Chapter 123 The Serpent's Trap! (03)
A serpent's lair...?
And that guild crest... the Serpent's Fang... These guys are pretty bold!
Although I don't know how they got in, I didn't expect them to dare to stare at us so blatantly.
"Huh, how come... we can't sense them at all..."
"Ah, you mean that?" Facing Kleia's exclamation, the blond man chuckled and pointed to the magic circle unfolding beneath their feet.
"This magic circle can completely shield the etheric fluctuations within the area. I heard Sister Kleia has an exceptionally gifted sensory ability, so we spent a fortune preparing it." The man, twisting his neck, began his self-introduction with an unfriendly expression.
"Anyway, it's a pleasure to meet you. Sister Claya... and the recently rising star among the divine beast members, and this unknown lady dressed like a prostitute. I am Bivora, the guild master of the Serpent's Fang Guild."
As soon as he finished speaking, I stepped forward as if protecting a female, threatening Bivora in a low voice. "...Alright. Bivora. What are you trying to do by suddenly appearing like this? You should know that the Saintess Verification Examination is currently underway, right?"
"Hehehe... Of course. I know perfectly well."
But Bivora laughed without fear, then suddenly his smile vanished as he glared at me.
"We're here to disrupt that examination. As for how we got here..."
"!? Master! Liz! There are people around...!"
"Aaa!" Before Bivora could finish speaking, Claya cried out urgently, followed by Lizbeth's scream.
Turning around, the man who had appeared out of nowhere already had a short sword pressed against Lizbeth's neck.
"That's how it appeared. Invisibility. All my guild members can become invisible, and they're all over level 40. By the way, I'm level 48 too, so I suggest you don't make any rash moves." "...We clearly said the Hero Knights had already scouted this dungeon..." Damn it... I thought everyone was out, but there's still this bastard hiding in the magic circle, waiting for a chance to ambush?
Seeing the blade pressed against Lisbeth's neck, I gritted my teeth, suppressing the surge of anger that welled up inside me.
"Ah, of course, we came in later. We wouldn't dare provoke the Hero Knights. They scouted it two days ago; we sneaked in afterward."
"Ha... quite the effort. But why would you high-level people do something like this?"
I still don't understand why these guys targeted Kleia.
The guild badge holders of the group that attempted to kill Kleia in the dungeon—three illegal adventurers. And now, the members of the Bivora and Serpent's Fang guilds who have appeared.
Why? According to Paul's investigation, the Serpent's Fang should be a well-funded guild operating various companies.
What could they possibly want that would drive them to target Claire?
"Nothing serious. They just want one of our people to become a saintess."
"...You mean Sister Clarice?"
"Oh. You know her well. She's my woman. As long as Sister Claire is out of the running, the saintess position is practically guaranteed."
So, to make his woman a saintess, he'd go to such lengths as to murder Claire?
"So you want to kill her...is that it?"
"...I didn't plan to kill her. If we killed a saintess candidate like her, the Cult of Goddess would be in an uproar. Even we couldn't handle that."
"Then why use illegal adventurers against Claire?" Hearing my words, Bivola let out a sudden, enlightened "Ah!"
What's going on? Did they not know before?
"I see. So you were the ones causing trouble for our guild the other day, weren't you? You were the ones who took down those missing guys..."
Damn it. What a waste of time.
While watching Bivora's actions with some nervousness, Bivora chuckled and patted her knee. "Those guys are just small fry trying to make money. They've invested a lot of money to build up their support for Clarice and desperately need cash flow. If they encounter them, they'll probably see an opportunity to kill Sister Clarice. The little brats..."
"...Even using illegal adventurers? I heard you guys are quite wealthy?"
"We do run various businesses, but none of them are high-profit industries.
Although the profits are considerable, they're all entertainment industries with staggering tax burdens. On the other hand, using illegal adventurers avoids taxes and hassle, making the profits quite substantial."
This guy. Turns out he's a tax evader. Damn it.
"Ha...that's it anyway. They want to make Clarice a saint, so they throw money at this kind of test, and even deliberately prevent us from catching the boss to deduct points? Aren't they going to all that trouble?" "There's a bishop over there who's desperate to make that nun a saint. He's resorting to this kind of troublesome method because money isn't enough. If Sister Claire gets her points slashed like crazy here, our Claire will be firmly on the saint's throne." Just as Bivora finished speaking, Claire's clicking tongue came from behind.
Paul...you've gone too far and become poison.
Speaking of which, this kid...
is too loose-lipped.
What is he thinking? "Yes... but you make it sound so easy, don't you? What if we go around telling everyone about your collusion with Clarisse and bribing the church?"
"Don't worry. Our biggest concern is leaving no evidence. No matter how much you shout outside, we can settle it with money. We're telling you this so you won't waste your energy and will give up obediently."
Damn it... looks like he really is rich. That bastard.
"Claire has no intention of becoming a saint... since you're giving up, how about just letting us go?"
"Ha. You expect me to believe that after all this? That's difficult. This trick can't be used twice." Bivora chuckled, twirling her short sword before gripping it tightly again and continuing.
"Just stay here obediently for two days, then ignore the BOSS and leave the dungeon. Clarisse should have already cleared the dungeon and is currently evaluating you by then." "...What if I refuse?"
"Hehehe..." Faced with my question, Bivora scratched his head and chuckled, flicking his spinning short sword upwards like a finger... just like that, he knocked the short sword away with his palm...
"Ugh!"
"Shimo!"
"Wait, no, Mr. Shimo!" Before I could even understand what was happening, the short sword, flying at astonishing speed, pierced through the gap between my shoulder and armor, penetrating my body.
This bastard... a light flick... is that a skill? As blood seeped from my shoulder, Bivora spoke to me in a cold voice.
"You monster brat... you think I'm funny after just a few words?" Bivora stood up and slowly approached, continuing in a voice filled with murderous intent.
"That woman is a priest, so we won't touch her, but you two are different. You can just die here and settle things with money. In the human-centric Kingdom of Reinhard, monsters like you aren't even worthy of mention." Standing before me, Bivora drew a short sword from her shoulder, staring at the blood-stained blade, then suddenly glared at me with narrowed eyes. "Including myself, the guys here have killed quite a few people. Stay put if you don't want to die, you monster brat. That woman was a hostage before she left. If you dare to make a move, we'll turn you and her into corpses for the underground city to absorb."
............
"Ugh… oh damn it…" The group that took Lisbeth gathered in the magic circle, while Claire and I sat in the corner of the room, beginning to heal my wounds.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Mr. Shimo..."
"Claya, what is there to apologize for? Blame those bastards."
"No... if I hadn't been delusional about becoming a saint... this wouldn't have happened..." Claya healed my wounds, tears streaming down her face.
She put Lisbeth in danger, and now she's heartbroken.
Damn it... I should have leveled up more.
What is this mess?
My stats far exceeded my level, I was revered as a divine beast, secretly mocking the meager muscles of humans from this other world... I never imagined I'd end up like this.
What should I do? Am I just supposed to sit here and wait to die? "...Oh? You're almost healed already? Pretty impressive." Before we knew it, Biora had appeared before us, looking at my almost completely healed shoulder with an expression of admiration.
"Boss!"
"Call me guild master, you bastard. What?" Hearing my subordinate call out, Viola turned around, and I could no longer suppress my anger, slamming my fist into the ground.
"Uh… I should have trusted Claire's intuition when I came in… I didn't expect there to be that kind of magic circle…"
"...Huh? No… not that magic circle. This feeling… uh, huh? Behind the magic circle… the boss… room?"
"Huh? What did you say?" My sigh made Claire shudder; she jumped up and turned sharply towards the boss room.
The boss room? Wasn't it because of that magic circle that she felt something was off?
"Guild Master. Can I play with this woman? She's absolutely stunning."
"Ah, this mad dog is really… but she's certainly amazing. Hmm…"
What nonsense are those bastards spouting? "Miss. Interested in working at our shop? It's a better fit for you than the adventurers' place." "…Sorry, I have no interest in weaklings like you. Find someone else."
"Hey, what is this bitch saying?" The knife to Lisbeth's neck contorted the man's expression, but Biora stopped him, taking a step closer to Lisbeth.
"Pfft. Oh dear. Pretty arrogant? Perhaps you're that beast's woman?"
"That's right. The most outstanding male in the world, and my master."
"Hehehe. So, the woman of that monster. And she calls you master? What kind of play is this? Now she seems to be a madwoman." Biora, having laughed maniacally for a while, straddled the rock, speaking in a voice utterly uninterested in the surrounding guild members.
"I'm not interested. You decide. Don't forget to leave her alive."
"This filthy bitch. I'll show you the difference between a monster's dick and a human's. Come with me."
"Mr. Se-Semo…" Ignoring Claire's call beside me, I abruptly stood up and glared at the group.
"You bunch of bastards! You dare touch Liz…!"
"What can you do? You monster bastard."
"Mr. Shimo… Mr. Shimo…!" Although Claire called out to me anxiously, it didn't matter now.
"What else can I do but fuck your mother! Crush your shit-like face. You bastard."
"Who are you calling a crazy monster bastard…!"
"Hahaha! Monsters have eyes too."
"Mr. Shimo…! Something's wrong, something, something…! Ominous…!" One of the guys who had cursed me drew a shorter one-handed sword and walked towards me.
"This damn monster bastard. I beat you half to death and raped your woman in front of you…"
"Fine, you bastard. Even if I die, I'll kill you all…"
As the man and I, who had been cursing each other, took a few steps with our weapons,
"Mr. Shimo!!!" Boom! With Claire's urgent cry, the seemingly impenetrable door to the leader's room collapsed with a deafening crash.
"Eee ...