Evil Avalon
After confirming that every enemy adventurer had been tightly bound by Arthur’s threads, I finished the preliminary preparations・・・・ and walked toward the dome-shaped tent built some distance away. But something bothered me.
"Arthur. We caused this much chaos, so why do you think the boss over there never came out of the tent?"
"Obviously because they were scared of me."
The pure white Arachne beside me summoned a tiny black cloud above his head and pulled out a gigantic scythe from within it as he answered. This scythe had been Arthur’s main weapon since the DunEx days. Since it was a weapon contracted to his soul like a summoned artifact, he could call it forth regardless of location or physical form. Honestly, I envied that.
Well, whether the enemy boss was truly frightened or not, they had definitely noticed our presence. Maybe they were setting traps inside the tent and waiting for us…
But even if they were trying something sneaky like that, it would be pointless. We’d crush it head-on and openly――well, Arthur would.
Prepared for an ambush at any moment, I nervously searched for magical energy inside the tent. I sensed four reactions from within. All of them remained motionless farther inside, with no sign of anyone lying in wait.
Together with Arthur, I quietly peeked through the gap at the entrance…
A rough-looking giant man sat on a sofa with two heavily made-up women at his sides, while across the low table from him sat a beautiful blonde woman・・ dressed in a T-shirt and shorts. Every single one of them was unfamiliar to me.
I quickly scanned the interior, but neither Tenma-san nor the maid were anywhere to be seen. If they weren’t here, then all the effort we went through in that battle would feel meaningless.
Just as I was considering asking questions, the blonde woman who met my eyes opened hers as wide as they could possibly go, trembling violently before screaming like a wild beast.
"…Eh…? G-…Gyaaaaaaaaahhh!!"
Wondering what was going on, I watched as she hurriedly grabbed a nearby cushion after screaming, covered herself with it, and hid under the table with only her butt sticking out.
Arthur and I could only exchange confused looks at the bizarre behavior.
Despite the situation unfolding before them, the three on the opposite side remained completely composed, legs crossed as they sat deeply on the sofa. Their mental fortitude was something else.
At the center sat a tall man around his thirties adorned with layers upon layers of jewelry. Wearing a gray pinstripe suit, he gave off less of an adventurer vibe and more of the same antisocial aura as Kirigaya Sousuke, the Number Two of the Kinran-kai I had met once before.
The two women at his sides appeared to be around the same age, leisurely leaning against him as they sat. Like the man, they wore flashy jewelry and revealing outfits that exposed their chests, but from their composed demeanor and overwhelming presence, they clearly weren’t mere hangers-on. They possessed the bearing of veteran adventurers. They were probably extremely powerful.
Meanwhile, on the lap of the woman on the right was a furry creature tightly wrapped in cord-like bindings, being gently stroked.
At first I wondered what it was, but it turned out to be the “Ugalm Queen” that had shrunk after contracting with Tenma-san. It growled softly and struggled to escape…
What exactly were you doing there? And where had your master gone?
I was about to interrogate them over the mountain of questions in my head when the man spoke first, peering down at us through the gap in his sunglasses.
"Ohhh, I saw all of that. You really did a number on my cute little servants, huh? You’re prepared for the consequences……right?"
"Shiramizu-sama. I believe the wisest course of action would be to educate them with our fists and show them the difference in rank."
"But this was a good lesson for those cuties too. I was worried because I’d been raising them a little too carefully."
Apparently the man’s name was Shiramizu, though neither Arthur nor I recognized it from our game knowledge.
Judging from the women’s comments, the adventurer group outside wasn’t directly under Shiramizu, but belonged to the woman sitting on his right――in other words, a secondary organization’s clan members.
But if an adventurer group comparable to the Kinran-kai was merely a secondary organization, then the group Shiramizu belonged to had to be a massive raid clan rivaling Colors.
The situation seemed to be escalating in an increasingly troublesome direction, which made me want to sigh in exhaustion.
Still, no matter who they were, the matter itself was simple and clear-cut.
After deliberately letting out an exaggerated sigh, the white figure stepped forward.
"So anyway, tell me this. Why did you lay hands on my companion――the owner of that kitty over there? Depending on your answer, I might just start rampaging right here and now, you know?"
Arthur swung his giant scythe with brute force, whipping up a violent gust of wind.
Plates and jewelry inside the tent were blown over one after another, and several struck the blonde girl’s exposed backside beneath the table, causing muffled groans to leak out.
Meanwhile, the woman remained completely unfazed as she stroked the bound Ugalm on her lap and answered calmly.
"Isn’t the owner right there・・? She won’t tell us how she managed to tame this little one."
"A skill that lets someone control monsters……I believe it’s from China……"
"Shiramizu-sama, it is a concealed skill passed down in Thailand."
The intermediate job class 【Tamer】, capable of subjugating beast-type monsters.
According to them, a Thai hero possessed that job and protected the nation.
It was certainly an interesting topic, but more importantly, there had just been an extremely significant statement I couldn’t overlook.
The blonde woman crouched beneath the cushion.
That person was the Ugalm’s owner?
Which meant――
"Ehhh!? Could it be… Akira-chan!?"
(N-…Nopeee…… wheeeze wheeeze…)
In response to Arthur’s shocked question as she flailed all her many limbs around, the blonde woman puckered her lips and tried to play it off with a painfully weak whistle.
No, wait.
I had only seen her for a moment, but now that I thought about it, her hair color and facial features really did resemble hers after the curse had been lifted…
However, Tenma-san’s curse still hadn’t been removed yet, meaning she should still be in her cursed state.
In DunEx, there had been an episode where she lamented that her appearance at the time was "aged・・・ and overweight・・・ to the point where she couldn’t possibly show herself in public."
And yet the blonde woman crouching there looked nowhere near elderly.
If anything, she had the mature appearance of a woman in her mid-twenties, and rather than being fat, she had a glamorous figure with curves in all the right places……or at least, that was how it looked.
Arthur and I both remembered Tenma-san’s adorable face and appearance after the curse was lifted very clearly, but her appearance before that had never once appeared in DunEx, so we couldn’t definitively say they were the same person.
But still――
"If this person really is Tenma-san, then where’s Kurosaki-san――"
"They took her away! These bastards did!"
If Tenma-san was here, then the maid who should always be with her was nowhere to be found.
The moment I asked where she had gone, the suspiciously Tenma-like woman suddenly sprang up and pointed powerfully at the three sitting on the sofa as if accusing them of being criminals.
…Hmm.
She seemed far more mature than the post-curse Tenma-san, but judging from her facial features, voice, and overall atmosphere, the possibility that they were the same person was extremely high.
Arthur was also staring so intensely at Tenma-san’s cursed-state face that it bordered on rude.
For now, I decided to set aside the question of what exactly had happened to her.
More importantly, what did she mean the maid had been taken away?
Shiramizu, who was being pointed at, gave a bitter smile and shook his head in exasperation before calmly replying.
"That woman simply returned of her own will to where she truly belonged. If anything, you were the one dragging her around selfishly all this time."
"Kurosaki belongs to the Tenma household! You can’t just take her away! And give Raikokumaru back too!"
Shiramizu corrected her, saying that Kurosaki-san had returned to her original place by her own choice, so calling it kidnapping was wrong.
But according to Tenma-san, Kurosaki was a retainer of the Tenma household, a right recognized by law among the nobility. Changing allegiances without permission was absolutely forbidden.
And she was also furious that the tightly bound Raikokumaru Ugalm sitting on the woman’s lap hadn’t been returned.
So the source of this conflict wasn’t the gate rights, but the fact that her maid and cat had been stolen?
When asked about it, Shiramizu casually explained:
"To begin with, the 25th-floor gate was discovered by the ‘nation’ first. Neither you nor I can exercise discovery rights over it."
Then, without a trace of shame, he continued:
"First of all, understand this. Return things? Don’t make me laugh. Anything I want, I take. Absolutely. Don’t misunderstand your position here."
"Those without power can protect nothing. Naturally."
"I’ve decided to keep this little one too. Isn’t that right, Victoria?"
Their words were utterly self-centered and arrogant to the core.
And don’t go giving Raikokumaru Ugalm weird names, either.
Tenma-san stomped her feet furiously, fully prepared to fight to the bitter end.
Naturally so.
That maid had been the trusted head retainer of the Tenma household who stayed by her side the entire time she shut herself away inside her armor because of the curse.
And the creature tied up over there was the special companion she had embraced just days ago while promising:
"Let’s stay together forever."
There was no way we would allow anyone to take either of them away by force.
Furthermore, Shiramizu and the others fundamentally misunderstood the situation, which meant meaningful discussion was impossible from the start.
When I glanced toward Arthur as if to say Go ahead and tell them, he let out a mocking laugh and stepped forward once more.
"By the way, can I ask you something? Do you idiots actually think you can beat me?"
"My my, how arrogant for a mere monster……"
"Did you tame this one as well, little girl? Tell us that method too."
Perhaps Arthur’s blunt question irritated them, because the two women seated on either side immediately stood up and unleashed unrestrained magical power and killing intent toward us. From that alone, I could tell they were both top-class adventurers exceeding Level 30.
Furthermore, Shiramizu appeared to be a cut above even them. Despite Arthur directing a faint but focused stream of magical pressure toward him, he remained seated, casually tilting his glass as though he had all the time in the world. It was as if he were saying he could crush us whenever he pleased.
They had probably judged that they could win after observing Arthur’s and my magical power, movements, and skills during the battle outside. But the thing was, we hadn’t even gotten serious.
And to be honest, neither of us believed for a second that we could lose even if the two women attacked together.
At that point, there was no way mutual understanding could ever happen. The only path left was direct conflict.
Well, I never expected this to be resolved through discussion in the first place, but now that fighting was unavoidable, a wave of exhaustion and annoyance welled up inside me.
As I secretly sighed in dismay, a noisy group suddenly came tumbling in from behind us.
"We have heard everything! You may be somewhat capable, but……how laughable!"
"You’re just gonna get totally crushed!"
"HUNGRY! GIMME THAT!"
Chi-chan and Kano stormed in wearing masks, crossing their arms dramatically while striking bizarre poses.
Behind them, Satsuki apologized to me with gestures that clearly said “Sorry about this.” Honestly, seeing how reckless and uncontrollable my younger sisters were being, I almost felt like apologizing myself instead.
Meanwhile, the fairy had already thrown off her mask and immediately pounced on the snacks lying around, stuffing them into her mouth.
At this point, I had no idea why she had even come here in the first place.
More importantly, how the hell had she escaped Arthur’s threads?
Shiramizu narrowed his eyes sharply at the masked girls who had come pouring in.
"…Who the hell are you people? What’s with those masks? You’re not retainers of the Tenma household……"
"Thank you for asking! We are…… champions of justice who punish evil and protect the weak! Our name is EEE! Judgment!"
"E-E-E!? R-Right! Judgment!"
Chi-chan suddenly blurted out the circle name we had only casually considered using among ourselves and proudly declared “Judgment!”, while Kano looked slightly surprised before hurriedly playing along.
Still, putting a fake organization name front and center to divert attention away from the Tenma family might actually be a brilliant idea.
No matter how powerful the Tenma household was through its control over major corporations, it couldn’t directly oppose a massive raid clan with overwhelming military power.
And if the circle name ever became a burden, we could just throw it away later.
In response, Shiramizu muttered:
"…EEE?"
He exchanged suspicious looks with the two women beside him.
Well, naturally he would react that way.
Perfect.
Still, no matter what organization name we used, these people weren’t the type to be intimidated.
Shiramizu removed his sunglasses and tucked them into his chest pocket before glaring at us from deep within the sofa, radiating intimidation.
"I’ll ask just once…… Do you even know who you’re picking a fight with?"
"Of course we do. You are Shiramizu Shogo, the ‘Gyuki’ of the Ten Rakshashas, are you not?"
"That’s right! The Ten Rakshashas squad forcibly took Kurosaki away!"
Chi-chan instantly identified both Shiramizu’s affiliation and title, while Tenma-san copied Kano’s stance beside her and pointed accusingly at him as if declaring “These are the culprits!”
Kano, meanwhile, looked at Tenma-san with a “Who the heck are you?” expression, but that discussion could wait.
I had already suspected Shiramizu and the others were connected to the Ten Rakshashas, but hearing that he was famous enough for Chi-chan to recognize him――and that he even possessed a title――made this even more troublesome.
Still, the Ten Rakshashas owed us plenty already, considering we had handed out potions at the Kinran-kai clan party and done them several favors besides.
Were they really planning to repay kindness with hostility?
I wanted to demand right then and there where Rokurogi, one of their executives, was and what the hell he was doing…
At first, Shiramizu looked surprised that we knowingly challenged him despite understanding who he was.
But then his expression twisted with anger as he slowly rose to his feet.
"So you know exactly who I am and still act like this? Interesting…… Take this outside."
We walked to an area slightly removed from the hill where the adventurer group had fought earlier and faced off against the armed Shiramizu and the two women.
Arthur and I would be the ones fighting them.
Since Kano and the others could potentially get caught up in the battle, Satsuki was assigned to supervise them under the condition that:
“You may observe only from at least one kilometer away.”
Incidentally, Kuga-san had also joined them, looking extremely displeased.
Apparently she was still in a foul mood over not being released sooner.
Honestly…
My mental burdens just kept piling up with compound interest, but I forced myself to switch gears.
The rules and victory conditions for this duel had been decided as follows:
・No killing.
・If we win, they tell us where the maid is and never touch Tenma-san again.
・If Shiramizu’s side wins, we reveal how to tame monsters.
When Shiramizu muttered something while casually holding a massive two-meter greatsword in one hand, the muscles of his upper body swelled to the point that his clothes nearly tore apart.
Just as his title “Gyuki” implied, he likely possessed a special skill that massively enhanced STR and physical power.
Meanwhile, the two women beside him also appeared to specialize in close combat.
One was a lightly equipped whip user, while the other changed into heavy armor and equipped a shield.
Both licked their lips with arrogant smiles, as though imagining how they would carve us up.
"I won’t kill you. But I’ll carve fear into your souls so thoroughly that you’ll never act so disrespectfully again."
"You have been chosen as sacrifices to adorn the glorious path of Shiramizu-sama, who shall soon ascend as a new ‘Rakshasha.’ Be honored."
"I’ll take the front line. Though honestly, I wonder if they’ll even last long enough to make this interesting……right?"
Each of them unleashed surging magical power, speaking as though defeat had never once crossed their minds.
Apparently, Shiramizu would soon be appointed as a “Rakshasha,” and a grand celebration party was already being planned.
If he became an executive of a large-scale raid clan, then his name would undoubtedly spread even further throughout adventurer and noble circles alike.
――Unfortunately for them, however, we had anticipated this situation already.
We already knew Shiramizu was at least somewhat willing to listen, which allowed us to steer things into a duel under terms favorable to us.
And all around this area, invisible magic circles woven from Arthur’s threads had already been spread throughout the battlefield.
All that remained was to channel magical power into them, and the Arachne race’s ultimate secret art・・・・ would activate.
As long as proper preparations had been made beforehand, even someone bearing one of the Ten Rakshashas titles wasn’t frightening.
At this point, they were nothing more than prey already trapped within a spider’s web.
(Still, things are starting to veer wildly off course……)
I had intended for Kurosaki-san to begin training Akagi-kun and the others almost immediately, yet somehow she had ended up with the Ten Rakshashas instead.
More importantly, the fact that her original clan had been the Ten Rakshashas was complete news even to me as a player.
Tenma-san was utterly devastated, and after she desperately begged us:
"Please bring her back no matter what."
Neither Arthur nor I had the option of abandoning that maid.
But even if we intended to retrieve her, I had no idea how much effort or time it would take.
I couldn’t even begin to imagine a method.
And if we failed to bring her back, then the curse-removal event I had intended to finish during the summer would inevitably be affected.
More than that, Tenma-san’s cursed condition itself was so drastically different from what I had expected that I could barely make sense of it anymore.
As I absentmindedly watched Shiramizu and the others frozen in shock after falling into Arthur’s trap, I found myself agonizing over how drastically my future plans would now need to change.
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