Chapter 135 - A Trigger for the Truth
We stormed the hideout of the delinquent adventurers and demonstrated an overwhelming, hopeless disparity in power.
Just as I was about to crush the ones overwhelmed by our resolve, their leader refused to back down and sought to turn the tide.
"Damn it, you idiots! Remember why you lured them here!"
The atmosphere shifted with those words.
Their resolve to survive or escape had given way to a burning determination to fight back. Perhaps half of it was desperation. They knew they couldn't win in a fair fight, and even fleeing seemed impossible. So, they might as well throw caution to the wind.
Fine by me. If they were ready, so were we. We were more than prepared to accept their challenge.
Noticing that his comrades had regained their footing, the leader took action.
"Out of the way!"
Pushing past his comrades, he dashed to the back and touched a control panel.
The magic stones embedded in the walls began to supply mana, flooding the underground area with magical energy.
This must be the magical trap Josephine mentioned. They activated it now, probably thinking it wasn't worth using unless it was an absolute last resort.
The delinquent adventurers were energized by the trap's activation.
They stopped underestimating us and began to fortify their defenses, even boosting themselves with magic. They slowly retreated, trying to lure us into the trap. It was too obvious to be a trap, but they had no other options.
No problem. Let them try anything they want. I would crush it all.
Gradena moved to the back, ready to watch the show. If anything went wrong, she would step in. It was a safety measure. If we both got caught in a trap, it could be disastrous. With her as backup, I could be more daring.
The trap activated, and magical devices awaited me. Judging by the flow of magic, it seemed to be a multi-layered trap.
But it was just a trap designed for a private residence. It couldn't be too elaborate or it might damage the building. Probably some kind of gas, judging by recent trends.
Sure enough, walls descended from the ceiling, cutting off my path forward and backward.
Trapped, huh? Not quite. The walls didn't seem strong enough to contain me.
"Some kind of fire shutter, I guess. No gaps, and it's thicker and sturdier than I thought."
Maybe it had a fireproof function too. While I was impressed, water started pouring from holes in the side walls.
"Water attack? I don't like getting wet."
I didn't want to become a soaking wet mess. The water was probably clean, being magically generated, but still.
I generated physical armor to seal the water holes. I didn't care where the water went after that.
So, this trap was just a water attack. Breaking through the fire shutter would be boring. I decided to surprise them.
Instead of breaking the shutter, I punched a hole through the ceiling with my boot, creating a large opening.
I jumped out of the hole, landing on the first floor and advancing toward the delinquent adventurers who had fortified their defenses underground.
"Alright, this should do."
They seemed distracted by the noise of the ceiling breaking. Using my mana senses, I confirmed their positions. They were cautiously maintaining their defenses, waiting to see what would happen.
They had set up a wide corridor with a clear middle, almost like a stage for me. Perfect. I would give them a show.
"Alright, let's do this with a bang!"
I didn't use magic. Instead, I raised my fist in the Special Gloves and slammed it into the stone floor.
As the debris from the shattered floor fell, I took a moment to enjoy the shocked expressions of the delinquent adventurers.
I landed gracefully and brought the fight to them.
But as I adjusted my landing, I realized something was wrong.
Ah, this is a trap.
The floor I was about to land on was just an illusion created by light magic. There was no physical floor beneath it.
"Aaaaah!"
It was too late to react. My body passed through the illusory floor.
"Yeeaaaaah!"
"We took down that monster!"
"Not yet! Don't get cocky, close the floor quickly!"
"Don't lose your nerve! If we take down that other woman, it'll be a piece of cake!"
Cheers and shouts of anger echoed from above. The floor closed soon after, cutting off their voices.
Phew, that was close. A classic pit trap.
It was a rare moment of fear, but I managed to handle it.
I considered punching a hole in the wall, but the pit was too wide, and my reach didn't extend that far.
I tried to use magic, but by then, it was too late.
At the bottom of the pit, there were iron spikes, a classic trap.
But when I landed, I just crushed the spikes with my boots. The boots, enchanted with magical minerals and reinforced by my mana, couldn't be pierced by mere iron spikes. The Kikyo Society's special coat also protected me from any scratches.
Actually, it was dark, and I couldn't see the bottom, which made the landing quite scary.
"Phew... I thought I was going to die."
Falling in the dark was terrifying. Normally, falling from a height wouldn't be a problem, but not knowing when to land was nerve-wracking.
I used magic to light the area. The pit seemed newly constructed, with no dust or signs of age. The spikes were brand new, probably added while the delinquent adventurers were in hiding.
There were no bodies at the bottom, and no exit. I'd have to climb out. Easy enough.
But I needed to reflect on this. I had been confident that I could handle any trap, and I never expected to fall for one.
If the bottom of the pit had been a furnace instead of spikes, I might have died.
"Damn, I'm so disappointed in myself."
Despite my self-reflection, I used my mana senses to check the situation above. Gradena had broken through the fire shutter and was causing chaos.
I couldn't let her have all the fun. I needed to join in.
I broke through the ceiling from below, emerging amidst the debris. The underground battle area was already in the final stages. Gradena had been quick to clear the field.
"Hey, Yukari. You're back."
"You kept me waiting. Let me finish this."
Gradena, looking somewhat satisfied, stepped back with a smirk.
The remaining delinquent adventurers, sensing an opportunity, began to regroup. They were trying to lure me into another trap, but it wouldn't work again.
I advanced, analyzing the flow of mana in the underground passage.
Sure enough, the next trap came at me. It was a classic guillotine, a massive blade descending from above. But I had already detected it with my mana senses. It was no threat. I grabbed it with my Special Gloves and snapped it in half, using it to take out some of the enemies.
Another guillotine came down, and I did the same, taking out more enemies.
The traps just kept coming, but I was ready for them. Each time a guillotine descended, I grabbed it and used it against the delinquent adventurers.
Finally, only the leader was left. The once-confident delinquent adventurer was now pale and trembling.
They knew we showed no mercy. The only reason they were still alive was that we hadn't attacked. They hadn't survived on their own.
"Hold it! Just hold it!"
Few people would actually hold when asked to stop. But I'm a bit of a contrarian. I decided to hear them out.
"Your allies are gone. What are you going to do now?"
"A, a deal! Let's make a deal! I have information on those who oppose you. It's a good deal, I swear!"
What a joke.
"Deals are only made between equals. You can either die easily by telling me what you know or die painfully after being tortured. Which will it be?"
Their fate was sealed. They had made the Kikyo Society their enemy. They would pay with their lives. I doubted they had any valuable information, and they might even have been fed false intel.
I wasn't interested in their pleas. I knocked them out and carried them away.
"Gradena, we're leaving. Josephine is still inside, but we'll leave her to handle it."
"Right, I've already collected the loot. We're done here."
While I was fighting, she had been looting the delinquent adventurers' equipment. She's so thorough.
If there was anything useful, Josephine would gather the information and more.
"Let's go."
We left the abandoned mansion, returning to the Headquarters in our jeep.
The Intelligence Unit took care of the interrogation, verifying the new information, and tracking down the leads.
The important part was the organization behind the delinquent adventurers.
The attack on the school was the beginning. The masterminds were almost certainly the Gandrault Gang, one of the Five Great Families.
They had been focusing on human trafficking and kidnapping, so it made sense.
They had manipulated the delinquent adventurers, promising easy money and protection. It was an easy sell to those who were already desperate.
The Kikyo Society got involved by chance after the incident with Sarah-chan. We had driven back the delinquent adventurers and thwarted the Gandrault Gang's plans. However, someone else had started supporting the half-dead delinquent adventurers. The Gandrault Gang had already abandoned them.
The Fourth Division of the McDallian Family had been supporting the delinquent adventurers, but the situation had escalated beyond their capabilities.
The trap we encountered required significant resources. Who had provided the funding?
Not just the trap, but the delinquent adventurers' equipment, potions, and supplies. It was far beyond what a small organization or delinquent adventurers could afford. There had also been efforts to conceal the information.
The only ones who could have done this were the McDallian Family.
The McDallian Family had been using the delinquent adventurers to harass the Kikyo Society.
We would hold them accountable for their actions.
This brought the delinquent adventurer hunt to a temporary conclusion. We hadn't eliminated all of them, and more would likely come from outside. But with our efforts, such troublemakers should decrease in Exembra.
Ordinary adventurers were still feeling the pressure, but given the circumstances, they had to accept it. If they had grievances, they should blame the delinquent adventurers and the Guild for ignoring the problem.
We were the victims. If they had complaints, we wouldn't hesitate to deal with them. Fortunately, no one had openly expressed such grievances yet.
But then, unexpected criticism came from an unexpected source.
This is my last post of the year.
I offer my deepest gratitude to all my readers. Thank you so much.
Have a great year, and I'll see you next year.