Vibro’s attitude shifted completely from before, and he glared at Kousuke.
“So, you’re saying that ‘Fang of the Divine Wolf’ is threatening the Tower Conquest Guild?”
Kousuke shrugged at Vibro’s words.
“Why would that be considered a threat?”
“Why, because…”
“We’re simply stating that this building is our base. Within it, you must follow our rules.”
Vibro opened his mouth to say something in response to Kousuke’s statement, but Kousuke cut him off and continued.
“If you still insist on demanding that we change our rules, then it means the Tower Conquest Guild is interfering with a private guild. Is that what you want?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Why would it escalate to such a grand scale?”
“However, what you are currently demanding of us is exactly that, isn’t it?”
Kousuke’s words were met with a scoff from Vibro.
“Hmph. You may be good with words, but your execution is lacking.”
“Yes. That’s true. Just like how you’re being found out for intentionally taking that attitude.”
At this point, the expressions on Vibro’s and the surrounding people’s faces changed subtly.
“….What?”
“Did you really think we wouldn’t notice? Someone in your position wouldn’t come all the way here just for an obvious inspection, would they? Your purpose must be to observe, right?”
As Kousuke spoke, Vibro shut his mouth and stared at Kousuke.
Kousuke had been intentionally provoking him precisely because he understood Vibro’s objective.
Of course, he also intended to inform them of the rules of ‘Fang of the Divine Wolf.’
After a brief silence, Vibro finally looked at Kousuke and said,
“When did you know?”
“From the beginning.”
“What?”
Kousuke shrugged at Vibro, who showed a hint of surprise.
“Just because your guild is conquering the tower at an unprecedented speed doesn’t mean the members should be this excessive if you were just here to threaten us.”
The representative Vibro, the vice-representative Alta, and several other individuals who appeared to be executives of the Tower Conquest Guild were present.
As Kousuke had said, the members were far too excessive.
If Vibro had intended to suppress ‘Fang of the Divine Wolf’ by leveraging the Tower Conquest Guild’s influence, Vibro alone would have been sufficient.
“Haa…”
After listening to Kousuke’s explanation, Vibro let out a large sigh, sank deep into his chair, and his demeanor completely changed.
The light impression he had given until now vanished, replaced by the dignity of someone who led an organization.
“What is it. I only came to confirm the rumors, nothing more.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Kousuke’s reply was met with a chuckle from Vibro.
“Since engaging in strange negotiations with you would be futile, I’ll ask directly: How did you conquer it?”
Vibro’s question was met with a puzzled tilt of Kousuke’s head.
“What do you mean?”
“Our reception desk spoke to someone the other day, and they said you’ve already reached the 46th Floor. How did you conquer it in such a short period?”
Vibro asked this, watching Kousuke closely, perhaps thinking Kousuke was trying to play dumb.
However, there was nothing to hide regarding the tower conquest.
“There’s nothing to it. I don’t think we’re doing anything particularly special. It’s the same as what I told your vice-representative the other day.”
“Now, look. Monsters appear inside the tower, right? If you were just passing through, your method might work, but surely that’s impossible.”
“I understand what you’re saying, but…”
Kousuke paused for a moment before shrugging and continuing.
“While our wagon is custom-made, it’s for comfortable travel. It has no power to deal with monsters.”
Ririka, who had been listening by Kousuke’s side, interjected as Kousuke genuinely tilted his head.
“Lord Kou, why don’t you mention Lady Millie?”
As if realizing it then, Kousuke balled his right fist and lightly tapped it against his left hand.
Millie was Mitsuki’s alias.
“Ah, that’s right!”
“What? So there is a secret after all.”
“No, it’s not really a secret… does our Corry know?”
Vibro blinked for a moment at Kousuke’s sudden change of topic.
However, he quickly recognized Kouhi, who had been the subject of recent talk, and nodded deeply.
“Ah. You mean that beautiful young lady who’s been talked about in the arena? Oh, you can’t be.”
“Yes. Exactly. Millie here is as skilled as Corry.”
Kousuke’s words caused the faces of the Tower Conquest Guild members to contort.
A practitioner in the arena held considerable influence. They were surprised by the fact that there was another person of similar strength.
However, Kousuke then said something even more unexpected.
“Ah, right. Nana, come here for a moment.”
Nana, who had been lying down a short distance from where Kousuke was sitting, got up at his words and approached.
“When we were conquering the tower, her power was rather significant.”
“That one?”
“Yes. After all, even while traveling by wagon, she’ll spontaneously rush out and repel any monsters that seem like they might attack. On top of that, she can quickly defeat monsters around the 40th Floor. She’s a really good girl.”
As Kousuke said this with a completely casual expression, one of the Tower Conquest Guild members finally burst out.
“Don’t be absurd! It’s just a type of wolf! What can a familiar of that caliber do?! There must be another secret!”
Although only one person spoke up, the others, excluding Vibro and Alta, had similar expressions. They clearly didn’t believe Kousuke’s words.
Kousuke noticed this but kept his eyes on Vibro.
Regardless of what the others said, what mattered was how the leader of the organization would judge the situation.
Vibro, scratching his head with his right hand, wore a troubled expression.
“I understand what you’re saying, but… do you really think anyone would believe that?”
“That, I can’t help if you feel that way. I’m only stating the facts.”
Since it was the unvarnished truth, Kousuke had nothing more to say.
To be precise, he was downplaying Mitsuki’s and Nana’s true capabilities. If he told them the whole story, they would be even less likely to believe him.
If they found out, it would only lead to more trouble, so he had no intention of revealing it.
“In that case, can we see that one’s strength? If what you say is true, we’ll accept it.”
Vibro’s suggestion was met with a sigh from Kousuke.
“What would be the benefit for us in doing that? Furthermore, isn’t probing the combat strength of our guild a violation of the rules?”
For both the Adventurer’s Guild and the Tower Conquest Guild, attempting to uncover the combat strength of private guilds was forbidden.
However, the existence of the ‘Card’ in both guilds meant that some information was known, but at least officially, that was the rule.
“Hmm. But…”
Vibro hesitated, and Kousuke sighed again.
“Very well. I really didn’t want to use this, but…”
“What? Is there something else?”
“Do you have enough Hangero root?”
“What?”
Vibro tilted his head at Kousuke’s sudden question.
However, Kousuke didn’t seem bothered and continued.
“We also have Nero’s hide. It takes time to process, so it would be troublesome if you ran out. Ah, and there’s also mini-bear gall and heavy-saurian tongue.”
As Kousuke rattled off the materials one after another, Vibro’s face gradually turned pale.
Alta, sitting beside him, had a similar expression.
The others looked bewildered, indicating that only Vibro and Alta understood the meaning of Kousuke’s words.
“W-wait. I understand. That’s enough. We’ll believe what you said. So please don’t say anything further.”
“Is that so? I’m relieved you understand.”
Kousuke replied with a smile to Vibro, who suddenly clutched his head.
Seeing Kousuke’s smile, Vibro let out a hearty sigh.
The discussion, which seemed like it would go on endlessly, finally saw the eruptive brilliance of the “dark” Kousuke (for the first time in a while, perhaps?).
What the materials listed at the end were will be explained in the next chapter.
