Chapter 274: Passing the Buck
“Alright, you lot, explain to the Guild Master why you got caught.”
Since it was too much of a hassle to explain everything myself, I decided to leave it all to them. As soon as I gave the order, a look of confusion crossed Gargant’s face, but as he listened to the man begin to confess in detail about his blunders, his expression tightened.
“Could it be that you have a Collar of Subjugation…?”
“Yes, that’s right. It’s quite handy in situations like this.”
At my words, Gargant’s eyebrows twitched. He seemed to grow more tense, but perhaps I had inadvertently done something to provoke him.
“The Collar of Subjugation should be managed by the Slave Guild. Where did you acquire it?”
“Hmm? Where did I get it? I just received it from a slave…”
So there is a Slave Guild, huh? Since we got it from a classmate, it’s not like we had any dealings with the guild, even if they claim to manage it.
“No, that can’t be right… Could it be from an auction? With an S Rank, you must be familiar with various illegal auctions, right?”
Illegal auctions…? I had thought the Collar of Subjugation was just a high-priced item sold at any magic tool shop. I had no idea it was considered such a rare item.
“Unless you killed a slave to take it, there’s no way you could have obtained it otherwise.”
Even though his words were polite, the underlying thorns were starting to irritate me. I decided to pass the buck on the Newcomer Hunt quickly and head off to deal with the Majin Tribe’s Summoning Array.
“Is that so? I’ve let you talk, so I’ll leave the rest to you. I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll be taking my leave.”
“Huh?”
“W-wait, Gargant-san!?”
Gargant seemed puzzled by my actions, and before I knew it, Dorothy interjected with a tone that scolded the Guild Master. It felt like Dorothy wanted me to stay longer, but I had no intention of doing so. I had planned to pass everything onto her from the start, so there was no problem.
“Well then, I guess I’ll head back.”
As I declared my intention to leave, words of agreement came from Rio and the others one after another.
“Wait! I don’t recall giving you permission to leave yet!”
I couldn’t care less about that. Why would I need your permission?
“I have matters to attend to, so excuse me.”
Shrugging my shoulders, I stood up and approached the four men to collect the collars. Ignoring Gargant’s wide-eyed stare, I quickly released the bindings and sound barrier that had been placed on the men tied up with ropes. The moment they were freed, they erupted into a noisy commotion.
“Why are you suddenly making such a racket!?”
“Alright, let’s get out of here while we can!”
While Gargant was still flustered, not understanding why we had been quiet until now, I signaled to everyone and swiftly exited the room.
“Hey, wait! Hold on!”
No one was going to wait just because they were told to. As I turned back to check that everyone was following, I let out a deep sigh. The Guild Master had been oddly confrontational, but what was that all about? Either way, I had accomplished what I was asked to do, so they could sort it out on their end. With that, we passed the responsibility onto them and decided to return to the inn for the time being.
“So, we’re heading to the Majin Tribe, right? Of course, you’re taking me with you, right?”
As we settled down at the inn, El, her eyes sparkling with anticipation, asserted herself. It seemed she had been curious ever since Phonia explained the Summoning Array to her. It likely bothered her that she had been left out while we went on our adventure.
“Sure, that’s fine.”
“I’m going too!”
After I granted El permission, Phonia clenched her hands together, snorting with determination. She seemed far more eager than Ivan, who wore a sullen expression.
“Then let’s get going right away.”
“Yeah. Our goal is to destroy the Summoning Array located deep within the Majin Tribe’s Castle. As long as we accomplish that, the rest doesn’t really matter.”
I glanced at Phonia, who was brimming with enthusiasm, and reaffirmed the objective of our mission. It wouldn’t be good for her education if we went on a rampage against the Majin Tribe right in front of her, so I decided to hold back unless they came after us.
“The coordinates I remember are either on the wall surrounding the Royal Castle or on the back mountain of the Royal Castle.”
“The back mountain would be harder to find, I think.”
“That’s true. Let’s aim for there.”
“Alright, I’ll open a hole.”
In a room at the inn, Rio surveyed everyone before concentrating her energy to create a rift leading to the Majin Tribe’s territory. El watched Rio, her eyes serious, but her brow gradually furrowed in concern.
“…That’s impressive.”
By the time the words slipped from her lips, the Dimensional Rift was complete.
“Alright, I’ll go ahead.”
Thus, we all set forth through the Dimensional Rift, determined to destroy the Majin Tribe’s Summoning Array.