Ch.123Karma-Struck NPC. (2)

“The popcorn made today was rejected by our staff. It’s inedible.”

“How can this bastard be a white rank when he’s not even level 100? It’s incomprehensible and makes me curious. Maybe it’s because this is Aigram, a level 1 village?”

“ARGH?!!”

-THWACK!!

With my excellent head (physically) and fists, the guy whose arms were broken and whose rotten teeth—the source of his foul mouth—were threshed out, flew through the air inside the guild for about two seconds after taking my punch.

A pig with its teeth pulled out, reminds me of old times. But why did this nobody try to act tough?

-CRASH!!

“Cough!! Hwa!! Kha?!! W-what the hell are you?!! I-I was told you were gold rank…?!!”

“Idiot. Since when has an adventurer’s strength been fully revealed by rank alone? Staff mister, is this really white rank?”

“Uh, yeah. Huh? What? Eh? Ah, yes! Yes, that’s correct!”

Was it that shocking to see a white rank toying with a gold rank? The staff member who had been chatting with me just fine earlier now answered like a broken machine.

Well. It might be surprising.

“Y-you bastard!! You, you!! Do you know who I am…!!”

“A pig whose blood hasn’t been drained, you moron. Big brother here is doing you a favor by draining it for you. You should be grateful. Where are your manners?”

“Hiiiek?!!”

I advance with a smirk on my face. There’s still time before the guards arrive, and I thought I should break at least one of his legs to shut that noisy mouth of his.

-SLAM!!

“Wait!”

-CRACK!!

“Huh?”

“Nnnnngh?!!”

Just as I blocked his mouth with my foot because I didn’t want to hear him squealing like a pig, and broke his leg, the guild door opened and men who appeared to be guards rushed in.

What? They came really fast? This guild must be incredibly efficient.

“Welcome. This guy is the culprit who caused the commotion. One of his legs is broken, but the other is fine, so you can just take him away…”

“Arrest that woman, and that man.”

…What?

Did I hear that correctly?

Suddenly, the man at the front wearing a guard helmet pointed at Miho and me, and the guards who followed him immediately responded by approaching us with spears and restraints.

What are they doing right now?

“W-wait a moment!! Payback was the one who drew his weapon first…!!”

“Yes. We’ll take Payback too. But the two people who caused the same disturbance are also caught in the act.”

The guild member who had been talking with me jumped out and tried to explain our innocence, but they ignored him and continued approaching us.

What’s going on? Something about the atmosphere, or rather, the smell is fishy?

“…Jack.”

“Yeah?”

“These guys smell the same as this man.”

“Huh? What smell?”

Huh? You smell it too? Or maybe, do they also smell like pigs? They don’t look alike, and some of them seem even skinnier than me.

“…Female scent, alcohol smell. And some kind of prickly medicinal scent. Exactly the same smell.”

“Oh…”

Strange? The status window shows all of them as proper guards. But if what Miho says is true, this is completely…

“Kehehehe…”

“Huh? What are you laughing about now?”

“You bastard, getting cocky just because you have some strength. You’ll regret attacking me without knowing who’s behind me.”

Not satisfied with being beaten like a third-rate villain, the pig started talking like a sub-third-rate idiot. Ignoring him, I stood up and took two steps back, which he seemed to interpret as me being flustered, making him talk even more.

“Haha! You dared to do this to me without knowing that the highest authority in Aigram is backing me!! Your limbs will be cut off, and that beast woman’s ears will all be cut off and sol…!!!”

-SMACK!!!

“Kheok?!”

“Stop talking nonsense. What are you doing, hurry up and restrain them.”

[Town Guard Captain: Level 78]

What? The guards’ levels have increased too?

While the pig was excitedly blabbering, the man identified as the guard captain kicked him to shut him up, and his subordinates continued approaching us.

Hmm. But, the highest authority in Aigram is backing him?

“Avaritia is behind you? That’s strange, she may not be smart, but she’s not dumber than me. She wouldn’t use an idiot like you and handle things so incompetently.”

-Flinch!!

“You?!!”

When I crossed my arms and genuinely tilted my head, the captain at the front was clearly flustered, even though his expression wasn’t visible due to his helmet.

Avaritia is one of the Seven Deadly Sins, the demon of Greed, but what she wants is clearly not forceful seizure, but to slowly and without making enemies, legally make everything “hers,” and never give it back to anyone.

If she’s really using guards and thugs like this to seize others’ possessions, it can’t be Avaritia’s will alone.

Hmm… I don’t know! Ragni should be here at times like this!

I’m too stupid to piece together all this information and have a sudden realization!!

“Sigh, excuse me, guild staff mister.”

“Y-yes?”

“Could I ask you to testify later about what you saw here today?”

“Ah, yes? Oh. Of course! I’ll tell everything!”

The staff member seems to think I’m talking about testifying about my fight with that adventurer, and he’s sincerely taking my side.

Hmm, I feel bad for deceiving him, but I need to save myself first.

“Miho.”

“Yes!”

When I called her, Miho’s golden eyes glinted slightly. I don’t know what she’s expecting, but.

“Don’t touch them at all.”

“……”

What I had to say was already decided, and her shining eyes and raised tail immediately drooped.

No matter how things go wrong here today, it has nothing to do with Miho. That’s the intention I conveyed.

And though she didn’t answer, she even unclenched her fists. Clearly, she understood what I meant.

-Crack.

“And you guys, let’s have a chat with our main lawyer.”

I immediately cracked my knuckles and gave a knuckle tap to the helmets of the guys approaching Miho with spears.

*

“…Again?”

“Yes. This makes the twenty-third one.”

Taking the paper brought by my secretary, who has changed three times in just two years—this time a woman—I read the contents.

…Shit. Now they’re even messing with people who work at the casino?

“What the hell is going on? Didn’t I tell you to mark everyone since those Imperial bastards came over? The culprit.”

“The guards are continuously tracking, but there’s not even a trace to follow.”

-Bang!!

After irritably slamming the paper on the table, the woman who made no attempt to hide her sensual thighs as she crossed them roughly.

Avaritia, the mayor of Aigram and one of the Seven Deadly Sins demons, the demon of Greed, openly displayed her irritation and even clicked her tongue.

‘This is crap. I could find them at once if I used my power, but if I did that…’

She still hadn’t fully recovered from the damage sustained in the battle with Wrath two years ago. If she failed to control her power in this state, she might end up burning down the house to kill a bedbug.

If only she had eaten Wrath’s heart that day, her power would have recovered long ago.

It’s all that man’s fault.

Mountain Keeper Jack, that man who flowed in from Ponia. After he came to this city, the demon of Wrath appeared, and when she cooperated with him to stop Wrath, she received wounds that haven’t healed even after years.

Moreover, now that he’s gone, other bastards are causing trouble.

Thinking he’s truly a despicable bastard, she indulged in her daily fantasy of killing him before giving her next instruction to her secretary, who remained dignified and unafraid even in her presence…

-Knock knock knock!

“What is it?”

“Mayor! A messenger from the guards! There’s an urgent report!”

Hearing the sudden voice of a man, Avaritia signaled him to enter, and the man immediately came in, saluted, and began speaking.

“Right now at the front gate, there’s a man who assaulted about twenty guards from nearby villages and multiple adventurers, and he’s causing a disturbance demanding to see you, Mayor!”

What is this messenger saying? A ruffian has invaded, and what does he expect me to do about it?

Doesn’t he know that the guards are paid to handle such matters? Feeling genuinely irritated, she scratched her forehead nervously.

At the same time, her ample bosom shook, causing the guard’s eyes to roll, but such monkey-like men work for a daily wage of 1,200 kan for their lives.

Indeed, what was I expecting from such monkeys?

“Seems like the opponent is strong? Take three of my bodyguards, arrest him, and punish him according to the law. And if he brought so many guards from nearby villages, their defenses must be compromised. Quickly secure additional personnel to send support. Hah. As if we don’t have enough trouble with the undead in nearby villages, now some worthless bastard…”

“Um, Mayor?”

“…What. Why, do you still have something to say?”

“W-well…”

Though it was truly annoying to see a man hemming and hawing like a woman, she decided to be patient. After all, he must have come as a messenger for a reason.

“I’m actually the second messenger. The truth is…”

The messenger who had spoken that far kept glancing at the secretary, and the secretary tilted her head in confusion.

What’s going on? She’s pretty, but surely this monkey isn’t looking at a woman’s face in the middle of this conversation…

“Could it be. Is this report about the same person as the earlier report?”

“…Yes.”

“Mayor.”

“Yes?”

“I sent five bodyguards earlier, but it seems they failed to make the arrest.”

“…What did you say?”

The secretary, explaining that she had made a judgment call and handled it without bringing it directly to me, finds the last page among the reports she had handed me earlier.

And there it said.

“Gold rank adventurer Jack. He was reported to be causing trouble at the gate, so I sent five bodyguards earlier, but it seems we need additional forces including adventurers…”

-BANG!!

“SHIT!!! It’s you again?!!”

Before I knew it, I had slammed the table and jumped up, causing even my secretary, who had never shown surprise before, to flinch slightly and step back.

Yes, that’s how much I hate and despise that name.

“Damn it!! Why is he causing trouble again?! No, when did he even arrive?!! No, never mind. Hey!!”

“Y-yes, ma’am!!”

“That bastard, don’t try to stop him, just bring him here. And the people and adventurers he captured, keep them in custody for now…”

“A! VA!! RI!! TI!!! A!!”

-Flinch!!

My raised voice, which I had been using to vent my stress, was completely drowned out by an even louder and more resonant voice.

And my neck turns slowly backward like a poorly oiled gear. I could never forget this voice, even if I died and was reborn.

Shit. Why again?!! Besides, wasn’t he supposed to be held at the gate…!!

“I called but you didn’t come! Thought maybe you wanted another door replacement!! I smashed one gate on my way here today, is that okay?!!”

A man with gray hair and quite a handsome face would be smiling brightly while scratching the back of his head—Avaritia would later recall that she would have preferred an army of celestials descending instead.