Chapter 39 - The Guild (Part 4)

 

"Master, what do you mean?" Go to the Guild? So suddenly?

"You said you needed to visit her to find someone, didn't you?"

"Yes, but...

Arua Raven, the rank 6 Magus associated with the magic tower, had a confused expression on her face as she interrupted her words.

Indeed, I had business in the Guild, but...

At first, she planned to have a good rest, and only then to study the "thing" obtained during the expedition.

"The head of the branch sent an official request for help. As far as I heard, something important has happened in the Guild. Isn't that enough for pocket money?

— ... Ok. I will go.

Raven reluctantly agreed.

She still needed to check out the Guild soon. If she went now, she would be able to receive a monetary reward, so there was no time to delay.

This time I spent a lot of money in the maze...

Besides, it wasn't too bad to meet this barbarian a little earlier than she had planned. After all, this was an unprecedented version of the Rift, and it was the one that had absorbed that Guardian's essence.

He was a model no less interesting than that thing.

"Then I went.

"Oh, take Tarzin with you."

"It's all right. It's almost useless anyway.

Raven teleported to the location closest to the branch using the teleportation gate on the 2nd floor of the tower.

Walking to the destination would take about 10 minutes.

As soon as she stepped outside, she frowned.

"Why are there so many people here?"

It seemed that there were several times more people than usual. And the closer she got to her destination, the more people there became, so it was difficult to even take a step forward.

It was as if something very important had happened.

He said that the head of the branch officially asked for help.

Raven took a deep breath.

It was a way to earn some pocket money, but somehow she had the feeling that she would have to work just as hard for it.

"Excuse me, may I ask you something?" What's going on here?

Raven grabbed the man who seemed to be the simplest in appearance and asked.

Then she heard something that made her doubt her ears.

"A large number of looters locked in the underground prison of the branch have escaped.

It was truly unprecedented.

Not only did they escape from the dungeon, but some of them managed to escape to the city center as well. They say that one of the instigators took hostage the daughter of the head of the district, who accidentally entered the branch.

"It seems that this man has no brains. The guild will never negotiate.

Negotiation or not, the guild didn't have any authority.

The royal family of Rafdonia gave the Guild great powers in matters related to the labyrinth, but they strictly adhered to the principle of punishing marauders.

If he escaped like the other prisoners, he would have a small chance of survival.

"But, you see, the situation has become interesting.

"What do you mean?"

- The person responsible for the hostage-taking claims that he was framed.

"Framed me?"

— Exactly. All he asks is to gather the parties involved and use magic to honestly reveal the truth to everyone.

He did not ask to be acquitted.

The culprit only demanded to "find out the truth." Because of this, suspicion spread among those gathered that he was telling the truth.

What kind of madman does that?

Of course, if the story she heard was true, then the first culprit was the investigator who mishandled the case.

But to arrange a large-scale destruction of an underground prison and at the same time take hostage the daughter of the head of the district? A sane person will definitely not do this.

"Anyway, that's why everyone is waiting. The branch manager has requested support from the tower, but *clack*, who knows when they'll arrive?

Raven smiled awkwardly as she watched the viewer click their tongues.

Now she knew for sure...

She herself was a magician.

Raven took a deep breath and cast a spell.

— [Batuna Cor Vier].

Her body began to rise into the air, and a blue light blossomed under her feet.

"M-miss!" Are you a magician?

Raven swept over the crowd and landed on the terrace of the 3rd floor of the Explorers Guild branch.

And there she saw a man who stunned her.

— Bjorn... Yandel?

Why is he here?

***

Since the daughter of the head of the district was held hostage, the issue was resolved quickly.

"This is Koldo Biermann. The person you asked for. As you said, he was unconscious downstairs.

"Thank you. You can go.

The asshole investigator arrived first.

For reference, he was still unconscious. That wouldn't look good to outsiders, so I've stuffed it into the closet for now.

After a short wait, the second parcel arrived.

"Wait!" Guild or not, you can't force me like that!

The name of this researcher in his early twenties, who came in with a hunched posture, was Hearts Young...

An idiot who lost his "masculinity" trying to climb up to Erven.

"Thank you for taking care of this, no questions asked. You can go.

"Yes, sir.

— Are you the head of the branch? I, why am I...

At the same time as the sound of an employee coming down the stairs, I jumped out from behind the door and slammed my fist into the face of this idiot.

*Blow!*

One blow could not calm my anger.

If the investigator was the main culprit for bringing the situation to this point, then the second culprit was this bastard. If it had not been for the false testimony of this man, the investigator would have had no reason to sentence me to death.

"Ah!" What are you doing! Who are you...!

"Shut up. I'm not done yet.

One, two, three blows...

As I continued to punch him in the face one after another, Hearts Young lost consciousness and blood bubbles foamed from his mouth.

That didn't look good either, so I put it in the closet.

Although it was a bit cramped due to the pot-bellied mass of the investigator, it was not a problem.

The more I looked at them, the better they looked together. As I evaluated this, the branch manager spoke to me cautiously.

— ... What do you want?

Oh, I haven't told him that yet.

But I think there was no need to repeat it twice.

After all, when the next shipment arrives, he will know it naturally. With this thought in mind, I refrained from speaking.

However...

"Sir!" It will be difficult to find a priest here.

The key card of this plan, the priest, was missing. The reason was that the official priest associated with this branch was currently absent. It was also impossible to summon another priest.

It might be the Explorers Guild, but you couldn't call a priest serving a god as if he were a neighbor's friend.

Even at the request of the head of the branch, it would take at least a day.

In this universe, the priests were nobles. Not their personality, but how they behaved. Suddenly, there was a bitter taste in my mouth.

How can it be that no thing works properly?

I wanted to resolve this issue as quietly as possible. If the branch manager had heard this, he would have called it all shit because of the mess I've made so far.

I could somehow imagine a prison break as an accident. But what about the fact that the Guild had sentenced an innocent rank 9 researcher to death? Once this became known to the outside world, the prestige of the Explorers Guild would turn into a pile of shit.

First, because they claim to be an organization that protects researchers.

That's why I asked the priest.

If I could prove my innocence to the priest, I could do it relatively quietly. And then the Explorers Guild wouldn't dare to hide it.

But from the very beginning, this plan was interfered with.

"Thank you for telling me." Go downstairs.

"Yes, sir!" Please let me know if you need anything else!

Listening to the retreating footsteps of the guild employee, I finished my brief reflection.

If it is impossible to entrust the assurance of truth to a priest...

I had no choice but to expand the playing field even more. Only then will the Explorers Guild not be able to silence me and kill me.

Of all the methods that came to my mind, I chose the most radical and effective.

"Ah!"

"Wh-What are you doing?"

As I walked out onto the terrace with a sword pointed at the county head's daughter, I saw people flocking to the street. It seems that these were spectators who had gathered because of the incident with the breakthrough of the underground prison.

"Look!" The criminal is there!!

One of them noticed me and screamed. Attention was instantly focused.

"Ahem...

After clearing my throat once, I shouted, using the talented muscles of the barbarian's throat.

"My name is Bjorn Yandel!" A rank 9 researcher that the Guild was trying to frame and kill! By the gods, I am innocent!

The reaction was immediate.

"Who is this guy?"

"Did he escape from prison?"

It didn't matter if they believed me or not. Since I've cast the bait, more people will be curious and gather.

Maybe it would be the Explorers Guild, but they wouldn't be able to hide the events that everyone was watching in real time.

Now it remains to wait for the arrival of the magician.

Instead of a shield turned into a piece of scrap metal...

I would successfully use the daughter of the head of the district as a shield.

***

"What?" Why are you here, Mr. Yandel?"

"I didn't know the tower would send you.

Hearing a conversation between two unknown men and a woman, Koldo Biermann opened his eyes. It was dark around him, and his body did not move.

What's it? Am I locked up? Why?

Leaving behind a blossoming headache, he remembered his memories.

Several scenes immediately came to mind.

Prisoners rampaged and escaped from their cells. He ran away from them and locked himself in the interrogation room.

And the barbarian who burst through the door and hit him in the face!

And what happened then?

He didn't know.

I didn't know anything at all.

So he focused on his hearing.

"If you heard what happened outside, the news spreads quickly.

"Fast or not!" What are you thinking?! Mr. Yandel, do you think you have more than one life or what?

"If I had several, I wouldn't do it.

Mr. Yandel?

What was that? Was it a barbarian?

"That's enough. Cast your magic quickly.

"If you promise to fulfill one of my requests later."

"I don't know what it is, but if it's in my power...

"Good. You promised. [Dertei Narvas]! And...? Why doesn't it work? Mr. Yandel, do you have a psychological barrier tool?

"Can't you tell I don't have it just by looking at me?" Then I have no choice but to wake up these guys. Do you know how to use the magic of [Video Memory]?

— Yes. You want me to write everything down from now on, right?

The more he listened to the conversation, the more confused he became. And then,

"Oh!" Argh!

Suddenly, the space expanded and his center of gravity shifted downwards. He fell with a crash and hurriedly raised his head. It was the office of the head of the branch on the 3rd floor, which even he had been to no more than a couple of times.

"What?" Are you awake yet?

A total of four people were looking at him.

A barbarian and the head of the branch, a girl he mistook for a mage, and a woman who looked very aristocratic.

He didn't know what was going on, but he decided to start there.

"Head of the branch!" That's the guy! This guy was in charge of the prison break!

"I already know that.

"Yes... yes?

His head was empty for a moment. He didn't understand.

If he knew that this man had committed an outrageous crime, why did he just watch?

"I heard that you led the investigation of this man's case. It's true?

"Yes, yes, that's right.

It was then that he felt the heavy air surrounding the room. He could say this because his job as an investigator was to read the atmosphere. He knew that the air in this place was definitely not favorable for him.

"That barbarian—no, Mr. Yandel—claims that you identified him as a marauder with uncertain information. What do you think about it?

"That's ridiculous!"

"Those words... It would be better if they were true. Otherwise, it will not end with the fact that you will simply lose your job.

"Wh-what do you mean!" He is only a rank 9 researcher!

"Watch your words!" How can a Guild employee judge someone by their rank!

"And-excuse me?"

Biermann was completely frozen by the thunderous howl. Why would a man who had always been the first to despise low-ranking researchers suddenly behave like this?

... As if he was aware that he was being watched from the outside.

About! In retrospect, they said something about "Video Memory"!

Obviously, the conversation they were having now was recorded on a crystal ball held by a magician.

"Hm!" As one who judges good from evil, all the actions of the Guild must be carried out carefully and flawlessly. Tell me the reasons for your judgment.

When he came to his senses, he retold the content of the investigation at the direction of the head of the branch. He began to think that this was the only way to live.

"First of all, they were mana stones. At the checkpoint, he presented an amount of mana gems that far exceeded the average income of a rank 9 researcher. Suspecting this, his backpack was checked and it appeared to contain stolen equipment.

"And then?"

"As a result of the investigation, the truth on this issue could not be confirmed. Because no magic would have affected him.

"Then on what basis did you make the final decision that Mr. Yandel was a marauder?"

- Because of a separate incident. A message stone was found among his belongings. Based on it, we traced the original owner and were able to obtain evidence from a member of the owner's clan that Bjorn Yandel had killed an innocent man and stripped him of his property.

The more he talked about the content of the investigation, his voice gradually filled with confidence. He didn't know why the branch manager was treating him as if he were rebuking him, but there must have been a misunderstanding.

"Sir, there's nothing wrong with my judgment. If you suspect that I may have lied, you can use magic to prove it.

"I'm already doing it. Everything he has said so far is true.

The Magus, who had been calmly watching what was happening, nodded.

However, at this time, the barbarian unknowingly made a sarcastic remark.

"All you have is the testimony of a member of the same clan. It has not been confirmed by magic or investigation.

"What Yandel says, isn't it?"

"That's, that's, that's true, but...

"Why didn't you check this part?"

The branch manager's voice suddenly became cold again. He also had something to say about this.

"First of all, the physiology of this barbarian is a problem! Knowing that magic didn't work, he was only making false claims, unwilling to cooperate!

- False statements? What exactly do you mean?

Biermann replied confidently:

"He once said he survived after being stabbed in the neck. But there were no traces, and I asked him about it, and do you know what he answered? I'll be damned! That the scar disappeared after he ate the Vampire Essence in the Chasm?

"Did he eat the Vampire Essence?"

"Yes, sir!" Sir! What an absurdity! Vampire? In the Chasm, on the 1st floor?

From beginning to end, this barbarian spoke gibberish.

- Uttering a new lie to hide the previous one; This is the most common model of behavior of criminals. But how can I just listen to this person and let precious sorcerers work in vain?

Of course, among his repeated statements of innocence, there were moments when he wondered if there was truth to this. But he decided it didn't matter.

After all, what bad can happen if an innocent, newly grown barbarian dies unjustly?

.... Besides, if I called a Magus, I would have less money to take for myself.

However, it was luck in the midst of misfortune.

A vampire on the 1st floor? If this absurd statement had become public, everyone would have been convinced that he was right.

He had to come up with a more plausible lie!

Soon he was looking at the barbarian with triumphant eyes.

But this did not last long.

"But it's all true," Raven said ingenuously.

His gears stopped at the mage's words.

— ... Sorry?

"Well, I was there, but... I mean, I can't cast a spell on myself.

What the hell is this mage talking about?!