Chapter 270: Captured Newcomer Hunters
“Whoa! Shu! They’ve come out over here!”
“Huh?”
The first words I hear from the smartphone leave me utterly confused about what exactly has emerged.
“I’m telling you, the newcomer hunters are out!”
“…Huh?”
“Seriously!”
Despite the repeated insistence, I finally grasp what Ivan is trying to convey. I understand, but why are they coming out over there!? I won’t voice it, but it feels like they’re targeting Ivan, who looks more seasoned than us! We’ve worked hard to appear like newcomers too!
“Ah, okay. I get it for now. So, what’s the situation?”
Swallowing my frustration, I ask Ivan. If he has the leisure to call, it should be fine to ask a little more.
“El took care of all of them, but a couple managed to escape.”
“Is that so?”
“Even so, there are still four left, and I’m wondering what to do.”
“Got it. Let’s head over there for now. I want to hear from El too. Talk to you later.”
Ending the call, I tuck the smartphone into my pocket, only to find Rio and Phonia looking at me expectantly.
“Is Ivan-nii okay?”
“Yeah, he seemed fine. Apparently, there are newcomer hunters, but El took care of them.”
“El is strong!”
“So we’re regrouping, right?”
Phonia suddenly starts shadowboxing, and Rio asks with curiosity.
“Yeah.”
“Understood. Let’s go!”
Since I was just on the phone, I know exactly where to go, even if it’s a different level of the dungeon. We pass through the dimensional rift that Rio opened and emerge near Ivan.
“Whoa, you guys are already here?”
“Wow, so that’s how you come out.”
El’s voice rises in admiration at Ivan’s surprise. From what I hear, we’re on the ninth floor of the dungeon. I didn’t even realize we had surpassed the levels; it was all Phonia’s lead at first, so it can’t be helped.
“So, what about the newcomer hunters?”
Looking around, I see four men sprawled on the ground. One of them is bleeding from his abdomen, and his life signs are fading fast.
“I’ve interrogated them and gathered some testimonies, so I’m pretty sure about it.”
I understand that El has the charm skill, but why is Ivan so confident?
“Though I didn’t manage to extract everything.”
El shrugs as she says this. So there’s still information we haven’t gotten yet.
“I see. Then we can’t let him die.”
I glance at the man on the verge of death, and Rio, who had been listening to our conversation, swiftly casts Healing Magic to provide first aid.
“Gah! Cough!”
The man who received the Healing Magic coughs and slowly opens his eyes.
“Now that I think about it, I haven’t heard anything from this guy.”
“Oh, really? Then let’s get started.”
I approach the man and, without hesitation, fasten a collar around his neck.
“Don’t say anything except in response to our questions.”
The man’s eyes widen in shock, but he can only flap his mouth without uttering a word. El, who has experienced this before, looks pityingly at him and gently averts her gaze.
After further interrogation, it was confirmed that these guys were indeed the newcomer hunters targeting Ivan. Apparently, the leader is a former submaster of the Thieves’ Guild. It seems the radical submaster was seeking revenge after being expelled from the guild for his reckless actions. I’ve lost interest in the details, so I didn’t press for more information. Once we extract the hideout and member details, there’s no need for stealth anymore.
“Let’s wrap this up quickly.”
“We need to strike before they can prepare a countermeasure.”
“Wrap it up? It’s practically over already.”
As Rio and I get fired up, Ivan raises an eyebrow and asks. If the former submaster is the root cause, we need to eliminate him properly; otherwise, he might come back to haunt us. …Well, if they stay quiet for a while, we won’t have any issues. As long as our immediate tasks aren’t interrupted and we can continue the search for Kaede-san, that’s all that matters. But I’d rather not leave things half-finished and face complaints later, so let’s see it through to the end.
“Are we going to finish this all at once?”
“Yeah. I don’t think these guys will spill everything right away.”
“Ah, I see…”
Having reached an understanding through our exchange, Ivan nods while crossing his arms. It seems there are still two who managed to escape, and if they change their hideout, it could become troublesome.
“So, you guys, lead us to your hideout.”
As I call out, the men tremble in fear. All four are awake now, but they’re behaving obediently. Instead of capturing them one by one, it’s easier to have them walk on their own.
“…I feel a bit sorry for them.”
El casts a sympathetic glance, but I don’t feel the need to be that compassionate towards the fate of villains.
“Phonia and Nil, keep an eye on whether they guide us properly.”
“Understood!”
“Woof!”
Confirming the energetic responses from the little girl and the pet assigned to the task, we take the lead and head out of the dungeon. After completing the exit procedures with the guards, we begin walking down the path leading to the hideout, with the men in front of us.