Chapter 52

After making sure that Klive was placed in the detention room of the Red Twins Pavilion, I went outside once.

Since I had sent Reiza to check on the Black Lion Pavilion, I tried to contact her using the magical device I had given her. It took a few minutes for her to arrive. If the Black Lion Pavilion was under attack, I intended to rush there, but it seemed that just getting an update on the situation would be fine. Leonid was reportedly snoring loudly at home.

My guild’s information officers carry magical devices that allow them to communicate at any time, as long as they are within a moderate distance in the capital. I had personally enchanted and created each of these devices.

Magical devices can be made by anyone who can use magic, as long as they know the method. There is a knack to permanently enchanting them, and without this knowledge, the magical effects can fade within a few days.

(The other executive who controlled Klive... the adventurer who infiltrated from outside. Someone who can control an SS-ranked adventurer must have even greater power.)

The "Miracle Children," who are said to possess the power of one in a thousand. The Demon King, Verlene, whom we fought.

Apart from that, I know of only one other person who possesses SSS-rank power: my master, who taught me magic.

I left my master’s side when I was thirteen to volunteer for the Demon King’s defeat. Since then, I haven’t seen her.

My master, who lived freely and wandered from country to country, has probably forgotten about me and is living somewhere, whimsically taking on disciples or doing what she likes.

However, if she was the one who used enhancement magic to draw out Klive’s power and even created a control magical device herself—then, it could only be her.

The "Gray Clown" who appears in various parts of the world, performing acts that are passed down as great deeds or acting as a hated evil.

I don’t want to think that she is here in the capital and is opposing me, and I don’t want it to be true. But considering her character, it’s not surprising.

— "I thought I wanted Dee to kill me, so I decided to raise him."

She laughs and says such jokes, seeming like a child, yet always appearing more mature than I can ever catch up to. I never understood what she was thinking until the end.

Without ever knowing my master’s true intentions, I left her side, defeated the Demon King, and never returned to her.

Did she create a new disciple and send them to the White Goat Pavilion as a prank? Or is it her herself?

Perhaps I am just associating the user of enhancement magic with my own memories, and there are others who can use it.

But there are hardly any others who possess the power to control an SS-ranked adventurer, apart from us and Verlene.

I cannot conclude that it is my master. However, whoever the opponent is, a battle is inevitable.

Then, the only thing I can do is use all the power I have to neutralize them.

◆◇◆

While I was thinking, Reiza arrived. She looked at the destroyed gate with wide eyes.

"Does this look like a tornado only hit here and destroyed it? What happened?"

"The White Goat Pavilion’s executive attacked, but we managed to fend them off. It seems the Black Lion Pavilion is safe."

"Yes, nothing happened. Oh, but there were some suspicious people loitering around, so I handed them over to the Black Lion Pavilion’s guards."

The enemy likely put a collar on Sherry to control her and intended to use her ability to charm men. If they could control both Sherry and Lotte, they could take control of the Red Twins Pavilion.

Regarding the Black Lion Pavilion, the enemy only conducted reconnaissance. It seems they prioritized completely subjugating the guilds under their control before crushing opposing guilds.

"Still, Master, what’s going on this time? You always said interfering with other guilds is against the rules."

"I still think so, but there are exceptions. This time, I need to know the internal affairs of other guilds."

"I understand. If you say so, Master. Here, I’ve organized the information that came in from Sakyua and will pass it on."

Of the seven guilds under the White Goat Pavilion, the ones that have seen significant changes recently are the Purple Scorpion Pavilion, the Blue Archer Pavilion, and the Green Crab Pavilion. The Blue Archer Pavilion has already stopped its activities due to the punishment for imprisoning beastmen, so there are only two active guilds now.

Both have stopped taking general requests, and there were reports of a mass exodus of adventurers, but for some reason, the situation became unclear, and no further information has come out.

"Once they stopped taking general requests, the adventurers who relied on them for a living should have left. But they didn’t. It’s probably because of pressure from the guild masters or executives... In such a situation, it wouldn’t be strange for the internal affairs to leak from the lower ranks, but the security is very tight. It seems they have imposed a gag order or are controlling the flow of information."

"I see... So those guilds have become completely puppets of the White Goat Pavilion."

"Yes. Sakyua also said that approaching them carelessly would result in a fight. The Purple Scorpion Pavilion, which was once a reasonable organization, has become completely unreasonable."

When Aileen fought the Purple Scorpion Pavilion before, they were still operating as a guild and fulfilling requests.

But if that wasn’t the case. Not only the Purple Scorpion Pavilion, but also the Green Crab Pavilion, might have given up being a legitimate adventurer guild and started engaging in illegal activities—whether it was due to interference from the White Goat Pavilion or before that. Currently, it’s impossible to say which.

"Leaving these abnormal guilds as they are is very dangerous, I think. Master, what should we do?"

"Leave the rest to me."

"Really? Are you going to take care of the White Goat Pavilion and the strange guilds all at once? I think you can do it, Master, but... it’s not like you to take on such a big task willingly."

"I know. To continue living in seclusion, I need to create the right environment."

Reiza was initially stunned but then chuckled.

"Hehe... I’m relieved. That sounds very much like you, Master."

"Reiza, if possible, join up with Sakyua and act together for a while. The most dangerous thing is if the enemy targets individual guild members."

"Understood. We, the information officers, will ensure our safety. Please let us know when the situation stabilizes."

"Sure. For now, it’s the fighters’ turn. I’ll leave it to you."

Reiza nodded and disappeared into the night. Given her nature, if I order her to protect herself, she will do so thoroughly—Sakyua and the other information officers will do the same.

Next, I need to decide how to allocate the members to simultaneously suppress the three guilds. The right person for each guild will vary.

I will find the other executive of the White Goat Pavilion. Even if it’s someone from the Demon King’s defeat team, it might not be an easy opponent—then, I will face them directly.

No matter who the opponent is, I will end things quickly and without holding back. I don’t want to see anyone suffer like the guild members at the Red Twins Pavilion.

◆◇◆

The next morning, I gathered the members of the Demon King’s defeat team at a training ground near the magic university.

"Dee, where should I go? Should I go to the most dangerous Purple Scorpion Pavilion?"

"I think Aileen can handle it, but the Purple Scorpion Pavilion uses a lot of poison. It’s better to fight from a distance rather than in close combat."

"Got it. I’ll go. Their targets have included members of the knight order. I wanted to pay my respects."

Assassinations or kidnappings—these are not the jobs of adventurers but rather of dark guilds. It’s ironic that the hero with the light sword is going to confront them.

"Yuma, can you go to the Green Crab Pavilion? This guild has golem users, but with Yuma’s power, they can be neutralized. If Aileen guards you, they won’t be able to get close."

"Understood. Golems are animated by spirits or human souls. It’s an honor to be of service."

"Alright, I’ll definitely protect Yuma! If I go berserk, I can be calmed down quickly. It can get complicated if left unchecked for a while..."

The side effects of going berserk include more than just a destructive impulse. Aileen doesn’t want to talk about it, so I haven’t been told the details.

"Then, Dee and I will go to the White Goat Pavilion... the strongest opponent. We two should be able to handle it, though."

"I hope so. From the situation, it’s possible that the White Goat Pavilion has an SSS-ranked enemy."

As I said this, tension spread among everyone—but the eyes of the three fighters, Cody, Aileen, and Miralca, quickly filled with fierce determination.

"Dee, I’ll rush over as soon as I finish my job."

"Like when we fought Verlene, if we fight as a full party, we won’t lose. It might be a bit unfair, but that’s who we are, the Demon King’s defeat team."

"I’m curious about their abilities. I hope it doesn’t end too quickly."

Truly, they are the most reliable people. If Klive faced these three, he would receive a much better education than I could ever provide.

"Also, Dee. After this is over, I’d be happy if you could train with me. I thought you called me today for that, and I even prepared."

"Sorry. I’ll try to make time as soon as possible."

"Okay. I hope this will do. I’d be sad if you forgot."

Cody switched his mindset and brought out a real sword instead of a practice one. This means that using the "Light Sword" as a sword won’t happen often in this operation.

Then, we all took out our masks. When I took out a full-face iron mask, everyone looked at me.

"...That mask has a better design. I’ll use that from now on."

"Dee, you always do things differently."

"Really. It completely hides your identity. Maybe I’ll get one made for myself."

"Dee, it suits you so well! It makes you look even more like a hero."

"N-no... I just thought that using the same mask all the time might make me identifiable."

This sense of unity among the four of us—our bond has only grown stronger since we were already close.

Our party hasn’t changed since the journey to defeat the Demon King. Since we started calling ourselves the Masked Rescuers, we’ve had more opportunities to feel this. It’s a bit frivolous to say it’s fun, but I’m very grateful that everyone is moving in the same direction.

The time to face the entity that has driven the White Goat Pavilion mad is not far off. Looking forward to that moment, I left the training ground with everyone and dispersed to begin our respective operations.