The men approaching us stopped at a cautious distance.
“Uh… what do you want?” Apollo asked, representing Lucil and the rest of our group. Judging by their appearance, these men were likely adventurers affiliated with a guild, much like us.
It was unusual for adventurers to engage with each other outside the city. Randomly approaching a new team like this was practically unheard of, which made Apollo quite curious.
“First, let’s introduce ourselves. My name is Rast. I’m a member of the legal guild, Praeshield the Pride Shield,” the leader stated.
“O-Oh… I’m Apollo, the master of this guild,” Apollo stammered, hurriedly introducing himself. While the introduction was civil, Rast’s expression suggested anything but friendliness.
“And what brings you here?” Ligg asked, wanting to get straight to the point. Rast’s eyes narrowed sharply at the question.
“What brings us here? You should be well aware of that,” Rast replied.
“Wh-What…?” Apollo stammered, taken aback by the intensity of Rast’s words.
Indeed, there was a hint of guilt within Apollo, as if he knew they were hiding something.
Please let this be a misunderstanding, Apollo silently prayed, but Rast’s unyielding gaze was fixed on me and Soulgros.
“You two are members of a dark guild, aren’t you?” Rast accused.
“Haa, haa. Master’s back…” Soulgros muttered, her focus unwavering.
Neither Soulgros nor I responded directly to Rast’s pointed question. I met Rast’s gaze with a strained smile, aware that saying anything careless could jeopardize Lucil and his team.
Soulgros stood right behind me, her eyes darting around nervously, her body fidgeting. Apparently, she hadn’t heard Rast’s words.
“Wh-What? How did they find out?” Lucil exclaimed.
“You idiot!” Apollo hissed.
If Lucil had kept quiet, we might have been able to bluff our way through. Despite his bravery in close combat with monsters, Lucil was still a kid. He quickly covered his mouth with his hand, but it was too late.
“We received a tip-off from a good citizen. They reported that members of a dark guild had infiltrated our territory,” Rast explained.
“A good citizen…?” Soulgros muttered, finally paying attention to Rast’s words while sticking close to me. It seemed our information had been sold to Rast and his men.
Who was this so-called good citizen? The first candidates that came to Soulgros’s mind were members of the Messianic Legion of Yerkchira. It was possible they were unhappy with her and my close, loving adventurer life—from her perspective—and decided to sabotage us. It seemed plausible. Soulgros herself would definitely interfere if another member were alone with me.
However, this time, that possibility seemed unlikely. The informant had contacted Rast, a member of a legal guild.
If it were someone from a gray guild or similar, they might sell information to anyone without hesitation. But a legal guild like Rast’s would be different. They would definitely verify any dangerous or suspicious information. As the guild’s observer, Soulgros was aware of Praeshield the Pride Shield’s reputation. It was a mid-tier guild with the strength to rival even some of the larger guilds. An organization like that would surely ensure their information was accurate.
That rules out most of our suspicious guild members, Soulgros thought. The Messianic Legion of Yerkchira had members like Laladie, who weren’t embedded in any specific organization, and Corine, who was infiltrating the Demon King’s army, currently in conflict with humanity. Any information from these individuals would likely be dismissed outright by a legal guild.
Of course, there were members of Yerkchira who had infiltrated reputable organizations.
“Ritter…” Soulgros recalled the stern, expressionless female knight with the bob-cut black hair.
She had the motivation and capability to leak information. However, Soulgros doubted Ritter’s involvement this time. Right before this adventure with Master, Ritter had unexpectedly defended Soulgros against Laladie’s fierce objections at the guild headquarters. Although Ritter’s support wasn’t out of goodwill—she was clearly banking favors for her own benefit—Soulgros believed Ritter wouldn’t jeopardize her investment now.
If she interfered now, her previous efforts would be wasted, Soulgros reasoned. While Ritter was typically expressionless and hard to read, Soulgros thought she wasn’t foolish enough to sabotage her own plans. This led Soulgros to exclude Yerkchira members from the list of suspects.
So, who could it be? Soulgros still didn’t know.
“Now, explain yourself, Apollo. Why are you harboring members of a dark guild in your guild? According to our information, you were aware of their affiliations,” Rast demanded.
“Damn!” Apollo grunted.
Fast information… I’ve narrowed it down, Soulgros thought.
Rast’s stern words cornered Apollo, who struggled to respond. Meanwhile, Soulgros stood close to Master, nodding thoughtfully as she pieced things together in her mind.
It seemed the culprit was not from Yerkchira. Soulgros had significantly narrowed down the suspects in her mind.
“Hmph. Can’t answer, can you? You’re no longer fit to be a legal guild. By knowingly inviting members of a dark guild, the kingdom’s sworn enemies, you’ve forfeited that right. At best, you’ll fall to a gray guild. At worst, your guild will be disbanded,” Rast declared.
“No!” Lucil cried out in despair.
Originally, Lucil had welcomed Master and Soulgros into their guild to save his sister, Lucika. He had also suggested bringing them in, so he felt responsible for causing trouble for Apollo and the others. The weight of his mistake made him feel faint.
Seeing Lucil’s reaction, Soulgros tilted her head in confusion. “Hm? Why do you look like it’s the end of the world?”
“You might not understand, but if a small, weak guild like ours loses its credibility and gets demoted from a legal guild, we can’t survive,” Pelorro said bitterly, glaring at Rast and his men.
True, requests handled by gray guilds were often more dangerous and less rewarding than those for legal guilds. Gray guilds might resort to extortion to increase their rewards, but Lucil’s guild wasn’t in a position to do that. However, this wasn’t Soulgros’s main point.
“The punishment of being demoted to a gray guild or worse is something that happens if Rast and his men report us, correct?” Soulgros asked.
“Exactly!” Apollo understood what Soulgros was getting at. They needed to convince Rast and his men not to report them.
“What? We are members of Praeshield the Pride Shield. We do not overlook evil,” Rast said firmly.
“Please hear us out! We have our reasons!” Apollo pleaded.
“Reasons?” Rast echoed.
Rast’s sharp eyes bore into Lucil as the boy began to speak. Perhaps because Lucil was just a child, Rast seemed willing to listen. Sensing this opportunity, Lucil desperately explained their dire situation: a guild member was afflicted by Ragel’s deadly curse, they needed a natural Elixir to break it, and they had no choice but to seek the dark guild’s help due to their inability to handle the situation alone.
“…”
Even after hearing everything, Rast remained silent, his expression unreadable. Lucil and his comrades waited with bated breath for his judgment. I maintained a composed, enigmatic smile, while Soulgros seemed lost in her own thoughts, pleased to be near me. Finally, Rast’s eyes opened, and he spoke.
“Unfortunately, I must report this.”
“──────!”
It was something they had feared. While Apollo and Ligg had expected it, Lucil couldn’t stay silent.
“Wh-Why?!”
Rast spoke to Lucil as if addressing a failing student. “No matter the reason, allying with a dark guild can never be condoned. If you needed help, you should have requested it from our guild or another legal guild.”
“B-But—” Lucil began to protest.
Even if they had sought help from another guild, they would have likely been ignored. The existence of natural Elixirs was nearly mythical, and no guild would take a weak guild’s claims seriously. If they had offered a substantial reward, they might have gotten a hearing, but Lucil’s guild had already spent nearly all their funds on World’s Eye’s information.
“It’s admirable that you care for your guildmates, but you should regret turning to a dark guild for help. Given your circumstances, you might get away with a demotion to a gray guild. Then you can start your search for the Elixir anew,” Rast said, his words seemingly logical. Yerkchira, while not as infamous as Heinichen, was still a known enemy of the kingdom. Seeking their help was a grave mistake.
“But… that will be too late!” Lucil shouted, his voice filled with anguish.
Lucika had been suffering from a Ragel’s curse for some time now. While Master’s mana was currently suppressing it, there was no telling when the curse might start progressing again. Lucil couldn’t bear to see his sister in such pain any longer.
No matter how much Lucil pleaded, it was clear that Rast’s determination to report wouldn’t waver. He was committed to his sense of justice and couldn’t be swayed by emotional pleas.
“Isn’t it quite simple, though?” Soulgros sighed in exasperation at the tense silence.
While she didn’t mind the prolonged standoff—more time to admire Master’s back—the hostile glares from Rast and his men were becoming annoying. When Soulgros admired Master, she wanted no distractions, especially not the threat-laden stares from others.
“Uh… so you’re saying we should talk…” Apollo stammered, trying to understand Soulgros’s point.
“No, that’s not it at all,” Soulgros replied, tilting her head.
As the guild observer, Soulgros knew well the nature of Praeshield. They were a mid-tier guild with notable strength and an unwavering dedication to justice. Given their rigid adherence to these principles, compromising with them was out of the question.
For Soulgros, where Master stood was where justice lay. She had been misconstrued in many ways, but finally, she expressed her true intention.
“We should just kill them all here and now,” she said bluntly.