Chapter 97: Absolutely, Without Fail
Chapter 97: Absolutely, Without Fail
We had just arrived in District 3 aboard the Pletika Tram, and we were turning our heads frantically in every direction.
The streets and buildings were all decorated in dazzling fashion.
District 3, preparing for the upcoming guild war, was in the middle of a festival.
Bartimir, who was watching the festivities, scratched his chin and said,
“What is this… some kind of wolf festival?”
Along the roadside, gray-furred werewolves growled playfully at passersby, and wolf illustrations were painted across the road.
I spoke while handing skewered snacks to the siblings.
“More precisely, it’s the Ashen Wolf Festival. The festival celebrating the guild war changes its name and theme depending on which guild manages District 3.”
“Kar, then if the name is the ‘Gold Guild,’ would it be a Gold Coin Festival?!”
It was exactly the kind of question Marlin, a money-obsessed vulgar teenager, would ask.
“Probably. As a similar example, when the Swamp Warrior Guild used to manage this place, District 3 turned entirely into a swamp.”
“…In what way is that similar?”
“Money and swamps. Both are bottomless quagmires that endlessly drag people downward.”
“…….”
While Marlin frowned, the super-genius swordsman Pendrick—who had barely completed his training and returned yesterday—brought wolf-shaped ice cream and handed one to everyone.
Then he smiled warmly.
“Sir Kar, are you heading directly to the headquarters of the Ashen Wolf Guild?”
“I should. Before the guild war, I need to coordinate with the members and share our strategy.”
“Then please go ahead. We’ll head to Dreaming Path and secure an inn.”
“Choose an expensive one. The butler took plenty of pocket money from the storage and gave it to us.”
Sergius and Charlotte had remained at the mansion.
Servants of the Brites family disliked crowded places because of the assassination risk.
The agents of Pale Shadow were naturally carrying out their duties in their respective positions, though there was one lucky person who had come along.
“Lady Rachel.”
“Yes, Cultist.”
The maid agent Rachel immediately bowed.
She reacted faster than a soldier—though in a very different way from Pierre.
“I have a request.”
“If you give the word, I will carry it out with utmost sincerity.”
“Please move around District 3 and gather information.”
“What kind of information do you require?”
“I need information about explorers affiliated with the guilds participating in the guild war who have recently been achieving unusually strong results.”
Although it might seem like a strange order, Rachel did not hesitate for even a moment and bowed again.
“I will do my best. Glory to Lidni!”
So loyal…!
The butler had truly assigned me someone I liked.
The only disappointing thing was that she didn’t give me that anxious thrill of wondering whether she might steal my belongings.
“See you later.”
After parting from the group, I headed straight north.
In front of the wolf-shaped building at the deepest end of the Thorny Path of Diligence.
As I walked toward the headquarters of the Ashen Wolf Guild, which operated a tavern on the first floor, people kept glancing at me.
《Your fame has certainly grown quite a bit compared to before!》
When I entered the building, the stench of alcohol rushed from all directions even though it was still daytime.
《Warning: Do not drink alcohol under any circumstances!》
“I wasn’t planning to.”
I answered calmly while lining up at the reception desk, then frowned.
“…Something feels fuzzy. I can’t remember.”
I was certain there was a reason I must never drink alcohol, but whenever I tried to recall it, my mind turned completely blank.
Naturally, this wasn’t normal.
Perhaps some magnificent restriction had been engraved into my mind to prevent me from remembering “Kar’s past.”
“Welcome.”
While I was briefly lost in thought, my turn came.
“How may I—”
The receptionist raised his head with an annoyed expression, then froze and widened his eyes.
“Could it be… are you ‘Golden Crow’ Kar?”
Golden Crow.
That was the nickname I had gained as my name spread among explorers.
Honestly, it was a little disappointing.
If it were something stylish like ‘Golden Hybrid’ or ‘Golden Half-Eared Bastard,’ I could walk proudly with my shoulders squared. But this one was just vague enough to make me shrink a little.
“The Guild Master said that if you arrive, we should escort you directly to the reception room.”
The employee quickly stood up and guided me upstairs.
“You’ve arrived, Cultist Kar.”
Inside the room sat Odilon, whom I had not seen for a while.
“…….”
Rosalia, who had already reunited with the young master before me, gave a small nod.
“Sit. There’s something to discuss before Targon arrives.”
“Yes.”
I quietly sat on the sofa beside him. Odilon inhaled the smoke from Comforter and began speaking.
“The contract concerning your participation in the guild war was completed safely yesterday.”
“Only now?”
“It’s because of Targon’s secretary, Elvira. She’s an elf with extremely long experience as an explorer, so she refuses to concede anything.”
《You yourself were probably extremely meticulous as well…》
“Rosalia.”
Thud.
At Odilon’s command, Rosalia produced a thick stack of documents from the shadows.
“Don’t tell me that entire stack is the contract?”
“That’s right. Since we included everything both sides wanted, it became rather long. If you want to avoid being cheated by one of the Milky Way factions, this much is the bare minimum.”
Crackle!
The Exalted One seemed pleased, remarking that beings as meticulous as Odilon were especially satisfying to topple.
“Read it.”
“No need. Since the young master handled it personally, it must naturally be flawless.”
“Well, that’s true.”
He strictly denied friendship and love, yet accepted praise as if it were obvious.
The young master had subtle weaknesses.
“Young master, shall I report what has happened so far?”
“Go ahead.”
I described in detail the events at the Sanctuary of Restful Purification and the rewards I had received thanks to my diligent service.
Odilon listened silently until I finished.
“So the last Saint of the Guardian Church will treat our expedition free of charge from now on.”
“That’s correct. Surely you wouldn’t doubt the goodwill of the historical figure Saint Seraphina?”
“…….”
“Why no answer?”
Tap.
Rosalia, standing behind me, lightly tapped my shoulder and shook her head.
It meant I shouldn’t trouble the young master any further.
“Also, I formed a cooperative relationship with an outlaw named Pierre. We decided to join forces and eliminate the outlaws belonging to the Silent Alliance.”
“That… I’ll need to hear the details later.”
《A ridiculously large orc is approaching!》
While I was eating nuts from the table after finishing my report, a massive presence soon entered the reception room.
《Targon, Guild Master of the Ashen Wolf Guild (Gray Orc, age 40). Even though his Soul Rank has reached Level 4, he remains a supreme powerhouse whose information cannot be read!》
“You’ve arrived.”
Targon spoke in a heavy voice as he sat down on the sofa opposite me.
His elf secretary Elvira quietly approached and stood behind him.
“Let’s talk. Kar, based on what you said last time, I conducted a discreet investigation.”
A warrior-type explorer does not waste time with unnecessary greetings.
Targon went straight to the point.
“You were right. A spy.”
Even without further explanation, the concise words made it clear what had happened.
“Rigobert was leaking all internal information.”
Rigobert.
The most senior explorer among the four vice guild masters.
“He was extremely meticulous. A normal investigation revealed nothing suspicious, but when we analyzed the records assuming he was the culprit, we finally found a clue.”
Even though a colleague he had treated like family turned out to be a spy, Targon’s expression remained emotionless.
Since he occupied the position of guild master responsible for governing District 3, he probably could not show emotional instability before others—or so I decided to frame it.
“Elvira.”
“Yes.”
The secretary immediately pulled out a pouch of coins from her subspace glove and placed it on the table.
“1,500 gold. This includes payment for the Hidden Piece information and a modest reward for reporting the spy.”
“That seems like quite a large amount for something ‘modest.’”
“It’s because of an additional clause inserted into the contract at the strong insistence of Lord Odilon.”
The gem elf secretary Elvira clicked her tongue.
“It stated that if the reward for contributing to the spy investigation was not reasonable, Kar would not be lent to the guild…”
It was truly a performance worthy of “God-dilon.”
After nodding lightly, I asked Targon carefully,
“May I ask what happened to Rigobert?”
“He escaped.”
Targon frowned.
“We prepared thoroughly and raided his residence. But he had already disappeared, as if he had sensed it.”
After staring at me quietly for a moment, the guild master added something important.
“Only Rigobert’s skin was left behind, like a shed shell. Was Rigobert a fake?”
“To be precise, you could say he was ‘a fake wearing the real one’s skin.’”
At my words, the gray orc’s already gloomy complexion darkened further.
“…I see. Now I understand.”
Crack.
The sofa armrest Targon gripped in his hand tore off completely.
“Rigobert wasn’t a traitor. Someone killed him and replaced him.”
A mountain-like presence filled the reception room.
He was merely grinding his teeth and clenching his fists, yet it became difficult to breathe.
“…….”
Odilon nearly fainted, and Rosalia supported him.
“Guild Master.”
“…My apologies.”
At the secretary’s voice, Targon barely calmed himself and looked at me with clenched fists.
“What Mystery did he use to deceive even my senses? A thief?”
“That’s correct.”
The most inherently evil class was the mage, but the class specialized in external underhanded acts was the thief.
“More precisely, a ninja.”
Ninja.
A top-tier class that most clearly revealed the creator Kato Roger’s obsession with Japan.
It possessed many strengths, but especially its unique Mysteries called ninjutsu, each as absurdly powerful as magic.
That one must absolutely be eliminated.
The ninja among the Six Apostles.
Commonly called the Conspirator.
Specialty: drawing sinister grand schemes.
If left alone, he would patiently construct elaborate plots from the ground up, and with high probability he would plunge all of Pletika into chaos.
“Among the hidden Mysteries of the ninja class, there is one that allows the user to strip the skin from a corpse and wear it like clothing.”
Skin Garment.
A Seventh-Tier Mystery that disguises the user as the victim and even absorbs some of their memories.
“When used by a high-level explorer, even close acquaintances will struggle to recognize the difference. Even someone like you, Lord Targon.”
The trivial drawback that one had to wear another person’s skin was nothing compared to its infiltration value.
“Kar. How likely do you think it is that the ninja who killed Rigobert will participate in the guild war?”
It was not a difficult question.
“Absolutely. Without fail.”
“…That’s fortunate.”
For the first time since entering the reception room, the massive gray orc smiled.
“There’s a rule that any damage occurring during the guild war does not assign responsibility to the attacker.”
The labyrinth used for the guild war contained a gimmick that equalized all explorers’ levels and physical abilities.
And there was another rule.
Even if you died inside, you would revive outside.
In other words, killing someone was legally innocent.
“I’m truly looking forward to this guild war…”
It was obvious that his anticipation differed from that of ordinary participants, so Secretary Elvira asked with her eyes, Should I calm him down?
I shook my head lightly.
How could a mere cultist stop the advance of a walking mountain?
The only thing I could do was what the rat from the zodiac legend did—climb onto the shoulder of the charging orc.
“Lord Targon, I can help you.”
I leaned forward slightly while meeting the smiling orc’s eyes.
“If the one who killed Rigobert and impersonated him appears, I will recognize him immediately.”
“Even I, who was closest to him, failed to notice the change. But you can?”
Targon placed both hands on the table.
Perhaps because I had already proven my abilities, curiosity flickered across the gray orc’s sturdy face.
“If someone else said that, it would sound like empty bragging and you could throw them out. But who am I? A follower of Lidni, the Forerunner of the Twisted Truth. I possess Mysteries specialized in information analysis.”
《;)》
“Please look forward to it.”
Leaning back against the sofa, I stared directly into Targon’s eyes and declared,
“I will solve both things at once—winning the guild war and executing the spy.”
I was a greedy cultist.
I had no intention of letting either opportunity slip away.
“…I like that boldness.”
Targon crossed his arms and nodded heavily.
“Until the guild war is over, you are officially a member of our guild.”
The secretary quickly pulled out a splendid uniform from her subspace glove.
《Masterpiece — Uniform of the Ashen Wolf Guild》
《Made from material sturdier than ordinary clothing. Once only, it can summon the guild master regardless of distance.》
“I had the size adjusted roughly. Try it on.”
“Thank you.”
“Anything else you want?”
“There is.”
I wore a cultist’s sinister smile.
“If we win the guild war, allow me to take a few items of my choosing from the guild treasury.”