Chapter 51

With Sherry's ability, Clive had become compliant, but regarding the raid and the destruction of the Red Twin Pavilion and the injuries inflicted on the guild members, it was decided to punish him after hearing his story.

"I'm going to ask you a few questions. Regardless of the content, you will have to pay for what you've done."

"…Yes. Please ask anything… If you are an acquaintance of the young lady, you should show the same respect as you do to her."

Though he had been using rough language, his way of speaking suddenly changed, which felt somewhat eerie. This was a manifestation of Sherry's tendency to require polite behavior from those she had charmed with her fragrance.

"Sister, it seems that the subordinate magic items cannot be mass-produced. Only two have appeared, so it must be that they are only for us sisters… Ah, I'm getting goosebumps…"

"Who gave the order to raid our guild?"

Sherry started with a question that went straight to the heart of the matter. Clive had to answer.

"I received an order with the guild master's blood seal and acted accordingly… I found the order interesting. Making the young ladies submit and do as I pleased was a privilege given to me by this order. I apologize for my rudeness… Ugh!"

With a thud, the iron ball at the end of the chain flail was dropped onto Clive's head. When I noticed, the light had gone out of Lotte's eyes—given the dimness, even I felt a chill.

"Even though you're already powerless, your words are too vulgar. You're the worst of the worst. This is all because this man was born a man. I happen to have a scythe, so it might be better to cut off what's unnecessary… Don't you think so, Sister and Dick?"

"I won't stop you, but your face is too scary. Don't scare me."

"Dick is scared… Even in the battle just now, he had a relaxed smile. Lotte, you're amazing…"

"Huh… Sister, did I do something praiseworthy? I lost consciousness for a moment… Ah, the flail moved on its own…"

If this continues, Lotte will claim that her hand moved on its own and physically transform Clive. Setting that aside, I want to gather as much information as possible.

"Is the guild master's blood seal used when giving important orders to the executives?"

"O, I… When I came to the capital and signed a contract with the White Goat Pavilion, the content was like that… Since the guild master is my equal, there was no reason for me to comply…"

"Hey, answer properly. Why are you wavering over something like this?"

I grabbed Clive by the collar. However, I had forgotten—apparently, I had used auxiliary magic on the twins and Clive.

Lotte now had the power equivalent to SS rank, while Clive had been weakened to B rank. The fact that he wasn't killed with one strike from the flail means that Lotte was holding back—close call.

"You had a reason to follow the White Goat Pavilion's guild master and sign a contract. What was it?"

"…It's because… 'That person'… raised my power by one level…"

"That person… Is this person not the guild master…?"

Clive doesn't answer Sherry's question. No, he doesn't answer because he doesn't know.

Clive's original strength was lower than it is now, and it was 'that person' who brought out his current power.

There is someone in the White Goat Pavilion who can do something similar to my enhancement magic. This person remains hidden and gave Clive power, securing his loyalty. I can't help but chuckle, feeling a similarity to my own desire to stay out of the spotlight.

The guild master of the White Goat Pavilion has started to strengthen their control over the subordinate guilds. The situation is not as simple as that, with someone behind the guild master.

"If that someone is in the capital, it shouldn't be impossible to locate them."

"Sherry, let's work more closely from now on. Would it be okay to set up a transfer array in this guild? That way, we can come to your aid immediately in any situation."

"…A transfer array, such a valuable thing… It's not that far away…"

"Such… We are also guild masters. We shouldn't rely too much on other guild masters. If Sister insists, it's a different story."

Lotte glanced at Sherry. Sherry is being very polite, but it's understandable. Normally, the sealed crystals needed to set up a transfer array are so rare that one might only get one after months of exploring a ruin maze.

However, if they had called me when they detected the intruders, we could have repelled them without any injuries. Thinking about this, I decided it would be better to have a transfer array in friendly guilds.

"Will you teach me how to use the transfer magic array? It's supposed to be a very valuable secret…"

"Using it isn't that difficult. The problem is that we can't make one from scratch yet."

"Mr. Clive, this is a secret, so please pretend you didn't hear it… Ah, you didn't hear it."

"…Young lady… W, water… Water…"

"Can't be helped. Hey, don't die."

The flail's strike was indeed heavy, and Clive's consciousness was fading, so I cast a recovery spell. If this continues, a vicious cycle of Lotte's flail attacks and recovery spells could turn into a brutal torture, but we don't have time for that.

"Is there already a guild master being controlled by this collar?"

"Purple… Scorpion Pavilion's master… tried to take the collar from me and use it. I defeated him…"

"Why does he look so proud…?"

"Lotte, the flail is not helping to advance the conversation. With your current strength, it would destroy the floor or walls if it hit them."

The master of the Purple Scorpion Pavilion is already wearing a subordinate magic item, making him our enemy.

Given the nature of that guild, I don't feel the urgency to help them, but it will certainly be troublesome if they become our enemies.

—No, we can't afford to waste time on this.

The Purple Scorpion Pavilion mainly takes on assassination and requests from criminals for money. These jobs deviate from the duties of adventurers, but they exist because there are people who need such services, which is why they haven't been shut down.

If they have already become a puppet of the White Goat Pavilion, it would be best to normalize their internal affairs. If left unchecked, they will become a group of outlaws.

However, if we do that, my movements will be detected by the White Goat Pavilion, and they will take countermeasures. It could become a complicated situation.

So, what should we do?

Expose the true nature of the White Goat Pavilion and free the controlled guilds simultaneously.

"I understand that the Red Twin Pavilion was to be an experimental subject for the subordinate magic item because it didn't follow orders. Why did you need to take such drastic measures?"

"Drastic measures… What are you talking about? For us, a subordinate guild defying orders is an act of rebellion. Rebels don't need wills. The obedient Yellow Fish Pavilion and Orange Bull Pavilion follow orders. The useless Blue Archer Pavilion should have been discarded earlier… Hahaha…!"

Despite being under the control of the enchanting fragrance, Clive's essence remains unchanged, and he mocks those not present. Seeing Lotte's increasing killing intent, I raised my hand to stop her.

Her profession is a 'duelist.' She became a fighter to protect her sister, and to gain high combat skills, her inner self is filled with a fighting instinct, contrary to her gentle appearance.

"I know this person is not the root of all evil. But, Dick, I can't bear to hear any more."

"I feel the same, but it's worst to leave things half-done. Lotte, go downstairs and check on the guild members."

"Yes… I'm sorry. Please take care of Sister."

Lotte went downstairs. Sherry, who remained, didn't look happy, but she stayed.

"My sister has a strong sense of justice. If we keep this up, she might really kill him."

"Don't worry, I feel the same. I'll make sure he regrets it… Clive, last question. Is there another executive visiting the guilds you didn't mention?"

"…No. The executive… outwardly… 'That person'… Gah… Ahhhh…!"

Suddenly, Clive clutched his head and began to suffer.

No matter the situation, there is a taboo against saying this—another executive has silenced Clive about their true identity.

No, we can conclude this. That executive is the cause of the corruption of the White Goat Pavilion.

Clive referred to the other executive as 'that person.' The meaning is clear.

"In other words… the other executive is pretending to be weaker. They made Clive compliant, placed the White Goat Pavilion under their control, and are trying to manipulate the entire guild as they please."

"That's right. The source of the magic items is also this person."

"…We were too careless. High-ranking adventurers from outside… infiltrating top guilds carries the risk of a takeover."

Sherry bites her lip, looking regretful, but it's not her fault. The White Goat Pavilion was fulfilling its role as a top guild until the executive infiltrated.

That's why Sherry, too, relied on the White Goat Pavilion for jobs. The enemy took advantage of this trust and tried to take everything over in one go.

In the capital, guilds have significant influence. The 12 guilds are divided to prevent the concentration of power in one guild. The reason I can't officially register Aileen in my guild is also due to this.

However, there is someone breaking the long-standing rules and trying to control all the guilds.

This goes against my ideals. The 12 guilds should each fulfill their roles, and my guild should remain low-key and take on special tasks—this structure, which we have carefully built, will be ruined if a guild interferes with others.

"Sherry, do you think it's arrogant to create a system where my guild helps other guilds in crisis?"

"…Before seeing your strength today, I might have thought so. But now, I don't think so at all. It's not arrogant; it's strange that you didn't use your power before."

I have been using it, just not in a way that draws attention, and not at full strength—saying this would probably make Sherry sigh.

Or, she might be even more impressed. Her way of looking at me has already changed.

"From now on, the Red Twin Pavilion will cooperate with my guild. Is that okay?"

"…I would like to request that. We will try to get jobs on our own without relying on the White Goat Pavilion."

"That's a difficult request. The nobles and the public still have high trust in our guilds. What can two weak guilds achieve by joining hands? Lady Sherry, I'm not saying this to be mean. You should release me and bow to the White Goat Pavilion again. This is for your own good… Ugh!"

"Shut up."

Following her sister, Sherry moved this time. She raised her foot high and brought it down, a heel drop—since she is still enhanced, the impact cracked the floor.

"…I can't talk about my sister. I overdid it… I'm sorry, I acted on my own."

"No, don't worry. It's good that you can hear Sherry's magic, but you can't prevent saying unnecessary things."

"…Dick?"

I put one of the two collars I recovered around Clive's neck.

"This should make the mad dog behave. I'll leave the rest to Lotte."

"…Dick, are you really angry? You always look the same, so I couldn't tell."

"I don't show anger on my face. I rarely get angry."

Sherry smiled for the first time in a while. She had been tense, and seeing her smile helped me relax.

"Well… Should I go to Leornado's place?"

"Seeing Dick move around is rare. Were you always like this? I thought you just drank when we met…"

"That's the correct evaluation. I'd appreciate it if you didn't spread the word that I work. To be precise, the Dick moving around now is not Dick but 'Iron Mask'."

"…It must be very stuffy. Can I take it off?"

With a click, the iron mask was removed. Since I wasn't sweating, it just felt refreshing.

"It's good that the inside is still Dick. The hardworking Dick and the drunk Dick are the same person."

"No, that's a problem…"

"Too much trouble, so they're the same."

"Hey… Is it okay to wear that?"

For some reason, Sherry put on the mask I had taken off.

"…How does it look?"

"It looks good enough. But I don't recommend you wearing it, Sherry."

"…That's disappointing. It's loose, but it feels good to wear."

It's a rather peaceful and tension-free conversation. The atmosphere is a bit awkward with Clive unconscious in front of us.

In any case, the Red Twin Pavilion has decided to build a cooperative relationship with the Silver Water Bottle Pavilion.

The next move is to find the other executive Clive calls 'that person' and free the controlled guilds.

For this, we need their help.

I will sincerely request the cooperation of the knight captain, who is probably waiting for my summons, in this matter. Starting with the strongest piece to ensure a perfect plan is what I learned from the first attack.