Despite the chaos in the training ground having calmed down, many were still scurrying around, attending to the aftermath.

"Oww... it hurts so much..." moaned one of the defeated adventurers.

"Considering you requested a sparring match and got off this lightly, I’d say you’re lucky," one of the adventurer guild staff coldly replied while treating the injured.

The guild staff's tone was harsh. They had spent days dealing with injuries outside of their typical responsibilities and had a good idea of what these adventurers were really up to.

"Shtop... my pouch... there's a potion—gah! It hurts!" one of the Gluttonous Zeromut members screamed as he was dragged away.

"Shut up. You don’t get a choice here. Get moving!" barked one of the guards.

"Yes, sir!" the soldiers responded, carrying the defeated men like mere objects—actually, worse than objects. They dragged them across the ground without any concern for their broken or crushed limbs.

These were the city guards of Kamar. The members of Gluttonous Zeromut had committed crimes in numerous cities, towns, and villages before arriving in Kamar. Though it was technically the responsibility of the local lords to deal with such criminals, Gluttonous Zeromut was a clan of around 300 adventurers, and their leader, Mauve, was an S-rank adventurer. No noble wanted to create trouble by confronting them, preferring instead to ignore the pleas of their subjects, so long as their own interests remained unaffected.

However...

These nobles, being part of the ruling class, couldn’t let such disrespect slide. When they learned that Gluttonous Zeromut was heading to Kamar, they subtly informed Mus of their presence, hinting that a suspicious group might cause trouble in his domain. The message was clear: If something happens, deal with it.

Mus, of course, saw through their intentions. They wanted him to clean up their mess. Still, it wasn’t like him to let their scheme play out exactly as they intended, so he turned to Yu. Mus requested that Yu deal with Gluttonous Zeromut however he wished, as long as they were captured alive. Mus wanted to use their capture for negotiations with the other nobles.

Yu had no interest in Mus’s political maneuvering. His only condition was the lifting of the ban on Koro and Lan’s access to not just Kamar, but the entire kingdom of Wudon. Mus, though displeased, agreed, provided that Yu would not hold him accountable if he failed to deliver results.

As for the other adventurers who had only been half-killed, the reason for sparing them was simple. Killing one or two people in the guild’s training ground might be overlooked, but a massacre would not go unnoticed by the guild. No matter how deep Yu’s connections with Morphis ran, a large number of deaths would be impossible to ignore.

But even these reasons were just a facade. The real reason was far simpler—Colette. For some inexplicable reason, whenever Yu was around her, his killing intent diminished. In fact, there were moments when Yu had intended to make an example out of someone, but Colette’s gaze made him hesitate, and he found it hard to behave as he usually would.

"That was quite the spectacle," Victor remarked.

"How insincere," Mago shot back.

Victor and Mago were among the spectators. Since Yu’s return to Kamar, Victor had been persistently following him around with a request. Mago, wary of Victor, had also stuck close. Mago’s camp had seen several people start gravitating towards Victor, which made Mago uneasy. He didn’t believe Yu would easily be swayed by Victor, but better to be cautious than complacent.

"Lord Sato, it must be tiring to deal with this rabble day after day," Victor said, approaching Yu with open arms as if they were old friends.

Before he could get too close, Namari stepped in front of Yu like a shield, and Marifa glared icily at Victor from behind. But Victor paid them no mind.

"Indeed," Yu agreed, much to Victor’s delight.

"In that case, how about a change of pace?" Victor suggested.

"Hmph, Lord Yu, pay no heed to this suspicious man’s words," Mago warned.

"Oh my, Mago, is that jealousy I hear?"

"Jealousy? You must be joking. Why would I, someone who has much deeper connections with Lord Yu, need to feel jealous of you?"

"Hmm, it seems Mago is unaware," Victor said with a smirk.

"Unaware of what, exactly? Please, do enlighten me," Mago retorted, growing irritated. Normally, Mago would remain calm and composed in the face of provocations, especially when dealing with shrewd merchants. But something about Victor threw him off balance.

Ignoring their exchange, Yu called out, "Agafon."

"Y-Yes!" Agafon, who had been nervously watching from the sidelines, hurried over. Even Akane, lounging on top of his head, told him to "get it together," but he was too tense to respond.

"What’s the situation?" Yu asked directly, skipping any pleasantries.

Agafon didn’t need to ask what Yu meant. "We’ve been delving into the Demonic Forest Garden labyrinth. The materials we collect go to the adventurers’ guild, and we sell any spirit wood to Bernd’s forge, as per their request."

"I see. You’ve been working hard," Yu replied.

Some spectators muttered insults like, "An E-rank in a labyrinth like that?" and "Bernd’s is the biggest forge in Kamar. What gives him the right?" However, a single glance from Yu was enough to silence them.

"Ready yourself," Yu instructed.

Without hesitation, Agafon drew his greatsword made of obsidian steel. Yu followed suit, drawing his dragon-forged sword, Shoku. The crowd stirred uneasily.

Nina whispered to Lena, "Maybe you should set up a barrier around Colette, just in case."

Lena nodded slightly and cast a barrier, not only protecting Colette but the guild staff as well.

"Wait, is he really going to swing at him?"

"Is this serious?"

"No way. This has to be a joke."

"It’s just a bluff."

But even those who thought it was a joke could feel the tension in the air, the pressure coming from Yu telling them otherwise.

As the unease grew, one of the spectators swallowed nervously. At that moment—

"Huh?"

A stupid-sounding word slipped from someone’s mouth.

Agafon’s figure had disappeared, followed a moment later by a deafening crash that echoed through the training ground.

"My ears! What the hell just happened?"

"I didn’t see a thing!"

While the lower-ranked adventurers were left in shock, some of the higher-ranked ones had caught the brief exchange. Yu had swung his sword in a horizontal slash, and Agafon had blocked it with his own blade. Agafon had reacted to an attack that most adventurers couldn’t even perceive.

"Agafon didn’t die, did he?" Akane asked as she flew over to the far end of the training ground, where Agafon was slumped against the wall. The training ground’s walls were reinforced, designed to withstand significant impacts, but Agafon had taken the brunt of the blow, causing him to cough up blood.

"H-He’s alive..." Agafon groaned.

"Barely!" Akane quipped.

The area where Agafon had been standing was marked by two deep grooves in the ground, leading to where he now lay. The spectators, who had mocked him for being an E-rank, were silent, staring at the scene in disbelief.

"Victor," Yu called.

"Yes, Lord Sato, I am here!" Victor replied eagerly, running over.

"About that matter you asked me for earlier. I’ll do it."

"W-What? Really?" Victor stammered, caught off guard by Yu’s sudden change of heart.

"Yeah, you want the reverse scale of an ancient dragon, right?"

"For this Victor, there is no greater joy! To think that Lord Sato would finally—"

Mago glared at the two of them with disdain as they conversed.

"But I’ll need to go to Ryubeff, correct?" Yu asked.

"I feel terrible about asking you to go personally, but the other party—"

"Warren, right? Is Eight Coins really that busy?"

Though Yu’s question wasn’t meant as sarcasm, Victor hesitated. And for good reason. Warren held the power to negotiate on equal terms with the Kingdom of Wudon, one of the five great nations. Even for someone like Victor, it was natural to feel conflicted about asking Yu to go out of his way.

"The current business deal strengthens the ties between Lord Benjamin and Warren—" Victor began to explain.

"I don’t care," Yu cut him off, clearly uninterested.

With that, Yu abruptly ended the conversation, leaving Victor at a loss. Even Mago, who typically found Victor bothersome, felt a little pity for him. Victor’s demeanor suggested he wasn’t acting of his own accord—he was following orders from higher up, something even Mago could recognize.

"Agafon."

"Y-Yes!" Agafon responded. Thanks to Babe’s healing magic, he had recovered enough to quickly make his way to Yu.

"I have urgent matters to attend to. While I’m gone, you’ll act as the leader of Nameless. Deal with any fools who cause trouble," Yu instructed.

"I understand."

"If you lose, it’s the same as Nameless losing," Yu added casually.

At those words, the hairs on Agafon’s body stood on end. The surrounding crowd let out murmurs of surprise. Yu’s reputation was formidable, but if it was just Agafon, some might actually see this as an opportunity. Defeating Nameless’s temporary leader would grant them immense fame and recognition. The crowd buzzed with excitement, each person calculating the possible benefits.

"W-Wait! Yu, calm down!" came a voice from the crowd. It was Rarit, pushing through the throng, his expression one of genuine concern.

"What’s this? Isn’t it our friendly Rarit?" someone in the crowd teased.

"Shut up! This is no time for jokes. Listen, all of you! What Yu just said—it was a joke! Don’t go getting any stupid ideas and embarrass yourselves later!" Rarit warned sternly.

"It wasn’t a joke," Yu responded flatly.

"Agafon can’t handle this alone!" Rarit pressed, his face serious. Though Agafon had managed to block Yu’s strike earlier, that didn’t mean he could stand up to high-level adventurers or mercenaries.

"Agafon and the others want to join me in exploring the labyrinth. If they can’t handle this, I won’t take them along," Yu explained.

"The labyrinth...?" Rarit’s eyes widened.

"I plan to take them into an S-rank labyrinth," Yu said casually.

An icy chill ran down Rarit’s spine.

"A-An S-rank labyrinth? You’re going to take Agafon and the others?" Rarit stammered.

"That’s right. I’m going to reach S-rank and conquer the labyrinth. If I’m the first to do it, I’ll be the greatest adventurer," Yu said with unsettling calmness.

"S-Sure, you might become an S-rank adventurer one day, and maybe you could even conquer an S-rank labyrinth..." Rarit began, trying to reason with Yu. He placed his hands on Yu’s shoulders, as if to ground him in reality.

"But you don’t have to rush into it! Agafon and the others show promise. Give them ten years—no, even just five years, and they could be your support in the labyrinth. You don’t need to push them so soon."

"Five years, huh?" Yu muttered softly.

"Exactly! Just five short years! You’re all young, you have plenty of time!" Rarit said, relieved that Yu seemed to be listening. He wasn’t the kind of boy to charge blindly into danger. Rarit believed there was no need for Yu to rush into the labyrinth. The labyrinth wasn’t going anywhere, and they could afford to take their time, growing stronger before they tackled it.

"There’s no time..." Yu said quietly.

"Yes, no time... Wait, what? No time!?" Rarit’s expression twisted in shock.

Yu wasn’t smiling. In fact, his face looked darker than usual, as if something was weighing heavily on his mind.

"What are you talking about? You do have time! Yu, wait! I’m not done talking!" Rarit shouted, chasing after Yu as he left the training ground. Nina and the others followed behind him, leaving only the onlookers behind.

"Well, this is getting quite interesting, wouldn’t you agree, Lady Colette?" Victor said with a sly grin.

"Victor, please stop calling me ‘Lady’," Colette replied, clearly uncomfortable with the honorific.

"If I fail to address you properly, Lord Sato will surely scold me later," Victor said with exaggerated politeness.

"I’m really not comfortable with this," Colette insisted.

"Consider this," Victor said, suddenly adopting a more serious tone.

"C-Consider what?"

Victor, usually filled with an air of suspicion, now gazed directly at Colette with surprising intensity.

"What if, when Lord Sato became an adventurer, you had not been his guild contact?"

"What do you mean by that...?" Colette asked, puzzled.

"I shudder to think what kind of future might have unfolded if that had been the case," Victor said ominously, before flashing a mischievous smile.

"It’s possible that you, Colette, may have saved not just the Kingdom of Wudon, but perhaps even the entire world," he added with a playful twinkle in his eye.

"Victor!" Colette exclaimed, flustered and embarrassed.

"I assure you, I speak no lies. I swear by the gods," Victor said, hand on heart. But Colette was unconvinced.

"You’re just teasing me again! Like that ridiculous story!" she shot back.

"The one about the ‘Seducer’s Witch’?" Victor asked, still smirking.

"Yes, that one!"

Colette’s whole body seemed to express her frustration as she puffed up in anger. Despite her indignation, there was something endearing about her reactions.

"My sincerest apologies for calling you the ‘Seducer’s Witch’, Lady Colette."

"Then—" Colette began, hoping for an apology.

"You are far more than that. The ‘Seducer’s Witch’ only affected people of the opposite sex from her own race. You, however, transcend both gender and species, charming everyone around you. Unaware of your own power, you wield an influence that could be catastrophic if used deliberately," Victor said, his eyes gleaming with sincerity.

Colette was left speechless by Victor’s words. But then, in a playful twist, he tugged on the ends of his mustache and made a ridiculous face. Colette turned beet red, realizing once again she had been played.

"Victor!" she shouted in exasperation.

※

"Yay! We’re going on a trip!" Tin cheered as she skipped around the mansion’s living room.

"Are you bringing Tin and the others with you?" Marifa asked.

"Yeah. Tin and the rest haven’t had a chance to leave Kamar yet. It’s a good opportunity to take them to Ryubeff," Yu replied.

"And who will be looking after the mansion?" Marifa glanced over at Koro and Lan, who were lazily rolling around on the floor. Bringing such high-ranking monsters on a long journey would undoubtedly cause issues in the cities they passed through.

Koro and Lan groaned as if in protest.

"Koro and Lan will stay here with Nameless," Yu said.

"But if Agafon and the others head to the labyrinth, the house will be empty. Is that okay?" Nina asked, sounding concerned.

"It’ll be fine!" Namari shouted as she launched herself into Nina’s chest.

"Everything will be fine," Marifa assured them. With her insects at her disposal, any small-time troublemakers wouldn’t pose a problem. Still, Marifa couldn’t shake the unease that had settled in her mind.

(Why does Master seem so rushed?)

Though she kept her face neutral, Marifa quietly pondered the troubling thought.