Ch.27What did you do?

Right now, I was suspicious of three main things.

First, the complete absence of bloodstains.

Is it even possible that thousands, or perhaps nearly ten thousand people collectively reduced an entire city to ruins without leaving a single trace of blood?

Especially considering they didn’t just destroy buildings but clearly looted them as well.

If I were to take this at face value, it would mean that amid all that looting, not a single murder occurred—whether accidental or planned—or if any did happen, the cleanup was thorough enough to leave no bloodstains whatsoever.

And that would have to be true across the entire city.

That’s simply impossible by any reasonable standard.

It becomes even stranger when you consider who owned the looted shops.

There’s a high probability that some shop owners were among the looters, and I questioned whether they would have allowed others to take their possessions.

Yet clearly, everything along the path I’d traveled had been completely stripped bare.

Though I did have a counterargument for this.

Perhaps the few citizens who sided with the lord were mostly shop owners, while others died resisting inside buildings, explaining why there were no bloodstains or bodies on the main streets.

Since I hadn’t checked every building individually, I couldn’t definitively answer this question.

So, let’s assume by some miracle that all those people amicably shared the goods, and the unfortunate shop owners met their end inside their buildings.

That still leaves the question of what the knights and guards were doing. Naturally, I mention this because there were no guard corpses visible either.

The looting had affected nearly the entire city. I confirmed this with my own eyes while being beaten and thrown around by Scarface, so there was no doubt.

In such circumstances, it’s hard to imagine that the knights and guards, however few, wouldn’t have intervened.

It’s not completely implausible that they assessed the situation and immediately retreated to the lord’s mansion to defend it, but if they actually did that, it would be problematic in itself.

It would mean that the very people who should have been first to contain and intervene in the situation had instead barricaded themselves in what they considered the safest place for self-preservation.

Though, since the lord was unconscious and knights are obligated to protect nobles, I could somewhat understand their position.

If most forces had sided with the anti-lord faction, there wouldn’t have been much they could do, and they might have barely had enough manpower to protect those gathered at the mansion. But again, I could only be somewhat understanding.

The second issue was the complete disappearance of people. It made no sense that everyone here would have left the city and scattered immediately after the looting.

And if they had, the knights and guards should have noticed, even if they were holed up in the mansion.

How could they not notice nearly ten thousand people causing destruction and looting in the streets and then vanishing?

Yet until Serena arrived, and even after, those who had sided with the lord remained locked inside the mansion.

Despite how eerily quiet the city had become. At the very least, some should have found it strange enough to come out and look.

No one shouted or screamed, no one raised their voice, they quietly looted without committing murder in the streets, yet they completely destroyed the buildings.

And those gathered at the mansion still hadn’t noticed that everyone had disappeared because the looting had been carried out so quietly.

This speculation of mine was truly laughable. I’d sooner believe a meteor had struck this place than accept this theory.

The third issue was the very word “civil war.” From what Serena had explained, what happened in this city was absolutely not an event that warranted the term “civil war.”

It was simply the anti-lord faction rising up, destroying everything, and looting. And somehow, they managed to do it without leaving a single visible casualty.

So why use the term “civil war”?

I sincerely hoped this was just me being nitpicky.

I hoped I was just a half-senile old man who’d lived too long, grown paranoid, and now questioned everything in sight, making mountains out of molehills.

Because if not, it would mean this entire city was lying to us.

“We’ve arrived, my lord.”

“…Indeed, it’s firmly sealed to prevent anyone from entering.”

How long had we been walking with Cartina leading the way, followed by Elliot and two knights, while Serena and I watched the four of them with suspicious eyes, trailing behind?

Cartina stopped in front of the Adventurer’s Guild building. The firmly sealed entrance greeted us.

After pulling hard on the door handle to confirm it was locked, Cartina carefully examined the window beside it.

She looked over the window, completely blocked from the inside with wooden boards and shattered glass, then tapped the boards with the back of her hand.

“Elliot, are all the windows on the second and third floors in the same condition?”

Elliot stepped back a few paces, narrowed his eyes, and looked up at the second and third floors.

“Yes, they’re all blocked with wooden boards from the inside.”

“Hmm…”

Cartina crossed her arms and tapped her finger up and down. Silence followed. She seemed to be contemplating something, but not for long.

Soon, as if having made a decision, she uncrossed her arms and turned around.

“I’ve decided. Let’s go in.”

“How would you like to handle the door?”

“Break it down. I’ll take responsibility.”

Elliot saluted and strode toward the door. With a metallic sound, he drew his sword from his waist, infused it with mana, and took his stance.

The other two knights positioned themselves to shield Cartina from potential debris, and Serena stood in front of me.

“Haap!”

With a short battle cry, Elliot swung his sword forcefully. The mana surrounding the blade shot out along its trajectory and penetrated the door. The problem was that it only penetrated.

Elliot’s sword strike didn’t break down the door to clear our path but instead pierced through it, causing a massive explosion inside.

Through the hole in the door came the sound of shattering objects and an explosion. Elliot, who had caused the explosion, let out a dumbfounded “Uh.”

“Elliot, what have you done! What if there were survivors inside…!”

“I apologize, miss!”

When Cartina exclaimed in shock, Elliot clumsily dropped to one knee. His thick armor limited how low he could go.

Serena’s face contorted. I was probably wearing a similar expression. What on earth was he doing?

He was only adding to our suspicions with such behavior.

Serena and I exchanged glances. With a slight nod, Serena approached the two knights in front of the lord and extended her hand.

“Hold these.”

“What? Oh, yes!”

As the monster’s right arm and head were handed over, the knights were momentarily flustered before accepting them with rigid postures.

The one who received the head gagged at the sight of eight eyeballs rolling in all directions and a long, split mouth, while the one who took the right arm staggered briefly under its unexpected weight before regaining his balance.

Serena drew World Eater. Elliot, who had been awkwardly kneeling, stumbled to the side.

Serena stood before the door, her body momentarily leaving an afterimage, then came the sound of her sheathing World Eater.

The door immediately crumbled.

Cartina and the other knights couldn’t hide their astonishment at that incredible speed, their mouths hanging open.

Meanwhile, Serena, who had performed the shocking act, calmly deflected their gazes and nudged the neatly cut pieces scattered on the floor with her toe.

“Are you coming in or what?”

“Ah… I’m sorry. Just, I was so surprised.”

Only after Serena’s prompting did Cartina begin to move her stiffened body.

The other knights followed, struggling with the monster’s right arm and head, and Elliot, who had finally gotten to his feet, entered next.

Serena was still waiting for me by the door.

As I crossed the threshold, Serena finally entered the building alongside me, as if escorting me. A familiar scene came into view.

Tables and chairs for quest waiters, request forms covering one wall, and the reception counter where the receptionist always stood. Though the counter was now shattered thanks to Elliot’s earlier action.

“…Nothing special here.”

I approached the windows blocked with wooden boards. They were nailed at the edges. They were so thoroughly sealed that not a single ray of light came through.

I knocked on the wooden boards. They were ordinary wooden boards, not enhanced by magic.

I recalled the wooden boards I’d seen from outside. They couldn’t break through such ordinary wood, so they left traces of attempted destruction?

It seemed like something I could break with just a decent knife or blunt object. After checking the positions of Cartina and the other knights, I subtly gestured for Serena to come over. She quickly approached.

“Check if there are traces of magical reinforcement.”

As I whispered barely audibly, Serena stared intently at the wooden boards for a moment, then shook her head. There were none.

I thought perhaps they had been magically reinforced but the spell had worn off over time, but that wasn’t the case either.

“What about the other boards?”

Serena closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, she shook her head again.

I wasn’t sure if she had checked the boards on the second and third floors, but at least it was confirmed that there were no traces of magical reinforcement on the first floor boards.

“Serena.”

“Yes, sir.”

I glanced back. Cartina and the knights still weren’t paying attention to us. While maintaining an appearance of normalcy from a distance, I barely moved my lips to keep my voice as low as possible.

“I’m going to separate Cartina from Elliot. When I do, stay close to Cartina.”

“Then what about you, my lord?”

“I have something else to do.”

I turned my gaze to find Cartina. She was standing between the stairs leading to the second floor and those leading to the basement, contemplating.

Beside her, Elliot was examining the monster’s head, seemingly unperturbed as he touched it and looked it over from different angles.

“What are you contemplating?”

“Ah, Adventurer.”

As I approached Cartina, the other knights frowned as if about to say something, but they focused back on the monster after Serena shot them a glare, clearing their throats.

“I was wondering whether to go down to the basement first or up to the second floor. It might seem like a trivial concern, but…”

“The basement stores monster materials brought by adventurers that can’t be processed here, while the second and third floors are simple reception rooms… If people were barricading themselves here, I’d guess they retreated to the basement. The basement door is sturdier than the reception room doors.”

“I was thinking the same and was about to head to the basement first, but I keep thinking about how even the second and third floor windows were blocked. While it makes sense to block all windows if they retreated to the basement, there’s also a possibility they might have evacuated to those floors.”

The premise itself was wrong. Wooden boards like these wouldn’t stop adventurers determined to enter.

Cartina probably assumed those barriers had been magically reinforced, but from what I checked, they were just ordinary wooden boards. With Serena’s confirmation, I was certain.

So the fundamental question remained: why go to such lengths to create the impression that this place was sealed off?

“Then we’ll have to split up and search both. I’ll check the upper floors if you could search the basement, Lady Cartina. Or I could go to the basement while you check upstairs, if you prefer.”

“I’ll do as you wish, Nameless. I’ll search the basement. Elliot—”

“I’ll go with her.”

Serena stepped beside Cartina. Cartina turned to Serena in surprise.

“The First Knight Commander? With me?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

“No, of course not, but…”

“Royal Knight Commander.”

Elliot approached Serena with a hardened expression. It was clear he wasn’t going to let this pass.

“It’s our duty to escort Lady Cartina. There’s no need for the Knight Commander to—”

“Not necessary.”

“Pardon?”

“Even with a toothpick, I’d be far stronger than the three of you with swords. So I’m offering to protect your master instead. Why object to that?”

Anger flashed across the faces of all three. It was natural, given how openly she had been belittling them.

But it was the truth, and they had nothing to counter with. Besides, having the Royal Knight Commander personally escort their lord was something they should be grateful for.

After hesitating for a while, Elliot couldn’t find a response and bowed his head, clenching his fist.

Cartina fidgeted, looking back and forth between the bowing Elliot and Serena standing beside her.

“Let’s go down.”

“Ah… Alright.”

Serena headed down the stairs without hesitation, with Cartina following in small steps, looking back several times.

Elliot remained standing with his head bowed until the two entered the basement and the door closed completely. Only then did he raise his head.

“Fucking bitch.”

Yes, I figured he’d curse at least once.

Even for a provincial noble, having risen to the position of a lord’s direct knight, it was natural to be furious when belittled so directly.

Anyone who didn’t get angry at such words was either suppressing it or genuinely meek like Cartina.

“What are you looking at?”

“Are you talking to me?”

“Yes, who else is here besides you?”

“Those knights over there.”

Elliot growled and grabbed me by the collar. His eyes were filled with killing intent. He seemed ready to draw his sword and strike me down.

It appeared he had chosen me as an easy target to vent his anger. He must have conveniently forgotten how Serena had glared at him when he shouted at me earlier.

“Getting angry here won’t do either of us any good, so why not calm down and talk this through?”

The hand gripping my collar tightened. This isn’t working. Well, I had questions for Elliot anyway, so it didn’t matter.

Whether he asked while holding my collar or just asked normally, it was essentially the same.

“May I ask you one question? You’ve already grabbed my collar. Consider it payment for that.”

“…”

“Earlier, at the door, why did you do that?”

“…What nonsense are you talking about?”

“Come on, you know exactly what I mean.”

I put on a sly smile. My feet lifted off the ground. My body dangled from the hand gripping my collar.

“It wasn’t a failure of control, was it? You deliberately made just a cut in the door and directed the explosion toward the reception desk, didn’t you? That’s how I saw it.”

“Say one more word of nonsense, and I’ll cut you down.”

“It’s not nonsense.”

With a metallic sound, Elliot drew his sword with his other hand. Fire flashed in his eyes. I met his gaze unflinchingly.

Once I had started questioning, there was no turning back for either of us. And I couldn’t back down.

“Surely you don’t think wooden boards without magical reinforcement could stop a group of adventurers looting the city? Just a couple of slashes with a mana-infused blade would shatter them.”

I voiced my doubt.

“You’ve confirmed there’s not a single person in the city. Why did you all stay locked up in the mansion? Wouldn’t you have come out at least once out of curiosity?”

I pointed out the inconsistency.

“Finally, who told you about the civil war?”

And I pressed on the core issue.

“I only relayed what was reported to me! You keep talking nonsense!”

Elliot placed his sword against my neck. I felt the cold metal touch. I hardened my expression and pushed back.

“I’m asking who gave you that report.”

“Obviously one of the knights under my command, who else!”

“So which one of your knights? Try to remember their name and face.”

“…”

Elliot’s expression went blank. The hand gripping my collar loosened. After landing on the floor, I straightened my clothes and stood up straight.

I sighed deeply. The expressions of the knights behind him were also turning blank, following Elliot’s lead. The head and right arm they were holding fell and rolled on the floor.

“Hey.”

I glared at the three of them. Then I spoke.

“What have you all been doing here?”