Chapter 462: Proof (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 462: Proof (2)
My skin was still hot from the battle, but the cold air cooled it down as I met the hostile gazes circling me.
I never imagined they would come at us so blatantly.
The atmosphere was so ripe for a fight that I wouldn't be surprised if a battle broke out right here and now, but I tried to remain coolheaded as I took stock of the situation. The worst was already behind us. Since they were threatening us, that meant they wanted something.
If they were really going to kill us, they would have pretended to let us leave and attacked us when we let our guard down.
So why were they bluffing? That was what I needed to find out. Not that I didn't have a guess or two, but I couldn't be certain yet.
"A plunderer..." As soon as I finished thinking things over, I let out a hearty laugh. "Then let me ask you this. On what grounds do you think I stole from you? Riakis was wandering around on his own when we saw him. Isn't that right, Erwen?"
"Huh? Oh, that's right! There were no other adventurers within a thousand-yard radius. Going off precedent, that alone would be reason enough for any claim over Riakis to be nullified." Erwen kindly testified on my behalf, firing off facts.
Daggers, however, wasn't the type of person to back down in the face of logic. "That might be the case against a regular monster, but this is the Lord of the Floor we are talking about."
"So what are you trying to say?"
"Our clan being separated while fighting Riakis was inevitable and is no indication we ever intended to relinquish our claim."
Judging by the equipment he was wearing, I had a feeling I knew exactly what had happened. After all, how else could all his gear be perfectly fine even after the third phase?
They retreated to change into the new equipment they had stored in their sub-spaces.
They must have sent out a team as bait to buy them time to put on new gear. Their plan was for that team to run around just long enough for the main team to change their equipment and rejoin them. However, surely they weren't blind enough to miss the fact that not a single member of that bait team was here right now.
They must have realized at some point that all of them were dead. Once they found out, they ran back here, but by then it was already too late.
I figured those were the broad strokes of what happened, although it was impossible to know for sure. I couldn't picture it playing out much differently, though.
"You purposely interfered in our raid against the Lord of the Floor. We are the ones who managed to deal all that damage and reduce him to that state."
"How were we supposed to know what happened to you?"
"Regardless of that fact, you still ignored my attempts at conversation and took the essence for yourselves."
"And what's wrong with that? We killed the monster, so we get the loot."
"But we were the ones who managed to get its health down to that point. Without us, you would have never been able to kill that beast."
Well, even I couldn't deny that. But given the context clues, wasn't it obvious that these bastards were the ones who summoned the Lord of the Floor in the first place without permission? Since they had failed to kill it, I was perfectly within my rights to step forward and finish it off before any other innocent adventurers got hurt. All those things went without saying.
"So what do you want?" I got straight to the point. No matter how long we went back and forth debating this, neither side would acquiesce. This wasn't a matter of mere logic, after all.
"Make a promise right here, right now, in the name of the glorious royal family of Rafdonia. Acknowledge your mistakes and promise to pay the price for the Floor Essence you stole when you return to the city."
Whether in the labyrinth, in the city, or any other place people inhabited, it was always strength that decided the victor.
"If you promise us that, we will no longer consider your actions here today plundering."
Simply put, if I didn't make that promise to them, they would label me a plunderer and start PKing us. Sure enough, things would quickly escalate now that I'd cut to the chase. We now had three options to choose from.
One: make the promise and pay them back. Even with my hoard of savings, it would take me years of struggle to pay off the debt. Still, we had the essence, so it wouldn't be a total loss.
Two: make the promise but break it later. However, there was a recording crystal filming us right now, so I couldn't simply break the oath without facing future punishment. I would definitely be stripped of my noble title for besmirching the name of the royal family too.
Then did that leave me with just one option?
Three: prove that my logic was right.
There was no need to hesitate. The answer was obvious.
"Then, what do you say?"
What other choice did I have?
"No matter how I look at it..." I said, picking up my hammer and slinging it over my shoulder. "I don't remember making any mistakes."
"...So you're choosing to drink the poisoned wine?"
"Who cares as long as it's alcohol? Alcohol is never sweet anyway."
"Your Lordship... you seem to think that we really won't attack you?"
Well, no, that wasn't true. After all, clan wars were just a natural part of the game.
"Ainar! Emily! Erwen!" I quickly called out the names of my comrades, only realizing a beat later that I had forgotten to call on our navigator, Auyen. It was too late now, though. It wasn't like he would be much help in this situation anyway. "Everyone, prepare for battle!"
As soon as I gave the order, my team all grabbed their weapons in unison as they readied themselves. We all stood with our backs to each other. Even Auyen quickly came over and joined us after Amelia shot him a look.
"If anyone comes near you, kill them," I spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, my eyes glued to Dagger's. "I'll take full responsibility."
Now, what happened here was in his hands.
***
A tense silence fell as we leveled our weapons at each other. It dragged on for quite some time too.
I sighed inwardly.
I wish he would hurry up and decide. How long do we have to stay like this?
Even though I was getting frustrated, I didn't make any moves to provoke them. The best-case scenario here would be no fighting. Though the individuals of our clan were far more skilled than theirs, they outnumbered us in essences by a landslide. There was a very high chance that one of us would get injured if a battle broke out. Nevertheless, I still chose to face them head-on for a very simple reason.
That bastard has just as much on the line here as we do.
If a Floor Treasure had dropped, then they would have been guaranteed to walk away with something after beating us. But now? They stood to gain nothing by fighting us. Even if they cut us open, it wasn't like the essence would reappear. At best, they'd walk away with our equipment, but the consequences they'd face for killing a noble when they returned to the city wouldn't be worth it.
"Make a promise right here, right now, in the name of the glorious royal family of Rafdonia. Acknowledge your mistakes and promise to pay the price for the Floor Essence you stole when you return to the city."
Whether in the labyrinth, in the city, or any other place people inhabited, it was always strength that decided the victor.
"If you promise us that, we will no longer consider your actions here today plundering."
Simply put, if I didn't make that promise to them, they would label me a plunderer and start PKing us. Sure enough, things would quickly escalate now that I'd cut to the chase. We now had three options to choose from.
One: make the promise and pay them back. Even with my hoard of savings, it would take me years of struggle to pay off the debt. Still, we had the essence, so it wouldn't be a total loss.
Two: make the promise but break it later. However, there was a recording crystal filming us right now, so I couldn't simply break the oath without facing future punishment. I would definitely be stripped of my noble title for besmirching the name of the royal family too.
Then did that leave me with just one option?
Three: prove that my logic was right.
There was no need to hesitate. The answer was obvious.
"Then, what do you say?"
What other choice did I have?
"No matter how I look at it..." I said, picking up my hammer and slinging it over my shoulder. "I don't remember making any mistakes."
"...So you're choosing to drink the poisoned wine?"
"Who cares as long as it's alcohol? Alcohol is never sweet anyway."
"Your Lordship... you seem to think that we really won't attack you?"
Well, no, that wasn't true. After all, clan wars were just a natural part of the game.
"Ainar! Emily! Erwen!" I quickly called out the names of my comrades, only realizing a beat later that I had forgotten to call on our navigator, Auyen. It was too late now, though. It wasn't like he would be much help in this situation anyway. "Everyone, prepare for battle!"
As soon as I gave the order, my team all grabbed their weapons in unison as they readied themselves. We all stood with our backs to each other. Even Auyen quickly came over and joined us after Amelia shot him a look.
"If anyone comes near you, kill them," I spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, my eyes glued to Dagger's. "I'll take full responsibility."
Now, what happened here was in his hands.
***
A tense silence fell as we leveled our weapons at each other. It dragged on for quite some time too.
I sighed inwardly.
I wish he would hurry up and decide. How long do we have to stay like this?
Even though I was getting frustrated, I didn't make any moves to provoke them. The best-case scenario here would be no fighting. Though the individuals of our clan were far more skilled than theirs, they outnumbered us in essences by a landslide. There was a very high chance that one of us would get injured if a battle broke out. Nevertheless, I still chose to face them head-on for a very simple reason.
That bastard has just as much on the line here as we do.
If a Floor Treasure had dropped, then they would have been guaranteed to walk away with something after beating us. But now? They stood to gain nothing by fighting us. Even if they cut us open, it wasn't like the essence would reappear. At best, they'd walk away with our equipment, but the consequences they'd face for killing a noble when they returned to the city wouldn't be worth it.
But it must be eating at him to have to back down.
In short, this was a game of chicken. The first person who stopped running toward the cliff at full tilt was the loser, but if no one stopped, we would all fall off the cliff together.
"Half..." That was when Daggers opened his locked jaw. "I will ask for only half the value of the essence."
A decent compromise was proposed right as we were both nearing the edge of the cliff.
"Half, hm..."
"Wouldn't you agree that we were the ones who ended up taking the most damage while reducing the Lord of the Floor to that state?"
That was true. They'd suffered at least fourteen deaths on their side, and it would take them years and a ridiculous amount of money and effort to fill those vacancies. However, half the cost of the essence would be just enough to cover the cost of their damaged equipment and consumables.
Daggers continued to try and sell me on this deal. "Of course, the price of the essence will be based on a fair appraisal by the guild's committee—"
"Thanks for the offer, but I refuse," I said, as I saw no reason to let him keep going.
"You... refuse?" he echoed, dumbfounded.
Why did he look so surprised? The person who chickened out first always walked away with nothing. Adventurers didn't put their lives and pride on the line for no reason. The moment he backed down an inch, it became clear to me that he didn't have the guts to go all the way.
So why should I have to give up anything for him?
At this point, I would have to be born yesterday to not recognize that he was bluffing.
"I'm telling you this upfront. Even if you halve the price again, I still don't plan on changing my answer," I declared like I already knew what he was going to say next. "So stop talking and come at me."
Even after my outright provocation, however, he didn't rush to draw his weapon and attack me. Instead, all he could do was keep flapping those lips of his like before. "...Calm down and think this through rationally."
"I'm being more rational than ever."
"...You really are a reckless man, Baron Yandel."
"Well, I don't think that's something that a man who called a baron of the royal family a plunderer should say."
"Then... are you absolutely sure you can handle the consequences?"
What the hell was he going on about now? "Do you think I would be standing here if I was afraid of things like that?"
I'm not all bark and no bite like you.
"I'll give you until the count of three. If you don't approach me first, I'm going to treat you as an assassin who's come to kill me."
"Th-that's ridiculous..."
"One."
As soon as I started to count, Daggers froze. He was completely terrified, unsure of how to cope with the turn this situation had taken. What am I supposed to do, just step back? his face screamed. No, I don't think they'll actually attack us, especially when we have this many people on our side... But maybe he will. Barbarians aren't known for their common sense.
"Two."
Despite the million thoughts racing through his mind, he was still unable to come up with an answer. Well, I could understand why. It hadn't been long since he became the vice captain, so he must have been feeling a lot of pressure to make the right call.
But it must be eating at him to have to back down.
In short, this was a game of chicken. The first person who stopped running toward the cliff at full tilt was the loser, but if no one stopped, we would all fall off the cliff together.
"Half..." That was when Daggers opened his locked jaw. "I will ask for only half the value of the essence."
A decent compromise was proposed right as we were both nearing the edge of the cliff.
"Half, hm..."
"Wouldn't you agree that we were the ones who ended up taking the most damage while reducing the Lord of the Floor to that state?"
That was true. They'd suffered at least fourteen deaths on their side, and it would take them years and a ridiculous amount of money and effort to fill those vacancies. However, half the cost of the essence would be just enough to cover the cost of their damaged equipment and consumables.
Daggers continued to try and sell me on this deal. "Of course, the price of the essence will be based on a fair appraisal by the guild's committee—"
"Thanks for the offer, but I refuse," I said, as I saw no reason to let him keep going.
"You... refuse?" he echoed, dumbfounded.
Why did he look so surprised? The person who chickened out first always walked away with nothing. Adventurers didn't put their lives and pride on the line for no reason. The moment he backed down an inch, it became clear to me that he didn't have the guts to go all the way.
So why should I have to give up anything for him?
At this point, I would have to be born yesterday to not recognize that he was bluffing.
"I'm telling you this upfront. Even if you halve the price again, I still don't plan on changing my answer," I declared like I already knew what he was going to say next. "So stop talking and come at me."
Even after my outright provocation, however, he didn't rush to draw his weapon and attack me. Instead, all he could do was keep flapping those lips of his like before. "...Calm down and think this through rationally."
"I'm being more rational than ever."
"...You really are a reckless man, Baron Yandel."
"Well, I don't think that's something that a man who called a baron of the royal family a plunderer should say."
"Then... are you absolutely sure you can handle the consequences?"
What the hell was he going on about now? "Do you think I would be standing here if I was afraid of things like that?"
I'm not all bark and no bite like you.
"I'll give you until the count of three. If you don't approach me first, I'm going to treat you as an assassin who's come to kill me."
"Th-that's ridiculous..."
"One."
As soon as I started to count, Daggers froze. He was completely terrified, unsure of how to cope with the turn this situation had taken. What am I supposed to do, just step back? his face screamed. No, I don't think they'll actually attack us, especially when we have this many people on our side... But maybe he will. Barbarians aren't known for their common sense.
"Two."
Despite the million thoughts racing through his mind, he was still unable to come up with an answer. Well, I could understand why. It hadn't been long since he became the vice captain, so he must have been feeling a lot of pressure to make the right call.
"And that's three." I stepped forward, intent on shoving him onto his back. If I swung my hammer at him, that might knock an answer into his head.
"Vice captain!"
However, the archer standing to the right of Daggers suddenly stepped forward and muttered something in his ear. I couldn't hear what they were saying, so they must have activated Voice Control. I was curious about what had caused their archer to interrupt.
"Mister, other adventurers are approaching."
"...What?"
"It seems that hundreds of them are..."
Hundreds? Where the hell did all these adventurers even come—
"I think they're the ones who were with us earlier."
Ah... them.
I never expected our friends to come to the rescue.
Well... doesn't that work out in our favor?
Daggers turned to glare at me again, his teeth clenched and brows furrowed. It seemed he'd received a similar report. Since there was no way to handle this quietly anymore, he had only one choice.
"...Everyone, lower your weapons."
Yeah, that's right.
As soon as he gave the command, they all lowered their weapons and prepared to retreat. Perhaps because he was upset at leaving things at that, Daggers made one last parting shot as he turned away. "...I'll see you in the city, Baron Yandel."
I sighed. It looked like there was even more work waiting for me when we got back.
***
After the Sawtooth Clan left, we waited around for the few hundred low-rank adventurers to arrive.
"Ohhh! Chieftain! Congratulations on your incredible achievement!"
"Hahaha! As expected of our chieftain! Of course he could do it!"
The barbarian warriors let out celebratory shouts as they ran toward us in the distance. Since they were blocking the way, I had to cast Giantization to get a look at the rest of the crowd and find the one person who could tell me what was happening.
"Lewis Seyur! What's going on here?"
"Well... as soon as we realized that the Lord of the Floor had been defeated, everyone here wanted to come and thank you..."
So they recklessly ran in the direction we had disappeared to earlier, huh? That wasn't to say I didn't appreciate it, of course.
Well, setting their goodwill aside, shouldn't I be the one thanking them for helping us deal with that mess?
Thanks to them, we'd managed to get through our encounter with the Sawtooth Clan without any bloodshed.
Now that I think about it, when we get back to the city, I might need their testimony.
With that in mind, I began approaching the other adventurers present, exchanging brief conversations with them as I memorized their names.
"Bent Mahaylo, right? I remember you."
"...I-It's an honor!"
The more I talked with the low-rank adventurers, the stranger the look in their eyes became.
"How can he be so kind to people like us...?"
"Even though he's a barbarian, he truly is an incredibly respectful man."
"He is someone that deserves the title of hero."
Um...
I was just doing this so I could take advantage of them later, but I didn't bother trying to change their minds.
[Your Reputation has increased by +1.]
[Your Reputation has increased by +1.]
[Your Reputation has increased by +1.]
[Your Reputation has increased by +1.]
[Your Reputation has...]
Well, I need to raise my Reputation stat whenever I can, I guess.
"We'll be going now!"
After memorizing their names and where they lived, I quickly got ready to leave.
"Going...? Oh, are you going upstairs?"
"No. There's something else I need to do."
There was no point in going to the fourth floor now. It was already the fifteenth day, so by the time we made it to the fifth floor, the labyrinth would be closing. Plus, I honestly wanted to take a break after all that hard work.
"Mister, where are we going now?" Erwen asked me as she continued to pack our belongings.
"The Witch's Hut," I replied.
"What? The hut..."
"You mean that shelter in the woods? Why do you want to go there?"
Why wouldn't we? Tsk, that was the problem with these three. They didn't know anything. Now that we'd defeated the Lord of Chaos...
[Achievement Unlocked]
[Condition: Defeat the Lord of Chaos, Riakis.]
[Reward: ???]
It was time to go and take our question-mark reward.
"And that's three." I stepped forward, intent on shoving him onto his back. If I swung my hammer at him, that might knock an answer into his head.
"Vice captain!"
However, the archer standing to the right of Daggers suddenly stepped forward and muttered something in his ear. I couldn't hear what they were saying, so they must have activated Voice Control. I was curious about what had caused their archer to interrupt.
"Mister, other adventurers are approaching."
"...What?"
"It seems that hundreds of them are..."
Hundreds? Where the hell did all these adventurers even come—
"I think they're the ones who were with us earlier."
Ah... them.
I never expected our friends to come to the rescue.
Well... doesn't that work out in our favor?
Daggers turned to glare at me again, his teeth clenched and brows furrowed. It seemed he'd received a similar report. Since there was no way to handle this quietly anymore, he had only one choice.
"...Everyone, lower your weapons."
Yeah, that's right.
As soon as he gave the command, they all lowered their weapons and prepared to retreat. Perhaps because he was upset at leaving things at that, Daggers made one last parting shot as he turned away. "...I'll see you in the city, Baron Yandel."
I sighed. It looked like there was even more work waiting for me when we got back.
***
After the Sawtooth Clan left, we waited around for the few hundred low-rank adventurers to arrive.
"Ohhh! Chieftain! Congratulations on your incredible achievement!"
"Hahaha! As expected of our chieftain! Of course he could do it!"
The barbarian warriors let out celebratory shouts as they ran toward us in the distance. Since they were blocking the way, I had to cast Giantization to get a look at the rest of the crowd and find the one person who could tell me what was happening.
"Lewis Seyur! What's going on here?"
"Well... as soon as we realized that the Lord of the Floor had been defeated, everyone here wanted to come and thank you..."
So they recklessly ran in the direction we had disappeared to earlier, huh? That wasn't to say I didn't appreciate it, of course.
Well, setting their goodwill aside, shouldn't I be the one thanking them for helping us deal with that mess?
Thanks to them, we'd managed to get through our encounter with the Sawtooth Clan without any bloodshed.
Now that I think about it, when we get back to the city, I might need their testimony.
With that in mind, I began approaching the other adventurers present, exchanging brief conversations with them as I memorized their names.
"Bent Mahaylo, right? I remember you."
"...I-It's an honor!"
The more I talked with the low-rank adventurers, the stranger the look in their eyes became.
"How can he be so kind to people like us...?"
"Even though he's a barbarian, he truly is an incredibly respectful man."
"He is someone that deserves the title of hero."
Um...
I was just doing this so I could take advantage of them later, but I didn't bother trying to change their minds.
[Your Reputation has increased by +1.]
[Your Reputation has increased by +1.]
[Your Reputation has increased by +1.]
[Your Reputation has increased by +1.]
[Your Reputation has...]
Well, I need to raise my Reputation stat whenever I can, I guess.
"We'll be going now!"
After memorizing their names and where they lived, I quickly got ready to leave.
"Going...? Oh, are you going upstairs?"
"No. There's something else I need to do."
There was no point in going to the fourth floor now. It was already the fifteenth day, so by the time we made it to the fifth floor, the labyrinth would be closing. Plus, I honestly wanted to take a break after all that hard work.
"Mister, where are we going now?" Erwen asked me as she continued to pack our belongings.
"The Witch's Hut," I replied.
"What? The hut..."
"You mean that shelter in the woods? Why do you want to go there?"
Why wouldn't we? Tsk, that was the problem with these three. They didn't know anything. Now that we'd defeated the Lord of Chaos...
[Achievement Unlocked]
[Condition: Defeat the Lord of Chaos, Riakis.]
[Reward: ???]
It was time to go and take our question-mark reward.