Chapter 25

"......So, you could still move after all."

"Y-Yes, I was really happy! I never thought there would be people like this..."

Seeing the mage of the Catastrophe Wolf's consciousness being cut down by Narzenia, I said these words with a sigh of exasperation. Perhaps thinking she was being criticized, Narzenia desperately tried to express her gratitude to me. However, my words were not directed at her.

That exasperation was for myself, for having completely forgotten that Narzenia would never lose to the likes of Mozerarl and the others.

Reflecting on it now, I was clearly too anxious just a moment ago. After all, Narzenia is a first-rate adventurer with outstanding talent. She could have handled the Catastrophe Wolf on her own. Realizing this, I felt ashamed of my excessive anxiety.

That said, I had no intention of forgiving Mozerarl and the others.

"Damn! Damn!"

Ignoring my thoughts, the male healer of the Catastrophe Wolf was desperately trying to heal Mozerarl. However, it wasn't very effective. It seemed that the injuries Mozerarl sustained from my attack were severe, and the healer's healing magic couldn't keep up. Seeing this, I couldn't help but sigh. The healer, who had always boasted about being an elite, was right in front of me. But how could he be proud of himself? I sighed and cast a healing spell.

"Heal, Heal, Heal"

Almost simultaneously, the "Heal" spells activated, their effects overlapping. This was a technique I had developed as a byproduct of combining mana and qi. By casting multiple spells in a short time, their effects could be compounded, a rather simple trick.

There were no side effects, but the effectiveness was evident.

However, the magic stone I held in my hand further enhanced my "Heal." It was a makeshift magical device that I had improved to double the effect of spells. Only those with the skills in mana and qi could use it, making it a defective magical item. But its effectiveness was undeniable.

"Ugh, ugh..."

With the combination of my skill and the magical device, my "Heal" began to heal Mozerarl's wounds, which even the Catastrophe Wolf's healer couldn't fix.

"What!?"

"What are you doing, sir!?"

Seeing my actions, the Catastrophe Wolf's healer and Narzenia exclaimed in shock. However, I didn't cast the healing spell to save Mozerarl. I tried to explain to the shocked pair...

"Foolish! What are you!?"

...but my words were cut off by the emotional healer.

The healer glared at me, who had supposedly saved his comrade.

"Why can a defective person like you do so much! It's wrong! You're just a useless person who should crawl and grovel..."

The healer's bloodshot eyes burned with jealousy as he shouted, berating me for not being defective.

"Annoying."

"Ah!"

But the healer's words didn't interest me at all. So, I kicked him, causing him to collapse.

Honestly, I didn't care about these people. Since teaming up with Narzenia, I had become indifferent to those who were oppressed.

But I would never forgive anyone who tried to harm Narzenia.

So, I wouldn't kill Mozerarl. I wouldn't let it end with such a lenient punishment.

I decided this and turned to face a certain direction, opening my mouth.

"This is clearly a crime, right?"

"Huh?"

At that moment, the guild staff member, who had been watching, was visibly shaken...

◇◆◇

After I called out, a male guild staff member appeared on the scene after a while.

"Really, a guild staff member...!"

Seeing him, Narzenia couldn't help but exclaim in shock. On the other hand, the male guild staff member, Hansam, tried to remain calm but was clearly shaken. Being discovered by me was unexpected.

Hansam must have understood that the Catastrophe Wolf was at fault in this matter. After all, they had clearly attempted a criminal act.

"…It just looks like a private duel between adventurers to me?"

However, Hansam acted as if nothing had happened.

"Both parties are responsible in this matter, but you acted in self-defense. We will not hold you accountable. However, the handling of the Catastrophe Wolf is up to us."

...Hansam's words were nothing more than a get-out-of-jail-free card for the guild staff to avoid trouble. They didn't want to deal with the hassle, so they tried to cover up the incident.

But this time, I had no intention of letting the incident be covered up.

I had the cards to prevent it.

"Is that the super-first-rate adventurer, Ralma?"

"!"

Hansam reacted sensitively to my lie, looking in a different direction. I couldn't help but smile, as it seemed my guess was correct.

"…Are you mocking me?"

"No, it was a mistake."

In response to Hansam's accusation, I remained calm while my mind worked. Guild staff rarely intervene in disputes between adventurers. So, why did an experienced guild staff member like Hansam come to this place, where a dispute between the Catastrophe Wolf and us occurred?

There were two possible reasons: Narzenia's background and the existence of her master. I decided to use the existence of her master.

"But, don't you think Ralma might be watching this scene?"

"!"

The guild staff member reacted predictably to my words. Satisfied with his reaction, I moved on to the main topic.

"Even if he's not watching, Ralma seems to know Narzenia and needs to be informed about this incident. But if the Adventurer's Guild handles the Catastrophe Wolf, it would save us the trouble..."

I said this with a smile, but Hansam's face twisted in discomfort. It was only natural, as this was a polite threat. If they didn't handle it properly, I would tell Ralma.

"Hehehe!"

Narzenia, who had recently become an adventurer, also seemed to have issues with the guild staff's attitude and smiled broadly.

After all, it was understandable that she felt good about easily trapping the guild staff.

After all, my master would surely know about this.

"...Understood. Then, let's hear the details of the incident at the Adventurer's Guild..."

Hansam, unaware of this, reluctantly nodded, thinking the incident wouldn't reach my master. I couldn't help but laugh at his attitude.

"Ah, but please wait a moment."

But I remembered something I needed to do before that and interrupted Hansam. At that moment, anxiety appeared on Hansam's face. His real reason for bringing me to the guild was to use a mental magic item to make me swear not to tell my master. He was probably worried that I might refuse to go with him to the guild.

"Hey, did you think I wouldn't notice your feigned sleep?"

—But the reason I stopped Hansam was completely different.

"Ah!"

In the next moment, I kicked Mozerarl, who was pretending to be asleep and trying to escape. Caught off guard, Mozerarl writhed on the ground. I laughed at him.

"I won't let you escape."