Day 122
It was another cold morning.
I equipped the exoskeleton [Jade Eagle King's Flight] version, made of the same material the Jade Eagle was made of.
Alone, I set off into the sky heading towards the current position of our second group led by Minokichi-kun.
Minokichi-kun had finished his boss hunting in the deepest parts of the dungeon he was in. According to him, he was heading out towards the exit of the dungeon, but ended up running into the 'Boss' of another party of adventurers.
It would seem that a Minotaur was not particularly common in that dungeon and it ended up resulting in Minokichi-kun being mistaken for a Boss. Given his size and status as a subspecies of Minotaur, I can't say I blame the adventurers that much.
Needless to say, Minokichi-kun had caused something not so easily considered as 'just' an uproar. It would also seem that I was inadvertently forgotten initially during this situation.
This was because Asue-chan believed that there wouldn't be an issue, but it seemed to be that the adventurers, especially the Adventurers of Nigeashi, were far more persistent in the complex structure than expected.
Given the situation, they had to flee before much could be described. As it would turn out, they did end up passing quite a few other groups on their way out, though nearly all of them fled the moment they saw his figure. For the moment there weren't any groups giving chase, but it was unknown whether or not a greater situation would arise as the story reached the numerous adventurers on the outside.
It was a dangerous situation, so they decided to contact me before attempting anything else. Minokichi-kun was certainly not helpless in this situation and planned to simply use force to solve the issue and leave the city.
Of course I ordered a drastically different solution for the group through the cuffs by ordering them to wait. It was decided that I would be necessary to solve the problem without causing a diplomatic incident.
While this was going on, Asue-chan had already left to explain the current situation to the guild and other adventurer parties that she came across. It was highly unlikely that it would solve the issue though, and I was convinced that there was an even lower chance of anyone believing the story.
Since I was carrying the [Proof of Belonging to Royal Authority] that was received from the Tomboy Princess, I was hoping this problem could be solved without further complication. Nevertheless, whether the [Proof of Belonging to Royal Authority] could be useful in this city remained to be seen.
As it stands, the Labyrinth city is not in an area I'm too familiar with. If it were closer to the Royal Capital, I'd be more certain, but the Sternbild Kingdom's borders do have limits.
If the situation goes sour, I should just be prepared to destroy the entire city with one of my most devastating methods, [Pandemonium of the Black Apostle].
In all honesty, it's surprisingly not that bad of an idea...
There are a great many adventurers who would be decent for eating because it's a Labyrinth city. It's also even a possible base that is surrounded by high walls that could become a training area.
Though, I'm preferring the idea of keeping that as a last resort for the time being.
Since Minokichi-kun wants to be out of the city by noon today, it's best to clarify things before that point. There are limits to a berserker's patience, something I'm keeping in mind as I increase my current speed.
After only a short period of time, I arrive at the Labyrinth city where Minokichi-kun's team is present.
I managed to arrive there within an hour due to the sheer speed I was traveling at. Since it would probably cause trouble if I flew in over the walls, I knew that I would simply have to enter officially through the front.
After I showed the middle-aged gatekeeper the [Proof of Belonging to Royal Authority] the gate was raised without wasting a second.
Once I entered the Labyrinth city, I saw the figures of the rest of the individuals within Minokichi's party who were split off. They were the ones who were ordered to wait for me at the entrance of the city the moment they arrived.
It was still morning, and despite this being a vibrant Labyrinth city, there was quite the dark atmosphere drifting around. When I used [Wiretapping] to learn the source of the unusual ordeal, it was none other than Minokichi-kun.
Hearing this, my speed increased considerably.
After a few short minutes, the three hotels of the <<Guild>> came into view. Currently, there was a turmoil of people hurriedly taking measures and scurrying to and from the building.
Well, now that we've arrived at the building, I enter through the front door and triggered [Black Demon's Dignity], and in just an instant, only the sound of flies could be heard. The galvanized clashing of iron armor disappeared.
Taking a short look around, a great number of people had collapsed and fainted. The few still conscious had pointed their full attention at me. I chose to just ignore the staring eyes and call for the guild's employees.
The one who approached was a cat-eared middle-aged man who trembled with a blue face. I asked him to call the guild master, the highest authority of the <<Guild>>.
Even though the man before me was middle-aged, he ran with lightning speed through a door. I chose a chair to sit down in and chatted with the other members of Minokichi-kun's party. After a short while, the man returned and I was asked to follow him into a back room.
The room was quite luxurious, decorated with items most likely brought back from the labyrinth. It was quite expensive-looking.
As I waited, I was presented and drank a coffee-like beverage as a tiny man with a jolly belly entered the room.
He was younger than I expected, only around forty years of age. With him came a woman with glasses that looked to be his secretary.
The plump little man sat down on the sofa across from me with the secretary women standing silently behind him.
After a brief self-introduction, I learned that this plumb man is the Guild Master. In the previous guild I had been in, [Purgatory Guild Branch], the Guild Master had been an old man. It was because of that I had created the assumption that most Guild Masters are old men.
Since that was the case, I was a bit surprised, but what really matters is a person's ability and wisdom.
In the conversation with the Guild Master, I explained to him the matter which had brought me to the city.
I explained that the Minotaur that had created quite the disturbance was in fact my companion and that there was no need to be so vigilant.
At first, they had doubted the story a bit, but they soon began to understand.
Though, I seem to have been slightly late in my arrival...
Eighteen people from three of the more highly skilled adventurer parties within the city had banded together and formed a [Raid Party] in order to subdue the inbound Minokichi-kun and his team.
The misunderstanding that had arisen about Minokichi-kun's team had been more or less half settled with the Guild Master-- the other half had to be proven-- but things would become troublesome if the Raid Party ended up being murdered by Minokichi-kun and his team.
Basically, inside the labyrinth, killing non-monsters is a pretty major taboo. If the homicide is discovered, an appropriate punishment is dealt.
All in all, this was a pretty delicate situation, especially with the Raid Party seeing them as monsters.
In any case, if Minokichi-kun and his team kill the Raid Party, a penalty will be demanded.
The penalty for those who are found guilty are generally such things as the collection of materials within dangerous locations through various means, and of course without any payment, for a predetermined period of service.
Even though this was not set into law, it was commonly agreed upon by all publicly.
On the other hand, this penalty would not occur for the Raid Party, even if they managed to kill Minokichi-kun and his team.
It was downright unreasonable, but according to the Guild Master, the problem more or less rested with recognizing Minokichi-kun.
Naturally, I seriously wanted to complain, but there was no helping it due to how unreasonable the world itself is.
I would like to kill the adventurers and take their equipment, but given the circumstances and the impossibility to avoid blame, I contacted Minokichi-kun and the others to inform them to not kill the Raid Party.
He was stunned to hear he wasn't allowed to kill them and that he had to surrender a portion of the equipment.
Because the whole situation was an accident, some of the equipment could be taken and there was no helping it. Regardless, I set up precautions.
I killed some time doing some minor business with the Guild Master. The materials that we produce in the forest sells for quite the high price, something that I did not expect. Then, after completing various procedures and documentation, I contacted Minokichi-kun again and told him that they will be able to depart at noon as planned. Because we were waiting at the entrance of the Labyrinth, we managed to meet him and his team as they came out.
With me there to confirm the story was the plump little Guild Master, the secretary woman, the Raid party, and more than thirty guards that were under the employ of the Guild.
It could probably be said that the number of people that came to confront the present Minokichi-kun was far too low in both number and skill.
As soon as they saw him come out of the Labyrinth, all of them took a step back unconsciously.
I could more or less understand it. When such an imposing figure stood before them, even the tough-looking and robust men took such an action.
By the way, the townsfolk looked at Minokichi-kun from a distance as he left the Labyrinth. There was a bit of confusion amongst the people as expected, but there was no panic breaking out within the Labyrinth city.
Even though I knew, it was really quite something to actually see Minokichi-kun in person.
He. Is. HUGE!!
As of now, he is more than twice my size. He stands five meters in height and I need to look up just to see his face. The massive figure that I'm seeing is intimidating just by itself. It's not just the size, but each part of his body is pretty flashy. Each time he takes a breath, thunder and flames come out of his big mouth. His lower body is completely covered in a golden fur that emits a crackling sound similar to thunder. The color of the upper masculine body is brown and didn't really change too much from before. His tattoos resemble mine and are both black and gold in color. He has a new [Divine Protection] which draws quite a bit of attention, but it's not something that can be helped. On his shoulders are the Raid Party members, groaning in pain.
Yeah... it's a pretty surreal sight to behold. Next to him is Asue-chan who also played as another factor to this unique atmosphere.
It's such a great feeling.
All of the Raid Party members were injured. Most of them were heavily injured, though a few were gravely injured and one only had some minor burns. Some of them had complex fractures or missing limbs, but none of them had died nor were they in danger of such.
As such, no penalty followed the situation.
I even decided to heal them. As I did so, some of the party members looked as if they wanted to say something, but I cast them a serious look and they shut up real quick.
There weren't any further problems due to the intermediation of the Guild Master himself, but if the Raid party intends to attempt a night raid on us, I will gladly partake in devouring them.
Since there was no further business to be taken care of, I informed Minokichi-kun to return to the base as soon as he saw fit. Afterwards, I departed quickly after collecting almost all of the items that Minokichi-kun had gained.
Even though I had the [Proof of Belonging to Royal Authority], it was quite the troublesome and time consuming process to get them out of the city. Minokichi-kun even acquired a Spirit Stone. Ah, he is such a good guy. Hmm... Still, I wonder how to best use this Spirit Stone...
It's a real problem. Would it be best to synthesize it with my silver arm or just eat it? Is it better to use it as material for a magical item?
Ahh, I don't understand them well enough so I decided to keep it in my Item Box until I collect some more information about them.
Today's Synthesis results:
【Left Arm of Penetrating Rain (Parjanya)】 + 【Right Arm of Roaring Thunder (Illatici)】 = 【Echoing Arms of the Thunderstorm (Nuhualpilli)】
【Peerless Heavy Strike】 + 【Consecutive Raging Strikes】 + 【Wild Dance of Heavy Blows】 = 【Surging Destructive Fists of Flesh Crushing】
【Grand Cross】 + 【Cross Slash】 = 【Grand Cross Smash】
【Silent Stab】 + 【Stab】 + 【Armor Pierce】 = 【Silent Pierce】
【Storm Wind】 + 【Slicing Wind】 = 【Heavy Storm Wind】
【Aura Slash】 + 【Heavy Slash】 = 【Heavy Aura Slash】
Day 121 == Day 122 == Day 122 Sidestory Guild Master's POV