Defense!

Mr. Tanaka's comprehensive legal response had apparently struck a nerve, because Malachar's retaliation escalated from bureaucratic harassment to something much more direct and considerably more dangerous.

I arrived at our office Monday morning to find Finn standing guard outside our building with the tense alertness of someone who had detected multiple threats and was preparing for imminent conflict.

"Status report?" I asked, noting that he was positioned to observe both street approaches while maintaining clear sightlines to our office entrance.

"Three separate surveillance teams have been monitoring our building since yesterday evening," Finn reported quietly. "Professional operations, not casual observation. I've detected what appears to be reconnaissance activity focused on identifying security vulnerabilities and optimal approach routes."

"Reconnaissance for what?"

"Unknown, but the behavioral patterns suggest preparation for some kind of direct action rather than continued intelligence gathering."

I felt a chill of recognition. After a week of bureaucratic warfare, it appeared that Malachar was preparing to escalate the conflict to physical intimidation.

"Any idea about timing?"

"Based on the activity patterns, I'd estimate we have maybe six to seven hours before whatever they're planning gets implemented."

I unlocked our office door and found Mr. Tanaka already inside, surrounded by what appeared to be emergency contingency plans and crisis management protocols.

"Yamamoto," he said without looking up from his paperwork, "I think our legal response may have been more effective than we anticipated."

"How so?"

"Malachar's administrative violations are apparently serious enough to trigger mandatory regulatory oversight. I received informal notification that the Royal Treasury Office is initiating a comprehensive audit of guild financial practices."

I sat down heavily, trying to process the implications. "Our bureaucratic counterattack is working?"

"It's working so well that Malachar is facing potential criminal charges for systematic misappropriation of guild funds." Mr. Tanaka showed me what appeared to be official documentation. "Which means he's probably desperate enough to try something dramatic before the regulatory investigation can be completed."

"Such as?"

"Physical intimidation, property destruction, direct threats against our clients—anything that might disrupt our operations and discredit our professional reputation before the legal process can protect us."

As if summoned by our conversation, Selena arrived with Marcus in tow, both of them looking like they were prepared for some kind of emergency.

"Gentlemen," Selena said without preamble, "we have a problem. Several of our mutual clients have reported threats from unknown individuals—not guild officials, but people who appear to be hired muscle."

"What kind of threats?"

"Warnings about continuing to work with 'disruptive outside consultants,'" Marcus replied. "Plus some not-so-subtle suggestions that their equipment might become unreliable if they don't reconsider their business relationships."

Mr. Tanaka was making rapid notes. "Classic intimidation escalation. When bureaucratic pressure fails, move to direct physical threats."

"It gets worse," Selena continued. "I've been approached by several individuals offering to purchase my business 'before market conditions become unfavorable.' When I declined, they suggested that my current success might not be sustainable given changing regulatory environments."

I looked around our office, noting all the client files, financial records, and business documentation that represented months of work and dozens of professional relationships. The thought of losing everything we'd built because of one corrupt official's desperation was genuinely infuriating.

"What are our options?" I asked.

"Legally, we're in a strong position," Mr. Tanaka said. "But legal protection only works if we survive long enough for the regulatory process to complete."

"So we need immediate security for our operations and our clients," Selena concluded.

"Already working on it," Finn said, appearing in our doorway with what appeared to be a detailed tactical assessment. "I've identified optimal defensive positions, established communication protocols with our most vulnerable clients, and developed contingency plans for various threat scenarios."

"Such as?"

"Office invasion, client intimidation, property destruction, and personnel assault," he listed matter-of-factly. "Plus evacuation procedures for essential documents and emergency relocation protocols if the building becomes untenable."

I had to admire his systematic approach to crisis management, even as I wondered how our accounting firm had reached the point where we needed tactical defense planning.

"Any idea what specifically we're defending against?"

"Based on intelligence gathering patterns and resource allocation, I estimate Malachar has hired at least six individuals with combat capabilities ranging from [Level 12-18] for intimidation and property destruction activities."

Mr. Tanaka looked up from his legal documents. "Professionals?"

"Probably adventurers who are either desperate for money or loyal to guild interests," Finn confirmed. "Which means they'll have genuine combat skills but may not be fully committed to extreme measures."

"That's... somewhat reassuring?"

"It means they can be reasoned with if we can demonstrate that we're prepared to defend ourselves effectively," Selena said. "Mercenaries rarely want to engage in fights that are likely to be expensive or dangerous."

Over the next few hours, our office transformed from a professional consulting environment into something that resembled a fortress prepared for siege. Finn organized defensive positions, Selena arranged for emergency equipment storage, and Mr. Tanaka prepared essential documents for potential evacuation.

But the most remarkable thing was watching our clients respond to news of the escalating conflict.

"Mr. Yamamoto!" called out Megan as she arrived with what appeared to be a full adventuring party. "We heard about the threats against your business!"

"We're handling the situation," I assured her, though I wasn't entirely sure how.

"No, you don't understand," she said, gesturing toward the group of adventurers with her. "We're here to help. Your financial optimization saved me over 1,200 coins last year. There's no way I'm letting some corrupt guild official destroy the only consulting firm that actually helps adventurers instead of exploiting them."

Similar scenes played out throughout the afternoon. The [Dwarf Fighter, Level 14] whose equipment depreciation we'd optimized arrived with his entire party. The [Human Cleric, Level 13] whose expense tracking we'd systematized brought reinforcements from his temple. Even the [Human Crusader, Level 21] who had initially proclaimed that "math is for weaklings" showed up with backup, apparently having decided that anyone who threatened people who helped with math was definitely a legitimate target for righteous anger.

"This is remarkable," Mr. Tanaka observed, watching our modest office building become surrounded by what appeared to be a small army of protective clients. "We're not just defending our business—we're defending a community of people whose lives have been improved by our services."

"And they're volunteering to fight for us," I added, still somewhat amazed by the response.

"Not for us," Selena corrected. "For the principle that competent, honest business practices should be protected from corruption and intimidation."

By evening, our defensive preparation had evolved into something that looked like a medieval siege preparation, complete with organized watch schedules, communication protocols, and supply management systems. Finn was coordinating security with the systematic precision of someone who had found his true calling in crisis management.

"Movement detected," Finn announced from his surveillance position. "Approximately eight individuals approaching from the east, combat equipment visible, movement patterns consistent with assault preparation."

I looked around our fortified office, surrounded by clients who had volunteered to defend our business against corrupt officials and hired muscle, and realized that our interdimensional accounting adventure had officially become the most dramatic career transition in history.

"Ready?" Selena asked, checking her equipment with the calm professionalism of someone preparing for technical challenges.

"As ready as we can be," Mr. Tanaka replied, clutching his briefcase with the same determination other people reserved for legendary weapons.

Time to find out whether systematic optimization and client loyalty were stronger than corruption and intimidation.