Chapter 532: Escape Plan (5)

Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 532: Escape Plan (5)

It didn't take long for our entire squad to gather up since I'd called everyone earlier just in case. Despite my foresight, I couldn't say we were in any way mentally prepared for what was to come.

"By gear up...you mean grab our weapons?"

"Yeah."

"Are we...really going to fight them?"

"Do you have a problem with fighting monsters like the adventurers you are?" I asked the ones who didn't seem too eager, and that was enough to knock some sense into them.

"...Not at all."

"What are you all doing? Follow the baron's orders!"

This was reckless. We didn't know anything for sure, and she might even come back on her own if we stayed put. We should wait just a bit longer for her to show up.

Although most of the people here were likely thinking something along those lines deep down, no one said any of it out loud. The most they did was whisper to each other as they grabbed their weapons.

"Should we...really do this?"

"What else can we do? You can always speak up if you want."

"...I'm not sure I want to."

"I mean, yeah, if you did decide to speak out right now, would you be willing to face the consequences?"

"...Yeah, I'd rather just fight the monsters, to be honest."

I did find it a little strange how no one was arguing with me.

"Bjorn...calm down. You're scaring everyone..." Missha said, stepping up.

I stiffened in surprise, and when I took a moment to look around, my eyes met Auyen's. He jumped and quickly glanced away. The same thing happened with Ainar. When I looked at her, she immediately started rambling random excuses.

"Maybe something happened to her...?" she mumbled hopefully. "Those guys... They were k-kind to me even though we don't speak the same language..." She blinked, then frantically shook her head. "Oh, I-I didn't mention anything to them, though! I swear I didn't!"

I stomped up to her. "Ainar."

"Yeah! S-Speak!"

"Are you being soft toward the monsters now that you're all friends?"

"N-Not at all! It's just that I'm not right in the head right now! Th-That essence! It's because of that essence—!"

"One of our allies could be in danger right now," I said, cutting her off. Honestly, it was completely plausible that she was only acting this way thanks to her Aggression issue, but I couldn't just stand by and let her finish. "Focus up. Before you disappoint me."

"...Got it."

That handled the issue of getting her head in the game. I looked around and saw that the others had finished their prep as well. There wasn't much else I needed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to say.

"Let's go."

As I stepped out onto the street, dozens of adventurers fell into formation ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠behind me. I led us forward at a brisk pace, nominally a walk but more a run than anything. Just then, I noticed someone's presence despite my dulled senses.

"Mister."

"Is it that one? The one that always keeps an eye on our house."

"Yes. Should I go grab them?"

I thought it over for a moment before replying, "No, let them go. They'll lead us right to where we need to go."

"Ah..."

"Speed up!"

After that, with Erwen's help, we followed the guard who had been spying on us.

"Adventurers... It's the adventurers!"

"Aktiti...! H-Hurry inside! Get inside the house!"

The monster villagers going about their days scrambled to hide when they noticed us marching through their streets fully armed.

The guard's not heading in the direction of the chief's house... Where are they going?

Soon enough, I got an answer.

"(I discovered a peculiar place today. It's about fifteen minutes from the chief's house. At first glance, it looks like an ordinary home, but there's lots of security around it.)"

It was that suspicious house Amelia told me about a while ago.

"Stop."

Once we arrived at our destination, I halted the group.

"(Adventurer! Drop your weapon!)"

It hadn't even been that long since we left the house, and they were all already here.

I stared down the monsters swarming around like cockroaches and replied in a low voice, "(I don't want to.)"

I didn't come here to talk. I'm looking for someone. If you have nothing to hide, get out of my way.

There was no point in saying any of that out loud. And there was a chance something bad could happen to Amelia while we wasted time on pointless conversations.

"(Get out of my way. I'll kill you if you don't.)"

Thus, this was the most grace I could offer these warriors right now.

However, Nuiachichi, Marupichichi's father and the chief's right-hand man, ignored my warning.

"(The chief has ordered us to not let anyone in. Be gone.)"

I didn't pity him and I didn't bother trying to persuade him any further. I had given him my final warning, and he hadn't heeded it. There was only one thing left to do here.

"(Oh, is that so?)"

"(Yes. So let's calm down—)"

"(Then die.)"

I swung my hammer with the intent to kill, just like I said I would.

[You have cast Giantization.]

Power filled me to the brim as I ballooned in size. I brought my arm down with all my might.

[You have cast Swing.]

Nuiachichi, an archer, hurriedly stepped back and pulled his bow taut. His quick footwork was a testament to his class.

[You have cast Transcendence.]

[You have cast Eye of the Storm.]

As my hammer swung down, I used my grab attack. A storm started to brew and the winds dragged Nuiachichi's body closer to mine.

Crunch!

The hammer came down on his head at the exact right moment. It wasn't mere coincidence or luck, though. When you fought every day, timing things like this wasn't particularly difficult. Even less so for a warrior who had excellent instincts.

In an instant, his head crumpled like a crushed can. Nuiachichi stared up at me in a daze, blood gushing down his face. However, as expected of the chief's trusted right-hand man, he wasn't the type to go down in a single hit.

"Speed up!"

After that, with Erwen's help, we followed the guard who had been spying on us.

"Adventurers... It's the adventurers!"

"Aktiti...! H-Hurry inside! Get inside the house!"

The monster villagers going about their days scrambled to hide when they noticed us marching through their streets fully armed.

The guard's not heading in the direction of the chief's house... Where are they going?

Soon enough, I got an answer.

"(I discovered a peculiar place today. It's about fifteen minutes from the chief's house. At first glance, it looks like an ordinary home, but there's lots of security around it.)"

It was that suspicious house Amelia told me about a while ago.

"Stop."

Once we arrived at our destination, I halted the group.

"(Adventurer! Drop your weapon!)"

It hadn't even been that long since we left the house, and they were all already here.

I stared down the monsters swarming around like cockroaches and replied in a low voice, "(I don't want to.)"

I didn't come here to talk. I'm looking for someone. If you have nothing to hide, get out of my way.

There was no point in saying any of that out loud. And there was a chance something bad could happen to Amelia while we wasted time on pointless conversations.

"(Get out of my way. I'll kill you if you don't.)"

Thus, this was the most grace I could offer these warriors right now.

However, Nuiachichi, Marupichichi's father and the chief's right-hand man, ignored my warning.

"(The chief has ordered us to not let anyone in. Be gone.)"

I didn't pity him and I didn't bother trying to persuade him any further. I had given him my final warning, and he hadn't heeded it. There was only one thing left to do here.

"(Oh, is that so?)"

"(Yes. So let's calm down—)"

"(Then die.)"

I swung my hammer with the intent to kill, just like I said I would.

[You have cast Giantization.]

Power filled me to the brim as I ballooned in size. I brought my arm down with all my might.

[You have cast Swing.]

Nuiachichi, an archer, hurriedly stepped back and pulled his bow taut. His quick footwork was a testament to his class.

[You have cast Transcendence.]

[You have cast Eye of the Storm.]

As my hammer swung down, I used my grab attack. A storm started to brew and the winds dragged Nuiachichi's body closer to mine.

Crunch!

The hammer came down on his head at the exact right moment. It wasn't mere coincidence or luck, though. When you fought every day, timing things like this wasn't particularly difficult. Even less so for a warrior who had excellent instincts.

In an instant, his head crumpled like a crushed can. Nuiachichi stared up at me in a daze, blood gushing down his face. However, as expected ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the chief's trusted right-hand man, he wasn't the type to go down in a single hit.

One more, then.

I lifted my hammer high into the air...

Vwoong!

...and once again brought it down with all my might.

With this attack, Marupichichi would be forced to grow up as an orphan, but so what? That was nothing new to me. If you wanted to talk kids, Hans A had had one too.

And with how bright he is, he'll be fine.

And if he wasn't, he'd probably end up in the same place as his father soon enough—

...Huh?

While I was busy thinking through Marupichichi's familial dynamics, my hammer swung unerringly toward Nuiachichi's head. But then, when it was just an inch away from making contact, something flicked in between his head and my hammer.

A sword.

With my Agility stat, all I could tell in that split second was the type of weapon. Along with the fact that said weapon was shining brightly.

Boom!

The impact of my hammer on the glowing sword rattled the bones of my hands.

Fwish.

The corresponding flash of light blinded me for a split second, but I forced my eyes open so I could take in my surroundings. My lips twisted into a sardonic smile.

Isn't he the one who said he was too busy to see me?

It seemed he was willing to make time when his subordinate was about to die.

We stood there, engaged in a silent standoff for a long moment. The monster warriors we had fought side by side with at the beginning of the rainy season not too long ago were now raising their weapons against us.

To be fair, we were doing the same.

Magic, divine power, special abilities, and anything else we could throw at them were all at the ready. The adventurers who had followed me here were keeping a close eye on our opponents, prepared to spring into action at any moment.

"Chief."

I spoke first. My patience was wearing pretty thin as it was.

"Release my comrade," I requested, skipping over all the unnecessary pleasantries.

The chief didn't ask what I was talking about. He didn't treat me like I was deranged nor did he try to claim that there was some sort of misunderstanding at play here. It caught me off guard.

"So you're here because of that woman."

No, instead, the village chief owned up to his crimes all too readily.

Clench.

The burning fury in my mind was cooling, and the energy redirected itself into a steely strength that filled my muscles.

There was room for interpretation, but I got the sense that his nonchalance was a way of conveying that he was confident he could stop us at any time, regardless of our display of aggression. But I didn't plan on backing down here either.

I glared him down, returning his stare with one of my own, before just barely managing to ground out, "...Is she dead?"

The chief bent his thumb and his middle finger twice, a gesture unique to this monster village where they called themselves human.

I knew exactly what it meant, though.

"Don't worry. She's still alive."

Yeah, it was a negative.

One more, then.

I lifted my hammer high into the air...

Vwoong!

...and once again brought it down with all my might.

With this attack, Marupichichi would be forced to grow up as an orphan, but so what? That was nothing new to me. If you wanted to talk kids, Hans A had had one too.

And with how bright he is, he'll be fine.

And if he wasn't, he'd probably end up in the same place as his father soon enough—

...Huh?

While I was busy thinking through Marupichichi's familial dynamics, my hammer swung unerringly toward Nuiachichi's head. But then, when it was just an inch away from making contact, something flicked in between his head and my hammer.

A sword.

With my Agility stat, all I could tell in that split second was the type of weapon. Along with the fact that said weapon was shining brightly.

Boom!

The impact of my hammer on the glowing sword rattled the bones of my hands.

Fwish.

The corresponding flash of light blinded me for a split second, but I forced my eyes open so I could take in my surroundings. My lips twisted into a sardonic smile.

Isn't he the one who said he was too busy to see me?

It seemed he was willing to make time when his subordinate was about to die.

We stood there, engaged in a silent standoff for a long moment. The monster warriors we had fought side by side with at the beginning of the rainy season not too long ago were now raising their weapons against us.

To be fair, we were doing the same.

Magic, divine power, special abilities, and anything else we could throw at them were all at the ready. The adventurers who had followed me here were keeping a close eye on our opponents, prepared to spring into action at any moment.

"Chief."

I spoke first. My patience was wearing pretty thin as it was.

"Release my comrade," I requested, skipping over all the unnecessary pleasantries.

The chief didn't ask what I was talking about. He didn't treat me like I was deranged nor did he try to claim that there was some sort of misunderstanding at play here. It caught me off guard.

"So you're here because of that woman."

No, instead, the village chief owned up to his crimes all too readily.

Clench.

The burning fury in my mind was cooling, and the energy redirected itself into a steely strength that filled my muscles.

There was room for interpretation, but I got the sense that his nonchalance was a way of conveying that he was confident he could stop us at any time, regardless of our display of aggression. But I didn't plan on backing down here either.

I glared him down, returning his stare with one of my own, before just barely managing to ground out, "...Is she dead?"

The chief bent his thumb and his middle finger twice, a gesture unique to this monster village where they called themselves human.

I knew exactly what it meant, though.

"Don't worry. She's still alive."

Yeah, it was a negative.

The suffocating anxiety that had been choking me eased up just a little bit, and relief flooded into the gaps. Of course, there was always the possibility that the chief was lying to me, but just hearing those words made it a bit easier to breathe.

"Let her go," I commanded once more.

The chief eyed me for a moment. "If I say no, what will you do?"

"I'll go look for her myself. And destroy everything in my way."

"Surprisingly... you seem to speak the truth."

Bluffing when the lives of my comrades were on the line went against everything I stood for.

"I am stronger than you," he said bluntly.

I nodded. "That could be true."

"Are you not afraid, then?"

Who cared? "I've never not done something I needed to do just because I was afraid."

"Hmm, I see. You're being quite antagonistic. Is she your lover?"

I didn't dignify his nonsense with a response.

"If that's not the case, you must value your companions a lot," the chief mumbled inanely, almost to himself, before turning to his subordinates. "(Nuiachichi... Ah, you're not in any condition to handle this. Well, anyone is fine, so go bring that adventurer woman out.)"

Was she...really alive?

"Wait here for a moment. We still need to talk after this."

I waited there, one part nervous and the other part hopeful, until the monster warriors brought Amelia out of the house. She was unconscious and laid out on a stretcher.

"What happened?" I demanded.

"We merely knocked her out. We didn't do anything else to harm her."

In keeping with his claim, I couldn't see any external injuries anywhere on her. However, looks weren't everything.

"Take her," the chief said. "As things are now, I don't believe we'll be able to have a conversation until you see for yourself."

After being handed Amelia, I ordered the priest and wizards to check her over.

"It's as the chief said... it looks like she really was just knocked unconscious."

Once I had confirmation not from an enemy but from an ally, I let out a sigh of relief.

Amelia was fine.

That alone was enough to make me feel like I had dodged a huge bullet, but we'd really only cleared the first hurdle. We hadn't resolved the actual problem yet.

"All right, then are you ready to have a conversation now?"

"Why did you kidnap Emily?"

"We didn't kidnap her at all. No, rather, we should be the ones questioning you right now. After all, she was the one who snuck ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠into this building."

So that was what happened.

"You say that, but if that was the case, the rational thing to do would have been to call for me," I rebuked.

"You're right. However, there was something we wanted to look into before we did. Whether this woman snuck into this place purely out of curiosity..." The chief looked at me with those disgusting, beady eyes. "Or if she did so under your command."

Before I could say anything to that, the chief continued.

"Though, it seems this woman did it of her own accord—at least according to her. She didn't answer any further questions. But don't worry. All we did was intimidate her a bit—we didn't torture her or hurt her."

"Be grateful that's the case—"

"However, you will need to take responsibility for this."

I stared at him, baffled.

"That is your duty as a leader. It doesn't matter if you ordered her to or not. Your ally disrespected our generosity and broke the rules of our village. What's more, you made no effort to uncover what had happened and came charging over here to kill our village's warriors with your own two hands."

Well, there wasn't much I could say to that.

The fact that Amelia was still alive and that he willingly handed her back over to us was proof enough that my actions here had been extreme.

"So then, how do you plan to take responsibility?" the chief asked, throwing one last jab.

He spoke the same as always, his voice as expressionless as ever, but that only made me even more tense. I genuinely couldn't tell what he was thinking right now.

What he needs right now... isn't an apology.

I made a call as quickly as possible. I had no intention of dodging my responsibility as the leader of this group.

"It was by my orders that Emily Raines infiltrated this building."

"Oho, is that so?"

"However, there is a reason I told her to do so."

"I'm very curious what that reason might be."

I hadn't planned on laying all my cards out on the table like this, but sometimes, hitting your opponent head-on was the answer. "Not long ago, we coincidentally found a shortsword with the insignia of the Silver Lion Clan in the village."

"So?"

"It made me wonder. Why was a weapon that belonged to people who left the village still inside the village? So we launched an investigation."

"I see, so that's what happened..."

"Since things have come to this, tell me: what's with the shortsword, and what are you hiding in this house?"

The chief paused to think my questions over. Then, finally, he spoke. "First, let me answer your question about the shortsword. I wasn't personally there, so I can't say for sure that this is the case... but before they left, the Silver Lion Clan bartered with the villagers. There is a high likelihood that that shortsword was a part of those exchanges."

Yeah, I suspected that would be his answer, considering there was no way for me to confirm whether he was telling the truth.

I continued to stare at him without a word, and the village chief continued.

"And about this house... this is a bit of an imposition for us... but it'd be best for you to see for yourself."

"Sure. Show me."

With that, the chief flicked his wrist and the warriors who were surrounding the place all stepped away and created a path. I followed the chief into the house.

"It's down here."

The building disguised as a regular house had stairs that led underground, and when I went down those stairs, I saw with my own two eyes what these monsters had been hiding.

"...Shit."

I had a sneaking suspicion when I picked up the stench of rancid flesh at the top of the stairs.

"Here. This is what you were curious about."

The basement was filled with rotting corpses.

"This is our village's secret."

The bodies were in such terrible condition that it was difficult to even distinguish them from one another, but I had no trouble imagining what they must have looked like in life.

"But I suppose you know it now as well, hm?"

The corpses were human.

The suffocating anxiety that had been choking me eased up just a little bit, and relief flooded into the gaps. Of course, there was always the possibility that the chief was lying to me, but just hearing those words made it a bit easier to breathe.

"Let her go," I commanded once more.

The chief eyed me for a moment. "If I say no, what will you do?"

"I'll go look for her myself. And destroy everything in my way."

"Surprisingly... you seem to speak the truth."

Bluffing when the lives of my comrades were on the line went against everything I stood for.

"I am stronger than you," he said bluntly.

I nodded. "That could be true."

"Are you not afraid, then?"

Who cared? "I've never not done something I needed to do just because I was afraid."

"Hmm, I see. You're being quite antagonistic. Is she your lover?"

I didn't dignify his nonsense with a response.

"If that's not the case, you must value your companions a lot," the chief mumbled inanely, almost to himself, before turning to his subordinates. "(Nuiachichi... Ah, you're not in any condition to handle this. Well, anyone is fine, so go bring that adventurer woman out.)"

Was she...really alive?

"Wait here for a moment. We still need to talk after this."

I waited there, one part nervous and the other part hopeful, until the monster warriors brought Amelia out of the house. She was unconscious and laid out on a stretcher.

"What happened?" I demanded.

"We merely knocked her out. We didn't do anything else to harm her."

In keeping with his claim, I couldn't see any external injuries anywhere on her. However, looks weren't everything.

"Take her," the chief said. "As things are now, I don't believe we'll be able to have a conversation until you see for yourself."

After being handed Amelia, I ordered the priest and wizards to check her over.

"It's as the chief said... it looks like she really was just knocked unconscious."

Once I had confirmation not from an enemy but from an ally, I let out a sigh of relief.

Amelia was fine.

That alone was enough to make me feel like I had dodged a huge bullet, but we'd really only cleared the first hurdle. We hadn't resolved the actual problem yet.

"All right, then are you ready to have a conversation now?"

"Why did you kidnap Emily?"

"We didn't kidnap her at all. No, rather, we should be the ones questioning you right now. After all, she was the one who snuck into this building."

So that was what happened.

"You say that, but if that was the case, the rational thing to do would have been to call for me," I rebuked.

"You're right. However, there was something we wanted to look into before we did. Whether this woman snuck into this place purely out of curiosity..." The chief looked at me with those disgusting, beady eyes. "Or if she did so under your command."

Before I could say anything to that, the chief continued.

"Though, it seems this woman did it of her own accord—at least according to her. She didn't answer any further questions. But don't worry. All we did was intimidate her a bit—we didn't torture her or hurt her."

"Be grateful that's the case—"

"However, you will need to take responsibility for this."

I stared at him, baffled.

"That is your duty as a leader. It doesn't matter if you ordered her to or not. Your ally disrespected our generosity and broke the rules of our village. What's more, you made no effort to uncover what had happened and came charging over here to kill our village's warriors with your own two hands."

Well, there wasn't much I could say to that.

The fact that Amelia was still alive and that he willingly handed her back over to us was proof enough that my actions here had been extreme.

"So then, how do you plan to take responsibility?" the chief asked, throwing one last jab.

He spoke the same as always, his voice as expressionless as ever, but that only made me even more tense. I genuinely couldn't tell what he was thinking right now.

What he needs right now... isn't an apology.

I made a call as quickly as possible. I had no intention of dodging my responsibility as the leader of this group.

"It was by my orders that Emily Raines infiltrated this building."

"Oho, is that so?"

"However, there is a reason I told her to do so."

"I'm very curious what that reason might be."

I hadn't planned on laying all my cards out on the table like this, but sometimes, hitting your opponent head-on was the answer. "Not long ago, we coincidentally found a shortsword with the insignia of the Silver Lion Clan in the village."

"So?"

"It made me wonder. Why was a weapon that belonged to people who left the village still inside the village? So we launched an investigation."

"I see, so that's what happened..."

"Since things have come to this, tell me: what's with the shortsword, and what are you hiding in this house?"

The chief paused to think my questions over. Then, finally, he spoke. "First, let me answer your question about the shortsword. I wasn't personally there, so I can't say for sure that this is the case... but before they left, the Silver Lion Clan bartered with the villagers. There is a high likelihood that that shortsword was a part of those exchanges."

Yeah, I suspected that would be his answer, considering there was no way for me to confirm whether he was telling the truth.

I continued to stare at him without a word, and the village chief continued.

"And about this house... this is a bit of an imposition for us... but it'd be best for you to see for yourself."

"Sure. Show me."

With that, the chief flicked his wrist and the warriors who were surrounding the place all stepped away and created a path. I followed the chief into the house.

"It's down here."

The building disguised as a regular house had stairs that led underground, and when I went down those stairs, I saw with my own two eyes what these monsters had been hiding.

"...Shit."

I had a sneaking suspicion when I picked up the stench of rancid flesh at the top of the stairs.

"Here. This is what you were curious about."

The basement was filled with rotting corpses.

"This is our village's secret."

The bodies were in such terrible condition that it was difficult to even distinguish them from one another, but I had no trouble imagining what they must have looked like in life.

"But I suppose you know it now as well, hm?"

The corpses were human.