Chapter 112 – Cruel Earth Mage (1)
Guild branch manager.
This was a title bestowed by the “Master” Of the XX Guild on the person in charge of running the ○○ branch. Also called guild leader for short.
Speaking of that man, could he be called the ‘Audumla Guild Sargadis Branch Manager’?
If you put them in order of status, they will be Guild Master 〉 Guild Branch Leader 〉 and other normal adventurers.
“Yes. Hello, Guild Leader. I’m just glad that you seem to be all right today.”
I started fucking flattering him as he sat in the chair.
I didn’t know that last time, and I told that person that I was a senior.
I fucking forgot and didn’t research the full name. I remember saying the fucking name was Carlyle, but if it was actually a nickname or a tease, it could get fucked up. Let’s just call him guild leader.
“Thank you for inviting me. It is a great honor to meet you today as well as yesterday. Is there anything I can help you with?”
“You are more polite than I thought. Don’t be nervous. Whatever you do with Edlyn or Cromwell, I will not interfere.”
Cromwell was the name of the representative of the Wizards Guild, so Edlin would mean the representative of the Gylfi Guild.
But is this messing around now? Doesn’t interfere = Is it OK to interpret it as “I won’t do your back?”
It’s fucked up yeah I also had no interest in rubbing my palms with my father-in-law. Let’s just remain in a business relationship with each other.
“After you left the conference room yesterday, we discussed and decided on a course of action.”
─Tak. Carlisle, the branch manager, put the map on the table.
Okay. A course of action But for some reason, you’re saying it to me. Gao during a meeting Are you asking me to spit out advice here?
“I’m embarrassed by the late news, but are the adventurers gathered on the first floor a subjugation party?”
“Not similar. To explain, the story is long. Sit down.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
I did not refuse and sat down. Because talking while looking up at people is fucking tiring. It was comfortable and nice for him and me to sit down and talk.
“At the conference room, it was concluded that there would be no plan if we speculated without evidence.”
Carlisle took out a map and unfolded it. It was a messy map with all sorts of things drawn on it.
“So last night an investigator was selected. Keeping in mind the possibility that the source of golems was a trap, Nefertiti and I, who are good at stealth, went out to scout the source of golems.”
“You must have worked hard.”
“Yes. However, no matter how many hours Nefertiti and I investigated, we couldn’t find anything suspicious at the place where the golems originated. I found only one magic circle that promotes the creation of golems and returned as it was.”
“Are you talking about the magic circle?”
“It was presumed to have been installed by a black magician. Cromwell analyzed the magic circle he copied and said so. Did not destroy A warlock might notice.”
“You are wise.”
I’ve said that for now, but I don’t know the intention of telling me this story.
I’ve given up on being semi-forced to hear confidential information, but this doesn’t seem to have much to do with me.
Carlyle said, perhaps noticing my thoughts.
“Last night, a 4-member adventurer team was destroyed while searching for the dark mage’s hideout in Sarfort Forest. There is only 1 survivor. Everyone was in the silver class.”
“Yes?”
I was at a loss for words at the main topic that flew in without any hesitation.
That happened last night while I was flirting with Fran and Lalilura! It was so surprising that I almost felt a little guilty, even though I hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Is that the warlock that the Guild Alliance is after?”
“Almost certainly. The survivor woke up this morning to testify. They say he pretended to be dead and got out, only to be attacked by a giant golem carrying a man in a robe.”
“Is that so?”
It was a bloody spine-chilling story.
The Sarpot Forest was supposed to be a woodland area between the town of Perpot and Sargadis. Isn’t that just the name?
But the problem was that Fran and I had been to that forest many times.
Even when exploring the ruins, I passed 3 or 4 times, and when I went to Perfort Village, I moved 2 times round trip near the forest.
A black magician who annihilated a team of silver-class adventurers was hiding in the forest he frequented so often?
This shit. Doesn’t that mean that, if we were unlucky, a warlock could have come out of there and attacked us! Hearing the news that his next-door neighbor was a serial killer wouldn’t have made him so chilled.
“Also, before hearing that testimony, one of the exploration teams found what appeared to be a warlock’s lair. Not just the hideout you mentioned, but the place you think you currently live in.”
─Fallang. Carlisle opened the map and pointed to a red-marked dot. The three hideouts were arranged in a triangle.
I hid my goosebumps for the moment and responded to the conversation.
“Amazing. You did it all this way in just one day.”
“It was a gathering of high-ranking adventurers from one city. It’s not difficult. More important than that is the location of the hideout.”
“… You changed location twice in the same forest.”
I pointed out the sense of incongruity felt in the map.
If the head was rolling properly, when moving the hideout, it would move to a place far away from the existing hideout.
Otherwise, even if one of your old hiding places gets caught, you’re screwed. It’s because I’m caught up in the work of searching the area like now.
They keep changing their hiding places in the same forest while leaving traces. Not cockroaches, but people doing stupid things like that?
The warlock may be an asshole growing a nest of worms in his brain, but I’m afraid this feels a bit harsh.
“We concluded this move this way. There are things to find or study in the forest, I mean.”
“If that’s the case, I understand. It makes sense if you haven’t moved your hiding place because someone caught you, and you’re changing locations from time to time to find what you want.”
The question that I first felt when I took the Hobgoblin’s Power Stone was also resolved.
If the hideout was attacked by someone and the warlock escaped, then the Power Stone should have been retrieved by those raiders. Because that’s something that makes money.
Still, for some reason, the Power Stone was left unattended to the extent that the Hobgoblin could take it.
Therefore, wasn’t the black magician being attacked, and wasn’t he leaving things that were burdensome in order to move undetected by others?
Carlisle pointed to the hideout at the top of the map.
“This is the last hideout discovered. We believe there will be a warlock who destroyed the silver class team here. The coalition’s core force will now launch a raid here.”
“… Why are you even telling me that?”
No matter how much I think about it, I don’t know why.
Are you going to raid from now on? If so, this would have been an operation where prayer and speed were the lifeblood. I couldn’t figure out who was telling me that.
“Because you, who drafted the outline of the operation, deserve to know the true intentions of this operation.”
Carlyle answered my question clearly.
“That subjugation party is a trap set up by the Union. To deceive the warlock by sending a punitive force to the place where the golems are harmless. If a warlock has ‘eyes’ on the city, he will surely see our missteps and catch us off guard.”
“Trap? Is it a double operation?”
“Hit. The core force sneaks out of the city and joins them, attacking his lair while they catch their eyes. That is the heart of the plan that was just laid out this morning.”
─Exactly! Carlyle beats the dark mage’s hideout marked red.
I tried to figure out the coalition’s intentions by spinning my fucking head. Then Carlyle looked into my eyes.
“And this is a personal request, but if possible, I want you to join the golem subjugation team as well.”
“Yes? Why is that again?”
“I checked your promotion review records. I heard you subdued a Hobgoblin with a Power Stone alone with one party member.”
No shit, you are very confident in saying that you did a background investigation. I was a little taken aback, but I didn’t show it on my face.
“For an adventurer with your level of wisdom and skill to stay in the bronze class is a waste of talent. In order to be promoted to the silver class as quickly as possible, I want you to participate in the subjugation team as much as possible without much risk.”
Carlisle moved the corners of his mouth as he said that. Perhaps that is the greatest smile that this golden archer could have.
‘Ah, I see.’
I could understand why he wanted to participate in the punitive force.
Didn’t this human see me being watched by other guild representatives the other day? As a guild leader, he might have thought that it would be a waste to lose sight of an adventurer who would increase his sales performance.
“… What will become of the members of the punitive force?”
“It consisted of bronze class adventurers from each guild and silver and gold class adventurers to lead them. They said there would be cooperation from the wizard guild members.”
“Can non-adventurers participate in the subjugation party?”
“It doesn’t matter as long as your identity is clear.”
Then you can wear a larilu. At Carlisle’s answer, I calculated whether we would be the best match for this subjugation party.
‘Since the black magician has also been spotted in the forest, I don’t think there will be any major trouble at the place where the golems originated.’
The origin of the golem was investigated once by the Union, and it was determined that there was no danger.
So maybe it would be fine. Could it be that the black magician suddenly moved the hiding place there overnight? The Confederacy must have at least someone to watch the hideout.
Thinking that far, I nodded.
“All right. Participate.”
It was also a chance to earn rune proficiency, and there were not that many adventurers on the first floor who would fight together no matter what happened.
It’s a cold story, but if they pulled aggro, our party would have had enough time to pull themselves out.
Perhaps they are thinking the same thing.
***
I went to the first floor and explained the situation to Fran and Lalilura. Fran listened to my explanation and asked.
“What about the pay?”
“For the core, you can take what you hunted, and they said 15 copper per day is added to the basic 30 copper.”
“It is quite high. Is the person in a hurry because it is a request that is recruited on the same day?”
“I guess so.”
Listening to the explanation, it seemed that the reception desk informed the bronze class adventurers every time that there was a subjugation request today.
Was that why so many people were waiting in the guild? Larry Lura twisted her head into a corner.
“Hey, old man? What about me? Am I not participating because I am not an adventurer?”
“No. It was a request from the lord and the alliance, so if you are a citizen of Sargadis, you are allowed to participate. Instead, even if you get hurt, you say you are responsible?”
“Aha♡! Are you worried~? If it’s about the same as the golem we fought last time, there’s no problem~”
“Hehe. Yes. Don’t mess around and get hurt.”
I replied with a smile, but deep inside I was a little amazed.
I didn’t know that the lord’s order even lifted the limit on applicants. It’s almost like warfare.
‘This isn’t a warlock, even if a lich comes, I won’t think it’s a diversion and I’ll be fooled.’
Since the aristocratic lord cooperated so far with the adventurers’ operation, he would never have expected it to be a trap. You would think that the level of the adventurers was also adjusted to the level of the golem.
“Let’s go. You have to apply at the reception desk.”
We finished our discussion and went to the reception desk. Ralilura’s identity was confirmed, and she applied for the subjugation in a group of three.
“You can go to the north gate by 9:00.”
The receptionist gave me a small piece of paper that was also a certificate of participation in the punitive force. We received it, went to the inn, got ready, and went to the north gate.
─Mr. Mm. Mmr.
The number of subjugation teams that received volunteers from each guild was enough to fill the gates of Sargadis. If you count roughly, it seems that there are more than 40 people.
How could there be so many badass adventurers in such a small town? What do they usually do for a living?
“Next!! Next adventurers, come and present your ID!!”
The guards were busy checking the identity of the adventurers and going through the passage process. It was a pre-inspection in front of the castle gate so that there would be no criminals escaping after being caught by the punitive force.
“Ah, why have so many of these bastards gathered? I won’t be able to pick up a few cores at this rate.”
“Haha. Wouldn’t it be quicker to open the dead man’s pockets?”
“Don’t fuck, who wouldn’t be Sekhmet bastards.”
“Don’t fight. How are you going to take responsibility if even we are considered low quality?”
In addition, since it was made up of low-ranking adventurers, they were already growling among themselves.
Fuck it. It’s only natural that the top-ranking representatives are not on good terms.
“Wow☆”
Lalilura sophisticatedly expressed her impression of seeing the subjugation party that was the closest to a rogue. It’s so damn poetic and implied. Fran, who was with him, also smiled bitterly.
We waited for a while, were identified by the guards, and joined with those who had completed the inspection.
‘Isn’t Tyrsi here?’
From what I said the other day, maybe Tirshi was present here, but he couldn’t find this guy through the walls and the noise. It’s not like a fucking market, and there’s no moment when I stop talking.
Anyway, after waiting for about 10 minutes, the identity check was over.
“Fist!!!”
A gold class adventurer in charge of leading the gathered adventurers shouted in a loud voice. It was standing on top of the wagon so that the adventurers could look at it at a glance.
“From now on, we head for the origin of the golems for the peace of Sargadis!! Unless you know what kind of danger there may be at the destination, we forbid all acts such as quarreling, chasing by the neck, stealing, etc.!!”
The gold class adventurer pulled the sword from his waist and hung it in the sunlight.
“This is what each guild leader has agreed to!! I and my team will subdue and punish those who engage in trivial fights or damage morale on behalf of each guild leader!!”
Then, he glares at the crowd with determined eyes. The nape of the neck was a little frightening. It must be living or doing something.
“Only those who are not afraid of my sword and the punishment after my return will stir up trouble.”
I was a little bit offended at being scolded because I hadn’t done anything wrong, but fortunately the subjugation party calmed down at his words.
At a glance, it seemed that they were too much of a Tang Dynasty army, so they gave up on holding the military discipline and only suppressed the atmosphere.
I had no idea if that adventurer knew or not that this was a diversionary operation. Maybe it’s because they think they’ve been entrusted with the subjugation party after receiving the expectations of their superiors, and they’re fighting spiritedly.
The gold class adventurer looked around the silenced punitive force and raised his sword again and shouted.
“Golem Subjugation Team!! Departure as of the present time!!”
