Chapter 53

Chapter 53

8. Hunter Alliance -5

At the sudden appearance of an outsider, the gray-haired mage of the Hunter Alliance seemed to be racking her brain trying to make sense of the situation. I was racking my brain too. What now.

The simplest, clearest solution would be to make sure she never opened her mouth again, but I wasn't part of the Hunter Alliance, and I obviously had no intention of doing that.

But whether my sniper companion felt the same way was another matter, so I looked at Hori and slowly shook my head, worried she might just off this mage.

"⋯⋯⋯⋯??"

Hori pondered for a moment with a face that said, what's that supposed to mean.

"Kyaaak⋯⋯!! No matter what, I would never, to someone in my own faction⋯⋯!!"

She got angry.

Well, sure. Just because people who happily fleece others are in the same organization doesn't mean there's some law against taking them out. Even more so for a case like Hori, who kept popping off at the slightest provocation.

The gray-haired mage, seeing that and mistakenly assuming we were close, asked me in a voice with a bit of the tension let out.

"⋯⋯Noah Won, have you decided to join the Hunter Alliance?"

"That's not it."

"Then what other reason would you have to be here⋯⋯ Ah, then could it be that you two are, you know⋯⋯?!"

As the mage shot us suspicious looks of one kind and another, Hori exploded before I could even get annoyed. She practically jumped out of her skin and yelled.

"No-!! I am not with this guy- Mmph!!"

"It is absolutely not that either."

I quietly clapped my hand over Hori's mouth, which was producing decibels that could probably be heard outside the door. It's not like she'd never dated anyone in her life, so I don't know why she was making such a fuss.

If someone asks if you're dating, you just calmly say no.

"Even natural skinship⋯⋯"

"Please don't look at me with eyes that say spring has finally come for this person. If you provoke her any further, she might do you harm. I'd rather not see that."

"Mmph⋯⋯ Get, get your hand off! I said no! I won't do anything!"

It seemed like if I didn't explain soon, we'd really get branded as a couple, so I decided to tell the gray-haired mage the situation. If she was in the same faction, that might mean one more person who could cooperate.

"I haven't joined, but it's true that we're temporarily working together. We've confirmed signs that the radical faction, the opposing faction, kidnapped beastman children to use in a Hell Path ritual."

"How horrible⋯⋯ But what's the Hell Path?"

Starting from there, huh.

She had opposed martial arts because she feared the System would consider it betrayal, so she apparently didn't know what Hori knew. I briefly explained the Hell Path to her.

"What?! I knew martial arts were filthy⋯⋯!!"

"Not everyone who practices martial arts is like that."

I managed to earn her basic emotional sympathy.

As I'd felt before, this gray-haired mage was a good person. Just as she'd opposed me out of concern for the side effects of martial arts, she was someone who moved in the direction she believed was right within the limits of what she knew.

But she wasn't trapped in her beliefs either. If you presented a legitimate argument, she had the intelligence to accept it and reconsider.

"Alright. If that's what's going on, of course I should help. I'll help!"

So my request for cooperation was readily accepted. One more temporary ally.

She seemed to get worked up just hearing about the radical faction's atrocities, pacing busily around the room and muttering.

"How could they do that? Really, as a fellow Alliance member, I can't stand it. Threatening people, browbeating them with force to get what you want is the worst. When we can barely manage even if everyone unites as one to overcome the plant calamity⋯⋯"

"⋯⋯⋯⋯"

"This is why the radicals are a problem! They're the ones dragging the Alliance's name through the mud, really!"

"⋯⋯⋯⋯?"

Does she not know?

I looked at Hori. She shrugged, avoiding my eyes. Judging by how the shape of her pulled-up hood shifted, her beast ears were probably flattened back too. So she had no intention of explaining, and I should figure it out myself.

Then I guess she doesn't know.

I could roughly grasp the situation. This felt like someone who'd joined a company without knowing it was a gangster outfit and had been working there innocently ever since, like a bookkeeper. No wonder she seemed like the only decent person around.

I could shove the blazing truth in her face that her own faction also beat people up and stole their Credits, but this wasn't the time for that. We were in a situation where we needed her help and cooperation, after all.

So I steered the conversation back to the main point.

"Anyway, we need to take the radical faction boss's office. To make sure there's no fallout afterward, I'll likely be the one infiltrating, and for that we'll need you to remove any obstacles. Do you have a way?"

"Hmm⋯⋯ If it's a faction administrator's office, it'll obviously have a security system in place, so I think I can help with the magical side."

The gray-haired mage then plopped down something like a grenade.

"If you set this off, all the magic-powered equipment in the area will go dead. It obviously won't work on artifacts of D-rank or higher, but⋯⋯ this is the highest-grade magic-disruption bomb I have."

In other words, a magic EMP.

"You carry something like that around normally?"

"Ah, in my world, raiding ancient mage ruins is a national revenue project. If you're going to call yourself a mage, this much is in the category of daily necessities."

"I'll gratefully accept it for now."

Preparations for the trap magic circles supposedly laid in the office were settled. What remained was the one guard blocking the stairs up to the fourth floor, the guards who'd be near the office, and the radical faction boss himself, who might or might not be inside the office.

Hori added a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠word to that concern.

"No, that bastard's personality is famous. If he's really conducting a ritual, he'll be busy personally commanding it. There's definitely no one inside."

"What kind of guy is he?"

"His name is Joero. An archer. He was originally under Muyeon, but he pulled some underhanded shit about Muyeon's cause being half-baked and split the Hunter Alliance in two. Still, I thought he was following the Alliance's will until now⋯⋯ Kyaaak!"

The mage added her own testimony.

"⋯⋯That was before I joined, so I don't know the details. By the time I joined the Alliance, there were already two factions. But I do know what kind of person Joero is. He's a bit⋯⋯ paranoid, I'd say. I get the impression he can't rest until he's done everything himself."

So there's a pretty good chance the boss himself won't be there. Just because someone climbed to a high position doesn't guarantee they're strong, but at least under this System, the probability is high.

Meaning if he had been there, the fight would have dragged on, and that would've given the gathered Alliance members plenty of time to gang up on me, so I would've had to use a bolder operation. It's fortunate if we can avoid that situation.

Also, if he has a paranoid personality, there's a high chance he left evidence in his own office. That means he would've fortified it accordingly, so there are pros and cons⋯⋯ Still, difficult traps are better than no evidence at all⋯⋯ Wait a second.

I shot a glare at Hori.

"If he's that kind of guy, wouldn't he have posted his elite subordinates near his office? They'd be hard to lure away even if a decent commotion broke out."

"That's right."

"Then why didn't you tell me that beforehand? Come to think of it, you were running your mouth as if I'd be able to sneak in. In this situation, isn't a fight practically guaranteed?"

"Well⋯⋯ is that a big problem? Noah Won, you're fucking strong."

"⋯⋯⋯⋯"

Hori said it shamelessly.

This little shit, was she planning to just play dumb and weasel her way into starting a fight?

It didn't seem like this was a double trap to capture and interrogate me. The anger Hori had shown was real. It was just that she'd had the ulterior motive of swinging me, a sharp blade, around to reduce the radical faction's manpower while she was at it.

How irritating.

But being in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a foul mood actually gave me a good idea. I already had a policy of drawing a line with people who'd tried to kill me, and if she was going to play it this way, I had no reason to be more considerate.

If I was taking on risk, Hori had to shoulder her share too. If not, it was better not to cooperate at all. I crossed my arms and made my demand.

"You know the boy who cried wolf?"

"What?"

Hori, you're going to be the liar who shouts that a wolf has appeared.

No matter how different the factions, they belonged to the same Alliance.

Conversely, that meant the baseline assumption was, "No matter what, they wouldn't do anything that would seriously harm the Alliance." If so, we could use that.

"You said this building is shared by the radical and traditional factions. Then there must be some kind of common vault, right? Or a place where valuables are stored."

"⋯⋯Uh, there isn't?"

"If that were true, then an organization called the Hunter Alliance, which outwardly presents itself as a community where people help each other, would be run by the person at the top hoarding all resources and doling them out whenever requests come in? And none of the members have any complaints about that? Even just to keep up the appearance of being an Alliance, there'd have to be a storehouse."

"⋯⋯⋯⋯"

If that were the case, this organization's name would be Hunter Monarchy, not Hunter Alliance. But even the Hunter Monarchy kept a royal treasury. When an organization grows, it inevitably needs a storehouse managed at the organizational level.

When I looked at Hori with eyes that said, cut the obvious lies and talk, she clicked her tongue and answered readily.

"⋯⋯There is one. Underground."

"Let's say it got robbed. A phantom thief slipped in and cleaned out the vault. Since it's an emergency, ring the bell to gather people, and you personally go ask ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the ones guarding the office for help."

"Me?!"

Who else would do it.

Hori wore a flustered expression, then racked her brain furiously and came up with a rebuttal. They say beasts get smarter when cornered, and Hori was no exception.

"They won't believe it! And there's almost nothing valuable in the common vault. Since the factions split, each side keeps what's truly important⋯⋯ Of course, if public funds got stolen, it would hurt, though not enough to shake the Alliance. But it's not enough to wound their pride. Would they really believe someone from the opposing faction coming and spouting that?!"

"Then we'll just say the traditional faction's secret vault got robbed too. If it's that serious, they'd want to cling to the opposing faction's coattails, wouldn't they?"

"What if that lie gets exposed?!"

"By then, we'll have ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠successfully raided the office and collected evidence that the opposing faction is dragging beastman children off to conduct a Hell Path ritual. We can just pay them back with that, right?"

"⋯⋯⋯⋯"

Hori shut her mouth tight, at a loss for words.

With this, we should be able to peel away the guards blocking the office to some extent. I wasn't even hoping for them to fully withdraw. If they had any brains, one or two would stay.

The plan was set. While Hori caused a commotion, I'd wreck the office. Then the gray-haired mage asked cautiously.

"Um, then what about me⋯⋯?"

"Rest. Don't get caught up in this for nothing."

"Is that okay? If I add my testimony next to Hori⋯⋯"

"I don't think that'll be necessary."

If this mage got hurt by butting in for no reason, that would be a loss for me. I might be temporarily cooperating with half of the Hunter Alliance, but they and I were enemies, and if a decent person was embedded in enemy territory, I could make use of her anytime, couldn't I?

And as I'd tested earlier, even Hori apparently had no intention of offing an ally from her own faction — considering the characteristics of the Hungry Ghost Path, where the strong prey on the weak, this mage was probably on the competent side — which made it even more true.

Still, ignoring her goodwill entirely wouldn't be right either.

"But if you really want to do something⋯⋯ there is one thing I'm curious about."

"Hm?"

"It's nothing much. I'm not asking for confidential information. I just want to hear about 『Da』."

I decided to ask about 『Da』 one last time.

Seeing Hori stay silent, it didn't seem like particularly sensitive information, and since she was the one who'd gotten him to join the Hunter Alliance, I figured she might know something more.

"Ahh⋯⋯ Hmm, haah⋯⋯ Just thinking about that makes my teeth chatter."

That high school boy was unpleasant enough to make your teeth chatter, all right.

"I feel so bad for 『Da』. I promised him support and got a talented kid to join the Alliance, and then the radical faction bastards got jealous and kept checking him⋯⋯! Harassing the kid, humiliating him!"

"⋯⋯⋯⋯??"

What?

"In the end, he couldn't endure the persecution and left! Even as he was leaving, 『Da』 apologized like that, saying he was sorry he couldn't hold out. Haah⋯⋯ If only I, if only I could have been a slightly higher fence for him."

What did I just hear.

The mage believed that high school boy had gotten caught up in factional infighting and left the Alliance.

But according to what 『Da』 himself had confessed, more or less, that bastard had purely, one hundred percent, skipped out on his own two feet. That cold, snake-like demeanor couldn't have been an act. My eyes had been warning me about that chill.

If so, then this meant.

『Da』 had eaten his fill, and even as he left, he'd laid down a smokescreen so that no resentment would be directed at him.

"Wow⋯⋯"

I pressed a hand to my forehead and couldn't help but be impressed.

But since telling the truth would clearly wound this pure-hearted person deeply, I decided I'd have to quietly tell only Hori later.

Then wouldn't 『Da』 proudly earn a spot on the [Hunter Alliance] extermination list?

After that, without wasting time, I launched the office infiltration operation.

"Who are you? You can't pass to the fourth floor, uh, uhh!"

"Move!"

Hori practically shoved her jade badge, proof of Diamond rank, in the face of the guard at the stair landing as she pushed past him and went up to the fourth floor.

There, about six hunters were guarding the radical faction boss's office.

Hori ran up to them, awkwardly fumbling, and shouted in the loudest voice she could muster.

"H. Help!!"

"⋯⋯Wait, you're the traditional faction's assassin. What do you want help with?"

"There's been a thief! The Alliance's, storehouse has been robbed! D. Damn. Our traditional faction's storehouse. Was hit too! To get it back, we need you maggots, no. We need your strength!"

"⋯⋯⋯⋯"

The office guards fell silent, and Noah Won, who was waiting in a room on the floor below with his ear pressed to the door, quietly sighed. Because that awkwardness was on par with a school talent show.

Even though her acting was godawful.

Fortunately, thanks to Hori's notorious exploits and her reputation for loyalty, which were well known even within the Alliance, they accepted her request for help, albeit with deep suspicion. Also, because leaving her indebted like this would let them pull a chunk of favors out of the traditional faction.

"Then I'll stay here."

But one person remained in front of the office.

That much was enough to carry out the operation.