Chapter 27
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Too Big for a Rat to Handle (2)
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The guild master has vanished!
In less than an hour, the Oakwood Adventurers' Guild building was buzzing like a kicked beehive.
The administrative staff who had been handling paperwork were running around in panic, the vice guild master was pacing nervously and biting his nails, and the adventurers who had rushed over upon hearing the news were just murmuring in confusion, unable to grasp the situation.
"Quiet! Everyone shut up!"
In the midst of the chaotic guild hall, a thunderous slam echoed from a table. It was Mace, the leader of White Skull.
Bam!
His booming shout silenced the clamor as if by magic.
Mace shot to his feet and glared at the surrounding adventurers with sharp eyes.
"This is no time to be milling about! There's no way the old man walked out on his own two feet. This is clearly a kidnapping!"
All eyes turned to him.
Truly befitting a Silver Rank badge, his intimidating presence was palpable.
Our party was standing there among them.
The nearby adventurers glanced at us and whispered.
"But Mace, what's with those kids? Is it okay to involve them in something this serious?"
One voice opened the floodgates, and questions poured in.
"Yeah, they're fresh Bronze Ranks..."
"Ratkin? Oh, the ones who just got their Bronze badges? What would kids like that know..."
Dissatisfied glares rained down on us. That's when Mace bared his teeth and growled.
"Watch your mouths. Do you know what these kids did in Pinehill Forest? They took down over twenty goblins enhanced by dark magic, all three of them. And this party was the first to spot traces of dark magic!"
"Tw-twenty?"
"Weren't they entry-level Bronze? Without a scratch..."
The room stirred. A goblin or two was one thing, but...
Mace snorted and continued.
"So don't judge by appearances. These are the brave ones who dug into this incident first. Anyone else got something to say?"
No one did. Mace opened his mouth as if he'd been waiting.
"Anyway, this is an emergency! Let's comb every inch of Oakwood. Find any leads on the old man's whereabouts! And keep an eye on those Lich Clan bastards. Demonic energy was spotted outside Pinehill."
Someone hesitated before asking.
"Uh... should we post it on the Adventurers' Gallery too?"
"Post it! The sooner the info spreads, the better. Alright, everyone scatter! Spread the word to other adventurers as fast as you can."
The adventurers dispersed, and the hall quieted down a bit.
Mace beckoned to us.
"This is bad. The guild master's gone missing—there must've been orders from way up top! Those bastards, going this far!"
"Up top... you mean the mayor?"
Mace nodded at my question.
"Yeah. That pig, Goldman. Looks like we have no choice. We need to ask the baron for help."
"The baron?"
Sena's eyes widened.
"He's the old lord of this region. Back when I was a rookie, I saved the baron's life once."
Mace grinned smugly.
"Lord? Isn't Oakwood and the surrounding areas governed by the mayor?"
"It's a long story, but he used to be the lord. Now with that new system or whatever, he's just a big landowner, but his connections are nothing to sneeze at. Even that strict security judge can't ignore what he says. Worst case, he can call in other Silver Ranks from neighboring areas!"
Wow, talk about a solid backup. Looks like he wasn't planning to rely solely on adventurer badges. Do Silver Rank adventurers really have ties to local bigwigs like that?
"Before that, there's something we need to check first. Your name was... Loti, right?"
"Yes, I'm Loti. These two are Sena and Mani."
"Good. Loti, Mani, Sena. We need to meet those necromancers first! Figure out what they're hiding."
We headed straight to the upscale inn in Oakwood's commercial district, the Golden Oak Inn. It charged silver per night—the city's finest.
'No wonder they call them the Lich Clan.'
I felt a twinge of envy inside. Sweeping dungeons must pay well enough for places like this.
"Come out, you boneheads!"
Mace stormed in, kicking the inn door open. We followed into the first floor, adorned with lavish chandeliers and plush sofas.
"Hey? Shh! Mister, wait!"
I urgently grabbed Mace's waist and yanked him behind a large decorative flowerpot. He frowned but shut his mouth when I pointed.
In the back of the lobby, on a sofa in a partitioned parlor, sat two familiar faces facing each other.
One was a neatly dressed middle-aged man with a mustache and glasses.
"That glasses guy—he's the mayor's secretary."
Mace whispered.
And across from him, legs crossed, was the elf necromancer we'd seen in the sewers!
"..."
We held our breath, watching them. Too far to catch the conversation details.
The secretary was talking animatedly, while the elf woman, arms crossed, replied curtly now and then.
Soon, the talk ended, and the secretary stood.
'Why is the mayor's secretary here?'
Mace's hunch that the necromancers and city officials were in cahoots might be spot on.
As the secretary left, Mace barreled into the parlor, breathing heavily.
"Hey! You!"
The elf woman on the sofa turned. She spotted us approaching first, brightened briefly, then looked at Mace and sighed wearily.
"Oh my~ What are you kids doing here... What do you want?"
Mace stomped up to her.
"The guild master's gone missing. You guys know something, don't you? And what was that with the mayor's secretary just now?"
"Mr. Oliver? No idea. And that conversation earlier..."
The elf woman replied coolly.
"He made a business proposal. I turned it down. Not that a musclehead like you would understand something complicated."
"What? You little..."
Mace raised his fist in anger. But the elf woman didn't flinch, just looked up at him.
"Wanna fight? Right here?"
She jerked her chin around. Lobby guests and staff were staring in shock.
"I don't know where your guild master is or what you're scheming. Don't care. Done talking? Move aside. I'm tired."
She brushed past Mace dismissively.
"Urgh..."
Mace's fist trembled, but he let it drop in mid-air. No justification.
"We'll see about this. If I catch you up to no good, I won't hold back."
"Do what you want."
She scoffed and headed upstairs.
As we exited the inn, I looked up at Mace.
"Hey, mister. Is that it for the investigation? I thought you had some ace up your sleeve."
"...Ahem! Quiet! I have my own negotiation style!"
I stared, and Mace flushed, coughing awkwardly.
For a Silver Rank veteran, it was disappointingly straightforward.
Back at the inn, lounging around, Sena came over with the slate.
"Loti, check this out."
"Huh?"
The black-and-white screen loaded slowly, showing an Adventurers' Gallery post.
The recommendations and views were insane.
[Info] Those Lich Clan bastards are behind the guild master's disappearance (612 Recs)
Author: pale_skeleton
I checked the guild master's office first, and the guy just vanished into thin air.
But the rotting stench was strong in the room, and all evidence of dark magic is gone. Isn't this obvious?
The Lich Clan bastards have been controlling dungeons lately, probably scheming with 'He Who Must Not Be Named' to take over the dungeons.
Adventurers can't sit still for this.
Whoa, that's crazy. What are the guards doing?
They're in cahoots with 'The Plump One Who Must Not Be Named,' pretending not to know. We have to rise up.
But is the evidence solid? Aren't we jumping to conclusions?
I saw it with my own two eyes. Contradict me and you're all wrong.
"...Isn't this Mace mister?"
"Looks like it. Talking about the guild master's office and dark magic evidence..."
Username pale_skeleton—fitting for White Skull's leader, very straightforward.
"Who would've thought the gallery's big name was that Silver Rank guy."
Thanks to the named user's agitation, posts condemning the Lich Clan kept pouring in.
-[Experience] Why the Lich Clan bastards are a problem
-[Info] I came from Dunholm, if this continues the Lich Clan will take all our spots in Winster...
The gallery was slow but posts kept flooding in. Even outright vitriol.
-[Chat] If the mayor bastard's mom was a goblin, rec (103 Recs)
-[Experience] Winster lol, no army to fight monsters but plenty to suppress adventurers
Suddenly, a notification popped up. Refreshing the screen, nearly half the gallery was gone.
-Post deleted for violation (Reason: Defamation of city officials)
-Post deleted for violation (Reason: Defamation of the royal family)
-Post deleted for violation (Reason: Defamation of city officials)
"What?! Posts are getting deleted!"
Blatant rage posts were vanishing from the gallery.
Mace's post and vaguely worded ones without naming names survived.
"Guess if you trash them openly, they delete it."
Sena murmured, scanning the gallery in surprise.
Lesson learned: even gallery activity has to watch for official eyes.
The next afternoon, we headed to Oakwood's central market for groceries.
Thanks to Mace's offline and online agitation, the streets hummed with tense hostility.
"Those elf women—Lich Clan allies?"
"Looks like it."
Right in front of our shopping party appeared a group of necromancers leisurely browsing the market. Accompanied by those porcelain-masked skeleton porters we'd seen before.
Passerby adventurers' eyes locked on the necromancers.
"Ptoo! Disinfectant stink! Get lost?"
"Guild master! You know where he is?"
Adventurers blocked their path and picked fights. The necromancers fired back without backing down.
"What nonsense? You ignorant brutes, move!"
"Shameless bastards, we know you're involved!"
One adventurer snickered and shoved a necromancer's shoulder.
"And if we don't? What're you gonna do, dark magic punk? Blast us with a spell right here?"
"This is ridiculous..."
The necromancers glared, lips bitten, but outnumbered, they held back.
In the tense standoff, adventurers sneered and poked the skeletons' skulls.
"Clear out these bones? Or we'll smash 'em?"
That was the moment.
Bang!
A sharp crack split the market air.
"Argh!"
Blood sprayed from the shoulder of the lead necromancer youth.
The necromancer screamed and tumbled back.
"Guns?! These guys!"
His comrade yelped in horror. The masked skeletons, as if prepared, reflexively shielded their shot owner.
Clang!
Without orders, they dropped their loads and swung swords at the nearest adventurers.
"Gah! You bastard!"
As the skeletons attacked, adventurers freaked and drew weapons.
"Draw swords! They're attacking people!"
"Kill 'em!!"
Misunderstanding and fear ignited a brawl, turning the market into pandemonium.
"Flames!"
"Blades of bone!"
Crash!
Magic flew, bone blades erupted in the chaos.
Stalls overturned, fruits and fish scattered on the ground.
"Adventurers are fighting!"
Merchants and residents fled in screaming panic.
Watching from afar amid the chaos, we sensed something off.
"No."
No adventurer had a gun.
[Apostle! Over there!]
Rodentia shouted urgently from the bag.
[That alley! Stinks foul! Someone hid there and played with fire!]
"Loti! Let's go!"
Sena bolted first. Mana and I chased her into the narrow alley Rodentia indicated, sprinting full tilt.
The alley was empty.
Only faint gunpowder scent and black soot remained—the sniper had fled.
Boom boom!
Then, heavy musket fire erupted at the market entrance.
"Everyone freeze! Drop your weapons!"
Military Police in blue uniforms stormed in. Fully armed forces arrived in under five minutes.
As if they'd been waiting for this to blow up.
"They attacked first! Military Police! Those guys had guns!"
"Self-defense! The skeletons attacked people! Guns?!"
Adventurers and necromancers pointed fingers, pleading innocence.
The police captain barked coldly, ignoring them.
"Quiet! Necromancers, all arrested for disturbance and aggravated assault. And..."
His gaze swept the adventurers.
"Those adventurers, all detained for illegal firearm use!"
"This is insane! No! We didn't shoot!"
"Shut it! Want extra charges for obstructing official duties?"
The police roughly bound and dragged away the necromancers and adventurers like salted fish.
Mace pushed through the crowd late, panting to a halt.
"Mister!"
"What happened? The kids? Why were the Military Police here?"
I rushed to Mace and quickly, accurately explained what we'd seen.
"...That fast?"
Mace's fist shook throughout my account.
He scooped gunpowder residue from the ground, sniffed it, sighed, then gnashed his teeth.
"A trap! Didn't think the mayor would go this far!"
"Mister, there might still be traces in that alley. We can chase..."
"No. Drop it."
Mace gripped my shoulder, stopping me.
"Chasing the perp isn't priority now. Getting our guys out is. Illegal firearm use by adventurers is a heavy crime. Stand around dumb and they'll rot in prison unjustly."
He turned to leave, then looked back at us gravely.
"You kids stay out."
"But..."
"This ain't goblin hunting. Monsters die to a stab; politics doesn't yield to swords. Kids like you get involved, you won't even leave bones."
Mace's eyes were dead serious.
"I'll handle this. You take requests and stay safe. Got it?"
Mace dashed off toward Military Police HQ without waiting for a reply.
We stared blankly at his retreating figure.
"...Loti, what do we do?"
Sena asked anxiously.
Mace was right.
This was politics too big for little rats like us.
"Let's head back."
We turned toward the workshop, hollow and deflated.