IGTL Chapter 61

Chapter 61 – The Guildmaster Apparently Hadn’t Lived So Long for Nothing

“L-Let us gooo…”

“Wh-What are you planning to do with us…?”

With the resentful voices of the Ligion Empire soldiers captured by the higher water spirit Kraken playing as my background music, I returned to the Central Kingdom’s fortifications and decided to ask the higher earth spirit Behemoth to dig me a huge hole.

Why would I do that, you ask?

The answer was obvious. It was so I could toss the Ligion Empire soldiers into the hole and keep them from escaping.

When I captured the soldiers, I had taken every item and weapon they had on them.

Due to various circumstances, I hadn’t been able to collect drop items from the monsters, but this was a pretty profitable job. There had been weapons and items galore that could only be found in the Ligion Empire. Because of the game’s settings, I had never been able to strip soldiers of everything they owned before.

Well, they weren’t exactly that rare, so I probably wouldn’t actually use them, but still… These were collection pieces meant solely for me to occasionally pull out of Item Storage and grin over like an idiot.

Since I’d registered as an adventurer on the Central Kingdom’s side, I couldn’t get my hands on Ligion Empire weapons. Seriously, thank you, Emergency Quest.

The only remaining problem was what to do about the captured Ligion Empire soldiers, but I reconsidered and thought, Now that the game world had become reality, wouldn’t it be bad if people found out I captured them all by myself?

At first, I had considered planting myself in the territory near the border and exercising effective control over it, but even though I had single-handedly stopped the Ligion Empire’s invasion, sticking my neck into negotiations between nations would be dangerous. That was precisely why I limited my compensation to stripping the soldiers of their belongings.

“All right, Behemoth. I want to trap these guys in a hole so they can’t escape, so could you dig one here?”

The higher earth spirit Behemoth nodded, and then the ground suddenly caved in, creating a massive hole four meters deep and fifty meters in diameter.

As expected of a higher earth spirit.

“Thanks, Behemoth. Okay, Kraken. Put the soldiers into this hole.”

When I made that request of the higher water spirit Kraken, he placed the Ligion Empire soldiers, who had been stripped of their belongings by his tentacles and forcibly disarmed, into the hole one after another.

It was memorable how the soldiers and adventurers looked completely haggard after the full marathon to the Ligion Empire and the tentacle-sway ride back to the Central Kingdom, both of which had left them suffering from tentacle sickness.

Once every soldier was inside the hole, I borrowed the help of the higher wind spirit Djinn and had him gently lower me down from Behemoth.

“Okay, everyone. Could you shrink down for me? It’s about time we bailed.”

After confirming that the Elementals had transformed back into their original little balls of light, I turned my gaze toward the Central Kingdom’s fortifications.

The gate opened, and I saw soldiers pouring out and heading this way.

I headed toward the gate while still wearing my Stealth Cloak, and as I passed by them, I heard the confused voices of the soldiers.

“Wh-What in the world is going on?”

“…I don’t understand any of this.”

“What are we supposed to report to the royal palace…?”

Surprisingly, I didn’t hear any of the soldiers saying things like, “What was that Mob-Fenrir…?”

Maybe the Elementals had undergone super-evolution and turned the whole thing into an all-star Ultra-monsters gathering, causing me to be forgotten.

Well, anyone would be shocked if giant monsters suddenly appeared.

Enough that the presence of one lone Mob-Fenrir who had stepped outside the gate would fade into the background…

After passing through the gate while still wearing the Stealth Cloak, I hid in the shadow of a building, stored the “Mob-Fenrir Suit” in Item Storage, and equipped the “Black Mob-Fenrir Suit” instead.

Yep. Perfect. With this, no one would realize that the Mob-Fenrir who went outside had been me.

I had already received more than enough reward.

Mostly by stripping the soldiers of their belongings…

All right. The Emergency Quest was over, so I should head back to the “Drowsing Inn” for now.

I had a feeling that if I stayed here, I’d get dragged into something seriously troublesome.

After changing into the “Black Mob-Fenrir Suit,” I left the fortifications behind.

◇◆◇

Meanwhile, the Ligion Empire soldiers and adventurers who had been dropped into the hole were…

“U-Urrp…”

“I-I can’t take this anymore…”

“W-Water… Water… Someone give me water…”

After being chased around by monsters and then suffering tentacle sickness, they were sprawled about like corpses, to the point that the Central Kingdom soldiers surrounding the hole barely even mattered to them.

The Ligion Empire soldiers and adventurers had only one thought.

Give us water.

That was all.

Everything had gone well up to the point where they drove the monsters inhabiting the forest near the border toward the Central Kingdom’s side.

After that, all they had to do was invade the Central Kingdom once it had been worn down from dealing with the monsters. But around the time the Central Kingdom’s fortifications came into view, everything changed.

Amazingly, the monsters that had been chased by gigantic beasts came running back toward the Ligion Empire’s side. When they looked up at the sky, the Griffons that should have been driving the monsters toward the Central Kingdom had disappeared before they knew it.

What began from there was a brutal marathon known as a rout, performed while carrying swords and shields and wearing suits of armor. Worse yet, it was a rout marathon without a single engagement.

What closed in behind them was not only the monsters, but also some mysterious, ultra-gigantic monster chasing those monsters.

When they saw the fortified gate, they held a brief flicker of hope, but their desperate rout came to nothing. Before they could reach the gate, they were captured by the monsters and were now lying limp inside the hole.

“H-Hey. Are you all right?”

Even the Central Kingdom soldiers who were binding us up right now were looking at us as if they were staring at pitiful people.

Incidentally, let me make this clear: we were absolutely not all right.

After all, we had been captured without fighting a single battle.

The way we had been all fired up about invading the Central Kingdom now felt like a lie.

But at this point, there was nothing we could do.

“W-Water… Give us water…”

Right now, all we wanted was water.

In response to our earnest demand, the Central Kingdom soldier gave a wry smile.

◇◆◇

The next day, while I was treating the Elementals to Peroperosaurus TKG at the tavern attached to the Adventurers’ Guild, the Guildmaster of the Adventurers’ Guild himself, Gettemhart, called out to me.

“You are the S-rank adventurer Kakeru, correct? My apologies for interrupting your meal, but I would like to hear your account. Please make time for me afterward.”

“Yes. I don’t mind, but…”

What business could the Guildmaster himself have with me?

Don’t tell me this was about yesterday?

Had he found out that I stripped the Ligion Empire soldiers of their belongings yesterday?

Hmm. If I’d been found out, that would be a pain. How should I talk my way out of this…

“…Then come to my room once you finish eating.”

“Understood…”

I didn’t want to, but it couldn’t be helped.

“Excuse me.”

I waited for the Elementals to finish their meal, then headed to the Guildmaster’s office. Inside, the Guildmaster was holding his head in his hands.

“Um, is something wrong?”

“…Oh, you came. First, sit on the sofa.”

“Yes…”

As instructed, I sat on the sofa. The Guildmaster, wearing a completely exhausted expression, sat across from me.

“Allow me to introduce myself again, though I’m sure you already know. I am Gettemhart, Guildmaster of the Adventurers’ Guild. S-rank adventurer Kakeru. The reason I called you here is none other than this. There is one matter I would like to confirm regarding yesterday’s stampede along the border with the Ligion Empire, and the Ligion Empire’s invasion.”

Ugh, so it was that after all…

What would happen if he found out I’d done it…?

I had evolved my Elementals into higher spirits, too, so there was even a chance I’d be designated as a dangerous individual, wasn’t there…?

Well, now that the game world had become reality, all S-rank adventurers were basically dangerous individuals…

“Something you want to confirm? That sounds scary. What might it be?”

“Mm. I want you to tell me where you were during the Ligion Empire’s invasion.”

Those eyes. Those were the eyes of someone who suspected me. No, they were the eyes of someone who was eighty percent convinced!

B-But I wouldn’t lose. I absolutely would not lose.

I had talked and tricked my way through society with every fast-talking dodge in the book!

This time, too, I would muddy the waters and deceive him!

“During the Ligion Empire’s invasion? Naturally, I was at the fortifications. It was quite a commotion, wasn’t it? A super-gigantic monster suddenly appeared… Well, I judged that there wasn’t much I could do, so I left the rest to the soldiers. Did something happen?”

When I offered that explanation, the Guildmaster, Gettemhart, furrowed his brow.

“There are also reports that a Mob-Fenrir riding a bizarre vehicle passed through the fortified gate.”

“Yes, exactly as you said. However, after I passed through the fortified gate and looked up, everyone had gathered there, hadn’t they? It was embarrassing to go outside once and immediately come back in, so I put on my Stealth Cloak and went back through the gate. The gate looked like it was about to close, too, and in fact, it did close. It was an emergency, so I would appreciate it if you could forgive me for that…”

“…I see. Come to think of it, you have Elementals with you.”

As expected of the Guildmaster. He was poking at a sore spot.

However, he was still naive. My darling Elementals were excellent.

Unless I ordered them to, they would absolutely never return to their true forms.

“Is there a problem with that?”

“There are some who say the super-gigantic monsters that suddenly appeared were actually higher spirits. I thought perhaps your spirits might be them…”

The Guildmaster’s piercing gaze turned toward me.

I see. So he had been watching my reaction when he brought up the term higher spirits, huh?

But he still had a long way to go.

“Oh, is that so? You’re quite knowledgeable, Guildmaster. Now then, would that be all? If you don’t have any particular business with me, I’d like to take my leave soon…”

When I forced the conversation to end, the Guildmaster let out a sigh.

“Hmm. Very well… Your battle against the Ligion Empire was splendid. I pray your power is never turned against this country. You may go.”

“Please don’t worry. There’s no way I would ever do something like… Hm?”

It felt as though I had just stomped on a land mine…

When I looked forward, the Guildmaster, Gettemhart, was smiling from ear to ear.