Chapter 134 - A Ruler's Responsibility
The McDallian Family’s fourth organization is located on an island adjacent to the Kikyo Society. It’s not a long journey.
Riding in the mid-sized jeep driven by Gradena, we arrived near the target building in no time.
"Hey, can you park a bit further away? I want to talk while we walk."
"Huh? Sure, I’ll drive a bit more."
Thanks to Josephine’s mysterious instructions, we got out of the jeep some distance from our destination.
Well, if the opponent shows some backbone, it might be interesting. But this is the guy we almost killed before; I know the extent of his capabilities. Ah, it’s been a while since I’ve gone on a raid, but I doubt it will be all that exciting.
Gradena, walking beside me, seems to be thinking along the same lines. She looks pretty bored despite the impending raid.
Seeing our unenthusiastic faces, Josephine suddenly grins and starts talking.
"Actually, I didn’t mention this, but it’s a trap."
"A trap? What are you talking about?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
I don’t understand. What does she mean by a trap?
"That skilled delinquent adventurer who was hiding so well was suddenly found today. That’s pretty suspicious, don’t you think?"
"Well, I guess so."
"So, what exactly is the trap? You’ve done your research, right?"
"Absolutely. So, just keep walking straight ahead and act casual. We’re being watched right now."
Hmm, that’s the situation. There are people around, but I can’t pinpoint who’s watching us with my magic perception. And I still don’t know the specifics of the trap.
"Let’s make them sweat by pretending we’re falling for the trap."
"Making them sweat is fine, but what exactly is the trap? Don’t keep us in suspense."
"Yeah, spill the beans."
While we walk, Josephine explains that the delinquent adventurer isn’t alone. He’s got skilled companions waiting for us.
The initial information that he was hiding solo was a ruse to make us lower our guard. They’re waiting for a small group to come and capture them. If we come with a larger force, they’ll escape again. But if we come with a small group, they plan to ambush or take us hostage.
They’ve also set up magical traps. I’m impressed by how thorough Josephine’s investigation is.
The only miscalculation on their part is that we are abnormally strong. We’ve already beaten them once, so they should know the power gap. But they must be very confident.
No matter how many people they gather, if they’re just cannon fodder, it won’t change the outcome. According to Josephine’s assessment, we can handle them easily. They’re just mediocre adventurers who can’t make it as proper ones.
Still, since they’ve prepared thoroughly, there’s a chance we might face some resistance. Probably. But I don’t think we’ll lose. That’s why we’re going.
By now, the fools on the other side are probably laughing at us for falling into their trap with only three people. But we’ll crush them with our overwhelming combat power. They can enjoy dreaming of an impossible victory.
For us, they’re the perfect outlet for the stress they’ve caused. We’ll let them have it.
Approaching the enemy’s headquarters, which we bypassed earlier, Gradena seems to be getting excited.
"Hey, Yukari. We’re free to do as we please, right?"
"That’s fine. Josephine will be busy gathering information, so you and I will take down the waiting enemies. We can split up and go all out. No need to hold back today."
"Got it. Let’s go!"
She knocks out the guards loitering at the entrance and charges in with enthusiasm.
"Wow, Gradena-san sure is quick."
"Indeed, let’s hope she doesn’t get overconfident."
Stepping over the fallen guards and through the gate, we find ourselves in a respectable mansion, though it’s not as spacious as a public facility. It’s still a regular residence.
Even in a large mansion, there are limited spaces for big battles. This might be a good environment for traps.
The traps are more threatening than the enemies’ combat skills. Despite her bold charge, Gradena is cautious and will be on the lookout.
"Alright, I’m going in. Josephine, do as you please."
"Sounds like fun. I’ll take full advantage of this."
With that, she heads to a back room, taking advantage of the empty house to do as she pleases.
"Where’s the entrance to the basement?"
"I looked around, but couldn’t find it. This is a hassle. I’ll just break it."
It seems everyone likes to hide the entrance to the basement.
Well, I know the location of everyone thanks to my magic perception.
There’s one person in the center of the basement, with several others hiding in rooms to the left and right.
We could appear right above them, but let’s play along with their trap. It will help us locate the basement entrance.
"Found it. Gradena, there’s an entrance here. Look, there’s a handle."
"Really? All we needed to do was open this cover. So, we’re going in through here?"
She’s wary of the trap. Since they’re waiting for us, I don’t think there’s a trap here. My magic perception doesn’t detect anything suspicious.
"Even if there are no magical traps, let’s stay cautious. I’ll go first."
Opening the cover, we descend a narrow staircase into a surprisingly wide corridor. At the end, a man is waiting.
We nod to each other and walk towards him.
"Hey, you came to catch me, right? The poor adventurer who’s supposed to be hiding and trembling?"
He greets us with a relaxed tone, acting overly dramatic.
"Whoever you are, you’re being pretty cocky. You’re just a bunch of uppity women."
His hateful words and attitude seem genuine, not just an act.
"I don’t care what you think of us. What are you going to do now, just one guy? Going to beg for your life?"
Gradena emphasizes the "one guy" part to provoke him. It’s a bit obvious, but it’s what the trap-setters are waiting for.
The delinquent adventurer smirks.
"Heh, one guy? You thought I was alone? Sorry, but you were wrong!"
He signals, and more delinquent adventurers appear. They look more like thieves than adventurers, but their decent equipment suggests otherwise.
We’re skilled in magic perception. With practice, we can estimate an opponent’s strength based on their magic. Up close, we can tell if they’re serious and how much energy they have left.
We can’t detect magical aptitude or special skills, but the unique feeling we get from strong opponents is unmistakable. We don’t feel that from these guys.
Still, they’re not bad. They’re quite strong compared to the average. Compared to the average, that is.
"Hehe, the one with the big chest is mine, got it?"
"Hey, don’t decide that on your own. You went first last time, didn’t you?"
They’re sizing us up, licking their lips. They’re pretty relaxed for the situation. These delinquent adventurers are just that.
"You can grab as many women as you want. But don’t get careless. Your friends have nearly been killed, you know."
"Don’t lump us with the weaklings! You’re just scared of two women!"
Their crude language is familiar, but it’s still unpleasant. Let’s end this quickly.
"You might be decent fighters, but you’re just women. If you’re scared because of the numbers, you should quit being adventurers. Let’s finish this."
"Don’t act like you’re in charge! Ha, you’re getting cocky from beating some weaklings. We’ll show you what normal women are like. Let’s get this over with and have some fun!"
It’s time to start. Their pointless chatter is over.
Unfortunately, the Kikyo Society isn’t normal. We set our standards far higher. I’m the president, and Gradena is the Acting Vice-Commander.
Skilled adventurers? In a simple power comparison, they’re just at the level of our apprentices.
Even our new regular members can easily handle them. No matter what hidden cards they have, we’ll crush them.
"Yukari, the left side is mine. No taking over, got it?"
"Sure, but let’s keep the middle one alive. Josephine might want to interrogate him."
"I’m not in the mood to hold back. You take care of him."
"Got it. The rest are going to hell."
I put on the Special Gloves from my pocket.
As Gradena charges with her sword, I start my attack.
I bypass the leader and charge the group on the right, striking with overwhelming speed.
"…gurk"
My fist pierces the dirty light armor, breaking through flesh and bone to destroy the heart.
The nearby enemy yells, but it’s just a loud noise. It doesn’t stop me.
"AAAAAAAAAAH!?"
The large sword swing, meant to strike from above, is blocked by the ceiling. What an idiot.
I grab the fool’s head, crushing the helmet and throw him at the remaining enemies. The heavy metal armor hits the wall, crushing the head of one of them.
Gradena must be in a similar situation. The enemies are starting to lose their nerve.
The delinquent adventurers aren’t really a team. They’re trying to escape by sacrificing each other. Their quick judgment is worth noting.
But we’re not letting them escape. We’ll finish them here.
One of them runs towards a back exit. Of course, we won’t let him escape.
I throw an iron ball, creating a hole in his gut, and the others trying to escape also freeze.
They’ve realized they can’t escape.
"…Wait…"
The iron ball flies into the mouth of the pleading fool, silencing him forever.
I won’t even allow them to beg for their lives.
I’m here to make them pay for their actions. That’s why we’re here.
They deserve to pay with their lives for the lives and property of our subordinates and civilians, and for the dignity they stole. From the detailed reports, I know they’ve done far worse than they thought.
They’re no better than thieves, using their adventurer status to enter the city freely and commit crimes. They either act in secret or team up with other criminals to commit serious offenses.
We’re both outlaws, but they stole from our territory.
To put it arrogantly, as the president of the Kikyo Society, I’m the ruler of this territory. They took what’s mine.
I don’t care if unknown people suffer. But they can’t get away with touching what belongs to me, the ruler. That’s how I, and the Kikyo Society, settle scores.
If you don’t agree, try to silence the Kikyo Society. If you can, that’s fine. That’s all there is to it.