Chapter 39: Guild (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 39: Guild (4)
"Master, what do you mean? Go to the guild? So suddenly?"
"You mentioned you needed to visit the guild to look for someone anyway, didn't you?"
"Yes, but..."
Arua Raven, a rank-six wizard associated with the Magic Tower, had a sour expression as she trailed off. It was true that she had business at the guild, but...
She had planned on first taking some time to get a decent rest and then conducting preliminary research into the thing she had obtained on her expedition.
"The branch manager has put in an official request for aid. From what I hear, something big has happened at the guild. Wouldn't getting some pocket money be worth it?"
"...All right. I will go," Raven reluctantly agreed.
She really did need to drop by the guild soon anyway. And if she went now, she could get a monetary reward as well, so there was no reason to put it off.
I spent a lot of money in the labyrinth this time too...
Besides, it wouldn't be bad to potentially run into that barbarian a little earlier than she had planned to. After all, they had experienced an unprecedented variant rift, and he was the one who had absorbed the guardian's essence. He was just as interesting a specimen as the thing she had found.
"Then I will be back soon."
"Oh, take Tarzine with you."
"It's fine. He's pretty much useless anyway."
Raven used the warp gate on the first floor of the Tower to teleport to the gate closest to the guild's branch building. From there, it would take about ten minutes to reach her destination on foot. As soon as she stepped out onto the street, however, she frowned.
"Why are there so many people?"
It seemed to be significantly more crowded than usual. And the closer she got to her destination, the more people there were, making it hard to even walk forward. It seemed like something really big had happened.
He did say that the branch manager had officially requested aid.
Raven let out a deep breath. This was just a way to earn some pocket money, but for some reason, she had a feeling that she was going to have to work hard for it.
Raven grabbed the nearest, most approachable onlooker. "Excuse me, can I ask you something? What is going on here?"
The response she received from the man made her doubt her hearing.
"A large number of plunderers who were locked up in the branch's dungeon have escaped."
This was truly unheard of. Not only had a jailbreak occurred, but some of them had managed to escape into the city center too. One of the instigators was even said to have taken the daughter of the district chief, who had happened to stop by the branch, hostage.
"I guess whoever it is doesn't have a brain. There is no way the guild will negotiate with them over that."
In fact, whether they wanted to negotiate or not, the guild had no authority to do so in the first place. The Rafdonian royal family provided the guild with a lot of power over labyrinth-related matters, but they adhered to a strict code when it came to punishing plunderers.
If that person had just run away like the other prisoners instead, they might have had a slight chance of surviving.
"But you see, the situation has gotten interesting."
"What do you mean?"
"The person responsible for the hostage situation is claiming that he was framed."
"Framed?"
"That's right. All he's asking is that the guild bring in the parties involved and use magic to reveal the truth, fair and square, in front of everyone."
He wasn't asking to be exonerated—the culprit was simply demanding that the truth be verified. Because of this, suspicion was spreading among the gathered crowd that he was telling the truth.
What kind of crazy bastard would do something like this?
Of course, if the story she had heard was true, the first person at fault was the investigator who had mishandled the case. But to instigate a large-scale dungeon break and, in the process, take the daughter of the district chief hostage? That definitely wasn't something a sane person would ever do.
"Anyway, that's why everyone is waiting here. The branch manager requested help from the Tower but—tsk. Who knows when they'll get here?"
Raven smiled awkwardly as she watched the onlookers click their tongues. Now she knew for sure...
The wizard they were waiting for was her.
Raven took a deep breath and recited a spell.
"Batuna Cor Vier."
Her body began to float into the air as blue light bloomed under her feet.
"M-Miss! You're a wizard?"
Raven flew over the crowd and landed on the third-floor terrace of this chapter of the Adventurers' Guild. And the man she saw there left her stunned.
"Bjorn... Yandel?"
Why was he here?
***
Because it was the district chief's daughter being held hostage, the matter was being handled promptly.
"This is Koldo Biermann. The man you asked for. He was unconscious downstairs, just like you said."
"Thank you," said the branch manager. "You can leave."
The first to arrive was the asshole investigator. To clarify, he was still out cold. That wouldn't look too good to any witnesses, so I shoved him into a closet for now.
After a short wait, my second delivery arrived.
"W-Wait! Guild or not, you can't strong-arm me like this!"
The name of this male explorer in his twenties with an awkward gait was Harts Young... the moron who had lost his masculinity trying to mess with Erwen.
"Thank you for taking care of this without asking questions. You may go downstairs."
"Yes, sir."
"A-Are you the branch manager? I—why am I..."
At the moment the employee headed down the stairs, I jumped out from behind the door and shoved my fist into the idiot's face.
Smack!
One punch couldn't alleviate my anger, though. If the investigator was the number one contributor to the situation reaching this point, the second contributor was this bastard. Had it not been for this man's false testimony, the investigator would have had no excuse to sentence me to death.
"Ahh! Wh-what are you doing? Who are you—?"
"Shut up. I'm not done."
One, two, three punches...
"What do you mean?"
"The person responsible for the hostage situation is claiming that he was framed."
"Framed?"
"That's right. All he's asking is that the guild bring in the parties involved and use magic to reveal the truth, fair and square, in front of everyone."
He wasn't asking to be exonerated—the culprit was simply demanding that the truth be verified. Because of this, suspicion was spreading among the gathered crowd that he was telling the truth.
What kind of crazy bastard would do something like this?
Of course, if the story she had heard was true, the first person at fault was the investigator who had mishandled the case. But to instigate a large-scale dungeon break and, in the process, take the daughter of the district chief hostage? That definitely wasn't something a sane person would ever do.
"Anyway, that's why everyone is waiting here. The branch manager requested help from the Tower but—tsk. Who knows when they'll get here?"
Raven smiled awkwardly as she watched the onlookers click their tongues. Now she knew for sure...
The wizard they were waiting for was her.
Raven took a deep breath and recited a spell.
"Batuna Cor Vier."
Her body began to float into the air as blue light bloomed under her feet.
"M-Miss! You're a wizard?"
Raven flew over the crowd and landed on the third-floor terrace of this chapter of the Adventurers' Guild. And the man she saw there left her stunned.
"Bjorn... Yandel?"
Why was he here?
***
Because it was the district chief's daughter being held hostage, the matter was being handled promptly.
"This is Koldo Biermann. The man you asked for. He was unconscious downstairs, just like you said."
"Thank you," said the branch manager. "You can leave."
The first to arrive was the asshole investigator. To clarify, he was still out cold. That wouldn't look too good to any witnesses, so I shoved him into a closet for now.
After a short wait, my second delivery arrived.
"W-Wait! Guild or not, you can't strong-arm me like this!"
The name of this male explorer in his twenties with an awkward gait was Harts Young... the moron who had lost his masculinity trying to mess with Erwen.
"Thank you for taking care of this without asking questions. You may go downstairs."
"Yes, sir."
"A-Are you the branch manager? I—why am I..."
At the moment the employee headed down the stairs, I jumped out from behind the door and shoved my fist into the idiot's face.
Smack!
One punch couldn't alleviate my anger, though. If the investigator was the number one contributor to the situation reaching this point, the second contributor was this bastard. Had it not been for this man's false testimony, the investigator would have had no excuse to sentence me to death.
"Ahh! Wh-what are you doing? Who are you—?"
"Shut up. I'm not done."
One, two, three punches...
As I continued to pummel my fists into his face one after another, Harts Young passed out as bloody bubbles foamed from his mouth.
This also didn't look so good, so I put him in the closet as well. Although it was a little cramped thanks to the blubbery mass of the investigator, it shouldn't be an issue.
The more I looked at them, the better they looked together. As I was appreciating the sight, the branch manager cautiously spoke up.
"...What is it that you want?"
Oh, I hadn't told him that yet. But I figured there was no need to explain the whole thing twice. After all, when the next delivery arrived, it would all become obvious.
With that in mind, I decided not to say anything. However...
"Sir! It's going to be difficult to get a priest here."
The key component of this plan, the priest, was missing. The reason was that the priest officially associated with this branch was currently absent. It was also impossible to call another priest in. This might have been the Adventurers' Guild, but even they couldn't just call in a god-serving priest like they were a buddy from down the street.
Even at the request of the branch manager, it would take at least a day for one to arrive.
In this universe, priests were nobles. Not in terms of their title, but how they acted. All of a sudden, I had a bitter taste in my mouth.
How is it that not a single thing I plan plays out the way I want it to?
I had wanted to handle this matter as quietly as possible. If the branch manager had heard me say that, however, he probably would have called bullshit considering the mess I'd made so far.
But while I could spin the prison break as some kind of accident, what about the fact that the guild had sentenced an innocent rank-nine adventurer to death? The moment this became known to the outside world, the reputation of the Adventurers' Guild would go down the shitter.
First and foremost, they claim to be an organization that protects adventurers.
That was why I had asked for a priest. If I could prove my innocence in front of a priest, I could do things relatively quietly. And that way, the Adventurers' Guild wouldn't dare try to cover all of this up. But my plan had been hampered from the very beginning.
"Thank you for letting me know. Head downstairs."
"Yes, sir! Please let me know if you need anything else!"
As I listened to the footsteps of the guild employee retreat, I finished my deliberation.
If it is impossible to get a priest here to be my witness...
I had no choice but to expand the playing field even more. Only then would the Adventurers' Guild be unable to silence and kill me.
So, of all the ideas that came to my mind, I chose the most radical and effective one.
"Ahhh!"
"W-What are you doing!"
As I stepped out onto the terrace with a sword pointed at the district chief's daughter, I saw that people had flocked to the streets. They seemed to be spectators who had gathered because of the dungeon break.
One of them noticed me and shouted, "Look! The culprit is up there!"
The crowd's attention honed in on me in an instant.
"Ahem."
After clearing my throat once, I shouted out using a barbarian's talented vocal cords.
"My name is Bjorn Yandel! A rank nine adventurer that the guild has tried to frame and kill! I swear to the gods I am innocent!"
As I continued to pummel my fists into his face one after another, Harts Young passed out as bloody bubbles foamed from his mouth.
This also didn't look so good, so I put him in the closet as well. Although it was a little cramped thanks to the blubbery mass of the investigator, it shouldn't be an issue.
The more I looked at them, the better they looked together. As I was appreciating the sight, the branch manager cautiously spoke up.
"...What is it that you want?"
Oh, I hadn't told him that yet. But I figured there was no need to explain the whole thing twice. After all, when the next delivery arrived, it would all become obvious.
With that in mind, I decided not to say anything. However...
"Sir! It's going to be difficult to get a priest here."
The key component of this plan, the priest, was missing. The reason was that the priest officially associated with this branch was currently absent. It was also impossible to call another priest in. This might have been the Adventurers' Guild, but even they couldn't just call in a god-serving priest like they were a buddy from down the street.
Even at the request of the branch manager, it would take at least a day for one to arrive.
In this universe, priests were nobles. Not in terms of their title, but how they acted. All of a sudden, I had a bitter taste in my mouth.
How is it that not a single thing I plan plays out the way I want it to?
I had wanted to handle this matter as quietly as possible. If the branch manager had heard me say that, however, he probably would have called bullshit considering the mess I'd made so far.
But while I could spin the prison break as some kind of accident, what about the fact that the guild had sentenced an innocent rank-nine adventurer to death? The moment this became known to the outside world, the reputation of the Adventurers' Guild would go down the shitter.
First and foremost, they claim to be an organization that protects adventurers.
That was why I had asked for a priest. If I could prove my innocence in front of a priest, I could do things relatively quietly. And that way, the Adventurers' Guild wouldn't dare try to cover all of this up. But my plan had been hampered from the very beginning.
"Thank you for letting me know. Head downstairs."
"Yes, sir! Please let me know if you need anything else!"
As I listened to the footsteps of the guild employee retreat, I finished my deliberation.
If it is impossible to get a priest here to be my witness...
I had no choice but to expand the playing field even more. Only then would the Adventurers' Guild be unable to silence and kill me.
So, of all the ideas that came to my mind, I chose the most radical and effective one.
"Ahhh!"
"W-What are you doing!"
As I stepped out onto the terrace with a sword pointed at the district chief's daughter, I saw that people had flocked to the streets. They seemed to be spectators who had gathered because of the dungeon break.
One of them noticed me and shouted, "Look! The culprit is up there!"
The crowd's attention honed in on me in an instant.
"Ahem."
After clearing my throat once, I shouted out using a barbarian's talented vocal cords.
"My name is Bjorn Yandel! A rank nine adventurer that the guild has tried to frame and kill! I swear to the gods I am innocent!"
The reactions rolled in immediately.
"Who is that guy?"
"Did he break out of jail?"
It didn't matter whether they believed me or not. Since I'd tossed out the bait, more curious people would join the crowd soon enough. This might be the Adventurers' Guild, but even they wouldn't be able to bury something that everyone had watched happen in real-time. Now, I just had to wait until the wizard arrived.
And instead of a shield that was now little more than a lump of scrap metal...
"!!"
...I'd make good use of the district chief's daughter as a shield.
***
How long had it been since the jailbreak?
"What? Why are you here, Mr. Yandel?"
"I didn't know the Tower would be sending you."
As the conversation between an unknown man and woman reached his ears, Koldo Biermann opened his eyes. The place he was in was completely dark and his body wouldn't move.
What is this? Am I locked up? Why?
Pushing aside his developing headache, he searched his memories. There were a few snippets that immediately came to mind.
Prisoners had been rioting and escaping their cells. He had run away from them and locked himself in the interrogation room. And then a barbarian had smashed through the door and punched him in the face!
Oh, but what happened after that?
He didn't know. He had no idea at all.
So he focused on what he could hear.
"If you managed to hear about what happened out there, that means news is traveling fast."
"Fast or not, what are you thinking?! Mr. Yandel, do you think you have multiple lives or something?"
"If I had more than one, I wouldn't be doing this."
Mr. Yandel?
What was that? Was that the barbarian out there?
"Enough. Cast your spell quickly."
"Only if you promise to do me a favor later."
"I don't know what you want, but if it's within my ability..."
"Fine. You promised. Dertei Narvas! Huh...? Why isn't it working? Mr. Yandel, do you have an item that gives you a psychological barrier?"
"Can't you tell just by looking at me that I have no such thing? I guess I have no choice but to wake these guys up, then. Do you know how to use vision memory magic?"
"Yes. You want me to record everything from now on, right?"
The more he listened to the conversation, the more confusing it was. But just then—
"Ah! Arghhh!"
Suddenly, the space he was in widened, and his center of gravity tilted. He fell with a bang and hurriedly raised his head. He was in the branch manager's office on the third floor, which he had not entered more than a couple of times.
"What? Are you already awake?"
A total of four people were looking at him: the barbarian and the branch manager, a woman whom he presumed to be a wizard, and a woman who looked quite aristocratic. He didn't know what was happening, but he decided to start right away.
The reactions rolled in immediately.
"Who is that guy?"
"Did he break out of jail?"
It didn't matter whether they believed me or not. Since I'd tossed out the bait, more curious people would join the crowd soon enough. This might be the Adventurers' Guild, but even they wouldn't be able to bury something that everyone had watched happen in real-time. Now, I just had to wait until the wizard arrived.
And instead of a shield that was now little more than a lump of scrap metal...
"!!"
...I'd make good use of the district chief's daughter as a shield.
***
How long had it been since the jailbreak?
"What? Why are you here, Mr. Yandel?"
"I didn't know the Tower would be sending you."
As the conversation between an unknown man and woman reached his ears, Koldo Biermann opened his eyes. The place he was in was completely dark and his body wouldn't move.
What is this? Am I locked up? Why?
Pushing aside his developing headache, he searched his memories. There were a few snippets that immediately came to mind.
Prisoners had been rioting and escaping their cells. He had run away from them and locked himself in the interrogation room. And then a barbarian had smashed through the door and punched him in the face!
Oh, but what happened after that?
He didn't know. He had no idea at all.
So he focused on what he could hear.
"If you managed to hear about what happened out there, that means news is traveling fast."
"Fast or not, what are you thinking?! Mr. Yandel, do you think you have multiple lives or something?"
"If I had more than one, I wouldn't be doing this."
Mr. Yandel?
What was that? Was that the barbarian out there?
"Enough. Cast your spell quickly."
"Only if you promise to do me a favor later."
"I don't know what you want, but if it's within my ability..."
"Fine. You promised. Dertei Narvas! Huh...? Why isn't it working? Mr. Yandel, do you have an item that gives you a psychological barrier?"
"Can't you tell just by looking at me that I have no such thing? I guess I have no choice but to wake these guys up, then. Do you know how to use vision memory magic?"
"Yes. You want me to record everything from now on, right?"
The more he listened to the conversation, the more confusing it was. But just then—
"Ah! Arghhh!"
Suddenly, the space he was in widened, and his center of gravity tilted. He fell with a bang and hurriedly raised his head. He was in the branch manager's office on the third floor, which he had not entered more than a couple of times.
"What? Are you already awake?"
A total of four people were looking at him: the barbarian and the branch manager, a woman whom he presumed to be a wizard, and a woman who looked quite aristocratic. He didn't know what was happening, but he decided to start right away.
"B-Branch manager! This is the guy! This guy led the jailbreak!"
"I already know that."
"You... you do?"
His mind went blank for a moment. He didn't understand. If he knew this man had committed such an egregious crime, why was he just sitting there and watching?
"I heard you were in charge of this man's investigation," said the branch manager. "Is that true?"
"Yes, yes, that's right."
It was then that he picked up on the heavy tension in the air. He could tell because it was his job as an investigator to read the room. He knew that things were definitely not looking favorable for him right now.
"This barbarian—no, Mr. Yandel here—is claiming that you have charged him as a plunderer using inconclusive evidence. What do you say to that?"
"That's ridiculous!"
"Those words... They had better be true. Otherwise, you won't just be losing your job by the end of this."
"W-W-What do you mean? He's just a rank nine adventurer!"
"Watch your words! How can a guild employee judge someone by their ranking?"
"S-Sorry?"
Biermann completely froze at the thunderous roar. Why was this man, who had always been the first to scorn low-rank adventurers, acting like this all of a sudden?
...Like he was conscious of the eyes on him right now.
Oh! Looking back, they said something about vision memory magic!
Apparently, the conversation they were having now was being recorded on the crystal ball that the wizard was holding.
"Ahem! As one who judges right from wrong, you know that all guild activities must be carefully and perfectly conducted. Tell me how you came to your verdict."
Coming back to his senses, he recited the contents of the investigation as directed by the branch manager. He was beginning to think that was the only way he'd survive this.
"F-Firstly, there were the mana stones. At the checkpoint, he presented several mana stones that far exceeded the average income of a rank nine adventurer. As this was suspicious, his backpack was checked, and it seemed to hold stolen equipment."
"So?"
"The results of the investigation were inconclusive, as we couldn't confirm what had really happened. Because no magic would work on him."
"Then, on what basis did you rule that Mr. Yandel was a plunderer?"
"Thanks to a separate incident. A message stone was found among his belongings. We tracked down the original owner, and then we were able to obtain a testimony from a member of the owner's adventuring union that Bjorn Yandel had murdered an innocent person and robbed them of their belongings."
The more details of the investigation he relayed, the more confident he became. He didn't know why the branch manager was treating him like he'd done something wrong, but there must have been a misunderstanding.
"Sir, there were no flaws in my ruling. If you suspect that I may have lied, you can use magic to prove it."
"I'm already on it. Everything he has said so far is true," the wizard, who was watching quietly, confirmed.
However, the ignorant barbarian spoke up, his tone scathing.
"All you have is a testimony from a member of the same group. It was neither confirmed by magic nor conclusive."
"Is what Yandel says true?"
"Tha-tha-that's true, but—"
"Why didn't you look into it?"
The branch manager's voice suddenly grew cold again. But Biermann had an excuse for that, too.
"First, this barbarian's physiology is a problem! Knowing that magic wouldn't work on him, he was uncooperative and gave false testimony!"
"False testimony? What exactly do you mean?"
Biermann answered confidently.
"At one point, he claimed he survived being stabbed in the neck. But there was no scar, so I asked him about it, and do you know what he said? Well, I'll be darned! The scar disappeared after he absorbed the Essence of a Vampire in the Rift!"
"He absorbed the essence of a vampire?"
"Yes, sir! How ridiculous! A vampire? In a rift on the first floor?"
From start to finish, this barbarian had said nothing but nonsense.
"Spitting out a new lie to cover up a previous one—that's a textbook sign that the person giving the statement is a criminal. How could I just listen to this man and give our city's precious wizards extra work for no reason?"
Of course, while listening to the barbarian's repeated claims of innocence, there had admittedly been moments when Biermann had wondered if there was actually truth to said claims. But he had decided it wouldn't matter.
After all, what was the worst that would happen if an innocent barbarian who had only just completed his coming-of-age ceremony died an unjust death?
...Besides, if I had called a wizard, I would have had less money for myself.
Still, this was a bit of fortune in the middle of a misfortunate situation. Really, a vampire on the first floor? If this ridiculous statement reached the crowd, everyone would be convinced he had made the right call.
You should've come up with a more believable lie!
He looked up at the barbarian with triumph in his eyes. But the feeling didn't last long.
"But it's true," Raven said plainly.
His gears ground to a halt at the wizard's words.
"...Pardon?"
"Well, I was there, but... well, I can't exactly cast a spell on myself."
What the hell is this wizard talking about?!
"B-Branch manager! This is the guy! This guy led the jailbreak!"
"I already know that."
"You... you do?"
His mind went blank for a moment. He didn't understand. If he knew this man had committed such an egregious crime, why was he just sitting there and watching?
"I heard you were in charge of this man's investigation," said the branch manager. "Is that true?"
"Yes, yes, that's right."
It was then that he picked up on the heavy tension in the air. He could tell because it was his job as an investigator to read the room. He knew that things were definitely not looking favorable for him right now.
"This barbarian—no, Mr. Yandel here—is claiming that you have charged him as a plunderer using inconclusive evidence. What do you say to that?"
"That's ridiculous!"
"Those words... They had better be true. Otherwise, you won't just be losing your job by the end of this."
"W-W-What do you mean? He's just a rank nine adventurer!"
"Watch your words! How can a guild employee judge someone by their ranking?"
"S-Sorry?"
Biermann completely froze at the thunderous roar. Why was this man, who had always been the first to scorn low-rank adventurers, acting like this all of a sudden?
...Like he was conscious of the eyes on him right now.
Oh! Looking back, they said something about vision memory magic!
Apparently, the conversation they were having now was being recorded on the crystal ball that the wizard was holding.
"Ahem! As one who judges right from wrong, you know that all guild activities must be carefully and perfectly conducted. Tell me how you came to your verdict."
Coming back to his senses, he recited the contents of the investigation as directed by the branch manager. He was beginning to think that was the only way he'd survive this.
"F-Firstly, there were the mana stones. At the checkpoint, he presented several mana stones that far exceeded the average income of a rank nine adventurer. As this was suspicious, his backpack was checked, and it seemed to hold stolen equipment."
"So?"
"The results of the investigation were inconclusive, as we couldn't confirm what had really happened. Because no magic would work on him."
"Then, on what basis did you rule that Mr. Yandel was a plunderer?"
"Thanks to a separate incident. A message stone was found among his belongings. We tracked down the original owner, and then we were able to obtain a testimony from a member of the owner's adventuring union that Bjorn Yandel had murdered an innocent person and robbed them of their belongings."
The more details of the investigation he relayed, the more confident he became. He didn't know why the branch manager was treating him like he'd done something wrong, but there must have been a misunderstanding.
"Sir, there were no flaws in my ruling. If you suspect that I may have lied, you can use magic to prove it."
"I'm already on it. Everything he has said so far is true," the wizard, who was watching quietly, confirmed.
However, the ignorant barbarian spoke up, his tone scathing.
"All you have is a testimony from a member of the same group. It was neither confirmed by magic nor conclusive."
"Is what Yandel says true?"
"Tha-tha-that's true, but—"
"Why didn't you look into it?"
The branch manager's voice suddenly grew cold again. But Biermann had an excuse for that, too.
"First, this barbarian's physiology is a problem! Knowing that magic wouldn't work on him, he was uncooperative and gave false testimony!"
"False testimony? What exactly do you mean?"
Biermann answered confidently.
"At one point, he claimed he survived being stabbed in the neck. But there was no scar, so I asked him about it, and do you know what he said? Well, I'll be darned! The scar disappeared after he absorbed the Essence of a Vampire in the Rift!"
"He absorbed the essence of a vampire?"
"Yes, sir! How ridiculous! A vampire? In a rift on the first floor?"
From start to finish, this barbarian had said nothing but nonsense.
"Spitting out a new lie to cover up a previous one—that's a textbook sign that the person giving the statement is a criminal. How could I just listen to this man and give our city's precious wizards extra work for no reason?"
Of course, while listening to the barbarian's repeated claims of innocence, there had admittedly been moments when Biermann had wondered if there was actually truth to said claims. But he had decided it wouldn't matter.
After all, what was the worst that would happen if an innocent barbarian who had only just completed his coming-of-age ceremony died an unjust death?
...Besides, if I had called a wizard, I would have had less money for myself.
Still, this was a bit of fortune in the middle of a misfortunate situation. Really, a vampire on the first floor? If this ridiculous statement reached the crowd, everyone would be convinced he had made the right call.
You should've come up with a more believable lie!
He looked up at the barbarian with triumph in his eyes. But the feeling didn't last long.
"But it's true," Raven said plainly.
His gears ground to a halt at the wizard's words.
"...Pardon?"
"Well, I was there, but... well, I can't exactly cast a spell on myself."
What the hell is this wizard talking about?!