Sword, Magic and Academic Society

I pried open goat-beard's mouth and made him drink a potion. Then I asked him to 'Take me to Red'. Goat-beard nodded swiftly, his body trembling, as he explained 'Rose's office is in the west slum. Follow me’.

Fatty left a while ago to purchase another potion from the Eastern Branch shop, looking happy about something, just in case one potion wasn't enough. Now it seemed like his effort would be in vain.

"Roye-aniki, I'm sorry, but it seems like I need to go, so I’ll see you another day. It would be great if you can escort Po and Rina back to ‘Apple’."

As I said that, a color of apprehension dyed the face of Roye-aniki.

"Ren...... I know you're strong, but I think you're taking them a bit too lightly. I’ll bring pops immediately, at least that would be safer."

However, I shook my head.

"Please inform the Boss of everything that has happened here word-by-word. Also, tell him I said he should stay in 'Apple' for a couple of days just in case. Lastly...... I'm leaving the mutual aid society, but thank you very much for everything."

I said, bowing to Roye-aniki, whose face turned red from rage.

"Who do you think you are to leave just like that!? Don't expect me to accept that bullshit, Ren! ‘Apple’ will help you bear the burden of this quarrel, so why're you trying to weather everything alone!?"

I was also angry, but my mind was extremely calm to my surprise, and after considering things, I decided to settle things with Rose.

I didn't have any regrets.

First, there was no way of knowing how heavy-handed the methods Rose might use, plus ‘Apple’ would become the faultless victim here, making it easier to explain to outsiders. In that way, many organizations would be able to more easily justify making a move.

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So I really felt no regret about my decision, but—

I couldn't say I wasn't sad now that I was leaving ‘Apple’, which had welcomed me with open arms and taught a country bumpkin like me everything down to the basics of the Royal Capital.

The members might be from the slums, but it was their teachings that allowed me to hide my identity as a student of the Royal Academy and be able to freely act as an explorer.

My knowledge of B-grade gourmet shops that served cheap, quick but tasty meals, or the shops that emphasized filling portions first also came from them.

Or like how I was trying to find a spot to take a look at the Royal Capital when I was led to the rooftop of a tower stealthily, the perfect place to overlook the scenery of the Royal Capital. Another time, they taught me about the dark side of the world that was impossible to learn from the Academy.

Whether it was the gentle Anikis, or the adorable siblings at Apple— each of them were my teacher.

Of course, Boss taught me a great deal of things as well, like the know-how of being an explorer, the common sense of this kingdom, and how the citizens lived their lives among other things. It was also his fists that pushed me to focus on being an upright and well-mannered human being.

Maybe there was no need for me to step in and Rose would eventually be dealt with by the knight order one of these days....... Though in the meantime, they were capable of inflicting actual harm by taking measures such as abducting the little ones and taking them hostage.

Above all, I needed to show them my stance that I didn't take kindly to anyone who tried to get in my way and that I would very well crush them completely. I hoped then that no other idiot would appear to reenact this scene. This was the conclusion I reached after thinking hard.

I explicitly changed my tone to a casual one as I spoke to Aniki to shake off the depressing feelings.

"I'm their target, so the last thing I want is for ‘Apple’ to take the brunt of my mess. I’ll make sure to hit them hard so that they never attempt to do anything. It's not a big deal since we'll still be meeting each other. Tell everyone I’ll come visit them when the dust settles."

As I tried to dissuade Aniki's concern, Benza returned with a potion surprisingly quicker than I had expected. He turned to Roye-aniki and shouted with a determined expression.

"Rest assured, Roye. I’ll be the shield of Aniki and make sure he doesn't get hurt even if it means forfeiting my life. You should first take the pipsqueaks to ‘Apple’."

......Are you sure you can be my shield, and not end up as a bad-quality airbag instead?

◆◆◆

I got into the medium-size carriage arranged by goat-beard and headed to the west side of the capital.

Benza stubbornly insisted on coming along, but I decisively dismissed his plea.

It was a fool's errand to hope to negotiate with foreign spies. In that case, I needed a deterrent to make them realize that 'Trying to get back at me is like playing with fire'. He would have been a liability to me if he came along.

Besides, I was confident I could escape alone if the situation took a turn for the worst, but it would be impossible if Benza was with me.

I could ignore and leave him behind as well, but… I think I would have nightmares for a couple of days if I did that. So why even bother bringing him along when there was no benefit?

But Benza was too persistent. When it was time to leave, he even clung to the load-carrying tray of the carriage and refused to get down. Irked, I waited for the moment when he had let his guard down as the carriage moved forward and shouted 'It's too cramped, fatty!' as I kicked him out of the carriage.

I knew that it was a sickening act, but Benza, whose face seemingly hit the ground hard, shouted some idiotic 'You're really too gentle, Aniki!!’ line as tears slid down his cheeks.

Ultimately, and mainly to ease my feelings of guilt, I hurled a thousand rea at him, saying 'Maybe try some expensive potions sometimes instead of cheap ones’.

I had to use one of his potions earlier for goat-beard, so this should clear that debt.

After traveling for about an hour and a half, we arrived at the Rose family's office.

At a glance, the four-story office looked no different from the typical bureaucratic office and seemed to be built in the same vein as them. At the entrance, there were two guards and around four people loitering around. Their expressions indicated that they were anything but law-abiding citizens, and probably their hoodlum-like aura was rubbing off the area, giving the surroundings a gloomy vibe.

Just in case I needed to break out, I quietly memorized the layout in my mind and switched to my outlaw mode.

Goat-beard just mentioned ‘He's the Boss’ guest’ to the guards and took me inside to...... the fourth floor directly.

There were guards on that floor too, and they told us to leave behind our weapons there in a low voice. Were the guards mumbling in their sleep?

The goat-bearded uncle, seemingly in a hurry to get away from me, ignored the guards and opened the door. I kicked his back the instant he entered the room while delivering punches to the stomachs of the guards as well, rendering them unconscious.

◆◆◆

I swiftly grasped the situation inside the instant the door was opened.

Similarly, the gazes of the thirteen delinquent-looking people that were inside gathered on me. Two of them looked quite skilled, seemingly the personal bodyguard.

Aside from them, there was Red, sitting on the sofa. To his right, there was a man of short stature but gave off a disciplined vibe and looked like quite a capable person. The rest of the people seemed like mere fillers.

A tanned man who had hollow cheeks and black circles under his eyes sat on the desk at the back of the room. I presumed he must have done some field work in the past as his dark skin bore resemblance to someone who had stayed too long under the sun.

He must be Chabul Rose. A touch of anxiousness could be seen in his eyes.

Behind him was a glass window, where the detection prevention magic tool was placed.

Red, who was relaxing on the sofa, squinted his fox-like narrow eyes and spoke.

"This is quite the rude entry, Mad Hound. Or what, did that idiot try to pull anything funny on you?"

Ignoring the threatening glares, I briskly walked up to Red, clink placed my dagger on the table in front of him and stared into his eyes.

"Red...... is this what you want, a fight?"

Red had a long face as he glanced at the goat-bearded man when I questioned him and sighed.

"Good grief...... It seems like he's still unsuitable for errands."