Nigoru Hitomi de Nani wo Negau

Walm, who had returned to the surface, saw that a group of bloodthirsty guards had been waiting for him as his vision suddenly cleared. At least, that was how they looked in his eyes.

Merrill, who had returned to the surface first, told Walm that there was no threat of an attack, but he couldn’t let his guard down immediately and so he kept his halberd ready.

“W-we’ve no weapons in our hands, you know!?”

“Please put your weapons away.”

As a result, it became a situation where his weapon was pointed at a large number of guards who came to pick him up.

Walm looked around and then replied without raising his voice any more than necessary, while apologizing in his mind to Merrill, who wasn’t present.

“I didn’t mean to be hostile. I was attacked in the safe room and was just on guard.”

Fortunately, because of the blood spilled, Walm was extremely calm and far from hot-tempered. The only one who seemed excited in this situation was the mask.

Walm slowly lowered the halberd and covered the spearhead with the leather sheath. He paused for a moment, and the guards also dropped their alert.

“Walm, right? We’ve prepared a private room for you. Come with us.”

A one-sided statement that did not call for a response. Nevertheless, Walm followed silently, partly because of the bad first impression he had made, he wanted to improve it at least a little bit.

The passage leading from the transfer room to the waiting area was surrounded by guards. Walm, who passed through the passageway and reached the waiting area, was speechless. The waiting area, already full of people, had been transformed into a chaotic crowd by a series of disturbances.

“Open the way!! And stay away!!!”

Walm was transported while the guards kicked off the onlookers away. Although he had the experience of guarding an important person, Walm had no experience of being the one getting guarded. It was as if he had become an important person or a criminal.

When Walm turned his gaze to the reception desk across the open path, the reception staff, including Lisi, had a dumbfounded look. This must be a major interruption to the work. Once again, he got Lisi in trouble. Regardless of how she felt, at least that’s how he felt.

Exposed to countless gazes, Walm was led deeper and deeper into the guild house he normally couldn’t enter.

Although Walm pressed on the wound and suppressed the bleeding with the magical barrier, the blood still oozed out.

Walm began to feel sluggish, but just as he was about to complain about how heavy his body felt, the guard leading him finally stopped.

“You’ll be treated inside. Let me help you carry your luggage.”

Said the guard. Walm, however, clearly rejected the guard’s suggestion to disarm him in a roundabout way.

“Thanks, I’m happy that you want to help, but I feel uneasy letting it go. I’ll keep it by my side.”

The guard blatantly frowned at Walm’s words, but didn’t press him further.

Walm walked into the room and was seated on the examination table and asked to undress in front of many people. For some reason, he felt that he wasn’t much different than an exhibitionist or a stripper.

“Did you, seriously make him walk in that condition? What was the stretcher for? Without his magical barrier, he might’ve died before he got here.”

Luckily, the healing magician seemed neutral and expressed disgust at the guard who had let Walm walk this far

Walm wanted to applaud, but he didn’t want to further degrade his image, so he held back.

Diagnosis combined with palpation exposed wound after wound. Walm’s ribs were still broken, even though he was wearing the armor. Apparently, not only Faust but also the other Manhunts possessed the ability to skillfully destroy the human body.

Recovery magic was applied, and the pain disappeared along with the warmth. Nevertheless, it couldn’t be said that the wounds were completely healed, and if Walm moved carelessly, the wound might open.

After the treatment, Walm wanted to give in to his tiredness and take a rest, but what awaited him next was an interview with the guild’s staff.

How the fights had happened, the history of the contact with Faust, and sometimes the same questions were repeated. It was to the point that Walm was tired of their persistence. The situation was a situation, and even if it was driven by necessity, it was a momentum that could eventually lead to unnecessary questions, such as about his fetish and the three sizes. Of course, he intended to remain silent if those questions were asked.

After an hour, Walm was finally allowed to take a break and he could rest, albeit under surveillance. He brought the cup of water to his mouth to quench his thirst and exhaled the purple smoke from his cigarette. Every movement attracted attention, and even though he had permission to light a cigarette, the guards looked tense. Not that he minded. Walm could probably work in a circus right now without worrying about the audience.

Half an hour later, the closed door was opened. Walm did not recognize the man who entered the room. The paper in his hand, however, was a form filled with details from the interview. It was large and the bulges around the abdomen were intense. The tailored uniform was well maintained and the breastplate that hung from his chest indicated that he was a high-ranking employee of the guild.

As if to confirm Walm’s suspicions, the man had an attendant behind him and his arrogant movements showed that he was indeed an important person. If he were a weak authority, he would have behaved more servilely.

“I’m Raffaele, the vice-guild leader of the Adventurer’s Guild Belgana Branch. In the time when the guild leader is absent, you sure have given me trouble.”

It was as if Walm had done something wrong. But this way of speaking made him curious about what words would be hurled at him next.

“I had read the interviews. Faust’s party is a party of Manhunts? I can’t believe it. They have always taken care of their juniors and have been exemplary adventurers. Their contribution to the guild is also great. Even with the reports given by the Trimagitack, I can’t feel that it’s the reality.”

The body had noticeable old scars, and the slightly rough fingers and soft palms indicated that Raffaele was a civilian. If he was in Walm’s situation, it would be a spectacle to see how he would fight back with that slackened flabby body.

“And, you killed two of the five oldest and most prominent adventurers in the Labyrinth City, all by yourself? The more I hear about it, the more I find it hard to believe.”

So far Walm had responded obediently to the interrogations. Even if some of them lacked courtesy and endlessly asked the same question. He didn’t know what was written in the report, but he was getting frustrated.

“That prominent group has been hunting people. That must be why they managed to become the oldest members of the guild.”

“Wanderer, shut your impudent mouth.”

Walm’s word must have hit a sore spot. It wasn’t enough to stop him, and instead, he reacted with even more anger toward the vice-guild leader who harbored suspicions.

“I’m sure you have something on your mind, but still, it’s a terrible way to deal with a person who was about to be beheaded and have his whole body chopped off. Next time, will you strip me and throw me in jail? And you think I’ll obey obediently? You sure have a lot of soldiers serving you, but is that enough?”

Said Walm, narrowing his eyes and staring at Raffaele.

Apart from the mask which seemed to be excited for the second round, the hand of the guards who were watching him reached to their waist, while silence reigned.

For a sarcastic civilian official, Raffaele seemed to have a lot of courage, and even while holding the guard with his hands, he didn’t take his eyes off Walm.

“Hmmph…… I didn’t say it was a lie. That’s why I’m documenting it.”

Raffaele’s demeanor softened slightly, which was probably because they were looking at each other so passionately that their friendship and affection for each other deepened. At least there seemed to be a rule that wouldn’t punish him just because there was suspicion while arguing.

Hypothetically, if Faust and his party were the victims, why didn’t they protest even though they had lost their companions, and hide instead? If it was because Faust was afraid of Walm and was only hiding temporarily, Walm would have no choice but to applaud the performance that was so bad and yet so good.

“Well, aren’t you so thoughtful? Truly wonderful. Still, it’s hard to keep saying the same story more than a few times. I’m an injured person. Deeply injured…”

Walm showed the new scar on his neck. Even Raffaele, glancing at him, understood that there was nothing more to say.

“I can’t judge whether it’s black or white yet. Until the next step is decided, I’ll have you stay in a room inside this guild.”

“And what kind of room? Cell?”

“Hmph, if you wish, I can put you in a cell. You should be grateful. It’s a guest room for guests. It should be more comfortable than the labyrinth floor you usually sleep on or a bed of a cheap inn. You won’t be restrained, but please respectfully hold yourself from moving too freely. Of course, in consideration of safety, I’ll add an “escort”. Oi, guide him.”

As Raffaele left the room before the others, the guards and guild staff escorted Walm like a princess. After all, the people of adventurers’ guild were kind.

Walm, accepting the “courtesy,” was led into a room without windows. There was only one door through which he could enter and exit, and when he tried to hit the wall, only a very reliable sound bounced back. Truly, a room suitable for secret talks and to protect the target of protection.

Ironically, by repeatedly explaining the situation, Walm was able to sort it out in his head. And concluded that perhaps the reason Faust targeted him was that he was easy to target, since he was always alone, and seemed to have a large amount of money as he had a magic bag.

“Guess he didn’t act impudent for nothing?”

Walm sat on a chair and leaned over. He was reluctant to admit Raffaele’s words, but even a leather armchair felt like a bed of better quality than the floors of the labyrinth and bed in a cheap inn.

In the end, the habit of to sleep whenever he could, which he developed when he was an active Highserk soldier was still deeply ingrained, and thus Walm let go of his consciousness without ever touching the bed.