Chapter 89

Let's return to Rau's perspective.

"......Master, is it really okay to let them do as they please?"

With a sense of fatigue in my body, I asked my master this question after leaving the branch manager's secret room. There was no sign of Branch Manager Mist or Banzam around.

......The moment they left the room, they had announced that they needed to do something to ride out the labyrinth rampage and then disappeared.

Even so, my master didn't try to stop them, even after a slight complaint. I voiced my doubts about his attitude.

"Letting those two, who can't be trusted, run wild like this......"

Branch Manager Mist, that elf, was a person far more unpredictable than I had imagined. Fortunately, we didn't end up in combat, so I never got to see the extent of his strength, but his wisdom alone was undoubtedly a threat. I couldn't hide my dissatisfaction with my master's decision to allow the actions of such an unpredictable element. However, there was no trace of worry on my master's face.

"There's no need to be so overly concerned. I don't know about that Hansam, but in this situation, Mist won't do anything to harm us. Besides, if Mist can't stand up to the situation, it's better to let him move freely."

"......Huh?"

Confused, I listened as my master explained calmly.

"I told you, Mist has lived for six hundred years. He has accumulated knowledge far beyond our comparison. It would be a waste not to utilize it."

His words made sense to me. Mist had something that I could understand even if he were to train my master. It was something that wouldn't be brought out if we were to restrict and monitor him. If Mist were to use his wisdom for us, the situation would surely change significantly.

......If only there were a guarantee that he would use it for us.

"Is that so?"

"Yes. However, don't let your guard down against Mist. If you let your guard down, you might be taken in without realizing it."

"......Yes."

My master, who warned me, showed no attempt to hide his dislike. Even as I saw his expression, I realized something.

My master felt both disdain and trust towards Branch Manager Mist.

The fact that my master firmly believed Mist would use his wisdom for us and confidently stated that he wouldn't harm us in this situation indicated a strong trust between them. It was a level of trust that made sense if Mist had been my master's teacher. Understanding this, a sense of distrust arose within me.

However, I didn't point this out to my master.

"Understood. While we're in the Labyrinth City, never let your guard down against Mist."

My master, who repeatedly emphasized the danger of Mist to me, nodded. I was certain that his trust in Mist was unconscious. Moreover, his dislike of Mist didn't seem like an act. Pointing out this contradiction might only confuse my master further.

So, I pushed the doubts that arose within me deep into my heart, hoping that I could ask my master what had happened with Mist once things calmed down.

......I had no idea that the peace I desired was still far away.

◇◆◇

"What!? The Great Sword of the War God led the adventurers to escape?"

When I returned to the guild, I was greeted with a report I had never imagined. My shocked voice echoed, and the faces of the people around me, including Marner and the city's adventurers, twisted in distress. The adventurers who had been captured and tied up with ropes looked tense. Narseena, who had informed me about the escape, looked on the verge of tears and bowed her head.

"I'm sorry, big brother. Losing so many people in this situation...... If I had been more vigilant......"

"Narseena, look up. This isn't your fault. ...In fact, you should be proud of stopping so many adventurers."

I shook my head, a look of anguish on my face. Glancing to the side, I saw an abnormal number of adventurers tied up with ropes. There were more than a few hundred. According to the story, these were the adventurers who had tried to escape but were captured by Narseena and her team. No one could blame Narseena and her team for stopping such a large number of adventurers.

"But......"

Even so, the guilt on Narseena's face didn't fade. I told her, with regret evident on my face,

"More than that, I should be the one to blame. ...I was the only one who could have imagined that the Great Sword of the War God would resort to such tactics."

I knew that the Great Sword of the War God was ruthless and self-centered, even to the point of hating me. I also knew that he was shallow enough to challenge me to a fight. Despite this, I had let my guard down, thinking it was impossible for him to escape from the well-equipped Labyrinth City during the labyrinth rampage.

"No way! You shouldn't be responsible just because you were with the branch manager and not here!"

Narseena, seeing my regret, desperately tried to reassure me. However, with nearly five hundred adventurers, many of whom were skilled, I couldn't help but feel responsible. While it was true that none of the escaped adventurers could match us,

......in an unprecedented situation like the labyrinth rampage, numbers were crucial.

For example, even if there were a hundred mutated hobgoblins, the chances of us dying were one in ten thousand. We could even annihilate them without a scratch.

However, it would take a lot of time to defeat all of them. The more we tried to be cautious, the more time it would take. With the labyrinth rampage ongoing, if we were preoccupied with the hobgoblins, the Labyrinth City would be ravaged by monsters before we could finish. The people in the city would also suffer.

Moreover, even if they were just hobgoblins, if we were attacked by mutated orcs or super-difficult monsters, we could suffer fatal injuries. In this situation, we needed people to handle other threats so we could focus on the stronger enemies.

Yet, I had let those important people, the adventurers, escape.

"......Damn it!"

I clenched my lips, frustrated with myself. Just as I was about to apologize, someone placed their hands on my and Narseena's shoulders, forcefully stopping me.

"Having a strong sense of responsibility is good, but you're not the ones who should be held accountable."

"......Mr. Ronaldo."

"It's simple. The worst are not the victims who lacked countermeasures, but the criminals. That's common sense, right?"

Ronaldo smiled and, in the next moment, turned his narrow eyes toward the captured adventurers.

"You know you have to take responsibility, right? The members of the Great Sword of the War God, the warrior and the healer?"

"......!"

At Ronaldo's gaze, the warrior and healer of the Great Sword of the War God, whom Narseena had knocked out, were there. The warrior wasn't the leader, but I recognized his face from the Great Sword of the War God. They were tense under Ronaldo's gaze.

Currently, Ronaldo wasn't intimidating them; he was his usual self. This attitude likely instilled an unsettling feeling in the adventurers, or perhaps they were intimidated by Ronaldo's status as a super-class adventurer. Still, the two, being first-class adventurers, weren't about to be intimidated just by that.

"Take responsibility? What are you talking about, just because you're a mere adventurer!"

The warrior shouted desperately at Ronaldo, but it was clear he was just putting on a brave front. In contrast, the healer, with a sneer, spoke up.

"Are you overestimating yourself just because you're a super-class adventurer? I don't think it's a fair choice to push the responsibility onto us."

Then, he addressed Marner and the people of the city, not Ronaldo.

"Think about it. Is it really wise to punish us, who have the skills of first-class adventurers? We could be the key to handling the labyrinth rampage!"

Marner and the others didn't change their stern expressions, but I could see unease on the faces of the people and other adventurers. Realizing the healer's aim, I couldn't help but mutter.

"......Cowardly."

In the unprecedented situation of the labyrinth rampage, the people and adventurers were already anxious. The healer was exploiting this to ensure his survival.

......Even though they had made the situation worse.

This realization sparked anger in my chest. No matter how skilled they were, if they could commit such a crime in this situation and get away with it, it would set a dangerous precedent. The healer's argument was nothing but sophistry and couldn't be tolerated.

Just as I was about to shout at the healer of the Great Sword of the War God, Ronaldo spoke up.

"Is that all you have to say?"

Ronaldo's expression and demeanor hadn't changed from before the warrior and healer shouted. With a calm smile, he drew his magic sword from his back.

"Sorry, but your argument isn't worth considering."

"......What?"

In the next moment, the healer's face, which had been trying to maintain composure, turned pale in an instant...... I apologize for the delay in the update. The schedule was pushed back, causing the delay.