."

"What exactly does the WHRIB do?" Allen asked. "I understand they sit above individual national associations, but beyond that—"

"The World Hunter Regulatory Inquisition Board exists to monitor and regulate anomalies that could threaten global dungeon containment stability," Halden explained. "Bloodline mutations, ability anomalies, anything that deviates significantly from established growth patterns. Most inquiries resolve quietly, without incident. Occasionally, they don’t." His expression remained carefully neutral. "I mention this not to frighten you, but because I believe you deserve to understand the full scope of what you’re beginning to represent, rather than discovering it unprepared."

Vivian’s expression sharpened with quiet calculation. "You’re suggesting guild status might actually provide protection against whatever the WHRIB eventually decides to investigate."

"Precisely," Halden confirmed. "An independent guild, backed by full Association recognition and a demonstrated record of ethical, transparent operation, presents a considerably more defensible position than five individuals whose growth pattern currently exists as an unexplained anomaly in someone’s preliminary file."

Allen considered the offer carefully, weighing the implications against everything they’d already survived together. "I’ll need to discuss this properly with my party," he said finally. "This affects all of us, not just my own decision."

"Of course," Halden said, nodding with evident respect. "Take whatever time you need. The offer isn’t going anywhere."

---

The discussion that followed back at Hegeville carried considerably less contention than Reginald’s earlier visit had provoked — all four wives arriving at cautious enthusiasm relatively quickly, the promise of formal protection and legitimate standing outweighing any hesitation about increased visibility.

"We’re already visible," Myria pointed out pragmatically. "Millions of people watched that duel. Formal guild status simply gives us proper legal footing to match the attention we’ve already attracted, whether we wanted it or not."

"Plus," Irene added, "official guild status means official guild funding. I’ve got some very specific ideas about upgrading our training equipment beyond ’scavenged bottles and scrap metal.’"

Everlyn’s notepad appeared with a thoughtful addition.

’A permanent headquarters. Somewhere with room for a proper garden, maybe.’

"I’ll admit," Vivian said, a fond smile touching her lips, "the idea of somewhere slightly less structurally questionable than this house holds a certain appeal."

"What about you?" Allen asked Myria, who’d remained quieter than the others through the discussion, tablet forgotten in her lap for once. "You’ve been thinking about something."

"Just the practical logistics," Myria admitted. "A headquarters means dedicated training facilities, proper strategic infrastructure, room to actually train new recruits if we intend to grow beyond the five of us. It’s exciting, honestly. I haven’t had access to resources like that since before my injury." A faint, genuine smile touched her lips. "I’d forgotten how much I missed the strategic side of this work until Halden mentioned it."

"Then it sounds like we’re all in agreement," Allen said, glancing around at each of them in turn.

Allen glanced around the familiar, worn living room — the same room where he’d first unlocked the systems that had reshaped their entire lives, where each of them had, in their own time, finally let their guard down enough to build something real together.

"We’ll keep this house," he said quietly. "Whatever else happens, whatever guild headquarters we eventually establish. This is where it all actually started."

Myria’s expression softened at that, understanding the sentiment completely. "Agreed," she said simply, and around the room, the others nodded in quiet, unanimous agreement.

"Then let’s build something worth protecting," Allen said, already anticipating the conversation he’d have with Halden the following morning. "Officially, this time."