Chapter 120: Of Course I Didn’t Notice
The guild that wins the guild war formally receives management authority over District 3 through an award ceremony.
However, the current King of Pletika, who ascended the throne twenty years ago, disliked excessive formalities, so the procedures had become quite simplified.
“When are they coming?”
In front of the Ashen Wolf Guild headquarters.
Watching the street where every guild member stood neatly in formation from a distance, Marlin yawned with a bored expression.
“It’s already been quite a while….”
The management authority over District 3 was finalized when a knight of the Royal Guard arrived and bestowed the king’s prize.
But even after an hour, the knight had yet to appear.
“It’s just a contest of pride. Every year the guild war is held, this delightful tradition happens.”
They were deliberately arriving late.
It was essentially an indirect warning that the power the guild enjoyed meant nothing before the royal family, so they should not act recklessly.
Considering that the guild war itself began because a guild that once managed District 3 had rebelled, the tardiness had a surprisingly reasonable justification.
“…Ah, finally.”
After waiting another full hour.
At last the knight leisurely approached from the far side of the avenue.
He wore full plate armor like a typical knight.
A human man with a relaxed demeanor, marked by a neatly groomed mustache and a protruding chin.
《The Tardy Knight Servan Moricard (Human, 34). A man whose greasy mustache I want to rip out. Despite looking like someone I’d like to punch, the rank of his soul is quite high.》
“Have you been waiting long? My apologies. Something urgent came up on the way.”
Knight Servan smiled slyly as he stood before Targon.
Despite the considerable difference in their physiques, he showed no intimidation—truly knightlike.
“Shall we begin?”
“Yes.”
“Well then, congratulations.”
Servan reached into subspace and rummaged around before pulling out a statue and handing it over.
《Gold Dragon Statue》
《A golden statue depicting a majestic dragon soaring into the sky. Selling it carelessly brings a curse. It serves as the honorable prize certifying the bestowal of authority over District 3.》
Once that item was delivered, the ceremony was finished.
That was the entirety of the event.
Yet he had been two hours late.
“Still, the Ashen Wolves again….”
Servan chuckled quietly.
“Honestly, I thought things might really change this time. After all, wasn’t there that incident where everyone’s personal mystical information was leaked?”
It was difficult to tell whether he was joking or serious.
Naturally, the High Warrior Targon showed no reaction at all.
But inwardly, he must have felt displeased.
The leak had been connected to the death of his close friend, Vice Guild Master Rigobert.
“I heard the guild war nearly fell apart because of some half-elf ninja. His Majesty was quite furious when he heard the news.”
The knight smirked and looked Targon directly in the eye.
“If not for that unprecedented victory through a hidden piece, the guild war would likely have disappeared from history and the management rights of District 3 would have been reclaimed by the royal family.”
“……”
“You were lucky. Thanks to recruiting a talented cultist, you avoided the worst outcome.”
Bartimir, who had been listening silently nearby, muttered, “I want to punch him.”
Abel nodded as if agreeing.
But Targon did not waver in the slightest despite the knight’s blatant provocation.
“Do you have anything else to say?”
At the gray orc high warrior’s indifferent question, Servan’s face twitched slightly.
“…No.”
“Then how about we conclude this?”
Perhaps embarrassed by the overly flat reaction, Servan scratched his head several times before leaving.
The ceremony ended.
After handing the statue to Elvira, Targon walked straight toward me.
“Thank you again for the guild war. And thank you for attending this unnecessary event.”
“It’s nothing. I thought I should at least watch it through to the end.”
“Are you returning to District 6 now?”
“That’s the plan.”
“I see.”
The high warrior orc nodded slightly, then leaned forward and spoke quietly.
“Be careful.”
It was an unexpected warning.
As I waited silently, Targon frowned.
“That knight just now secretly examined you seven times with mysticism. Did you notice?”
“Of course I didn’t.”
He may have retreated quickly under Targon’s pressure, but he was still Level 8.
A named knight of that level.
There was no way a mere Level 4 cultist like me could detect suspicious movements from him.
“But I understand his intentions. You don’t need to worry too much.”
If I simply continued exploring diligently as I had been doing, he would reveal his reaction sooner or later.
However, that was still a matter for the distant future.
There was no need to worry about it right now.
“Is that so… very well.”
Targon nodded slightly and extended his large hand toward me.
“You’ve worked hard. We’ll meet again.”
“Until next time.”
A high warrior does not linger over farewells.
Targon immediately returned to the headquarters.
Elvira also gave me a small bow before following him.
“So it’s really over now.”
Perhaps tired from standing so long, Abel tapped his thigh.
I placed a hand on Abel’s head and said,
“Then let’s go back.”
Back to our somewhat quiet but comfortable District 6.
In the slums of District 6, there was a hideout once used by the Black Sword Guild.
A small but cozy space hidden underground.
It was concealed so thoroughly that it was almost impossible to notice from the outside.
“Search every corner.”
Under the command of Karsha, the guild master of the Hyena Guild under the Silent Alliance—
a cat beastman wearing an eyepatch over one eye—the guild members spread out and began turning the hideout upside down.
All of them were Hunter-class.
Among them were Tracker-class members specialized in searching, so they quickly found what they wanted.
“We found it, Guild Master.”
A bird beastman called out.
He held a dagger infused with demonic energy.
“Let me see.”
Karsha took it immediately and examined the dagger carefully.
Because he possessed a detection-type mysticism, he quickly grasped all the information connected to the weapon.
He frowned.
“That’s right. The one our thief used.”
The dagger favored by Maken, the Black Sword Guild Master.
It was an ordinary weapon, but because it had been used for so many killings, an enormous amount of demonic energy clung to it.
That was not the only information he learned.
“…Plant elf poison?”
There were many plant elves in the world.
That alone made identifying the owner nearly impossible.
However—
the person who reported that the Black Sword Guild had been annihilated happened to be someone known to associate frequently with a plant elf assassin.
“With this much, I don’t think further investigation is necessary.”
Karsha sat in a throne-like chair that seemed to have belonged to the Black Sword Guild Master.
“The Black Sword Guild was eliminated by a plant elf assassin from Brites acting under orders from the half-elf Kar. That’s my conclusion. Anyone disagree?”
It was not the kind of question where the answer had already been decided.
“Then what about this possibility?”
“I think it’s like this.”
Several guild members freely voiced their opinions.
This was the Hyena Guild’s unique culture, somewhat unusual for an outlaw group.
Without oppressive hierarchy, everyone casually enjoyed looting explorers and killing.
“Well… the conclusion is that there’s a very high chance the half-elf Kar is responsible for the Black Sword Guild’s destruction.”
Karsha scratched his ear with his little finger and looked toward the guild member who had remained silent.
“What do you think?”
The gathered guild members turned their attention to a brown-haired dog beastman.
A promising newcomer in the outlaw world who had joined the guild only recently yet quickly dominated his seniors.
A special rookie trusted deeply even by the guild master.
Pierre answered in a dry voice.
“I think the same.”
“Right?”
Though it was merely the opinion of a newcomer, both the guild master and the others seemed relieved.
His achievements so far had been astonishing.
“Good. Now I can finally make a report the boss will like.”
Karsha curled his lips into a grin.
“We’ll capture the half-elf Kar alive and take him back. Even our overly cautious boss won’t scold us if the evidence is this clear.”
“Guild Master, the problem is how we capture him.”
The vice guild master, a horse beastman, spoke in a flat tone.
“If we cause too much trouble, the Peacekeeping Corps may intervene.”
“…That’s true.”
The Peacekeeping Corps, one of the four royal direct military units, normally only guarded the borders between districts.
Each district’s security was handled by the Milky Ways.
But if a serious incident occurred, they would immediately deploy, capture the culprit, or conduct an investigation.
Once that happened, any problem would be resolved very quickly.
“If the Peacekeeping Corps catches our trail, we’re finished too. So… we wait until he enters a labyrinth and follow him in. What do you think?”
“That’s probably the best option….”
“I don’t see another way.”
“Let’s do that!”
All guild members agreed to the classic method of secretly following explorers into a labyrinth.
“Guild Master.”
At that moment, Pierre spoke.
Karsha perked up his ears.
“Yes?”
“If we want to avoid being discovered, only a small elite group should go. The rest should return to District 4.”
“So even if the worst happens, the others can escape?”
“Exactly.”
“Hm.”
It was a persuasive argument.
The Peacekeeping Corps had likely already noticed their movement when they entered District 6.
They had arrived separately in small groups, but such tricks could easily be detected by skilled observers.
“Alright. Let’s do it your way.”
“I will participate in the capture operation and give orders. If you allow me to choose the guild members who accompany me.”
“Go ahead. Anyone object?”
No one raised a hand.
If clever and capable Pierre would even give instructions, there was no reason to refuse.
“Good. It’s decided.”
Standing on the chair, Karsha raised both arms.
“Our target is the half-elf Kar! Boys, it’s hunting time!”
Because too much noise might attract the Holy Knights of the Church of Harmony, the guild members cheered quietly.
“……”
Pierre casually waved one hand and smiled.
‘My side is ready.’
Now everything depended on Kar’s preparations.
He did not believe the operation would fail.
After all, the hero who won the guild war could hardly struggle against the “fake outlaws” Pierre had carefully selected.
‘My heart is pounding.’
For the first time in a long while, Pierre felt a pure emotion.
Anticipation.
The feeling that he might take a step closer toward his long-held wish.
‘Please do not disappoint me.’
“Kar! A little faster!”
I was running through District 6 with the siblings.
Morning exercise—something we always did unless something special happened.
Since Tabirek had not yet finished his work, my left arm was still missing.
Running without balance meant I had the delightful experience of rolling across the ground several times.
“Patron, please focus on running instead of daydreaming.”
“…Alright.”
My stamina had now surpassed that of ordinary people.
I did not tire easily.
However, my speed was still slower than the siblings’, so keeping pace required some effort.
“Finish!”
After five laps, we arrived at Odilon’s mansion.
I collapsed onto the ground, catching my breath.
My clothes were soaked with sweat, but it was worth it.
《Through continuous training, your ‘Stamina’ has increased by 1!》
“…Status window.”
Perhaps because it had been a while since I used it, Truth hesitated slightly before displaying the message.
《Kar, Cultist of the Twisted Truth ??? (Level 4)》
Strength – 1 ｜Dexterity – 2 ｜Faith – 17
Stamina – 12 ｜Senses – 3 ｜Wisdom – 19
Agility – 1 ｜Charm – 21 ｜Knowledge – ??
My Stamina had now reached 12.
If I activated Ghoul’s Mobility and Life · Reverse · Conduct, it would easily exceed 23.
I could now be considered a proper aspiring immortal.
“Kar.”
Marlin, who had sat down beside me, wiped the sweat from her forehead.
“When are we going on the next expedition?”
“Why? Feeling restless already?”
“No, Astrimia just wants to know when we’ll be entering a labyrinth next.”
“In that case, tell her this.”
While fixing Marlin’s messy hair, I said,
“We’re going tomorrow morning.”
“…You won’t rest longer?”
“When would I rest? The lovely labyrinths are waiting for me.”
“Patron, what rank of labyrinth will we enter this time?”
“I’ll tell everyone once the whole team is gathered. But remember this first.”
Looking at the siblings whose ears perked up, I whispered,
“This expedition will be the hardest one yet.”