—Kokufu Hideout, Room of the Boss
“So, what happened? I was hoping for some rest.”
“…”
“Actually, the unit that was doing slave hunts might have been annihilated.”
Christoph summoned Prisla and Ad to begin explaining the situation. He told them that Hope was scouring the area as a spy and that Karna’s unit had not returned to the hideout, which made Prisla panic.
“Wh-what are you doing!? This is a top-secret mission from the homeland!”
“Don’t you raise your voice too much! What if the people outside hear you!”
The three wore black masks and never showed their true faces, even to their subordinates in Kokufu. Hope was no different. While meaningless with Appraisal Eye, in this area, far from Trisen, their names were not well-known. With magic from Royal Court Mages summoned from their homeland, they had altered the memories of the Kokufu members regarding these four individuals and taken their places as leaders. Even just wearing masks was quite effective. However, for those with executive-level strength, it was a different story, and memory alteration effects became weak. While they knew the leaders had been replaced, they would experience mental blocks, such as not questioning it or being unable to recall the leaders’ names, leading to scattered memories. If executives in this state were interrogated, it could be fatal to them.
“But, if, what if? If Karna exposes our secret, Gaun, let alone the other three countries, even the Adventurer Guild won’t stay silent. If that happens, we won’t be heroes anymore… On the contrary, we might be branded as traitors! Ugh, it’s only been a little while since we started our activities…”
“…”
While Prisla caused a commotion, Ad, a muscular man, silently closed his eyes.
“Ad! You say something too! Our fate is on the line!”
“…I just want to fight strong people. I’ll carve my own destiny.”
“Th-this muscle-brain…”
“Calm down, Prisla! That’s why Hope is moving! For now, let’s confirm the situation—”
—Thump, thump!
“…”
Just as Christoph was trying to calm the situation, a knock echoed from the room’s door. Christoph and Prisla reacted to the sound and slowly turned their faces towards the door.
“Wh-what is it!?”
“Boss, it’s me. I have an urgent report from Hope, brother.”
“Oh, you’re quick! As expected from that Hope fellow!”
“B-but, urgent… Did something bad happen?”
“Isn’t that exactly what the information is about? Here, hurry up and go in to report.”
“Y-yes.”
*Creak.* The door slowly, slowly opened. Standing on the other side was Christoph’s direct subordinate… with a sword thrust through his abdomen, a man in a black robe. Behind him, several human shadows could be seen.
“Wh-why…? If I, do what you, say, you’ll spare, my life, you promised…?”
“Ah, sorry. It was a lie. I have no intention of letting any of you bandits live.”
With that, the man swung the sword he had thrust into him. The subordinate was torn apart like scrap paper, his gruesome corpse scattering before Christoph, exposing his final moments.
“Hmph…”
Christoph observed the man. Black hair, dressed head to toe in black robes. Looking closely at the sword that had just dispatched his subordinate, it was a staff covered in magic power. The magic power was so dense that it was visible, causing him to misjudge its nature.
“Hello, heroes. It seems you’ve been causing quite a bit of trouble in my hometown.”
The man’s face smiled genially, but his eyes were cold. Christoph and his companions, seasoned adventurers, could tell at a glance. This man was an anomaly.
***
“Hello, heroes. It seems you’ve been causing quite a bit of trouble in my hometown.”
After finishing off the last survivor of Kokufu, I confronted the executives. Simultaneously, I immediately used Riddle Eye and uploaded the data to my subordinate network. I also let Gerard and Sera into the room.
“You, you had my subordinate disarm the trap on the door, didn’t you?”
According to the Status screen, this was Christoph, the leader. The woman with clattering jewels beside him was Prisla, and the man with a shaved head like a monk was Ad. Judging solely by their strength stats, Ad seemed more troublesome than Christoph.
“Ah, it was a strong detonation-type magic circle, and it was troublesome to disarm, so I had him open it while he was sleeping. This key also turned out to be a dummy for this door.”
I threw the key ring Hope had been carrying onto the floor. This key ring contained most of the keys to the hideout, but when I analyzed it with Riddle Eye, it was judged that the key to the boss’s room was fake. If one had tried to open the door with this key by mistake, the trap would have activated immediately. Well, Sera would have seen through it with her Detection Skill then.
“This is… Hope’s…!”
“What’s past is past. Christoph, Prisla, Ad. You, who are called heroes of Trisen, what are you doing associating with bandits? Is kidnapping the hobby of heroes?”
“…Hah, you even know our true identities.”
Christoph slowly took off his mask. It was the first time I saw his face, but somehow, he had a bear-like appearance. Wouldn’t bandit leader suit him better than hero?
“As you pointed out, I am Christoph. If you have such accurate information, did you kill Karna too?”
“Who knows?”
“Tch, being evasive.”
With Christoph revealing his identity, Prisla and Ad began to take off their masks as well.
“Hmph! Either way, you won’t leave alive now that you know our identities. I don’t know who you are, but prepare to see the true strength of an A-Rank adventurer!”
“Such soldiers are not easy to fight. Let us revel in this moment to our heart’s content.”
Magic overflowed from Prisla’s jewels, and Ad leisurely raised his spear.
“That’s right. You might be feeling good about yourself after defeating Hope and his subordinates, but facing such adversity is commonplace for us. Regret underestimating us as you perish!”
Christoph grabbed the great axe hanging on the wall and brought it down to the floor with a *thump*.
Impressive, they’ve already lost the panic from moments ago. They switch gears quickly. It was the same with Hope, but their composure in this area is fitting for heroes.
“Coincidentally, we are both three people… Now, let us decide our fate— !? Prisla, fall back!”
“Eh?”
—*Thwack*
Before Ad could finish his words, events had already unfolded.
“Huh? Huh? Y-you’re kidding?”
“…Guh.”
It was nothing complicated. Sera attacked Prisla, and Gerard attacked Ad. Of course, with the first blow, all of Prisla’s jewels were shattered, and Ad’s spear was sliced in two and crumbled to pieces.
“Sorry, but I was of the same mind until I came here. However, I saw something unpleasant on the way, and my feelings changed. This isn’t a fight or a decisive battle. It’s a one-sided punishment.”
