14. Hildenheim
After the brief commotion in Hildenheim, the seasoned adventurers stepped up, and under the guild staff's direction, the atmosphere quickly settled. The staff who'd quelled the chaos now surrounded us, protesting Cheong-ah's actions like we were the criminals.
The one who seemed to be their leader stepped forward. "Do you even realize what you've done? Harming a fellow adventurer inside the guild? Are you in your right minds?"
These were the guild's security force—hired specifically to handle disputes between adventurers, separate from the receptionists and office workers. "By guild rules, we'll detain you first. We'll sort out the facts afterward."
They went by the name Guild Guards, but unlike the weak image the title evoked, they weren't just random thugs. "A word of warning: don't even think about resisting. Three of us here, including me, are former Gold-rank adventurers. The other seven are Silver-rank veterans with over a decade under their belts."
Seasoned adventurers, every one. The guild recruited them by offering a decent salary to those with at least Silver rank and years of experience. It paid less than active adventurers during peak seasons, but the stability appealed to most, so they usually accepted.
The strongest among the guild guards was supposedly a former Platinum-rank adventurer nicknamed "Silver Shadow," though I'd only heard rumors and never seen him. Still, a Platinum veteran—probably on par with the women in our party.
"Come on, everyone, calm down. Hear us out for a second."
Anyway... Cheong-ah had caused a scene, but it was still salvageable. Remembering Sierra's earnest plea not to make things worse, I stepped forward first. God knows what would happen if the others did.
But my efforts fell flat; the guards pressed on, intent on cuffing us. "We'll hear your defense after you're detained. What are you waiting for? Seize th—"
"Let's look at this first and talk it over."
I cut off their leader's shout, pulling two Platinum Badges from my pocket. Not mine, of course—Cheong-ah's and Bella's. They'd dumped them on me because carrying them was a hassle.
"You mocking us? We don't take bribes."
"It's not a bribe— just look."
The moment I flashed the gleaming badges, he assumed I was trying to slip him something and got all high and mighty. Buddy, if you don't want shit to hit the fan, look closer. He finally glanced over reluctantly, and his eyes bulged.
"Pla... Platinum?"
"Yeah, well, not mine."
"Then...?"
As he stammered in shock, I pointed to Bella yawning behind me and Cheong-ah, who'd pulled Dina into a tight hug while threatening, "Call me a light-year again, and I won't buy you meals anymore."
"They belong to the ladies back there. Destroyer Princess and Fox Demon." Even if they didn't recognize the faces, the names and titles would ring bells. In the Adventurer's Guild, Platinum rank carried as much weight as royalty.
"You've heard, right? The Destroyer Princess from the Mercenary Guild transferred to the Adventurer's Guild a few months back."
"Y-yes, I've heard."
"And you've heard of Fox Demon too. Our branch manager was pretty surprised when our Cheong-ah hit Platinum so fast."
"So you're leading the party of those two Platinum-rankers...?"
The guard leader's speech shifted from formal you to polite honorifics. I bowed my head politely with a grin. Now we're talking.
"I'm Ian, the leader of their party—nothing special, but that's me."
"...Pillar Husband Ian. I've heard of you. The luckiest bastard alive..."
He muttered the familiar nickname in a daze. Tch... How far has that goddamn moniker spread? Isn't it just local to Leventen? But it wasn't wrong, so I gritted my teeth, nodded, and asked, "Yeah, that's me. So, shall I let you cuff me nicely now?"
§ Naturally, the incident was buried in seconds, swept under the rug as if it never happened. Sure, it involved a promising guild prospect, but Cheong-ah's sword work was so clean that, aside from minor vision damage, he was easily treatable. A severed arm and leg could be reattached at a temple or with top-tier potions for a reasonable price.
...Except the eyes. Cheong-ah had gone all out on them out of spite, she said. He'd be lucky to make out shapes for the rest of his life.
The Hildenheim branch didn't want bad blood with two Platinums—especially since the victim had started the fight. Wise call. Beyond Platinum privileges, who expects someone at that level to just roll over? If I hadn't intervened and the guards had rushed us, the outcome was obvious. Cheong-ah might hold back, but Bella? No way. Not for nothing was she the Destroyer Princess who could silence a crying kid with a glare.
Right—she'd even said she'd go all-out on a child if needed. What a savage woman.
"...What the fuck? Why's my ear suddenly itching? Ian, you trash-talking me right now?"
"Why would I? You're the woman I love."
"Urk, fuck... Cut that sweet shit. Ugh, but seriously, why's my ear itching?"
"Maybe someone else? If it's too much, want me to suck it for you?"
"What the hell, you psycho."
Bella flushed and grumbled, her heavy fist thumping my shoulder. No real force behind it—not painful at all. She loves it but pretends otherwise.
We left the guild and reached the dungeon—the reason we'd come to Hildenheim territory.
"Here we are."
"Here? Hmm..."
"What's up?"
"It looks scary. Like ghosts might come out."
As Cheong-ah said, the cave mouth was eerie: swirling black-red and black-purple, dark and oppressive, like a nightmare made manifest.
Dina stared at the foreboding entrance, shivering. "This body... doesn't want to go in."
"What, scared, kiddo?"
"You beast! Who said this body is scared?! It's just... the vibe is too weird."
"That's called being scared, dummy."
"Th-this...! Yeonja! This beast keeps insulting this body!"
"What good's whining to Ian gonna do?"
As always, Bella and Dina bickered. God, please don't let it turn physical. I'd never seen them seriously fight, but if they did, both would get hurt bad. They'd always cool off eventually. I'd seen Dina grab Bella's hair once, but never fists flying. Their bond was decent, in a twisted way.
"Enough, both of you. Time to head in."
"Fiiiine."
"Yeonja, do we really have to?"
Dina fidgeted. I nodded firmly. "Of course. We came to conquer this dungeon."
"Hmm... Fine. If Yeonja says so, this body shall enter."
After coaxing the reluctant Dina, we pulled out a glowing magic tool and stepped into the dungeon mouth. The gloomy, murky air clung to us immediately—unpleasantly so.
"Ugh..."
Unlike the damp, humid entrance air, the interior was surprisingly clean, no moss in sight. Bella glanced around. "Cleaner inside than I thought."
"Bella, don't say that."
"Huh? Why?"
"Just don't."
I swallowed the explanation about ugly blue king cobras chasing us for jinxing it and pressed on.
§ As Ian and his party entered to conquer the dungeon, a group of adventurers arrived at the entrance. It was Duroph's party—the one Cheong-ah had butchered.
"Duroph, you really doing this? Word is they've got two Platinums."
Duroph, arms and legs reattached via hefty church donations, but eyes ruined. One fully necrotic, the other half-crippled, barely making out blurry silhouettes. Once a rising star, now doomed to blindness forever—revenge burned hot in his chest.
"Can't you see my face? Gotta live like a fucking eyeless freak forever. Don't you pity me?"
"Still... we could all die."
"Then fuck off, you disloyal shit."
His wild eyes shut them up. But he wasn't blinded by rage alone. To convince them, he laid out his plan.
"You idiots. Know what this dungeon is? Even a Gold party struggled and barely escaped with their lives. Forgot?"
"Nah, we know, but that's Golds... These guys are Platinum."
"Ha, morons. Think about it. If Golds barely crawled out, how easy you think it is for Platinums? It'll be a bitch."
"Yeah... probably."
"We hit 'em then. When they're worn out from fighting, we strike from behind."
"But they're Platinum..."
Still hesitant, they wavered. Duroph spat curses and grabbed the nearest by the collar.
"Fuck! Seriously? Platinums ain't human? Swords don't cut 'em? Stab 'em and they don't die like the rest? And think—the faces of those bitches?"
They pictured Cheong-ah and Bella.
"..."
Silence. That's right, you fucks. Duroph grinned viciously, eyeing them. "Chance to fuck those cunts raw, and you're passing? I get revenge, you get pussy. Win-win, right?"
With that, they followed Duroph into the dungeon.