236 - Heartbreak
After asking Fidel-san to handle the negotiations at the merchant conference, I was moving through Beim with Aria.
Aria looked like she wanted to say something, but I had her hold it in for now.
Pressing my right hand to my ear, I used my skill to search the surroundings.
My skills—Dimension and Real Spec—gathered information for me on the people moving about in the massive city of Beim.
To process the sheer volume of information, I relied on Monica, who was at the inn.
Since Monica runs on my magic as energy, we are essentially in a state where our lines are connected.
It was like constantly utilizing Connection.
Walking briskly with Aria, I muttered.
"Monica, any luck?"
A reply came after a short while. It meant that Monica had pinpointed the person I specified.
『Based on the timing, she should be leaving the guild to go home. The target is moving from the East Branch. There are eight enemies making suspicious movements in the vicinity. Based on their movements, I judge them to be Sweepers, as per the information.』
Eight existences whose movements differed from the others.
While skillfully blending into the surroundings, they seemed to be targeting the life of Marianne-san.
Aria spoke beside me.
"Marianne-san is safe, right? I know we've been using her, but it would leave a bad taste in my mouth if she were killed. That woman—"
I knew without being told. Despite being an employee, she was someone who pushed herself too far to help low-ranking adventurers.
I had heard that someone she loved in the past was an adventurer who lost their life. Perhaps that was her trauma, which is why she cooperated with us when Erhart and the others were taken hostage.
"I know. I had Monica call out to other allies. They'll be here for rescue soon. We just need to buy time."
As we entered a shortcut—a back alley—leading to where Marianne-san was, there were fewer people than on the main street.
"Aria."
"What? Wait—!!"
I pinned Aria against the wall and kissed her. Placing my hand on the wall to ensure she couldn't escape, I thrust my tongue in.
Aria was surprisingly maidenly, and explaining the situation would have taken too much time. Since there was no such time, I forced the kiss before pulling away.
The line of my skill—Connection—connected with Aria.
Aria wiped her mouth.
"...Tell me before you do that next time."
"There's no time. I'm using a skill, so don't peek too much. Even for Novem or Miranda, it's taxing. Just make sure you can get the minimum necessary information. Let's go."
The jewel began to glow faintly.
When the Fourth Generation's skill—Speed—activated, we dashed through the back alley. Was the increase in movement speed compared to before because I had grown, or because I had become better at using the skill?
Without time to ponder that, I aimed for Marianne-san's location.
On the map appearing in my mind, there was a change in Marianne-san's movement.
Aria seemed to notice it too.
"Why would she go to a deserted place on her own? That's a bit strange."
I said to Aria.
"They probably researched it beforehand. Blocking a road is easy, right? If you just put up a sign saying it's dangerous, you can easily guide someone."
Running alongside Aria, I hurried toward Marianne-san's location. Then, from a shop in the back alley, an adventurer companion emerged carrying a black greatsword.
—Miranda was running across the rooftops of Beim.
Eva was following, but the one leading the way was Monica.
Stained by the twilight, Beim was at the time of day when it would suddenly become dark.
Liel had informed them of Marianne's crisis, and to rescue her, they had dashed out from the inn, leaving Clara and Shannon, as well as the Valkyries' guards, behind.
As Eva ran across the rooftops.
"We're definitely going to get complaints about this later!"
Some of the roofs were in terrible condition, and as the three of them ran, parts of the roofs occasionally broke.
Leaping between buildings, Miranda said to Eva.
"It doesn't matter anymore. Besides, they'll break eventually."
Eva also leaped between buildings, chasing after Monica.
Monica, running at the front, abruptly changed direction.
『The target is not passing through the planned point. I will intercept them. Please follow me.』
Despite wearing a frilly maid outfit that looked difficult to move in, Monica's movements were incredibly swift. Even Miranda and Eva, who had experienced growth several times, were doing their best just to keep up.
Moreover, it seemed she wasn't even giving her all.
She was likely adjusting her speed to bring Miranda and the others to the scene.
"Did they change the path? Or were they forced to?"
『Perhaps. Beim is like the backyard of those Sweepers, after all.』
Miranda thought that a troublesome existence had moved.
(The Sweepers, the adventurer killers. They definitely possess skills. Honestly, what are they thinking, killing a fellow employee?)
Miranda had heard rumors that their role was to dispose of adventurers who had crossed the line, and that they usually worked within the guild.
Thinking that perhaps a familiar face was acting as a Sweeper, she couldn't be too harsh toward the employees. She had thought it was a hoax to exploit that psychology, but considering they had moved, Miranda thought this was an opportunity to confirm it.
Eva looked worried.
"Will we make it in time? Even if we do, there's only five of us, including Liel. I wonder if the opponents will back down?"
The three of them leaped onto a slightly taller building, and from there, leaped toward a lower building.
Monica said.
『If we keep going, those chicken cowards will arrive at the scene first. If the opponents intend to flee, they'll likely do so at that point. Well, I don't think we'll lose if we fight.』
Monica, who was relatively cold toward anyone other than Liel, answered Eva's question matter-of-factly—.
—Marianne had been taking a slight detour because the route she always used was blocked by a sign.
This was because the sign even had a carefully drawn map saying "Please use this road." Having been born in Beim, it felt a bit strange to use a road she had never used before.
After finishing her work at the guild, she changed in the locker room as usual and exited through the guild's back door in her private clothes.
There were times she went home with someone, but today, the other members had been called away by their boss, leaving Marianne to return first.
Carrying her bag, she tilted her head as she walked down the dim street.
"Did I take a wrong turn? But there weren't any forks in the road until now, right?"
She should have walked exactly as written on the map, but she had reached a dead end. It was a place where a narrow space created by the surrounding buildings had become a path.
Only the dead-end area was strangely wide.
When she turned around to go back, a woman in black clothing wearing a white mask was standing there.
Marianne stepped back in surprise and looked up. Though the designs differed slightly, a group wearing the same common attire—black clothing and white masks—were peering down from the rooftops.
Marianne was also a guild employee.
She had heard various rumors, including those about the Sweepers. To act as a deterrent against adventurers, the guild's method was to spread rumors that mixed truth with lies.
And seeing that attire, Marianne understood that they were Sweepers. Dropping her bag, she looked down.
"...It's not as if I'm completely innocent."
With Erhart taken hostage, Marianne had handed over information on the adventurers who were attacking Liel and the others. That was clearly a blatant act of betrayal against the guild. She had done it knowing full well.
It wasn't that she hadn't had the naive thought that she might not get caught. However, the opponents seemed to be more competent.
Marianne looked at the Sweeper standing before her. Through the eye-holes of the white mask, red eyes were watching her. Marianne immediately understood who the opponent was.
The opponent's build, the atmosphere, and those red eyes.
"...Yes, it was you. I had a feeling. There were too many things that couldn't be explained just by you being the boss's favorite."
The Sweeper in the white mask picked up a knife and spoke. Marianne thought it was the voice of Tanya. Because of the mask, it sounded different from usual, but she still knew it was Tanya's voice.
"It's a pity, Marianne. I didn't dislike you. But betrayal of the guild... I cannot overlook it this time."
The surrounding Sweepers were likely from other branches. They seemed to be watching to ensure Tanya finished her off.
"...That sign was also your doing?"
Thinking that the Sweepers had prepared the sign to lure her here, Marianne found it slightly amusing. Watching Marianne smile a little, Tanya nodded.
"It will look as though you were raped here. I have already prepared a culprit. One of those habitually violent adventurers will be the sacrifice."
Marianne grabbed her own arms as if hugging herself, somehow keeping her trembling body upright.
"...I see. Just hurry. Finish it before I show how pathetic I am out of fear."
Escaping from the Sweepers was impossible for Marianne. Closing her eyes, she waited for the moment Tanya's blade would kill her.
But—.
"What the hell are you doing!"
A violent shout, and when she opened her eyes, Marianne saw Erhart slashing at the Sweeper before her. Behind him, Erhart's companions, weapons in hand, passed by Erhart and Tanya to surround Marianne, leveling their weapons.
Marianne shouted to the adventurers she had once looked after, who now had their backs to her.
"What are you doing! Run! These people are—"
Then, Erhart, who had been kicked away, blocked Tanya's strike with his black greatsword and blew her back with sheer force.
Tanya rotated lightly in mid-air and placed her foot on the wall. Then, she stood up as if the wall were the ground. Erhart was also bewildered by the sight that seemed to ignore gravity. However, he spoke to Marianne.
"I know. They're Sweepers, right? So what? I haven't even thanked you yet."
Hearing those words, Marianne imagined that Liel and the others must have told them.
"...You heard? But even so, you are wrong. There's no way mere adventurers can win against the guild."
And it was the moment Tanya tried to move.
A red-haired woman who dove in at incredible speed leveled her spear and charged the wall behind Marianne and the others, where no one was.
It was Aria. Aria leaped forward and thrust her spear into the wall in an empty spot. Then, a man in black clothing appeared where there had been nothing, scattering blood around him.
He had a knife in his hand and seemed to have been trying to kill Marianne and the others.
A figure walked slowly toward that place surrounded by buildings. This person had blue hair and was the man of the hour in Beim—Liel—.
The rescue of Marianne-san seemed to have been in time.
The invisible enemy, whose existence had been confirmed with the Second Generation's skill, was pinned to the wall by Aria's spear. Drawing a sword from her waist, Aria remained wary of the Sweeper standing on the wall.
I had a guess as to who the Sweeper was.
"Tanya-san, you're wearing quite a dangerous outfit. But is that a skill that lets you stand on walls? It seems surprisingly convenient."
Then, without answering, Tanya-san crouched on the wall to slash at me. However, a Sweeper fell from above.
While those around them were surprised, Aria and I were not.
"Let's be wary of those who haven't come down yet."
Above, it seemed a battle had begun, as the sounds of clashing and the destruction of the building's ceiling could be heard.
The Sweeper who had fallen had an arrow pierced through their head. Eva had finished them. Occasionally, the building shook violently, and sand, dust, and fragments rained down.
That was because Monica was swinging her hammer.
Seeing the situation, Tanya-san began to retreat. She ran along the wall and escaped. In the midst of that, I gave an order to Monica.
"Monica, let the Sweeper who just escaped go. She's from the East Branch. This will be the final blow."
Then, while continuing the fight, Monica replied.
『Understood. By the way, will you not ask "Are you okay?" to me, who was stabbed with a poisoned knife?』
"...You, poison doesn't even matter to you, does it?"
『Hmph, the chicken coward is finally understanding. Well, whether I'm worried about or teased, I'm happy either way.』
I realized that the most effective way to deal with a triumphant Monica was to ignore her. Above, Miranda had captured two of them with sticky threads and was strangling them with wires.
Everyone seemed to possess troublesome skills, but while Monica took the brunt of the enemy's attacks, Miranda and Eva were reducing their numbers.
Aria let out a sigh.
"Liel, you just look like you're talking to yourself."
I had been distracted by the situation above, and looking at the scene here, I gave a wry smile. From the perspective of those around us, I was just talking to myself.
No wonder Erhart and the others had subtle expressions.
Marianne-san sank to the ground.
"...How terrible. Involving them in this."
Marianne-san glared at me. I could understand that. I had wanted to protect Erhart and the others, but as a result, I had involved them to a level where they couldn't turn back.
Then, Erhart put away his black greatsword and spoke to Marianne-san.
"No. I'm the one who said it. That I wanted to help. I... no, we... haven't thanked you, Marianne-san. We didn't know you were doing dangerous things to help us. So—"
As the others joined in thanking Marianne-san, she shook her head.
"—I don't need any thanks. I did it for my own satisfaction. That's why it would have been better if you all stayed as you were."
Marianne-san sat there, hugging her knees. I looked up at the sky. The sounds had stopped; the battle seemed to be over.
And in that place, Erhart spoke.
"Marianne-san, I... I loved you. You taught us fools so many things so kindly. You encouraged us. That's why, I—"
Marianne-san stood up and gave Erhart a smile. However, she looked a bit sad and shook her head.
"Thank you. I'm happy that you've become fine men. But, you see, I've already decided. I won't fall in love with adventurers. So, you all should look for someone new."
Perhaps the conclusion reached by Marianne-san, who had once loved an adventurer and then lost them, was to not love adventurers.
While those around them were tearing up, Erhart was laughing even as tears streamed down his face.
"...I see. Then, it can't be helped. It just can't be helped!"
Mireia-san, who was watching the scene from within the jewel, looked pleased.
『My, they're having quite a youthful experience. A pure relationship, unlike what you have, Liel.』
Thinking that the reason I became like this was mainly due to the successive heads within the jewel—and most of all, because of you—I rolled the jewel with my fingertip.
Aria came to my side and nodded.
"Let's collect the Sweeper's mask. We'll use it to get the guild to call us."
Aria looked at me with exasperation.
"You really are... I'm starting to feel sorry for the guild that made you an enemy."
While Erhart and the others were experiencing their youth, we obtained the card we needed to challenge the muddy negotiations with the guild.