Chapter 51

“It’s usually the enemies who have a better grasp of someone’s skills than the actual person themselves.”

After all, you know how much it hurts only if you’ve caught a punch; the one throwing it usually has no clue.

With that in mind, Kumara’s group held the trackers in high regard.

At least the top tier of their rank. Among them were quite a few who were actually Silver ranked adventurers, and with around twenty of them, they were no small force.

Considering that a Silver ranked adventurer typically compares to a knight of a territory, the guild had practically dispatched a force on par with a knight order for this mission.

And what were these formidable forces doing right now?

Scrape! Bang! Crack!

“Kraaaaah!”

They were being brutally smashed by some out-of-his-mind knight.

‘This is absurd.’

Kumara let out a dry laugh. Honestly, he was already impressed that just three of them managed to engage those guys in a “fight.” But that Tin Knight wasn’t just holding his own; he was outright putting on a slaughter show.

“Why does it feel like he’s gotten stronger since we saw him in the Labyrinth? Was it really necessary to come help?”

After cleaving down an enemy with his axe, the warrior Sitarr muttered in disbelief, to which Kumara responded with a hint of annoyance.

“We didn’t even fight back then, so how would I know if he got stronger? Besides, the fight’s not over yet.”

“There’s a certain force only warriors can sense. And jumping in there now will do nothing but interfere. No way I’m getting chopped along with them.”

Upon hearing Sitarr’s words, Kumara looked ahead again.

And he had to admit, he had a point.

…Indeed, jumping in now would just be asking for trouble.

One-hit kills. Skill aside, the way he was systematically snuffing out each one of his enemies sent shivers down Kumara’s spine.

He could understand Sitarr’s desire to avoid getting caught in the chaos. While Kumara’s group considered the Tin Knight an ally, there was no guarantee the feeling was mutual.

“At first, I thought the guild was overreacting. Turns out I was wrong. I suppose they couldn’t have guessed he’d be this strong either.”

Fwoosh!

Noticing the situation turning grim, Magia shot down the escaping trackers with white magic orbs, but there was a glimpse of fear in her otherwise focused demeanor.

“Doesn’t he seem stronger than a Gold ranked adventurer?”

“He does look stronger than the Red-Gold leader. Not sure about the Blue-Gold or the Platinum though; I’ve never seen them.”

“Is this really the time to rank who’s stronger?”

“Heh. Ranking discussions are part of human nature, can’t blame them.”

“Still, context matters…”

Huh? Something feels off.

With a strange sense of discomfort, Magia’s head turned to the side.

There was a woman with a serene smile who had somehow entered the conversation.

“Eek!”

With a short scream, Magia quickly ducked behind the men as if they could serve as human shields.

“Ahem.”

Kumara cleared his throat and introduced himself. “I’m Kumara, a Silver ranked adventurer and messenger of Halder Trading Company. Are you members of the knight’s party?”

He hesitated slightly on the word “party,” likely recalling how the woman had been unceremoniously dropped like a sack of potatoes the last time they met.

Seemingly unfazed by Kumara’s uncertain tone, the woman replied casually, “I’m Sophia Hubris. I recently started traveling with the Tin Knight’s group.”

“I see.”

‘A new member who joined after we left the Labyrinth? Maybe she’s from this city.’

Kumara assumed that without a second thought, completely unaware that the woman before him was actually a vampire sealed deep within the Labyrinth.

Clop.

The heavy footfalls approached, and the Tin Knight made his way toward them, having wrapped up his fight. The trackers he faced were all rolling on the ground, and judging by the severity of their injuries, it seemed unlikely they’d be getting back up.

‘Good thing I had one of them slip away.’

Stealing a glance at one of the stillness trackers beneath his feet, Kumara spoke, “It seems like we might need to take this conversation elsewhere.”

The dark sky overhead was slowly growing lighter.

No matter how remote this alley was, if bodies started piling up, it would cause quite the uproar.

They needed to move quickly before that happened.

***

The group found themselves at the tavern where Dorothea and Adel were staying.

Kumara explained everything that had happened up until now.

The Adventurer’s Guild was trying to frame Dorothea’s group for the incident, likely due to the treasure they found in the Labyrinth.

The Halder Trading Company was getting ready to stand against the guild’s unfair demands, and Dorothea’s group was also trying to “protect” themselves.

“Lorenz Halder wants you all to escape to the southern empire. No matter how powerful the guild is, they won’t dare act recklessly in Halder’s home base of Ferdial. We need to move quickly before they realize the tracker is compromised and make new arrangements.”

“Who says we’re going there?”

“Huh?”

Kumara was taken aback by Dorothea’s response.

Be that as it may, Dorothea was frowning, clearly displeased.

“Who decided what I’m doing with my life? I’ll go where I want! Who are you to dictate that?”

“Wait, wait. Are you out of your mind? The guild is gunning for your heads!”

Kumara shouted in shock, his usually composed demeanor giving way to his adventurer’s tone bursting forth.

Of course, Dorothea wasn’t swayed by his outburst.

“And what happens if we go there? Is the guild going to say, ‘Oh, sorry! We orchestrated everything! We’ll just surrender and bow our heads’? Or will it magically resolve with just our testimonies? “

“Well, that’s—”

Of course, that wouldn’t happen. It was unclear why the guild was acting so ridiculously, but they wouldn’t back down so easily after going this far.

Therefore, the goal of Halder’s company was clear.

To secure Dorothea’s party and stop the guild from manipulating the incident, maintaining a standoff until the guild would “yield.”

It would likely turn into a tiresome political and public relations tug-of-war.

During that time, Dorothea’s group would have to remain detained.

This was something Kumara could fully understand, but—

“So what’s your plan? You know it’s unfair for you right now. But to face off against a giant organization like the guild, we don’t have many options, right? Unless….”

Kumara’s gaze shifted to Adel, who was blankly staring nearby.

Blonde hair, blue eyes. Even a lowly adventurer like Kumara knew the power and prestige of the Lion Duke’s Bloodline.

If the girl in front of him held a significant position within that bloodline, and if Dorothea trusted her….

“Um, uh? What? No, I…?”

Adel seemed to realize the implication and started to stammer.

While it was true that her homeland, Friedel Territory, was a considerable prize, it was hard to see how the current state of Friedel, with most of its might scattered, could take on the guild.

In fact, even if she had the strength, she lacked the authority to sway things politically.

“I never expected much from her anyway.”

Dorothea cut right through Kumara’s assumptions.

While leaving Adel, who looked deflated, to the side, Dorothea continued, “Tell them to come if they dare. Once they extend a knife to us, we return the favor, it’s the witch’s way. I tried to play by the rules to avoid a fight, but it seems they see me as a fool.”

In response to Dorothea’s complaint, the knight beside her nodded vigorously.

His enthusiasm was oddly exuberant.

Kumara was left speechless by such a brazen display from a typically aggressive duo.

‘They’re a lot more dangerous than I thought.’

Though Kumara would have liked to forcibly kidnap them to take to the company, given the raw power of the Tin Knight, that was out of the question.

But he couldn’t just leave them unchecked either, as if Dorothea’s group were to lose to the guild and spout the “testimonies” they wanted, it would mean curtains for Kumara’s group too.

This was a perilous entanglement.

“But really, is the Adventurer’s Guild the enemy?”

At that moment, Sophia, who had been quietly listening, asked a question.

Dorothea retorted, “They attacked us, didn’t they?”

“But these folks here are adventurers, right? The Adventurer’s Guild seems like a pretty big organization, so there should be plenty who oppose this incident.”

“How do you expect us to distinguish all of them?”

“We don’t even have to distinguish them! What’s important is the ‘justification’ that this incident is wrong. In large organizations, power struggles are inevitable, and easy-to-understand justification is the favorite weapon of any politician.”

So, Sophia continued, “When this plot succeeds, all you have to do is find out who benefits the most within the guild and give that someone a justification to oppose their foes. They’ll spread the word to undermine their rivals and fiercely claw for the spoils.”

“And what if it doesn’t work? What if they’re all in cahoots and there’s no conflict?”

“Then it just means there are no ‘innocent victims’,” she concluded happily.

“Hmmm.”

Dorothea sniffed.

“That’s not bad. It’s nice knowing we can get revenge without getting caught.”

Finally, a plan was established.

And the first victim of the group became the tracker, who had been the sole survivor amidst the carnage of his comrades.

“Hah! You don’t have anything to say to us! Just kill me!”

The tracker, tied up, shouted dramatically. He wasn’t being bold due to some extreme loyalty or rigorous training; he simply believed one thing.

‘I’m the only one left alive. Without my testimony, they’ll be in a real bind, so extreme torture or execution would be impossible!’

That was the source of the tracker’s confidence.

In response, Dorothea replied, “Oh? Nothing to say?”

“Yeah!”

“Then die.”

“Huh?”

“Hey, chop his neck. If he doesn’t want to talk while alive, we’ll have him speak with his soul afterward.”

“Huh? Wait! I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything! Just don’t come any closer, eek?!”

Faced with the wicked witch and her familiar, the tracker quickly folded.

Kumara stood by, watching in a daze as he muttered, “Guys, are we seriously screwed?”

“……”

“Sigh.”