Soulgros’s words left everyone stunned, unable to articulate their emotions. The air was thick with various feelings: Lucil and his team’s pure shock and fear, Rast and his group’s anger and confusion, and Master’s bemused smile.
Rast was the first to make a sound, as expected. He snorted, looking at Soulgros with disgust. “Typical of a dark guild, crawling in the dirt with such vile thoughts. Have you no shame?”
“Well, I can’t help it if you see it that way. Even if Lucil-dono and his team are demoted to a gray guild, Master and I would face far worse punishments. We have no choice but to resist,” Soulgros responded nonchalantly, unfazed by Rast’s condescending tone. If it had been the prideful Laladie or Vampille, Rast would likely have been slaughtered by now.
Soulgros’s concern was valid. Demotion to a gray guild would indeed be a punishment for Lucil’s guild. But what about Soulgros and Master? As members of a dark guild, they already operated deeper in the shadows than a gray guild. A demotion would ironically elevate them.
Knowing what the answer would be, Soulgros asked anyway, “And what would happen to us?”
“Obviously, you’ll be taken to the capital, tortured for every bit of information about your dark guild, and then publicly executed for the citizens of the kingdom to witness,” Rast said with a cold smile.
“Of course, I expected as much.” Soulgros nodded calmly, unfazed by the gruesome fate described.
Even with the grim prospect of torture and execution, Soulgros remained composed. She knew that she wouldn’t divulge any information about Master under torture—though she might spill about other members without much persuasion—and she wasn’t someone who could be killed easily. How many members of Yerkchira could be truly killed after just one execution?
“Well, I don’t care what happens to anyone else as long as it’s not Master and me being executed. But if Master is to be executed, that’s a different story,” Soulgros said nonchalantly.
Master was—at least apparently—human. Unlike Soulgros and Laladie, who belonged to species with extraordinary vitality, Master didn’t have such resilience. Soulgros was prepared to fight anyone to protect him.
“Hah, fool!” Rast sneered at her, strapping the large shield from his back onto his arm. “Normally, adventurers who commit crimes are judged and punished through a trial… but you are from a vile dark guild. No one will question me for dispensing justice here and now.”
He drew a sword hidden within the shield, the blade gleaming ominously in the dwindling sunlight. Following Rast’s lead, the other members of Praeshield also drew their weapons. Soulgros remained unfazed, her expression hidden by the cloth covering her face, revealing only her eyes.
“If you won’t come quietly, you might get hurt,” Soulgros warned.
“That’s my line,” Rast retorted, locking eyes with her.
In the next moment, Soulgros lowered herself close to the ground and launched a fierce attack at Rast. She drew a small blade from nowhere and slashed at him… only to trip on a grass loop that seemed to have tied itself into a ring around her foot, slamming her face-first into the ground.
“Bwuh!”
“…”
A loud groan escaped her lips, but everyone else fell silent as if they were attending a funeral. Lucil and his comrades, along with Rast and his men, stared in stunned silence. After all her grandstanding, Soulgros had ended up face-planting into the dirt. Even Master, who was supposed to be her unwavering ally, awkwardly averted his eyes.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Wait! It’s not my fault! I didn’t just trip on my own!” Soulgros protested, frantically waving her hands and shaking her head.
“But… nobody did anything.”
“Yeah, it just looked like you fell…”
Feeling the disdainful stares, Soulgros became even more frantic. “How did it… a loop… plants! Laladie! This must be Laladie-dono’s doing!”
The fact that her first suspect was a guildmate rather than an enemy highlighted the unique dysfunction within Yerkchira. Worse still, she was right. Soulgros, with her acute sense of perception, sensed familiar presences in the treetops. Looking up, she saw Laladie clutching her sides in laughter and Leiss trying hard to stifle her own giggles. It was infuriating.
Of all times, you choose now to sabotage me?! she fumed internally.
Soulgros had anticipated interference—she herself had meddled during Laladie’s moments—but to do so in such a tense situation was especially vicious. Although, if she were honest, she might have chosen a similar moment to strike.
“Are you mocking us?” Rast’s voice broke through her thoughts, dripping with anger. He stood before her, clearly enraged. The situation had turned critically unfavorable.
“No, no, that’s not it… I was betrayed by my own comrade…” Soulgros tried to explain.
“Enough of your nonsense!” Rast roared, shoving his shield forcefully into her. She blocked with her small blade but was sent flying into the forest by his sheer strength.
“She’s lighter than I thought,” Rast muttered, a bit surprised by how far she flew. It was partly because she had let herself be thrown to create distance.
“I’ll go after her. The rest of you, keep an eye on these ones,” Rast ordered his men.
“Yes, sir!” Rast’s subordinates responded promptly to his brief command before he disappeared into the forest after Soulgros. These adventurers were well-trained, even more so than the royal knights who supported the prince. Unbeknownst to them, Master had also vanished. This left only Lucil’s group and the remaining members of Praeshield.
“What do we do?” Pelorro asked nervously, sweat trickling down his face as he looked at Apollo and the others. What was the best course of action? Should they abandon Master and Soulgros and stay put to avoid further trouble?
Indeed, this would be the wisest choice for their survival. If they believed Rast, demotion to a gray guild would be their punishment. It would be challenging for a while, but if they managed to carry out missions without further issues, they might eventually be reinstated as a proper guild.
However, what would become of Lucika? The powerful curse afflicting her was only being suppressed by Master’s magic. It was hard to believe the curse would remain dormant if they abandoned Master. Furthermore, if Master and Soulgros were executed, Master’s magic within Lucika would dissipate, and the curse might resume its progression immediately.
“Then…!” Lucil shouted, drawing his sword and charging at the members of the Pride Shield. Though his speed was nowhere near Soulgros’s, the adventurers were caught off guard by the unexpected attack. One of them hastily blocked Lucil’s strike with a small shield, but it was clear they hadn’t anticipated such an assault.
“What the hell are you doing, Lucil?!” Pelorro yelled in shock.
“Apollo!” Ligg called out, his eyes full of anxiety as he looked to their guildmaster for direction.
“Grr!” Apollo’s mind raced. The decision to ally with the dark guild or submit to punishment had been a tough one, but Lucil’s sudden action had forced his hand. There was no longer any room for hesitation.
“We’re going to support Lucil!”
“Yes!” Ligg responded, sweat dripping down his face as he saw the determined look on Apollo’s face. Pelorro, however, still looked reluctant.
“Wouldn’t it be smarter to just stay put?!”
“Of course it would! But what about Lucika?!” Apollo roared back.
“Th-That’s—” Pelorro stammered, hesitating but eventually steeling himself.
“So what? We’re going to kill them?! If we do that—” Pelorro’s voice was filled with uncertainty.
“No, we don’t need to go that far. Just beat them up enough so they forget what happened here,” Apollo said, sweat pouring from his face as he tried to justify his decision.
“That’s pretty vague…” Pelorro muttered.
“I know it’s not a perfect plan, but it’s the best we can do right now. Thankfully, we have Ligg, who can use healing magic. If we go too far, we’ll rely on him,” Apollo added, glancing at the man with a hopeful smile.
“You’re relying on me…?” Ligg sighed, stepping back a few paces. As a follower of the Church of Angels, he wasn’t a high-ranking member who could use healing magic without limit. However, realizing the necessity of protecting their guild, he reluctantly accepted the role.
“Fine! I get it! Let’s do this!” Pelorro finally agreed, charging at the members of Praeshield. He rammed into the man threatening Lucil, catching him off guard.
“Pelorro!” Lucil gasped, looking up in surprise.
“Don’t go running off on your own!” Pelorro snapped.
Lucil, initially shocked, quickly regained his composure. He hadn’t expected to be rescued after acting on his own.
“Get up! We’ve got to make them forget everything that happened here!” Pelorro urged.
“O-Okay!” Lucil replied, standing up once more.
The two exchanged brief smiles before charging at the members of Praeshield together. The battle quickly intensified, with both sides clashing fiercely.