Chapter 37 - The Guild (Part 2)

 

I was sitting on a chair. Strangely, the iron binding fasteners on the arms and legs were an additional function of the chair, which was nailed to the ground.

Didn't I deserve some time to rest?

To briefly describe the situation, at the moment I was in the interrogation room located in the basement of the Explorers Guild.

The investigator was sitting opposite me. He was about 30 years old, and his main feature was that he was an obese man who used a high-flown tone of speech.

"I'm Koldo Biermann, who is in charge of investigating this case. Now I will ask you a few questions, and I hope that you will cooperate with the investigation.

"An investigation?" Shouldn't you tell me first why I'm arrested? I asked, without backing down.

I did not even want the principle of the presumption of innocence, but it was a reasonable right for the accused even in this era...

*Smack!*

The investigator slapped me on the shin. Looking at my face, he grinned, as if asking if something had happened.

"Rule No1, you only answer what I ask. I got it?

— ... It's cool.

"Follow the rules, and you won't be hurt. You can be sure of that.

It hurts, damn it.

After what I had experienced in the labyrinth, getting kicked in the shin was like being tickled. This bastard must have some fantasies about his profession.

— In any case, to answer your question... Bjorn Yandel. You were arrested on charges of looting inside the Labyrinth.

— ... Accusations of looting?

What kind of nonsense?

That bastard investigator lifted my backpack upside down and poured the contents onto the floor. He whistled sarcastically.

— Too much.

Scouting items such as torches and a sleeping bag were visible, as well as a special item obtained from the Blood Citadel. Among the food and other disorderly items, the investigator took out only equipment and laid it out on the table.

Mostly the belongings of the four-man team who stabbed us in the back in the Land of the Dead.

"If you weren't looting, where did all this come from?" A barbarian would not use a bow.

"This... belonged to the group that first tried to kill me.

"And your evidence?"

Evidence? I didn't have them, but I had no reason to be submissive because of it.

I asked in response:

"Then do you have any evidence that what I am saying is not true?"

"Well, from now on, I'll have to investigate it.

"Are you going to arrest and investigate someone for this alone?"

That was the part I didn't understand the most.

This was different from the usual process of the Explorers Guild. In this city, it was an unwritten rule not to ask researchers anything without proof, no matter what they brought from the labyrinth.

Therefore, the guild never took the initiative to find looters until reports or testimonies arrived.

However...

"The internal rules of the Guild changed a few days ago.

Well, I didn't have anything to say. It was not just a game, but a whole world in which many people lived.

"The official guidelines stated that the rules would apply to Rank 9 researchers in the first place to prevent acts of looting.

In a nutshell, this meant that little people would become guinea pigs.

Wherever you go, low status means suffering.

I could roughly guess how they chose the object for these investigations. Either someone who collected a lot of mana stones, or someone who had equipment in their backpack that belonged to someone else. Something like that.

So I was under attack from the very beginning.

"Well, then tell me." Where did you get these items?

Anyway, this first attitude must have just broken my spirit, because after that, the bastard investigator continued the investigation normally.

So I also explained what happened at that time as amicably as possible. And, of course, keeping silent about the crazy.

To tell him this, I would have to tell him about the oath, but a barbarian who breaks his oath will seem strange everywhere you look.

It was much more dangerous to be accused of being an evil spirit than to be framed for murder. Especially in the part that I will not have the opportunity to explain myself.

Reporting on this woman could lead to me being killed in the middle of the night.

Therefore, I have only briefly recounted the meeting with a group of four marauders, falling into the state of [Suppression], and then their miraculous murder. However, the investigator, like a cunt, reacted to all this calmly.

"What?" Did you survive being stabbed in the neck? You're telling a lie that even a child wouldn't believe.

"I'm only telling the truth.

"Then where is the scar on your neck?" If your words are to be believed, he should have left a mark, right?

I unconsciously touched my neck. It was smooth, without any bumps.

The reason was obvious.

After consuming the Vampire essence, my natural regeneration increased so much that even the scar healed.

... Why did everything spin so much?

Reluctantly, I explained about the Chasm. The only problem was that this bastard investigator didn't listen to a word of what I was saying.

"Hahaha!" Fault? Vampire? There is no logic in your barbaric words!

"I swear everything I say is true.

Perhaps he toughened his accusation against me, because the warrior's oath, which had always worked before, turned out to be useless this time.

"What kind of honor can a marauder have?"

By this time, I was also furious.

"Then call the mage!" You can test my words with magic!

In fact, there was no need for such a long conversation. One magic spell was enough to establish the truth. However, this bastard only smiled as if I wasn't worth it.

- You can make an official request for verification to the guild only from the 7th rank and above.

Hell, when did that change? A rank 9 researcher wasn't even treated like a human.

"Even if I pay the fee?"

"This is the money that will be returned to the state after your death. They cannot be spent on useless things.

I knew it was only because they would have less money to steal from me.

"Now just confess to the crime."

It seems that it will take some time to prove my innocence.

***

As if announcing the end of her 15-day life in the labyrinth, the dazzling midday sunlight enveloped her body. Ervena paused for a moment to enjoy the warmth. Fragments of memories interspersed in her head, perhaps because of the sharply contrasting environment.

I didn't know that the 3rd floor would be so difficult...

Ervena entered the 3rd floor with her sister. It was there that she felt the power of rank 7 monsters for the first time. Although her sister had almost single-handedly fought them, even the rank 6 monsters they had accidentally encountered at the end...

Truly, it was a journey that felt like a real expedition for the first time. The first expedition through the labyrinth, which she made with Uncle Varvar, was also not bad... But then she was in such a hurry to get out alive that she did not even realize it.

He will be very surprised when I tell him about it.

She wanted to find him right away and tell him about what she had experienced in the labyrinth. And ask him about his experience, too. The mere thought of it refreshed her tired body.

If I told him that I had obtained a new essence, would it be like last time...?

It's a bit disturbing...

For some reason, her steps were lighter than usual. Ervena quickly made her way to the Rank 9 explorer money exchange office.

Maybe we missed each other this time? I don't see him here...

– 184,100 jewels.

"Wow...

"That's quite a lot of money for a rank 9 researcher.

"Because I went with my sister!"

"What's her name?"

— Daria Vitember di Tercia.

"Okay, that's confirmed. You can go.

After exchanging mana stones, meeting her sister on the street, unpacking her things in the inn, washing for three hours, and changing into new clothes, she headed straight to Bjorn's inn.

But how did this happen?

"You are the elf who came every day. But... The tenant of room 302 has not yet returned.

"Really?"

Bjorn was not in the inn. What could have happened? His room had already been paid for in advance, and there was other luggage in it...

"Are you going to keep waiting?"

"Yes!" I'm sure he'll be back soon!"

*Clop*

The innkeeper, usually amiable, clicked his tongue as if to show that he was dissatisfied. How much time has passed since then?

The sun has set. And a few hours ago.

"Excuse me, why do you take Uncle Barbarian's belongings from his room?"

"Hey, get moving. Hey, miss, do you have any papers?

"B-papers?"

"Well, you know. A certificate that you are related to this barbarian, or that he agreed to hand over his souvenirs, or something like that.

"I don't know, but... Hold on! What do you mean by "souvenirs"?

"The labyrinth was closed long ago, but it hasn't returned. Why shouldn't he be here? He died in the labyrinth!

Finally, the innkeeper kicked her out with a half-strong kick.

Ervena squatted down in front of the inn.

Died? This cannot be...

It was nonsense. No matter how often researchers died in the labyrinth, it was impossible to imagine his death.

So she sat and waited until morning came, then night, and then morning again.

"I was looking for you.

Her sister came to look for her. She did not scold her for not coming home for two days, did not ask any other questions.

She just held out her hand.

— ... Let's go eat first.

Ervena took her hand and stood up. Then she pondered.

She didn't know the exact reason, and she knew it had nothing to do with it, but...

"I want to be strong.

For some reason, she had that thought.

Stronger than ever.

***

I was locked in a thick iron cage. All my belongings were taken away, and I was wearing only one piece of cloth, rolled up and tied below the waist.

Now I was standing, leaning against the wall...

… It's already the 2nd day.

Your mother...

After the 1st day, the situation got worse and worse. In response to my repeated refusals and requests for verification, the investigator had no choice but to call the magician, but...

[Character Spirit stat above 90]

[There is resistance against spirit magic from magic resistance correction].

The magic of a rank 9 Magus working in the Guild had no effect on me.

"The mental barrier is too thick. It looks like we need to summon a mage from the magic tower.

The situation was becoming more and more confusing. Even from the guild's point of view, the help of a high-ranking Magus was inevitable to close my case.

"There's no point in calling them here for the case of a rank 9 researcher.

Since then, the investigator has been bombarding me with all sorts of nonsense in order to get me to confess. He probably thought it would be easier.

But there was no way I was going to give a false confession because I wasn't afraid of that bastard.

I even named a rank 6 mage, Arua Raven, and a dwarf, but that disgruntled bastard investigator didn't even listen.

The case began to drag on,

"Hahaha!" Bjorn Yandel, it seems that this is not the first time you have committed an act of looting.

I was charged with a completely new charge, unrelated to previous investigations.

"What are you talking about?"

"It was discovered during the investigation of your case.

It was nothing more than a stone of the message, which the investigator held out with triumphant eyes.

"Message stones have a unique serial number, so it captures the owner. I checked the number of the stone in your backpack, and here it is. It belongs to the deceased researcher.

By the way, the owner's name was Artois Cerdin.

"Since he was registered under the clan, I inquired and they told me about everything you did. Not only did you escape by injuring a man named Hearts Young, but you also killed the one who was chasing you, right?

This bastard seemed to think of himself as the protagonist of a crime novel, so his words were unnecessarily long.

"And what will happen to me?"

I interrupted him and asked only about the main thing.

No matter what I say here, this bastard who was desperately trying to finish my case and didn't even bother to listen.

"Since the circumstances, testimony, and evidence have emerged, the guild has decided to deny your request for verification and carry out the sentence.

Yes, exactly.

Most likely, you yourself have just rejected my request.

— ... And how much will I get?

"What strange words you say. The royal law of Rafdonia has never tolerated looters. Oh, is that too complicated for a barbarian to understand?

The bastard investigator smiled and continued.

"This means that the death penalty is imposed for this.

***

And this is what happened that night.

In addition, the jailer came in this morning, told me the date of my execution, and asked me what I wanted to eat as my last meal. At that moment, I realized what a mess I was in.

If I don't do anything, I'll really be in shit.

So I had to do something.

The time to solve the issue with words has already passed. But if I break out of my cell and leave, I'll just be a looter who escaped from prison.

I may be able to escape to the city, but I will quickly become a wanted criminal.

I thought about it for a while, but in the end, there was only one way to survive it.

I had to prove my innocence somehow.

Of course, it won't be easy. The forest can be judged by the trees. If a simple bastard investigator is so taciturn, how can I expect others to be different?

Regardless of whether I am guilty or not, the Explorers Guild will decide that it is easier and calmer for me to disappear.

From this premise, I made a plan, and the path began to take shape to some extent.

First of all, I had to create a situation where the Explorers Guild couldn't silence me. I also had an idea of how to do it.

Of course, in return, I would have to go through a lot of trouble...

*Crunch!*

Remembering the face of the investigator, I motivated myself even more. From a young age, I was a frisky child who knew how to avenge words.

No matter how much I think about it, just saving my ass won't work.

I'll make them pay for it...

[Character cast [Flesh Blast]].

… to the fullest!