Chapter 247: Reason
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 247: Reason
Three days later.
"Nom, nom, nom."
Rubia Spanya had been in an exceptionally good mood lately. The primary reason was her salary; she simply loved getting paid a lot by the clan.
It wasn't that the Spanya family was poor or a weak noble house, but she had run away from home on her own two feet, hadn't she? It was an act of rebellion to express her dissatisfaction with the fact that her older sister, whom she had looked up to since childhood, had been robbed of her position as the family successor.
Naturally, the family wouldn't provide her with any financial support. Instead, they occasionally sent people to threaten her into returning. After drifting around as a low-rank explorer, she luckily obtained a high-performance skill, which eventually led her to join the number one clan in the Great Labyrinth City.
Now a first-class explorer of the Cobalt Grade, Rubia could afford to buy heaps of expensive meat skewers from the Northeastern explorer street. She could now look down on ninety percent of the explorers walking the streets as her inferiors.
Seriously, at this rate, am I actually going to reach the Orichalcum Grade? Is there anyone else with a faster growth rate than me?
It had only been about a year or so. No matter how hard she looked, she couldn't find anyone who had experienced such a rapid rise in rank. Just look at that bald, bushy-bearded, dark-skinned, scar-covered middle-aged man walking over there. He looked like he’d been an explorer for over ten years but probably only made it to the Platinum Grade (though she didn't actually know for sure).
In comparison, she was cute and charming. She had a great figure, and although she was a bit short, she was the daughter of a noble house. On top of that, she was a top-tier elite talent who had reached the Cobalt Grade through her own strength.
I knew it! The world loves me!
"Ehyahat!"
Rubia giggled to herself, lost in her silly fantasies. Just then, someone approached the wooden bench where she was sitting.
"What's with you? There are plenty of other seats; why sit here? It’s unpleasant, so could you please leave?"
The man was well-built, wearing clean clothes and a hood pulled low. From the perspective of the small and petite Rubia, he might have seemed intimidating, but surprisingly, she was a Cobalt Grade. She was a woman stronger than ninety percent of the world.
Swish—
When the man turned his head at Rubia's words and lifted his hood slightly, Rubia gasped.
"Hick!"
"Found you."
* * *
"W-what was that for? Scaring me like that out of nowhere."
"Haha, I thought I'd show my face for the first time in a while. I felt it might be awkward to go in alone."
In truth, Aven knew it didn't really matter, but waiting for someone alone was tedious. He figured it would be nice to have someone to talk to.
"Rike is a member of the Mayerbridge Union Clan now too! Did you know?"
"Rike? Ah, that person."
He remembered her as a woman with long navy hair and a gloomy impression. She had mentioned being a fan of his combat form—he had no idea what was appealing about that appearance, but he supposed the world was full of diverse tastes.
"Is Delbaheim in her office right now?"
"Ah, Lady Spanya. Do you have business? And this person is..."
"This is Aven. If you tell Lord Delbaheim Aven is here to see her, she'll tell you to bring him in. Go check for me."
"Yes, understood."
Seeing this, it seemed Rubia really was a high-level asset. The servants of a large clan with such vast grounds addressed her with consistent respect.
"Rike should be at the training grounds... Ah, but since I called Lord Delbaheim, I shouldn't keep her waiting."
"I'll stop by once my business is finished. Does she still like me?"
"She was sad recently because you haven't been active. She was saying things like, 'If it's Lord Aven, I'm sure he's building up his strength right now'~?"
"Hmm. Well."
She wasn't wrong. Judging by the atmosphere inside Mayerbridge Union, it seemed the paper airplane letter he had sent using Iris's magic hadn't been properly announced to everyone yet.
Perhaps he should have written the sender's name more clearly.
Then again, it's not like I can influence the entirety of Mayerbridge Union just by being myself.
He wasn't sure, but he had to check regardless.
After waiting for a moment, someone different from the servant who had gone to find Delbaheim came rushing out. This person bowed deeply in greeting. Judging by his attire, he wasn't a typical employee but seemed to be someone of fairly high standing.
"Welcome, Explorer Aven."
"Ah, yes."
"Oh, Mr. Secretary? What brings you here?"
As expected. He was someone of a high enough rank that even Rubia, a high-level combatant, used formal speech with him.
"Good to see you, Miss Rubia. Lord Delbaheim is currently in her office. And..."
The Secretary, glancing briefly at Rubia, continued in a lowered voice.
"The Clan Master wishes for a three-way meeting."
"Are you referring to Sir Getia?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"Hmm... I see. What about Rubia?"
"Regrettably, Miss Rubia is..."
Upon hearing this, Rubia's cheeks puffed out like a blowfish. She spun around with a huff, making it very clear she was sulking.
"Fine! Just go!"
"Ahaha, I'll come see you at the training grounds when the conversation is over."
"No, I'm going back to the dormitory to rest. See Rike if you want."
"Umm... Shall we depart then, Lord Aven?"
Inevitably, Rubia couldn't come along. Aven wasn't entirely sure why the Clan Master was looking for him specifically; he had designated the paper airplane's coordinates to Delbaheim. Perhaps Delbaheim had shared the letter she received with Clan Master Soles Getia, or maybe Getia just wanted to see him.
Creeeeeak...
Following the Secretary's guidance, the door to the clan's reception room opened. Inside, Raya Delbaheim and Soles Getia were waiting together.
The Secretary immediately backed away quietly, careful not to step on the threshold. After a few staff members quickly prepared refreshments and tea, only the three of them remained.
"It's been a while, Sir Soles Getia. And Delbaheim."
"It has been a long time. Is this the first time we've met since Veritas? Though it's a bit awkward to say we 'met' back then."
"Welcome, Aven."
Aven recalled a memory of Delbaheim wetting her pants quite thoroughly in this very place. Her reputation was that of someone incredibly haughty, but Aven couldn't understand why she never seemed that way whenever they met.
A powerful aura.
Soles Getia. The head of Mayerbridge Union, representing Calax, and one of only six Orichalcum-grade explorers in existence.
He was of an overwhelmingly high rank, the kind you wouldn't even see in most labyrinth cities.
"I am sitting here with you for now, but I heard you requested a meeting with Lord Delbaheim. I would like to ask if this is a matter I am permitted to hear as well."
"It's fine. This isn't a private chat with Delbaheim; it's an important matter for all of Calax."
"That is a relief."
A middle-aged man with a ponytail that started black and turned red at the tips, and orange eyes that seemed to burn. Beside him was Delbaheim, who quietly lifted her teacup, let it cool for a moment, and then took a sip.
"I sent a letter. Did you receive it, Delbaheim?"
"A letter? Do you mean this piece of paper that flew in via magic?"
Delbaheim set down her teacup and pulled a piece of paper from her robe. It was indeed the letter Aven had sent. He had made it fly toward Delbaheim using Iris's paper airplane magic.
"I couldn't fully understand the contents. 'Prepare for war'—may I ask what you meant by that?"
"It was a choice of words intended to instill a sense of urgency, but it's nothing that grand."
Aven looked at Delbaheim and Soles Getia and spoke.
"In three days, I plan to wipe out the Southeast."
"That is... a very startling thing to say."
"Is it? Isn't that the long-cherished wish of Mayerbridge Union?"
"A long-cherished wish, you say."
Since the early days of Calax, Mayerbridge Union had been on bad terms with the Antonio Brotherhood located in the Southeast. This was because they had actively checked the Antonio Brotherhood's attempts to expand their business outside the Southeast.
The Brotherhood's influence had been limited to strengthening their grip within the Southeast. It was said that Mayerbridge had once launched a large-scale subjugation campaign, which was why the guards at the Southeastern boundary now blocked passage from both sides.
Originally, when they first started their operations, the purpose of those patrols was limited to blocking Mayerbridge Union's subjugation attempts. It was the Antonio Brotherhood's own way of surviving.
"It's not a matter that can be answered so easily. The existence of the Antonio Brotherhood is harmful, but their disappearance overnight wouldn't necessarily be harmless to everyone either."
Soles Getia slowly stroked his chin in thought. This was a situation that had already become entrenched; even he had only imagined the complete eradication of the Antonio Brotherhood as a youthful impulse.
"Illegal acts are designated as illegal because they are harmful, but one could also say they are designated as illegal because there is a demand for them."
If something is harmful but no one wants to do it, it isn't designated as illegal. It becomes illegal because there is a demand, leading to continuous consumption, yet the act itself is harmful.
From unauthorized high-interest loans and high-stakes arenas to the brothels hidden in the shadows and most forms of gambling.
"I hate to admit it, but because a massive illegal business cartel is located within Calax, a lot of capital flows in from the outside. Calax, which bears the name of an utterly unconquerable Great Labyrinth, wouldn't lose all its funding just because those illegal businesses disappeared, but still."
Aven understood Soles Getia's point to some extent. If rumors spread that one could enjoy illegal gambling and entertainment in Calax—things that were strictly cracked down on and eradicated in most other towns—then people with money and a need for excitement might willingly come to Calax just to spend that money.
"I don't particularly intend to strip all of those things away."
"What do you mean by that?"
"The Antonio Brotherhood isn't dangerous simply because they commit illegal acts."
"I believe a detailed explanation is in order, Aven. What are you talking about?"
It was a problem on a much larger scale. He wasn't talking about some pleasant, hollow fantasy like completely dismantling the illegal business cartel to create a 'Clean Zone Calax.'
"The reason is that the leader of the Antonio Brotherhood, Mystery Antoinette, is a monster."