“Y-you bastard…!”
“Let go of Master’s hand right now!”
From all around, uncomfortable voices erupted.
Judging by the looks of it, these were likely the guy’s comrades or subordinates. Glancing at their faces, it brought to mind the saying “birds of a feather flock together.”
Tch, look at all the tattoos on their bodies—how disgraceful.
“Should I take care of the rest?”
Earl cautiously asked from the side, carefully reading the situation.
With my head tilted awkwardly, I soon shook it.
“Nah, it’s fine. Rather, you should go fetch Crown Prince Allen. As the responsible party, he should be informed of the situation, right?”
“Rather, shouldn’t Commander—”
“…”
“Haa~”
As our eyes met silently, the kid let out a small sigh.
“Understood. I’ll be back shortly, so don’t escalate things further.”
“That depends on the situation.”
“Tch…”
As Earl vanished in an instant, the guys facing off against me flinched.
“Is… is that a mage…?”
“Their outfit is different too.”
“Where did they come from?”
Looking at their expressions as if seeing a mage for the first time made me want to laugh.
Compared to that, isn’t this guy still yakking in front of me?
Gently pressing down on the shoulder of the guy I’m holding caused a soprano-like scream to burst out.
“KYYYYAAAH!!”
“Master!”
“Stop it!”
“Why are you looking at me like that? Wasn’t this guy the one who started the trouble?”
Anyone watching would probably think I’m the villain.
There’s a limit to how much nonsense I can take.
By this point, the anger that had risen to the tips of my hair began to settle—not towards him, though.
Crack-
“Guuh…!”
While I wanted to slice the floor in half with my frustration, there were too many eyes watching.
Even this much was already drawing plenty of attention.
So, I simply twisted his ankle until it crunched into powder, intending for him to suffer a bit even after being healed by a priest.
After grinding the bone finely, my mood improved somewhat.
“Take him away. Don’t let him cross my sight again. Since he’s leaving soon anyway, I don’t want any more trouble.”
Throwing the ragged guy aside, the two trying to catch him fell over instead.
Are they really fit to be adventurers with such frailty?
I wonder what kind of battlefield allows such weaklings to hang around.
“Hmph, aren’t you scared of retaliation?”
“The Adventurer’s Guild will hunt you down!”
“Beg for forgiveness while you still can!”
“Still haven’t come to your senses, huh…”
Apparently, humans only understand when they experience it firsthand.
Sighing inwardly, I quietly released some aura.
“You can send them over if you’re confident. But prepare to lose.”
“…”
Even as I released streams of aura visible to anyone, the guys just cowered without saying a word.
Surprisingly, they seemed unfamiliar with aura altogether.
Meaning they likely have no idea what a Master is either.
What am I even doing dealing with these amateurs…
Suddenly, a wave of existential dread hit me.
“Get lost!”
“J-just wait! The next time we meet will be your end!”
Listening to their threats as they scurried away was genuinely terrifying.
“Hmph… This has ruined my appetite.”
Slumping into my seat, I shoved the steak I’d speared with my fork into my mouth.
It was edible despite being slightly overcooked.
Would’ve been tastier if eaten while warm.
Thinking about it now, this is getting on my nerves even more.
Who knows what this Adventurer’s Guild is, but do I need to destroy it?
Maybe Theron could handle it with a snap of his fingers.
Suppressing my irritation, I continued eating when Black Wolf spoke up hesitantly.
“I’m sorry. If it weren’t for me…”
Seeing Black Wolf’s uncharacteristically sheepish demeanor made me press his head gently and cut him off.
“Don’t say useless things and just eat. Leaving food behind invites Heavenly Punishment, remember?”
“…Alright.”
Only now did Black Wolf scoop some stew into his mouth.
His expression eased slightly as he ate the still-warm stew.
Food always improves the mood, after all.
Living is eating, and eating is living—there’s a reason these sayings exist.
“Damn it. You finished my beer too, didn’t you? Hey…!”
Just as I frowned at the lukewarm beer and called for the server,
Thud-
A grizzled, rugged-looking uncle placed another beer on the table.
The condensation on the glass indicated it was quite cold.
Blinking, I nodded as the uncle spoke.
“It’s on the house. Since our customer caused inconvenience.”
“Huh? No, it’s fine. We actually intended to compensate for disturbing your business.”
“Nah, it’s alright. Honestly, it felt refreshing.”
Judging by the innkeeper’s expression, these guys must’ve been quite the nuisances normally.
Typically, situations like this would lead to outsiders being chased out.
The innkeeper glanced sidelong at Black Wolf, then nudged my shoulder.
“Not everyone in our town is like that guy. Personally, I support the customers. My wife is also a fighter.”
“Aha… I see. Guess I should’ve broken more limbs, huh?”
“Ho ho, no need. Rather, I’m worried about you. Those adventurer brats are infamous for sticking together in packs. Even a Master might find them bothersome.”
Now that I look closely, this guy seems to be at least an Expert-level powerhouse.
Certainly stronger than those wannabe adventurers.
Smiling faintly, I replied.
“You don’t recognize greatness when you see it.”
“What greatness…? Anyway, where are you from?”
“Ah, we’re from—”
The Empire, I was about to say, when—
“Is Sir Allen safe!”
A loud voice accompanied Theron bursting into the shop, surrounded by dozens of Guardian Knights.
“Oh, so you’re from the Empire, huh.”
“…Yes.”
Responding quietly to the innkeeper’s muttering, I nodded.
Realizing the situation late, Theron blinked confusedly.
“Eh…?”
“Anyway.”
Drinking an entire glass of beer in one gulp, Earl spoke to Theron.
“Haha! Like I said before, nothing serious happened.”
“Sorry. For some reason, hearing ‘Adventurer’s Guild’ made me lose control…”
Theron scratched his cheek awkwardly.
I chuckled softly and patted him reassuringly.
“Cut it out. It’s fortunate nothing major happened. You handled it well as Crown Prince. By the way, did you know? In the meantime, one of those adventurers might’ve summoned a Master.”
“Like he could create a bloodbath instantly and still make sense…”
“Hm?”
“No, it’s nothing. You’re always picking on me…”
Mumbling under his breath, Earl chewed on some meat.
He’s fun to tease, isn’t he?
Still, if he gets genuinely upset, it’d be annoying, so I should get him a gift later.
Chuckling and drinking my beer, I asked Theron.
“I deeply appreciate your consideration. But are you okay? We need to leave by tomorrow morning. Starting a drinking spree like this…”
The dining area was now filled with only us and the Guardian Knights.
Other guests had left since Theron rented out the entire restaurant.
Truly worthy of a Crown Prince.
“Don’t underestimate our Guardian Knights. They can enjoy themselves without neglecting their duties.”
“True, but…”
“We have potions to sober up quickly if needed. When else would a Master share drinks with us?”
Speaking confidently, Theron raised his glass toward me.
Smiling faintly, I clinked glasses with him.
Who would’ve guessed I’d end up drinking with this guy?
“So, got yourself tangled up in trouble right after arriving, huh.”
“Are those adventurer guys really that bad?”
“A mob of misfits can delude themselves into thinking they have power. And this is foreign territory after all. Even the Empire can’t just dismantle another country’s guild without consequences.”
“…I wasn’t planning to dismantle it anyway.”
This guy is more dangerous than I imagined. I wasn’t planning to dismantle the guild either, but…
Is this what a future ruler looks like?
“The gist is, we can’t act openly. With the war against the barbarians having just ended, we never know when another war might break out.”
So now we’re worrying about wars between nations.
Will this cursed cycle of war ever end?
Wearing a wistful expression, Theron nodded slowly.
“Don’t worry. Preventing such occurrences is my duty as Crown Prince.”
“Haha, reassuring.”
“Thus, let’s set aside pointless worries and drink tonight.”
“Yes! Bartender! More beer please!”
“Busy cooking! Get it yourself!”
Hearing the shout from the kitchen, we looked at each other and burst into laughter.
***
In the infirmary of the Adventurer’s Guild branch in Dagon Village, a man wrapped in bandages lay in bed.
One of the adventurers who picked a fight with Allen and had his limbs crushed.
After receiving treatment from priests all night, the man regained consciousness as the sun rose.
“Grrr… That bastard… I’ll definitely kill him!”
Still unaware of the situation, he gritted his teeth and vented his anger toward Allen.
At this, the woman sitting by his bedside snorted disdainfully and laughed.
“Hmm~ Now I see, the legendary Ogre Slayer isn’t much after all? Lying here all battered and bruised.”
She was a prostitute affiliated with the local Door Guard, often frequented by men.
Her clothing, impossible to distinguish whether worn or unworn, exposed her skin optimally to allure men.
“Shut up! Stop talking nonsense and start sucking. Before I kill you!”
Despite lying immobile in bed, the man shouted loudly with a red face.
Tilting her head curiously, the prostitute smiled seductively and leaned toward his lower half.
Carefully stroking his groin, she muttered quietly.
“I thought you were decent enough in this decrepit village… Looks like you’re already broken?”
“Wha-this trash daring to insult me…! Grrr!”
Unable to suppress his anger, the man writhed in pain as he tried twisting his body.
Even amidst his agony, unable to resist his arousal, the engorged area drew a shake of the head from the prostitute.
“Enjoy this while it lasts before you leave.”
“What the hell… Huhk…!”
Reaching climax almost instantly, the man gasped for breath.
Though usually skilled, something felt different about her technique this time.
It was as if his soul was being sucked out.
“Aaah… Aaaaah…”
“Did you enjoy yourself? Then it’s time to go now.”
The moment the prostitute flashed a sinister smile, the man’s member swelled grotesquely.
It inflated like a tumor, then burst open, spewing dark red blood.
“Just a little more growth and I could’ve eaten it… Unfortunately, the timing isn’t ideal. Can’t help it. Orders from the High Priest take priority.”
Watching the blood-soaked man’s body swell, the woman quietly disappeared into the shadows.
“Grhrhr…”
Alone in the room, the man transformed into a monstrous creature within moments.
Dark red muscles bulged across his body, twice as large as his original frame.
“KRAAAHHHH!!!”
Roaring furiously, the monster smashed through the walls and began running toward somewhere.
Heavy footprints on the broken floor faintly shimmered with demonic energy.
