Chapter 243: This Isn't Right
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 243: This Isn't Right
“I’m not sure if this is really okay.”
“I think I understand your concerns.”
Roland and Renart were currently putting their heads together in deep thought. Alfi, Renart’s servant who had been watching from the side, joined them. Roland’s party had returned to their quarters, promising to meet again for drinks and festivities.
Whether that next meeting would be for a celebration or for war, however, remained to be seen.
“My son-in-law’s hand is certainly relentless.”
“Wasn’t that your teaching, Roland?”
“I thought it was the Lymain family way.”
“Hmm.”
“Hrrrrm…”
Coming from the two of them, who had been conducting a torture session until just moments ago, it wasn't exactly a point they were in a position to criticize. In fact, Roland had fully intended to kill the captives once the interrogation was over to ensure no future trouble.
“Well, it’s not that being an Evil Slayer is a bad thing. It’s just that he killed them so unhesitatingly that it was a bit… much.”
“And lately, it’s hard to tell what he’s even thinking.”
Alfi, Theodora, and Renart were all feeling a bit of lingering regret that they could no longer hear the voice of Yoo Eon’s pheromones. From Renart’s perspective, she did think it was better that her son-in-law wasn't some simpleton walking around dripping pheromones everywhere.
Still, he seemed to have lost his 'charm,' so to speak. Even Alfi, who had personally taught him those lessons, felt a sense of disappointment.
“I’m worried about his safety.”
“Mm. I trust he’ll handle himself well, but still.”
What both parents worried about most, in the end, was their daughter. Even in this cramped city of Calax, there were many explorers who operated without ever clashing with the Antonio Brotherhood.
Being an Evil Slayer was fine, and performing good deeds was all well and good. But for the son-in-law responsible for their daughter’s future to go out of his way to wage a war on crime… as parents of a precious daughter, they couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive.
Especially since he planned to wipe out the entire Southeast—the Antonio Brotherhood’s stronghold—in just three weeks.
“I’m torn on what to do.”
“I don’t think we can stop him. In the end, all we can do is watch.”
Alfi, who had been listening, cautiously raised a hand to speak.
“By any chance… do you not consider the possibility that Master Aven might lose?”
“Hmm?”
Turning the entire Southeast into an enemy—to be honest, Alfi wondered if such a thing was even possible for a single person. She judged the matter to be far more serious than they were letting on, yet there was no mention of such concerns in Roland and Renart’s conversation.
“Would he lose?”
Roland scratched his head, looking uncertain. He had personally gone to the 50th Floor with Yoo Eon and watched him hunt Horus.
It hadn't been a battle; it was a literal hunt. Horus, in a state far more powerful than usual, had been crushed without being able to lift a finger.
Renart, for her part, was helping with practical preparations. Most high-grade explorers in the Northwest passed through Auction Lymain on Aureum Street at least once.
Many of those high-grade explorers had connections with the Lymain family, and Renart was currently using those ties to give them a heads-up based on what she had heard from Yoo Eon.
“I heard he has ties with the Mayerbridge Union as well.”
And since he likely wouldn't be alone, they assumed he was working alongside the Mayerbridge Union.
Alfi knew to some extent how powerful Yoo Eon was, but even so, how could an individual face the entire Southeast? She had heard the occasional absurd rumor, but still.
“He has a justification, so it doesn't matter.”
Even if Yoo Eon were to fail, a battle of justifications would follow. The way the Brotherhood had used brainwashing to make people act leniently toward them until now.
The fact that they had sent criminals directly to the Mounted Goat Inn. Above all, the Antonio Brotherhood was already hated by the public; what was wrong with trying to kill a bunch of criminals?
In the end, the two parents were most worried about their daughter. They figured Yoo Eon would find a way to take care of himself.
* * *
“The Antonio Brotherhood’s recent movements are strange.”
“Indeed they are, Lord Getia.”
“You don’t need to use formal titles when there are no eyes watching, Lord Delbaheim. How could I demand such things from a Delbaheim?”
“It’s fine. I use it because it’s comfortable.”
Inside the main building of the Mayerbridge Union in the Northeast. In the Clan Master’s private office on the top floor, Soles Getia, the current Clan Master of the Mayerbridge Union, and Raya Delbaheim were together.
“The damage to the Night Order party is severe.”
“Friction with the Antonio Brotherhood has intensified lately. Even the Elysium party reported encountering them three times during their recent return.”
The 1st party, Orion Aura, which included Soles Getia, and the Scarlet Lotus party, where Delbaheim served as vice-captain, were fundamentally focused on labyrinth conquest.
They were parties optimized for Great Beast battles, designed with the sole purpose of reaching the deepest parts of the labyrinth.
The three full parties below them, consisting of 12 members each, were the ones organized with interpersonal combat in mind.
Those were the 3rd party, Elysium; the 4th party, Luna Bloom; and the 5th party, Night Order.
The reason the Guild set the standard for a party at four people was to minimize damage in the event of a dispute between explorers.
Data accumulated over a long period by the Guild Headquarters proved that the interpersonal aggression of a group of five or more was vastly different from that of a group of four or fewer.
It was said that as the number of people in a party increased, a mob mentality took over, strengthening the perception that 'even if a fight breaks out, I might not get hurt.'
However, the Guild couldn't simply ban larger parties, as most explorers needed to band together to reach the deeper floors.
Thus, high-ranking clans with a certain level of guaranteed reliability were given the right to form 'Full Parties' with a limit of 12 members.
That didn't mean the Guild immediately brought the hammer down on any group exceeding four people. After all, people naturally gathered.
If a party encountered a lone explorer who had lost their entire team inside the labyrinth, they shouldn't be forced to refuse them just because their party already had four members.
But more than anything, the rule existed because large parties frequently attacked smaller ones without provocation.
“Twenty-one people… They’re moving in blatant swarms now.”
“Indeed.”
While the Elysium party was returning from the labyrinth, they had engaged in a fierce battle with a group of twenty-one explorers claiming to be from the Antonio Brotherhood.
As always, the Antonio Brotherhood’s stance was that 'it has nothing to do with us.' The Southeast Guild branch was also in a position where it couldn't maintain itself without the Brotherhood’s explorers.
Consequently, there was a tendency to hush up the criminals' activities.
This was also why the Guild stationed guards at the labyrinth portals on the lower floors. If people descended to the 1st Floor at different times and then met up to act together, the Guild’s restrictions became meaningless.
The Guild managed this by placing guards up to the middle of the 3rd Stratum to prevent explorers from moving in large groups.
Since the portals had a pulse that sent people to different locations over time, they used this to scatter their positions.
“You said they met on the 27th Floor?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“It seems they’re waiting on the floors where the guards are no longer present.”
Of course, the ragtag explorers of the Antonio Brotherhood couldn't overcome the Mayerbridge Union’s 3rd party, who were well-trained monsters in interpersonal combat.
“It would have been dangerous for the Night Order party.”
“Indeed.”
Though she had recently become a Cobalt-grade explorer, Rubia Spanya, who was in that party, still had the air of a fresh rookie. It felt like she had been around for a while, but Rubia Spanya had joined the Mayerbridge Union less than half a year ago.
While the parties weren't strictly ranked by combat power, the 5th party, Night Order, still struggled to respond quickly to every dangerous situation.
Unlike the 1st and 2nd parties, the 3rd, 4th, and 5th parties moved up and down the relatively lower floors, building their records while simultaneously keeping the Antonio Brotherhood in check.
“What happened to him?”
“By 'him,' you mean?”
At Soles Getia’s question, Raya Delbaheim tilted her head.
“Explorer Aven.”
“Ah, he…”
According to the Mayerbridge Union’s intelligence officers, the Guild Headquarters was currently reviewing a correction to his explorer grade. Not in a bad way, but a good one.
His grade could be set at Palladium at minimum, or as high as Titanium if evaluated generously. Yet, just yesterday, he had reportedly entered the labyrinth for a solo dive without recording his floor and returned only a day later.
“They say there was snow on his clothes.”
“Snow… Does that mean he entered the snowfield zone?”
No matter how you looked at it, that wasn't humanly possible. How could someone go to the 6th Stratum and return in a single day?
Of course, this was equally impossible for Yoo Eon himself. The only reason he could scout the labyrinth at such a high speed was because he used an artifact provided by Aurora—one that couldn't possibly exist on the market.
“We should try to contact him, but there have been such bizarre rumors lately.”
“Bizarre rumors… Ah, the one about him finishing the labyrinth opening early…”
“In addition to that, his whereabouts have been elusive lately.”
The Mayerbridge Union didn't have bad intentions, but they always kept track of the movements of individuals who required close attention.
Of course, Iris’s magic item shop was under a total perception inhibition effect, so even the Antonio Brotherhood couldn't properly track Yoo Eon’s traces.
“Phew, that’s a shame.”
Tap, tap.
“Hm? What’s that sound?”
A persistent noise coming from somewhere. At the sound of something lightly tapping, Raya Delbaheim stood up and looked around.
“A paper airplane…?”
Outside the window, a paper airplane was circling around, periodically bumping against the glass. When she approached and threw the window open, the paper airplane flew into the room as if its path had finally been cleared.
Not knowing what kind of magic might be on it, Delbaheim snatched it out of the air and checked for any danger.
“Is it a letter from someone?”
“I have no idea.”
There didn't seem to be any particular danger. It was just an ordinary piece of paper with a simple spell designed to make it fly slowly toward a designated location.
Crinkle…
“Hmm…”
“What does it say, Lord Delbaheim?”
“Would you like to read it?”
Delbaheim spread the paper out on the desk in front of Soles Getia and sat on the opposite sofa with her legs crossed.
“Is this someone’s poor idea of a joke?”
“It doesn't seem that way…”
On the plain white paper, a single short sentence was written in a rough hand.
‘Prepare for war.’
“Judging by the level of the magic, I don’t think it’s the work of someone just playing a prank.”
“I agree.”
* * *
“Phew… How was that, Iris?”
“Well done.”
After dying dozens of times, he had finally defeated Iris. Even though she was only using about 10 percent of her power, a Vampire Lord was truly on another level.
“Now for 20 percent.”
“20 percent of what?”
“The amount of my power you have to kill.”
“This isn't right.”