The Cruel Sorcerer of Earth Magic (1)
The title of guild branch chief was granted by a guild’s ‘Master’ to the person entrusted with managing a specific ○○ branch. It was often shortened to guild master. In the case of the man before me, one could call him the Audumla Guild Sargadis Branch Chief. In terms of hierarchy, it went Guild Master > Guild Branch Chief > regular adventurers.
“Yes. Good day to you, Chief. I’m glad to see you look well today as well.”
I immediately laid on the flattery the moment I sat down across from him. After all, last time I had ignorantly called him “senior” without knowing any better. Damn it, I’d completely forgotten to look up his full name. I remembered something about Carlyle, but if that turned out to be a nickname or a mocking title, I’d be screwed. Better to just stick with “Chief.”
“Thank you for calling me in. It is a tremendous honor to meet you again today after yesterday. Is there anything I can assist you with?”
“You’re more polite than I expected. Relax. Whatever relationship you have with Edlyn or Cromwell, I won’t interfere.”
Cromwell was the name of the Mage Guild representative, which meant Edlyn must be the head of the Gilpy Guild. But was he testing me right now? “I won’t interfere” — could that be safely interpreted as “I won’t back you up”? Whatever. I had no interest in rubbing palms with some old man anyway. Let’s just keep this strictly business.
“After you left the meeting room yesterday, we discussed and finalized our course of action.”
─Tap.
Branch Chief Carlyle placed a map on the table. I see. A course of action. But why the hell was he telling me about it? Was he expecting me to throw out some advice while he maintained his dignity in the meeting?
“I apologize for the delayed report, but are the adventurers gathered on the first floor part of an extermination force?”
“Something like that. Explaining it would take a while. Sit down.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
I didn’t refuse and took a seat. Talking while looking up at someone was exhausting. It was more comfortable for both of us to sit and converse.
“In the meeting, we concluded that we couldn’t plan an operation based on mere speculation without evidence.”
Carlyle spread out the map. It was messy, covered in all sorts of markings.
“So last night, investigators were selected. Keeping in mind the possibility that the golem spawning ground might be a trap, Nefertiti and I — both specialists in stealth — went to scout the origin point of the golem outbreaks.”
“You must have worked hard.”
“Indeed. However, even after investigating for several hours, we found no suspicious signs at the golem spawning site. The only thing we discovered was a magic circle that seemed to promote golem creation. We copied it and returned.”
“A magic circle, you say?”
“It is presumed to have been installed by a warlock. After analyzing the copied circle, Cromwell confirmed it. We did not destroy it. The warlock might notice.”
“Very wise.”
I said the right things, but I still couldn’t figure out why he was telling me all this. I had already given up on being involuntarily fed confidential information, but this story didn’t seem to have anything to do with me. As if sensing my thoughts, Carlyle continued.
“Last night, a four-person adventurer team searching for the warlock’s hideout in Sarport Forest was annihilated. There is one survivor. All of them were Silver Class.”
“Pardon?”
The main topic hit me so suddenly that I lost my words. While I had been fooling around with Franc and Larilura last night, something like that had happened! Even though it wasn’t my fault at all, I almost felt a twinge of guilt from the shock.
“Is this the warlock the guild alliance is pursuing?”
“Almost certainly. The survivor woke up at dawn and gave a statement. He pretended to be dead to escape and claimed they were attacked by a massive golem carrying a man in a robe.”
“I… I see.”
It was a story that sent a chill down my spine. Sarport Forest was the wooded area between Pefort Village and Sargadis. The name itself suggested as much. The problem was that Franc and I had wandered through that forest multiple times. We had passed through it three or four times during ruin explorations alone, and another two round trips when traveling to Pefort Village. And a warlock capable of wiping out a Silver Class team had been hiding in a forest we visited so frequently?
This was fucked. If we had been unlucky, that warlock could have jumped out and ambushed us. Hearing that your next-door neighbor was a serial killer probably wouldn’t have given me this strong a sense of dread.
“Before hearing that testimony, one of the exploration teams discovered what appeared to be the warlock’s hideout. Not just one, but locations believed to be his current residence as well.”
─Flutter.
Carlyle unfolded the map and pointed to spots marked in red. The three hideouts were arranged in a triangular formation. I suppressed the creeping sensation and continued the conversation.
“That’s astonishing. To accomplish this much in just one day.”
“It’s not difficult when the city’s high-ranking adventurers unite. What matters more is the location of the hideouts.”
“……He changed locations twice within the same forest.”
I pointed out the sense of incongruity I felt from the map. Any sane person moving hideouts would choose a spot far from the previous one. Otherwise, if even one old hideout was discovered, everything would be ruined. The search operation currently underway would catch them immediately. To keep moving hideouts within the same forest while leaving traces? Was the warlock an idiot with a nest of bugs in his brain? Even so, something about this felt off.
“We concluded that there must be something in the forest he is searching for or researching.”
“That makes sense. If he’s not moving because he was discovered, but changing locations frequently to find what he wants, then it fits.”
That also resolved the question I had when I first stole the power stone from the hobgoblin. If the warlock had fled after his hideout was attacked, the power stone should have been taken by the attackers. It was a valuable item, after all. Yet for some reason, the power stone had been left behind in a place even a hobgoblin could carry it off. Therefore, the warlock hadn’t been attacked — he had simply abandoned cumbersome items to move without being noticed.
Carlyle pointed to the northernmost hideout on the map.
“This is the most recently discovered hideout. We believe the warlock who annihilated the Silver Class team is there. The alliance’s main forces plan to launch a surprise attack on this location starting now.”
“……Why are you telling me all this?”
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t understand the reason. A surprise attack? Then this operation would rely on secrecy and speed. I couldn’t grasp his intention in revealing it to me.
“Because you helped draft the operation’s outline, you have the right to know its true purpose.”
Carlyle answered my question clearly.
“That extermination force is a trap prepared by the alliance. We are sending them to the golem spawning ground — which carries no real danger — to deceive the warlock. If he has ‘eyes’ in the city, he will definitely see our feint and let his guard down.”
“A trap? A diversionary operation?”
“Correct. While they draw attention, the main force will secretly leave the city, link up, and strike the hideout. That is the core of the plan devised this morning.”
─Tap!
Carlyle struck the red-marked warlock hideout. I spun my brain at full speed trying to figure out the alliance’s real intention. At that moment, Carlyle looked directly into my eyes.
“And this is a personal request, but if possible, I would like you to join the golem extermination force as well.”
“Pardon? Why?”
“I reviewed your promotion examination records. It says you and one other party member defeated a hobgoblin possessing a power stone.”
Damn it, he just openly admitted to background checking me. I was slightly dumbfounded but didn’t let it show on my face.
“It is a waste for an adventurer with your level of wisdom and skill to remain at Bronze Class. To help you advance to Silver Class as quickly as possible, I hope you will participate in this relatively low-risk extermination force.”
As Carlyle spoke, the corners of his mouth moved. Perhaps that was the closest thing to a smile this golden-class archer could manage.
‘Ah, so that’s it.’
I finally understood why he wanted me to join the extermination force. He had seen the other guild representatives eyeing me last time. As branch chief, he probably thought it would be a shame to lose an adventurer who could boost his performance numbers.
“……What is the composition of the extermination force?”
“It consists of Bronze Class adventurers from each guild, led by Silver and Gold Class adventurers. The Mage Guild has also promised cooperation.”
“Can non-adventurer companions participate in the force?”
“As long as their identity is confirmed, there is no problem.”
Then Larilura could join too. After Carlyle’s answer, I calculated whether our party had enough strength to participate in this extermination force.
‘Since the warlock was also sighted in the forest, there probably won’t be any major trouble at the golem spawning ground.’
The alliance had already investigated the spawning ground once and judged it low-risk. So it should be fine. There was no way the warlock would have suddenly moved his hideout there overnight. The alliance would have left people to monitor the hideouts as well. After thinking that far, I nodded.
“Understood. I’ll participate.”
It was also a chance to build up my rune proficiency, and with so many adventurers gathered on the first floor, if anything went wrong, there would be plenty of meat shields. Cold as it sounded, if they drew the aggro, our party would have enough time to retreat. They were probably thinking the same thing.
I went down to the first floor and explained the situation to Franc and Larilura. After listening, Franc asked,
“What about the reward?”
“We keep any cores we hunt ourselves. Base pay is 30 coppers, plus 15 coppers per day.”
“That’s pretty good. They must be desperate if they’re recruiting on the same day.”
“Seems like it.”
From what I heard, the reception desk had been informing Bronze Class adventurers every time that a golem extermination request was available today. That explained why so many people were waiting in the guild.
Larilura tilted her head cutely.
“Um, senior? What about me? Since I’m not an adventurer, can I not participate?”
“No. Since it’s a request from the lord and the alliance, Sargadis citizens are allowed to participate even if they’re civilians. But if you get hurt, it’s your own responsibility.”
“Ahaha♡! Are you worried about me~? Something like the golems we fought last time won’t be any problem at all~.”
“Heh heh. Yeah. Just don’t get hurt while showing off.”
I answered with a laugh, but inwardly I was slightly impressed. I hadn’t expected the lord to even lift the restrictions on volunteers. This was practically being treated like a war.
‘Even if a lich showed up instead of a warlock, they’d never suspect this is a diversionary operation.’
Since a noble lord was cooperating this much with the adventurers’ plan, no one would ever imagine it was a trap. They would probably assume the adventurers’ low level was simply matched to the golems’ level.
“Let’s go. We need to register at the reception desk.”
After finishing our discussion, we headed to the reception. Larilura’s identity was verified, and we signed up for the extermination force as a three-person team.
“Please head to the north gate by nine o’clock.”
The receptionist handed us a small slip of paper that also served as proof of participation. We took it, stopped by the inn to prepare, then headed to the north gate.
─Buzzing chatter.
The extermination force, gathered from volunteers across the guilds, was large enough to fill the area in front of Sargadis’s city gate. At a rough count, there were over forty people. To think there were this many Bronze Class adventurers in such a rural town. What the hell did these guys usually do to make a living?
“Next!! Next adventurers, come forward and present your identification!!”
The guards were busy checking identities and processing passage. They were conducting inspections in front of the gate beforehand to prevent criminals from slipping into the extermination force.
“Ugh, why the hell are there so many of these bastards? At this rate I won’t even get a few cores.”
“Keke. Wouldn’t it be faster to just loot the pockets of the dead ones?”
“Shut the hell up. Of course it’s those Sekhmet bastards.”
“Please refrain from fighting. How will you take responsibility if we are all looked down upon?”
Since the force was made up of lower-ranking adventurers, they were already growling at each other. Well, damn. Given that even the guild representatives didn’t get along, it was only natural.
“Wow☆”
Larilura expressed her impression of the ragtag extermination force in a refined manner. What a poetic and concise remark. Franc, who was with us, gave a bitter smile.
We waited a bit, had our identities checked by the guards, then joined the group that had already been cleared. ‘Is Tirsi not here?’ If what she said last time was true, she should have been participating, but I couldn’t find her through the wall of people and noise. Damn it, it’s not even a marketplace yet there’s never a moment of silence.
After waiting about ten minutes, the identity checks finally finished.
“Attention!!!”
A Gold Class adventurer in charge of leading the gathered adventurers shouted in a loud voice. He had climbed onto a carriage so everyone could see him at once.
“We are now heading to the golem spawning ground for the peace of Sargadis!! Since we do not know what dangers await us at the destination, all profane arguments, brawling, theft, and similar behavior are strictly prohibited!!”
The Gold Class adventurer drew the sword from his waist and held it up to the sunlight.
“This has been agreed upon by all the guild chiefs!! Anyone who causes pointless fights or harms morale will be subdued and punished by me and my team in their stead!!”
He then glared at the crowd with a stern gaze. The back of my neck felt a little cold. That must be killing intent or something.
“Only those who do not fear my sword and the punishment that awaits upon our return should cause trouble.”
I felt slightly wronged since I hadn’t done anything wrong, but fortunately the extermination force quieted down at his words. It seemed he had given up on instilling real discipline in such a disorganized group and had simply suppressed the atmosphere. I couldn’t tell whether this adventurer knew this was a diversionary operation. Maybe he thought he had been entrusted with the force due to high expectations from above and was fully motivated.
The Gold Class adventurer looked over the now-quiet extermination force, raised his sword once more, and shouted.
“Golem Extermination Force!! We depart at this time!!”