Chapter 18

After Lamber and the others entered the underground labyrinth of Ainzas, a group gathered around the entrance.

The group consisted of fifty men and women, all uniformly dressed in white clothes and draped in conspicuous red cloaks.

They were members of the largest guild in the city of Ainzas, the "Dragon of Mithril."

At the front stood a large, one-eyed man, and beside him was Cradle, whose body was wrapped in bandages at various points.

One of the officials managing the adventurers entering the labyrinth approached the one-eyed man, bowing repeatedly.

"Ah, Master Titan of the 'Dragon of Mithril'!"

The official greeted him, then glanced around and continued in a lowered voice.

"... A group from the guild 'Twilight of the Spirits' just entered the Ainzas underground labyrinth."

"Hmm, perfect. It's fortunate that their movement coincides with our 'Dragon of Mithril's' labyrinth expedition."

Titan, the guild master of the 'Dragon of Mithril,' twisted his mouth into a crooked smile and spoke in a patronizing tone.

"Oh, come now. Surely, Master Titan must have pressured a small merchant guild to commission them, right?"

Cradle asked with a grin.

Titan, in response, mirrored Cradle's crude smile.

"That foolish guild master jumped at the chance to ally with us. It's tough being at the bottom when the top is foolish. You guys, on the other hand, are blessed to work under me!"

The members of the 'Dragon of Mithril' burst into laughter at Titan's words.

Backed by the Obock Count, the 'Dragon of Mithril' not only had significant influence over the adventurer guilds but also over the merchant guilds.

Pressuring merchant guilds to control the movements of other guilds was a piece of cake for them.

They could manipulate other guilds to their advantage, prevent guilds they disliked from getting jobs, or even force dangerous jobs on them to damage their reputation.

This was the 'Dragon of Mithril's' greatest strength and the reason why guilds that caught their eye in this city couldn't continue their activities normally.

"Inside the labyrinth, anything that happens can be called an accident. Hahaha! Still, if there are witnesses, it's a problem. If you encounter anyone, kill them from other guilds too. Just say that strange monsters were wandering around."

"Still, why did the Count order the destruction of such a small guild?"

"Better not to pry. Even I, Master Titan, can't go against the Count."

Titan laughed heartily and said in a slightly playful tone.

Cradle also laughed in agreement.

"By the way, Cradle, what about that girl you were so interested in? She didn't leave the 'Twilight of the Spirits,' did she...?"

"That's old news, isn't it? I thought I'd have a little taste before crushing her, but she's such a fool to resist me! After all, I took notice of her!"

Cradle frowned and swung his sword, sheath and all, into the ground beside the official.

A low, slicing sound echoed, and the sheath embedded itself in the ground, sending dirt flying.

"Ah, ah!"

The official, startled, fell on his butt.

He then hurriedly touched his ears to confirm they were still intact, finally feeling relieved, as if his ears had been shaved off by the gust of wind.

"N-no! What are you doing!"

Cradle ignored the official's words, slowly sheathed his sword, and turned back to Titan.

"Let's kill that woman first. Ah, can I do it, please?"

His eyes filled with hatred, he licked his long, purplish-red tongue around his mouth.

"Haha! I don't dislike your decisiveness!"

After laughing, Titan led the members of the 'Dragon of Mithril' towards the underground labyrinth, leaving the fallen official behind.

The official, in a panic, reached out to stop Titan.

"Wait, wait, Master Titan! That, um... the procedures..."

Titan glared at the official.

"Are you going to trouble us, scum?"

"S-sorry, Master Titan!"

The official bowed repeatedly from the ground and quickly backed away from Titan.

"Hmph. Fool, you should have thought of that. Who do you think I am? If I were younger, I would have killed you on the spot."

"Haha... Master Titan is scary. By the way, Master Titan, as I said before, that armored guy is really dangerous. Even though I was caught off guard, I was beaten so badly!"

"Can't you handle that yourself?"

Titan asked with a malicious smile, and Cradle responded with a strained smile.

"W-well, I'm a bit uneasy doing it alone... Could you just give me the final blow? I want to make him regret it thoroughly..."

"No. I'll kill the armored guy. It's been a while since I've had a proper opponent. You focus on guarding the exit and the labyrinth expedition."

"B-but! He... He insulted me..."

"Didn't I say I'll avenge you? What's wrong? Are you dissatisfied, Cradle?"

Cradle, intimidated by Titan's glare, fell silent.

"What's your answer, Cradle?"

"Y-yes... Please, Master Titan."

"Ha ha ha! That's good. Don't even think about opposing me."

Cradle, though inwardly unhappy, bowed repeatedly.

He couldn't afford to defy Titan, as he didn't know what would happen if he did.

"... Hey, Golba, Dormira. It's time to bring out that thing."

At Titan's call, two slightly overweight men moved to his side and cautiously fitted him with large, glowing blue gloves.

Cradle's eyes widened.

"Master Titan... Could it be...?"

"Yes, these are custom-made gloves made of an alloy rich in mithril. The 'Claw of the Dragon of Mithril'... You guys wouldn't be able to wield these properly even if you had them."

Titan grinned and swung the glove, striking the wall.

A loud metallic sound echoed, and those around felt as if the ground had shaken.

"D-don't you think that's a bit much..."

"Cradle... You made me go this far. If he's not worth it... you know what that means, right?"

"U-uh, u-uh..."

Titan laughed and sped up his pace towards the deeper parts of the labyrinth.

The other members of the 'Dragon of Mithril' followed, and Cradle hurried to catch up with Titan.