Damian, who spoke to Carolla with surprising composure, had a multitude of thoughts swirling through his mind.
As he fell silent, deep in thought for a moment, he furrowed his brows and muttered to himself.
"Ugh... There's so much more I need to deal with than just bakeries... I've got to welcome the socially maladjusted adventurers to my job training school and social adaptation programs."
"I've promised to lend out business funds at low interest to the guys learning new skills to start their businesses... It feels like I'm more of a social worker than anything else at this point. And now I have to fight these franchise guild bastards?"
Carolla, speaking cautiously, broke his reverie.
"What are you going to do, Damian?"
Damian replied, still caught up in his thoughts, "I think I'll need to buy some alcohol. How many bottles of alcohol do we have here in the bakery?"
Carolla replied, "Just about three or four bottles of beer left, I think. Why?"
"Open the door and look outside," Damian said with a sigh.
At his request, Carolla opened the bakery door. Stepping outside, she saw a group of roughly ten men, each with an air of age and experience, walking towards the bakery. These men were the owners of small local bakeries in the village.
"Ah, the bakery owners…" Carolla muttered to herself.
Damian's bakery, Handsome Guys Bread, had gained significant recognition, and now, as the group of small bakery owners arrived late at night, their eyes widened in fear at the sudden appearance of Carolla.
Her large frame and horns startled them, causing a brief moment of panic. But as soon as they recognized her, they exhaled in relief and began to speak.
"Ah, Carolla. It's you."
"But, uh, what brings you here at this hour?"
Damian, having stepped outside by now, greeted the local bakery owners who had arrived. He quickly caught wind of their concerns.
"Is Damian here?" one of the bakery owners asked.
"Yes, I'm here," Damian replied.
One of the owners asked him, "Damian, have you been affected by Kingsman Bakery yet?"
Damian responded, "Well… my revenue is down by about 30-35% compared to last month, so yeah, I guess I've felt some impact..."
The others began talking among themselves after hearing Damian's answer.
"That's not bad at all, though. Given that your bakery was already doing pretty well, 65-70% of last month's earnings isn't the worst thing."
"True."
"But our bakeries are all suffering. Kingsman Bakery is taking all our customers."
"Every day, they hold sales and promotions. Small bakeries like ours just can't compete."
One of the bakery owners looked at Damian and continued, "To be honest, Damian, your bakery is a bit of a threat to us too. But at least you've been respectful, sticking to your own area and not encroaching on our territory. You've never stolen our regular customers, so we're grateful for that."
Damian nodded, listening to their concerns.
"You've always treated us as partners, not competitors. That's why we've been able to survive alongside you. Honestly, you're the one leading us."
"Well, that's very kind of you to say," Damian replied modestly, waving his hand.
"But now, Damian," one bakery owner continued, "Kingsman Bakery is really pushing us to the edge. They're taking all the customers in the village, and we're left with nothing. If they keep going, they'll completely wipe us out."
"People don't realize the danger," another owner added. "If we all go under, Kingsman Bakery will have unchecked power, and no one will be able to stop them."
One by one, the bakery owners spoke up, and Damian finally said, "It looks like we need to talk this out more. Why don't we head up to the café on the second floor? We can chat and have a drink while we discuss things."
He pulled out his wallet and turned to Carolla. "Carolla, I'm sorry to ask, but can you go get some alcohol? You know how to teleport, right? I'd go myself, but I have to stay here and talk with the owners. Can you go grab some booze for us?"
"Of course, I can teleport. I've been the Demon Lord's Commander, after all," Carolla said with a grin. "I'll head to the store and bring back whatever you need."
Damian handed her more money than necessary. "Get some beer, but if you want, grab some vodka or whiskey too. I'm planning to drink quite a bit tonight."
Carolla beamed and, with a quick teleport, disappeared into thin air. The bakery owners followed Damian inside as they waited for Carolla to return.
Once they all reconvened, alcohol in hand, they were all quite drunk, and the conversation grew more heated.
"Damn… those damn franchise bastards… How dare they try to take over my bakery that I've been running for 20 years…" one of the bakery owners slurred, his face contorted with anger.
"Yeah, those bastards need to be crushed," another owner growled.
Damian, also slightly tipsy, sighed. "I think we'll need to do something about this."
"Right. You're the one who should lead us. You'll be the one to take down Kingsman Bakery."
"Yeah, Damian, you're the one. You should be the head of our bakery association."
"Please, Damian, you've got the experience. You can lead us and drive Kingsman out."
Hearing this, Damian stumbled over his words. "Uh… I'm still young and inexperienced... I can't possibly be the leader..."
But the bakery owners, all intoxicated, refused to hear it.
"You're the only one who can lead us, Damian. We trust you."
"Yeah, only you can do it."
It became clear that they were unanimously pushing for Damian to become the head of the bakery association. Though still unsure, Damian sighed and finally agreed.
"Alright… I'll do it. I'll become the head of the association and fight against these damn franchise guilds."
"Long live Damian, the association president!"
"Long live Damian, the association president!"
The drunken bakery owners cheered as they toasted to Damian, officially naming him the head of the newly formed bakery guild.
The battle against Kingsman Bakery, the massive franchise, was about to begin, with Damian leading the charge.