Act 2-26 - Fingertip

Chapter 26 : Fingertip

My line of sight met with Priah.

It was only a moment in real time but, that moment felt like forever to me.

I fully understand that standing in front of Priah like this was almost equivalent to suicide.

Nothing good would happen to anyone who carelessly caught the attention of the army.

There’s a chance that she would remember my face, or worse, she would take me instead.

But still, I couldn’t stand this situation, watching someone die meaninglessly like this.

「You cretin… do you know what it means to stand before magus officer Priah-dono?」

「How dare a lowly and weak adventurer like you disturb our business.」

Priah’s subordinate started to surround me.

I looked at the man who almost became Priah’s victim from the edge of my vision.

The man nodded slowly as he stood up and then left the guild.

『Let’s beat em up, Dean! I can eat that shitty girl till nothing but her bones remain if I go all out!』

《Demon Eater Sword; Beelzera》 was trembling, eager to duke it out with the army.

Calm down, Beelzebub!

I pressed the sword’s sheath.

Beelzebub might be able to kill Priah as easily as flipping her hand if she was in her prime, when she was still one of the ruler of seven deadly sin but, since her current body was made with 《Petit Dimordi》 and retained with the supply form my insignificant mana tank, the most she can do in the current situation might be holding back Priah.

Suddenly, Edda’s figure entered my line of sight.

Her hand was already gripping on the hilt of her sword, frowning as she looked at me.

I shook my head, telling her not to butt in.

We’re inside the guild, moreover, the other party was a magus officer who has yet to draw her weapon. We’re going to be punished regardless of whether we’re in the right or not if we draw our sword in this kind of situation.

「Priah-dono, shall we capture this lowly adventurer? Let’s use him as a lesson for the others. In addition, his enchanted sword might be a jackpot.」

One of the soldiers suggested so to Priah.

… They might be trying to create a reason to capture me, and confiscate my sword to strengthen the army.

It was a tyranny through and through but, this was the reality of this city.

I took a stance, preparing for any situation.

Just when one of Priah’s subordinates was about to step forward, Priah overtook him and stepped in front of me.

「We’re currently trying to prevent the revolt of the citizens. His words will eventually spread like wildfire, raising banners of rebellion. Magus assistant, Marty-sama taught me to avoid buying idle antipathy. Everything aside from that is nonsense. There’s no need to meaninglessly destroy our reputation just for the sake of one or two useless enchanted weapon.」[TL : Did she just set a death flag?]

「U-Understood… Magus officer Priah-dono.」

She was… stepping back.

Thank goodness, I thought I was goner just now.

No matter how much of a tyrant they’re, they won’t act recklessly in the guild with so many eyewitness, and right in the middle of the day.

Just when I heaved a sigh, my ears suddenly caught Edda’s voice.

「DEAN DON’T LET YOUR GUARD DOWN! THAT WOMAN HAS YET TO RELEASE HER STANCE!!」

The moment I raised my face, Priah was already a half-step away from me.

Pulling her right arm with its two fingers stood erected.

That moment, I recalled the time when Priah stabbed the back of the hand of the female receptionist with her finger.

I quickly gathered my fighting spirit for partial strengthening.

「But… that is that, there’s no way I’ll let a mere trashy adventurer like you looking down on me.」

Priah’s lips formed a sinister smile.

Fu*ck. This woman was the type that would strike after she made her enemy lower their guard.

She never wanted to let me go from the very beginning.

I raised my arm right in the gap between Priah’s fore finger and middle finger.

She didn’t even hestitate to plug out my eyes. I would definitely lose my eyes if she stabbed my eyes with her finger enhanced with fighting spirit.

「Urgh…」

I covered my eyes with the back of my hand as I leaped back to reduce the impact of her attack.

The moment I used 《Transcendent Toughness》, I recalled yesterday training with Edda, I slanted my hand in order to ward Priah’s attack.

「UGH!」

I felt searing hot pain from the back of my hand.

Priah’s fingers missed its target, leaving a long scratch on my forehead.

That was close. A moment later I might have lost my eyesight.

These guys would go as far as murdering someone in broad daylight huh.

Priah’s eyes opened wide.

「Oh… my? I missed huh.」

She cracked her fingers as if to make sure of that fact.

I looked at the back of my hand.

She easily tore through the surface of the back of my hand despite it being hardened with 《Transcendent Toughness》.

Though she said it missed, her attack just now might pierce through my hand if I didn’t jump back to reduce the impact.

… I might have barely escaped the loss of my eyesight but that didn’t change my current situation.

Priah herself didn’t seem to be willing to let me go unpunished.

Though I didn’t regret my decision to save that man, I was in the worst predicament.

「… YOU!」

Edda ran toward me.

「STAY OUT OF THIS!」

Nothing will change the current situation, her involvement would only increase the number of the victims.

Edda didn’t stop despite my warning.

But then, a purple haired thin man suddenly went out first in front of Edda.

He stopped Edda and slipped in between me and Priah.

「… Yo, it’s nice to meet you again, lad.」

「H-Heidar-san…」

The newcomer was a top rank adventurer of Romburgh city, and also the one who fought with me to subjugate Vlad a few days ago, Heidar.

His hand already on the hilt of his 《Prognostication Short Sword; Gjallarhorn》.

It seems he strengthened his body with his enchanted sword to outrun Edda.

「Oh my, an acquaintance.」

Priah squinted her eyes as if she just found something interesting.

「Ah, yeah… you can say that. Anyhow, Magus officer Priah-dono, this guy is my friend. Can you overlook his immaturity just this one time?」

「… If you want to become one of us, I hope you fix that uncouth mouth of yours. This is why I hate rising adventurer.」

Priah smacking her lips.

「Let’s leave this place. We’re not coming to this place to sell a quarrel with an ownerless dog.」

「Y-YES!」

Priah walked into the inner part of the guild.

… The reason they came this time might be related to the incident caused by the grey cult.

「… Sorry, I should be the one who came out first to protect that man.」

Heidar scratching his eyebrows awkwardly.

「N-No, please don’t apologize to me, I’m the one who should thank you for saving me from that danger just now.」

An awkward silence followed for a while after our banter.

「It seems… they still care about their honor huh.」

「More like… Magus Assistant-sama remembered me due to the previous incident. He went as far as summoning me to his office just to meet me in person. He really thinks that I killed Vlad by myself.」

… It was thanks to Heidar’s assistance that no one knew about my involvement in the fight against Vlad, yes, not even the army.

「Are you, going to join them?」

「I made up a reason on the spot to delay my answer but… to be honest, I get a really bad feeling about my own safety if I refuse the offer to join the army. It’s already the second time including this time.」

「…」

From the perspective of an adventurer, joining the army was a dream-like job with a stable income.

Your position, livelihood and safety was guaranteed.

It also decreases the risk during the mission or hunt.

Someone as skilled as Heidar should be able to join the army whenever he feels like it.

The reason why he didn’t join the army might be because he wanted to keep working as an adventurer.

The same goes for me, I had zero intention to join the army even if I became stronger than now..

「Sorry, because of me…」

「Please don’t say that. You did a good job, whether in the market or when you stood for that man a while ago. I’m sure that someday, you’ll become a really amazing adventurer. But, in order to reach that level, you’ve to lay low in this city. The tyranny of the army aside… you absolutely mustn’t catch the attention of Magus Assistant Marti.」

「… Thank you very much.」

I bowed to Heidar.

Heidar just looked at me in silence.

「is there… something on my face?」

「Heck yeah… if it’s you, I guess I can put my faith on you.」

Heidar looked around after he told me so, and then whispered to me.

「There’s a small gathering of adventurers after this, do you want to participate? I don’t mind even if you refuse to participate, if that’s the case, just treat it as if you had never heard about this.」

「Gathering… of adventurers?」

Few seconds, I came upon a realization.

In this current situation, I couldn’t think of one reason for the gathering of adventurers.

It might be… related to grey cult.

Small part of adventurers decided to make their move in place of the army who didn’t even make a counter-measure agaisnt grey cult incident.

===

TN : Barely saved his hide, what kind of gathering Dean got invited to?