Chapter 10: The Twilight Kin – 07
With the headless Salamander behind me, its flames extinguished, I made my way to the fallen female adventurer.
She seemed to be able to move, already standing up with her naginata used as a makeshift staff.
Her long gray hair was neatly trimmed, and she had a beautifully designed headband wrapped around her forehead, giving her the aura of a female warrior. She appeared to be in her early twenties, and while her face once held a dignified expression, fatigue was now evident.
“Frei, please heal her,” I said as the members of our party approached.
I was slightly taken aback by the female warrior’s polite expression as she said, “I am grateful.”
“We are the party known as ‘Soul’s Guidance.’ I apologize, but we deemed it too dangerous, so we took it upon ourselves to eliminate that monster. I hope you can understand,” I explained.
Upon hearing my words, the female warrior looked apologetic.
“I’m sorry, but that is not something I can answer. It is up to our leader to make that decision, so I would appreciate it if you could speak with them…”
“Oh, you lot! It’s quite troublesome for you to act on your own. You’ve completely ruined our strategy,” a boy’s voice interrupted from behind.
I turned around to see the boy adventurer who had been desperately fleeing earlier, now approaching with an exasperated expression.
Upon closer inspection, he was a strikingly beautiful boy with blonde hair and red eyes. Without his frivolous demeanor, he could easily be mistaken for the protagonist of a story.
Behind him were two female adventurers, one resembling a mage and the other a priestess, both of whom were also stunningly beautiful. However, a hint of arrogance was evident in their expressions.
Looking closely, I noticed that all of them wore quite impressive gear. Though I shouldn’t be one to judge, it was clear their equipment far exceeded their actual abilities.
“Are you the leader? We are ‘Soul’s Guidance,’ and I am Soushi, the leader. We took it upon ourselves to eliminate that monster because we deemed it dangerous. Are you saying that your earlier actions were part of your strategy?” I asked.
“We are ‘Supreme Radiance,’ and I am Garsonia, the leader. That’s correct; our earlier move was a counterattack utilizing the terrain from atop the hill. You interfered with our strategy. Therefore, I would like an apology from you first,” he replied.
Ah, this was the first time I had encountered this type of adventurer. I understood that stealing prey could lead to trouble, but it seemed problematic to simply accept this boy’s claims. If it were just me, I might have backed down, but I had my companions to consider.
“Huh!? From what I can see, you were just running away!” I retorted.
“Larni, stop. If what you did was indeed a strategy, then let’s discuss that. But first, I want to know how you explain the danger posed to the people over there due to your actions,” I said, addressing Garsonia.
“I don’t know anything about that. It was merely the case that commoners wandered into our operational area. The responsibility lies with them. In that sense, they are equally guilty as you,” he replied dismissively.
“Hmm. So you’re saying you were aware of their presence and still chose to execute a strategy that endangered them?” I pressed.
“Don’t make me repeat myself; they simply entered our operational area without permission,” he insisted.
“That’s not the issue. The important part is that you were aware of their presence. Your current wording suggests you were indeed aware,” I stated firmly.
“What does that matter? Just hurry up and apologize,” he shot back.
“Before that, do you know that adventurers are strictly forbidden from endangering ordinary people?” I asked.
“Of course. Are you suggesting that what we did falls under that category? They simply intruded without permission!” he argued.
“Determining that is not up to us, but rather the Guild’s personnel. By the way, there happens to be a Guild member present here, so how about we seek their judgment?” I proposed.
“What? There’s no way such a person would conveniently be here. Please stop with the baseless accusations,” he scoffed.
“Then, how does the Guild judge this situation?” I asked, turning to Mariane.
I felt a bit guilty for dragging her into this trouble, but she had been frowning and seemed eager to say something.
Mariane took out her Guild staff card from her pocket and showed it to the boy.
“I am Mariane, a first-class staff member of the Adventurers’ Guild. I witnessed the entire incident, and if your earlier actions were indeed strategic, they would constitute a serious violation by endangering ordinary people,” she declared.
Upon hearing her words, the boy’s expression shifted to one of disbelief, and he took a step back, his companions following suit.
“W-why is a first-class staff member here…? No, that’s not what I meant…” he stammered.
“I will say it again. If your actions were strategic, they would indeed be a serious taboo. So, were your actions truly strategic?” Mariane pressed.
The boy suddenly snapped to attention, a forced smile appearing on his face.
“Oh, I apologize. I was merely fleeing in a panic, unaware that there were commoners present,” he backtracked.
“I see. Then, regarding the defeated Salamander, you have no objections to it being claimed by ‘Soul’s Guidance’?” I asked.
“Of course not. It was defeated by your party, so we have no right to claim it,” he conceded.
“Understood. Then we shall determine that no taboo was violated. I have heard that ‘Supreme Radiance’ is a highly regarded party. I’m glad there was no misunderstanding,” I said, satisfied.
“Indeed, we are a party of high expectations, so we won’t cling to such trivial prey. Now, everyone, we may have missed this catch, but let’s learn from this failure and move on to the next challenge,” Garsonia declared, suddenly changing his demeanor.
With exaggerated gestures, he gathered his party members and hurriedly left the scene.
Of course, he shot me a glare as he left, but I chose to ignore it.
Instead, I raised a hand in greeting to the female warrior, who looked apologetic. I didn’t fully understand the situation, but it seemed she had drawn the short straw. Such individuals exist in every world, it seems.
As the four members of ‘Supreme Radiance’ disappeared into the distance, Larni crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks.
“What’s with those guys? They changed their tune so quickly; it’s really infuriating. Hey, Soushi, are we just going to let them go? They tried to set us up!” she complained.
“I understand your frustration, Larni, but I don’t think it’s wise to escalate things further with them. Mariane, don’t you think they might be a party with some sort of background?” I asked.
I said this because they seemed to be of a higher status. The name ‘Garsonia’ sounded noble, and their impressive gear suggested they weren’t commoners.
Mariane sighed softly and replied, “Yes, that’s correct.”
“‘Supreme Radiance’ is a party of ‘Saviors’ sent forth by the Arshuram Church. The boy and the others are all noble offspring, making them a party that requires careful handling within the Adventurers’ Guild,” she explained.
“‘Saviors,’ you say?” I echoed.
“Yes. According to the church, there has been a divine revelation that the ‘Time of Chaos’ is approaching. One of the measures to swiftly conclude this ‘Time of Chaos’ is the formation of ‘Supreme Radiance,’” she elaborated.
If Mariane’s words were true, then that party resembled a game-like ‘Hero’s Party.’ However, their demeanor hardly matched that image.
“So they’re a party backed by the church. But the ‘Time of Chaos’ doesn’t sound peaceful at all,” I remarked.
“Frei, have you heard anything about it?” Larni asked quietly.
Frei shook her head. “No, I haven’t heard of it. I thought they had said the ‘Time of Chaos’ had been overcome…”
“Indeed. The territorial disputes between nations had seemingly come to an end, and the church had once issued such a statement,” Mariane confirmed.
Sfenia nodded in agreement. “I’ve heard the same.”
“However, I’ve heard that a new pope has recently ascended in the Arshuram Church. That might be related,” Mariane added.
I see. It’s common for a new leader to initiate various projects to assert their authority. But if incidents like Frei’s were hidden in the chaos, and the resulting party was ‘Supreme Radiance’… it would be hard to maintain a positive image of the church.
“This sounds like a troublesome matter. It probably doesn’t concern us too much, so let’s forget about it and move on,” Larni suggested.
“Larni is right. We should focus on what we need to do. Thank you for your assistance, Mariane,” I said.
“No, I feel embarrassed by my response as a staff member. I appreciate your judgment, Soushi,” she replied.
Nodding at Mariane, I stored the massive body of the Salamander into my Item Box. While Frei and the others seemed accustomed to it, Mariane was still visibly surprised.
“I can really carry that enormous Salamander in my Item Box? Your ability is truly remarkable, Soushi. It’s already abnormal that you could defeat it in one blow…” she marveled.
“If you’re surprised by this, you won’t last long in our party, you know? Right, Frei?” I teased.
“Yes, Soushi-sama truly possesses incredible power,” she affirmed.
As I felt a bit flustered by our exchange, a group descended from the hill. Three covered wagons accompanied by a party of adventurers acting as guards approached, giving off the distinct vibe of traveling merchants.
The man riding at the front of the wagon seemed to be calling out to us loudly.
“Please wait, adventurers! May I have the honor of greeting you?”
It seemed this unexpected event was about to unfold another act.