Chapter 227: The Truth of the Matter
“And regarding the request we made to the Thieves’ Guild… it seems the kingdom’s hounds have been sniffing around us, and they’ve dispatched assassins from their lower ranks.”
Mesaria-san frowned slightly, as if reluctant to discuss the incident that led to the destruction of our guild.
“The kingdom, you say?”
I don’t have fond memories of any kingdom, but I needed to ask for clarity. There were several kingdoms on this continent, if I recalled correctly.
“It’s the Arclight Kingdom.”
“Then let’s just kill them!”
“Why would you say that!?”
Despite having been as silent as a statue until now, Ivan was quick to interject at this moment. However, the reason for his outburst was clear.
“It’s because we hate the Arclight Kingdom!”
“That makes no sense!?”
“While they had been losing their influence recently, it seems one of their lowly spies stumbled upon something and made their way to this town.”
Mesaria-san continued her explanation, ignoring our banter. Truly, a capable woman.
“Hmm… But what did the Arclight Kingdom want with the Assassins’ Guild?”
“It appears they wanted to bring us under their influence.”
“Huh? Trying to use something as unpredictable as the Assassins’ Guild? That’s just insane for a kingdom!”
“Seriously, what a terrible kingdom.”
“Isn’t that kind of shady behavior common in every kingdom!?”
“Ivan, you’re being loud.”
“Sure, my voice is loud, but that’s because of you guys!”
“Phonia-chan will wake up.”
“Oh, right. Sorry.”
At Rio’s gentle reminder, we all fell silent and I slowly settled back onto the sofa.
“……”
After our exchange, a quiet lingered in the air. Just as I was feeling uneasy about speaking up, help arrived.
“…Hmm? Is something going on?”
Elvirinos returned from the bath, having washed up.
“No, nothing in particular.”
“Yeah, we were just discussing how terrible the Arclight Kingdom is.”
“Ah… that place…”
Elvirinos seemed to have his own thoughts on the matter, his expression clouded as he sat quietly on the floor next to Mesaria-san.
“By the way, El is not a member of the Assassins’ Guild. He is merely a collaborator and does not have any authority over us, so please keep that in mind.”
“Mm? Ah, the guild’s rules, right…”
Elvirinos nodded, seemingly satisfied with Mesaria-san’s explanation, and began to stare intently at me and Rio. While the guild members were said to follow our decisions, it seemed Elvirinos was not included in that. I had suspected as much from the way the conversation had unfolded.
“Well, I will follow Shu and Rio.”
Yet, he looked directly at me as he said this.
“…You seem awfully calm for someone who almost got killed by me.”
“But I was saved by Rio.”
Now, he turned his gaze toward Rio. The fact that he wore the Collar of Subjugation made it feel forced, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. It felt like a classic case of a match pump, but if he was okay with it, then who was I to judge? Normally, one would harbor resentment toward someone who nearly killed them.
“At first, I was furious that you caught me off guard and made me your subordinate, but when I faced you head-on, I couldn’t even lay a finger on you, Shu.”
I see, so she’s a brawler at heart. But in a way, the Magic Disruption Field is quite unfair. Magic users are rendered helpless, and someone like Elvirinos, who leans toward magic, would naturally struggle against it.
“Considering Rio, it means she has enough Magic Power to break through my Subjugation Resistance. The same goes for Healing Magic; I can’t compete with either of you.”
Elvirinos shrugged, a hint of resignation in his tone.
“That would be all from us. Do you have any other questions or requests?”
Mesaria-san scanned the three of us, but I still had a few things I wanted to ask.
“For now, we want to continue living as we have been. Is that alright? Honestly, I don’t want to deal with any troublesome matters.”
“If that’s the case, there won’t be any problems. As I mentioned earlier, we will handle the basic operations of the inn. If you have any policies regarding the inn or the guild, feel free to let us know as needed.”
“I see. That puts my mind at ease.”
“Then, if there are no further questions, I would like to conclude this meeting for now. Is that acceptable?”
“Yes, I think that’s fine.”
Though I hadn’t touched on it much, I still wanted to do something about the Assassins’ Guild, but I was too exhausted to think about it now. I would deal with it later. A guild that takes money to kill people is just too much. We should dismantle it and start anew.
“Haah… Is it finally over…? There’s been so much going on that I can hardly keep track…”
Ivan groaned, clutching his head as he stood up and staggered toward the bath.
“I’m going to take a bath.”
“Oh, customer! That area is still—”
Mesaria-san tried to stop him, but the Spatial Isolation Barrier still held him captive, preventing her from doing so. Ivan disappeared into the bath, but a moment later, we heard a loud shout.
“What the hell is thisーーーーー!!”