THE jail in Carnell was famous for being secure because there were a lot of high-level adventurers in town since it was near the hard-difficulty dungeon, Guney’s Great Labyrinth.
Inside the last cells of that jail, under intense surveillance, sitting against the wall with knees hugged against his chest, was Chris Brad, a member of the hero’s party. A black magic collar was around his neck to seal off his Heart of the Hero skill, which massively boosted his abilities and turned him into a berserker. He seemed like a completely different person from the man who had run rampant in the Adventurers Guild.
“You’re like a feral dog whose fangs have been pulled. Chris, you’re a moron, you know that, right? But I didn’t think you were this idiotic.”
A voice spoke to him, and he raised his head. A woman stood in front of his cell, sneering at him. She had white hair, golden eyes, and cute facial features. This was the second-in-command of the hero’s party and First Chief of the General Staff Office of Ishtobal’s military: Alisa Kusunoki.
Is he docile because of that collar? she wondered. It completely sealed his mana, and he can’t activate Heart of the Hero. Arius has done something interesting, hasn’t he?
“Alisa! Hey, get me out of here!” Chris barked.
“I obviously can’t be doing that. Committing violence in an Adventurers Guild is a serious offense. Although it is slightly better that no one died. You’re not getting out of that cell any time soon.”
“But I’m a member of the hero’s party. I’m allowed to do something like that!”
Alisa rolled her eyes in complete exasperation. “There is absolutely no hope for an idiot like you. What the world needs is the hero, not the members of the hero’s party. That means that if you don’t act properly, you’re going to get tossed aside in the blink of an eye. Though, in your case, it really should have been sooner.”
“You’ve got to be joking…”
Alisa looked at him with a cold gaze, and he seemed to get the hint.
“Well, even with that, you are an SS-rank adventurer. If Prince Abel decides he needs you, he’ll get you out of that cell in a jiffy. But I’m less interested in that and more interested in asking about the SSS-rank adventurer Arius. According to the soldiers who were with you, he killed you with one strike.”
“No, it’s not what it sounds like. It was a surprise attack.”
Alisa paid no mind to Chris’s excuses. She’d been sharing the sight of her bird familiars and had seen the fight from start to finish. Even so, she still wanted to hear Chris’s impression of the battle since he experienced it, but she knew his personality. He was always trying to make the situation into whatever was best for him, so she didn’t have high expectations.
“Chris. Your armor is quite beat up. Did Arius do that?” she asked.
Chris’s equipment was exactly as it had been when he’d been taken into custody at the Guild. Large sections were missing from the right flank, chest, and back.
“H-He’s… He’s a monster. I was so worked up while we were fighting that I didn’t notice, but I never actually landed a hit on him. And he’s merciless when killing. He looked completely unfazed when he ran me through…” Chris shuddered as he remembered how Arius had killed him.
All the pieces of Chris’s equipment were magic items from the hard-difficulty dungeon, the Dragon’s Palace. In any normal framework, you wouldn’t think those items could be broken so easily.
And even if he were fighting an SSS-rank adventurer, Alisa would have thought Chris could at least give his opponent a run for their money when he was boosted with Heart of the Hero. While at first glance it appeared as if the fight between Arius and Chris had been evenly matched, Alisa realized Arius was holding back. Arius only showed his true power for a brief moment at the end, where he killed Chris in literally an instant.
Arius’s movements were not normal, and by the time I even realized what was happening, Chris had already been run through. There is a limit to my vision when looking through familiars, which is why I came here, but his spirit is completely broken. I doubt I’m going to get any more information out of him.
Having finished her business, Alisa left Chris shaking in fear in his cell. Four people were waiting for her outside the jail.
“It’s somewhat frustrating to have to clean up after this moron, but I suppose it is part of the job. Let’s go, everyone,” she ordered them.
Next, they went to Carnell’s Adventurers Guild.