Chapter 272: You Must Stick to Customs!
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The guildmaster looked as if he was about to croak any second. He appears to be the sort of guy who worries way too much, just like Sword. The one having completely changed his attitude from before, on the other hand, now looking all smug was the dropout of a B-Rank adventurer.
“Now you won’t be able to run away anymore! How do you intend to compensate me for not only trying to make your monsters attack me, but on top of that, resorting to such a cowardly way to prevent me from stopping that!?”
He yelled in a theatrically loud voice so that everyone in the guild could hear him.
Sword looked appalled at first, but then immediately glared at him coldly.
“First off, we’re going to cull those monsters. And you people are going to apologize to me by begging on your knees on the big town square! Depending on the sincerity of your apology, I might feel inclined to forgive you, declining S-Rank adventurer!” He told Sword, albeit he had absolutely nothing to do with it.
He doesn’t even cast a fleeting glance at me, though?
＊
I shifted my eyes to the guildmaster.
He asked us with an exhausted voice and a deadly pale face, “……I’d like to hear about the truth of the matter. Are the claims of Shining Lightning Star true? Also, was it you who inflicted a heavy injury on him?”
Before Sword could answer, I took a step forward.
“In short, you’re declaring that you’re going to be hostile to me?”
As soon as he heard my words, the guildmaster became dumbfounded for an instant.
“……No, I haven’t said anything in that direction, have I? I just want to confirm Shining….”
Without letting him finish his words, I loudly announced, “It basically means you’re allying yourself with that lamer of a B-Rank adventurer, right? In that case, you’re my enemy! And I don’t show any mercy to enemies. In other words, you should resolve yourself to be tortured to death. ――Also, I don’t particularly mind if you all come at me at once, you know? That is, if you believe that you can beat me!”
At the end of my remark, I cast a broad grin on my lips.
The guildmaster seemed quite taken aback by my words. His ashen face returned to normal as he became absentminded. On the other hand, the lamer adventurer started to panic.
“Y-You! You think you’ll get away easily after turning the guild into your enemy!? You’ll become wanted on top of having your license revoked!”
I lifted my chin and looked at the idiot with eyes full of contempt, “Turning the guild into my enemy? What are you babbling about? My only enemies are you and the guildmaster over here. Or, are you saying that everyone in here is going to be my enemy? …You people, are you my enemies? Are you declaring that you’ll take on our S-Rank adventurer party 【Allrounders】!?”
Once I looked around me, everyone else hurriedly shook their heads.
“I see. It looks like they aren’t my enemies. So, the only enemies here are you two.”
As I thrust a finger at them, the shitty adventurer drew back, as if trying to hide behind the guildmaster.
＊
…At that point, Sword suddenly burst into loud laughter.
“Man, your really the best. Although any normal person would try to justify ’emselves when bein’ framed, you turn things ’round and make the other party falter by flaggin’ them as enemies.”
I looked back to Sword and responded, “If they piss you off, it’s fine to torture and slaughter them. It comes with the additional bonus of getting rid of your troubles through a fun activity, right? Also, if you get rid of them early on, they won’t be able to do it ever again. In such a case, you simply need to confirm whether they’re your enemies, and then kill them after torture.”
“True. That’s pretty clear-cut,” admitted Sword with a shrug of his shoulders.
“…So? Let me ask you as well. Are you our enemy? If you are, we’re gonna kill you. If not, revoke what you said just now. Don’t underestimate Indra. …Oh right, your pickin’ a fight with me since you don’t have the balls to mess with her, I s’pose. Guess that means I’m the one bein’ underestimated here.”
Sword laughed at himself.
“It’s because you interrupted my highly-anticipated torture time! It’s divine punishment!” I rebuked him loudly.
That caused Sword to laugh once more, “Yeah, yeah, I’m sorry, ‘kay?”
He ruffled my hair after apologizing.
＊
“So? What is it going to be, guildmaster?” I asked him while having my head stroked.
The guildmaster stared at me for a while in silence, but then he bowed his head deeply.
“It was my mistake. Please forgive me.”
I stressed it with a tone as if nitpicking, “Hoh? So you want to say you’re not going to be my enemy? Then, be clear about it. Tell everyone that you won’t be that guy’s ally so as to not become our enemy.”
“…… I’m no ally of the person standing next to me. I won’t become the enemy of an S-Rank adventurer party.”
He plainly announced without any excuses or justifications. I thought he might try to talk his way out of this, but he’s surprisingly upright, isn’t he?
＊
Meanwhile, the misfit of an adventurer appeared to be completely dumbstruck. I looked at Sword and then broke into a broad grin.
“You see, Sword, there was a certain phrase you’d say at times like these in the other world.”
“Whoa, I get nothin’ but bad vibes from this preface.”
What!? And here I was deliberately going out of my way to tell him! Mr. Amato and Damsel Scarlet would be happy, you know?
I planted myself in front of the shitty B-Rank adventurer and peered at him with my head slightly cocked.
“Hey, hey, how do you feel right now?”
*cra――――ack*, the whole room froze audibly.
I took a step backward, and tapped on the floor with my toes.
“You tried to triumphantly get the better of us, believing 『I’ll get the upper hand if I make the renown S-Rank Adventurer Sword apologize to me!』, and yet you were abandoned by everyone else. How does that feel? Everyone is just watching from a distance, thinking 『I don’t want to get mixed up in this』, and now that you had the tables turned on you, you’ve become no more than a lone, pathetic fake who can’t get anyone to side with him. So tell me, how does that actually feel?”
When I cheerfully questioned him like that, I was pulled away by Sword.
“Wait a sec, that’s way too pitiable, don’t you think? Give it a rest, ‘kay?”
Baaah!
Getting angry, I thundered at Sword, “It’s customary to handle it like this in this sort of setting! Ask Mr. Amato and Damsel Scarlet! And, you do it as well! Otherwise, he’ll just keep looking down at you!”
“Eh? That’s impossible. I ain’t no sadist.”
Liar. You’re quite sadistic yourself, you know?
＊
The guildmaster sighed while quivering
“……Shining Lightning Star has been very busy while protecting the order in this town, so he’s slightly exhausted. It seems like he overreacted after spotting some monsters. Please forgive him. I’ll gladly apologize in his stead. He’s simply tired and confused. It’s not like he really thought about making you his enemy. I can guarantee for as much, so please let him off the hook with this. I beg you.”
His head went even lower.
Baaaaaaaah!
“I wonder what I should dooo~ Is that guy really thinking sooo?” I asked while pursing my lips.
“Of course.”
The guildmaster confirmed powerfully, but I wonder what the dropout is thinking about all this…
Yet, when I looked at him, he seemed to have become completely white, as if having burned out. Ectoplasm was escaping his body. Even when I waved a hand in front of his face, there was no response whatsoever.
“Hasn’t he completely escaped reality after receivin’ that heavy mental torture of yours?” Sword speculated.
Baaah.
What a boring outcome.
“Yeah, okay, whatever. Torturing is boring if there’s no response, so I’ll stop. I’ll look forward to another revenge! Please tell him that. At such time, I’ll let him taste a genuine torture! Anyway, he should train his mind. Farewell.”
The guildmaster breathed out in great relief.
＊
“Your seriously unbeatable, aren’t you?”
I was asked by the Sword when we had left the guild, so I objected.
“The same applies to you as well.”
“I’d be definitely unable to pull off ‘nythin’ like that just now. I’d get tricked instead, I’m sure.”
It’s because Sword listens to what everyone has to say. But, with such a farce of lies and falsehoods, there’s no need to deal with the other party decently.
“You’ve got all these problems since you don’t listen seriously when you should, but instead listen seriously when you shouldn’t. You get tricked because you faithfully go along with farces started by other people. Of course, going along with such stuff, if it looks like it could take an interesting turn, might make sense as a form of entertainment, but otherwise, you just need to kill everyone who’s hostile to you, after making sure of who’s your enemy. Taking into account that flashy alias of yours, even the guild wouldn’t consider making an enemy out of you, I think.
――Limited to this time, the answer is pretty clear if the guild considers its gains between siding with an S-Rank adventurer and a B-Rank adventurer. If we say it’s white, even black is going to become white. If you’re aware of being a proper hero, who has been approved by your surroundings, instead of regarding yourself as some 『self-alleged bigshot』, then cut down anyone you dislike. Even if you do that, it won’t lead to any major consequences.”
“Yeah, I know. But, the 『self-alleged bigshot』 went too far.” He ruffled my hair, “…Your quite calculatin’, aren’t you? You’ve been pickin’ and avoidin’ fights while thinkin’ ’bout things to such an extent?”
I shook my head violently.
“It’s a hindsight-based opinion. Basically, it’s chop logic. In the end, I plan to turn all those people I dislike into sources for my own amusement.”
“……That’s what I thought.”
The ruffling gained in intensity.
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