Chapter 66: All of This Must Be Thanks to Arteine’s Grace
Chapter 66: All of This Must Be Thanks to Arteine’s Grace
A snowfield filled with biting cold.
“Urgh….”
A cat beastman warrior, his entire body in tatters, clutched his shoulder with the single remaining hand he had left.
Fresh blood poured out between his fingers and spilled onto the white snow.
He had already thought he had lost enough blood, yet he was newly reminded that the human body truly held a remarkable amount.
“Pierre! You crazy son of a dog!”
“Is it because you’re a cat? You keep saying unpleasant things.”
Pierre, a hunter with dull brown hair that had no shine at all, lightly swung the hand axe he held.
Crunch!
The remaining arm was severed as well.
“Aaaagh—!”
“Shh.”
Pierre embraced the screaming cat beastman from behind as he rolled across the ground, then shoved the handle of the axe into his mouth to silence him.
“Please be quiet. At least until I slowly peel the skin off your entire body.”
“……”
Perhaps the polite request worked.
The choking groans quickly subsided.
Satisfied, the dog beastman hunter gently stroked the cat ears sticking out between the yellow hair and spoke softly.
“I understand your confusion. Until yesterday, we were ‘like-minded companions’ who happily plundered other expeditions together. Now you’re wondering why I’m suddenly acting like this. You must feel both wronged and puzzled. I’ve never experienced it myself, but I’ve studied the emotions of others, so I understand well.”
“Th—”
“I told you to keep quiet.”
Crack!
When Pierre tore off the ear he had been stroking, the cat beastman began thrashing again.
But after the other ear was removed as well, he finally quieted down again.
“You’re curious why I intend to kill you, aren’t you?”
“…….”
Now he only nodded silently.
Satisfied, Pierre wiped away the flowing blood and retrieved the axe that had been blocking the man’s mouth.
“Actually, there’s no particular reason. I simply grew tired of committing outlaw activities with you.”
“…You insane bastard!”
Perhaps realizing he had no chance of survival.
The cat warrior trembled violently yet spat out furious words.
“The Cloudy Guild. You’ve heard of it, right? I belong to them!”
“Oh, is that so? Your backing was stronger than I expected.”
“Our guild members are experts in pursuit. If you kill me, they’ll chase you to the ends of the continent and tear your limbs apart!”
He even revealed sharp teeth while smiling deeply.
Since death was inevitable, perhaps he intended to at least leave behind fear.
The strategy wasn’t bad.
But it was ultimately meaningless nonsense spoken without understanding the situation.
“Are those the companions you mean?”
Pierre grabbed the cat beastman’s head and gently turned it sideways.
In that direction stood a large two-headed dog.
Each head held a corpse in its mouth.
The cat warrior from the Cloudy Guild screamed in horror.
“The guild master…? And even the vice guild master!”
“They secretly followed us even before entering the labyrinth. They certainly seemed skilled in pursuit, so I killed them before they could cause trouble.”
District Four.
In the outlaw paradise governed by the Brites Family, incompetent outlaws could not survive.
“Though our friendship and camaraderie were brief, I will cherish them deeply. Farewell.”
“Wait—”
Crunch!
The axe buried itself in the man’s forehead.
The cat beastman died instantly.
“Lulu, Lili. Come here.”
— Woof, woof!
The two-headed dog that had been eating corpses wagged its tail and approached its master.
Pierre gently patted the heads of his precious partner before lightly mounting its back.
“My business here is finished. Let’s go search for a Hidden Piece. Head toward the snowy mountains. It’s most likely there.”
— Woof!
Lulu and Lili ran joyfully, their wide ears flapping.
Pierre lay down against their bodies, intending to close his eyes briefly.
Then—
— Urgent news has arrived.
A thin voice came from the communication tattoo engraved on his palm.
It was the guild master of the Hyena Guild, the group Pierre currently belonged to.
— The Black Sword Guild has been annihilated.
“…….”
The news instantly cleared his drowsy mind.
“Who did it?”
— An anonymous informant claimed that a half-elf cultist named Kar from the Twisted Truth sacrificed them all as offerings.
“Is the report reliable?”
— …Honestly, the informant’s identity is unclear, so the credibility is low. Still, we can’t ignore the possibility.
Pierre nodded.
He had never personally spoken with the Black Sword Guild Master, but they had met once during a gathering of the Silent Alliance.
The man’s personality—worse than the average outlaw—had left quite an impression.
To think that meeting would be their last.
“How unfortunate.”
— Why does your voice sound amused?
“That’s unrelated to my feelings of regret. It’s more like an incurable illness.”
Vitality surged through Pierre’s normally indifferent heart.
Kar….
A half-elf who destroyed the Black Sword Guild, one pillar of the Silent Alliance.
They would likely meet often from now on.
That was a pleasant thought.
The more hardship and adversity ahead, the better.
— But the Boss said not to retaliate recklessly. We’re ordered to reinforce our internal strength first.
The identity of the Boss, the true master of the Silent Alliance, was not revealed to ordinary guild members like Pierre.
He had no interest in learning it either.
Anyone who pretended to be cautious about everything was usually just a coward.
— Return to the hideout for now. We need to discuss how to follow his will.
“Understood.”
He answered obediently.
But in truth, the solution was already clear.
The current Silent Alliance was incomplete.
Lazy fools who lived comfortably thanks to a sponsor’s support despite having no passion or ambition.
Outlaws who settled into comfortable reality would eventually be eliminated.
Just look at the Black Sword Guild.
They were satisfied robbing poor people’s pockets, and in the end they collapsed.
That won’t do.
Pierre didn’t want a mere “stable life.”
To reach his ultimate goal, the stagnant water had to be drained entirely and replaced with fresh, clean water.
…Starting with our guild.
Cleaning should always begin with the filthiest place.
“Kar!”
Marlin and Abel, who had been running ahead, bounced in place and turned toward me.
“We’re almost there! Hang in a little longer!”
“Patron, just a little more!”
“…Alright.”
I was jogging with the siblings in the morning.
My Stamina stat was now higher than theirs.
But due to a curse bestowed by a certain generous deity, my other attributes were still miserable.
Because of that, I was nothing more than a slow runner with decent lung capacity.
Still, moving forward with the determination of a stubborn turtle wasn’t such a bad condition.
“…Whew.”
By the time my entire body was soaked with sweat, we finally reached the vicinity of Odilon’s mansion.
Marlin, catching her breath beside me with hands on her knees, smiled brightly.
“Running every morning and evening really makes it feel easier!”
“I feel the same.”
“Looks like both of you increased your Stamina.”
Consistent exercise could raise attributes.
Because I had been busy exploring labyrinths, I hadn’t benefited much yet.
But Marlin and Abel had trained diligently, so they seemed to have gained results worthy of their effort.
“Well done.”
While patting the siblings’ heads as we walked, I noticed visitors who had arrived early in the morning.
“Greetings.”
Holy knights wearing armor colored in harmonious black and white.
Anyone living in Pletika who couldn’t recognize their affiliation from that color scheme alone would have trouble surviving.
“Nice to meet you. I am Valentin, the small shield of Arteine.”
“Hello?”
Charlotte, who woke early due to her cooking duties, rubbed her eyes while looking up at Valentin.
“What brings you here?”
“We received reports that terrible screams have been coming from beneath this mansion lately.”
It must be the cries of pain from the former Black Sword Guild thieves currently being trained by Butler Sergius.
To neighbors, it must sound quite horrifying.
If the screams had belonged to noble classes like priests or holy knights, people might have assumed a party was happening.
But thieves sounded different.
“I doubt Young Master Odilon would involve himself in anything disgraceful, but we must request an explanation.”
His tone was gentle.
The atmosphere was not.
A properly trained holy knight possessed a presence as sharp as a blade.
If this place were not the Brites Family mansion, they would have stormed inside immediately and arrested everyone present.
“Hmm, I’m not some imbalance that violated harmony. Don’t you think you’re staring too fiercely?”
Charlotte, sober unlike when drunk, spoke clearly and logically.
“My apologies. We received so many reports that I became somewhat sharp.”
Valentin stepped back slightly but did not withdraw his piercing gaze.
One hand rested on the sword at his waist.
“Do all holy knights of the Harmony Church apologize so rudely?”
Charlotte prepared to draw the kitchen knife hidden in her clothes.
It looked like they might start stabbing each other at any moment.
So I quickly intervened.
“Well, well. Who do we have here?”
When I approached and greeted him, Valentin turned his wrinkled face toward me.
His eyes widened.
“Oh! Isn’t this Kar!”
The bright-toothed holy knight embraced me as if greeting a brother.
“I heard about your strategy in the Library of Sin. You discovered two Hidden Pieces and even made noble sacrifices for another expedition! Truly deeds worthy of Arteine smiling warmly like the spring sun!”
Was this really the same man who had been pressuring Charlotte earlier?
His entire voice was filled with laughter now.
“What brings you here?”
“Actually, I recently joined Young Master Odilon’s expedition.”
“I see! That’s wonderful! You are finally exploring with someone capable of recognizing your talent!”
Valentin flashed a brilliant smile.
Charlotte, who had just been confronting him, was now completely ignored.
The intimidating aura had vanished entirely.
“Now that I think about it, I once heard an unbelievable rumor. In District Three, an expedition led by a cultist of the Twisted Truth cleared an uncharted dungeon. Surely that wasn’t also you?”
“That is correct.”
“Arteine! It seems the gaze of wisdom has fallen upon Kar!”
“That must be the case. Thanks to the one who protects all people gently patting my head, I was able to uncover secrets no explorer had discovered.”
I said exactly what he wanted to hear.
Valentin’s nostrils flared slightly.
Seeing him nod with satisfaction, I continued immediately.
“Sir Valentin. In truth, the basement of this mansion hosts a training ground for the Faint Shadows.”
“Ah, I see!”
“As long as Arteine, who shelters all innocent people, watches over the world, there can be no secrets. For the sake of innocent citizens, Young Master’s Faint Shadows analyze potential threats and disasters in advance. Would they not align perfectly with the goddess’s will?”
《The hypocritical goddess probably doesn’t care what those thieves do!》
That might be true.
But since Arteine wasn’t the kind of deity who punished cultists merely for mentioning her name, I praised her appropriately.
“…….”
Valentin stared at me strangely for a moment.
Then he smiled again, revealing his perfect teeth.
“Kar. You have placed even more Ore of Trust upon the Scales of Harmony. You will now receive even thicker armor of blessing.”
In other words, my reputation score had increased and I would receive more benefits.
Considering the achievements and fame I had accumulated through labyrinth exploration, it was indeed time to move to the next stage beyond corpse-recovery requests.
The privilege the Harmony Church would now offer was something even I welcomed.
“Kar, you are now eligible to participate in Service.”