Chapter 74

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"Hey, I heard a little, but you shouldn't be dressing up so fancy."

"Hmm. I don't know what you're talking about..."

I replied to the man who was glaring at me.

"It's a monster, a monster. A runt like you, claiming to have slain a monster? Don't make me laugh."

The man laughed loudly, and a few people around us chuckled as well.

"What about your gear? That's not the kind of clothes a fighter wears. You're just lying, and you shouldn't be bothering the adults' workplace."

Indeed, my current outfit, without the robe, looked like that of a common townsfolk. I was wearing pants made of a tough fabric similar to denim and a cotton-colored shirt. Apart from the backpack and machete on my back, it wasn't suitable for going outside.

"Ah, I took off my coat, so it's not really outdoor gear. But, if I lied about slaying a monster, the guild would find out immediately, right?"

Even if I had said, "I left the corpse behind," I had actually said, "I entrusted it to the guild." There shouldn't be any reason to doubt me. But the man laughed again.

"So, you mean a small, flying squirrel-like monster? A kid could kill that, right?"

By that, he meant I could only kill something that small.

"…Is this, by any chance, a challenge?"

"A fight? No, that's not it. I just thought I'd give some educational guidance to a new kid while delivering my report."

It seemed I had been picked on for no reason. Maybe I had done something to annoy him.

"I don't know what you're upset about, but let's move quickly. We're blocking the people behind us."

"Can you say that to a senior? Huh?"

The man, who seemed to be a senior, continued to glare at me without moving.

Well, I had only become an explorer two days ago, so he was almost certainly a senior. But something felt off. I couldn't help but frown.

"What? What's that look on your face!?"

And then, his words in response to my expression. That's when I realized it.

The reason for the discomfort was that the points of criticism kept changing.

Of course, all of them might have genuinely annoyed him. But I didn't think that was the case.

He wasn't angry because I had done something wrong. He was looking for reasons to be angry.

But why?

I couldn't figure it out. Was he causing a scene to gain something?

"Hey, don't just stand there, kid!"

The man reached out and put his hand on my shoulder, then tried to shake me.

Well, it was clear he was challenging me. And the physical contact. This was definitely an act of malice.

I slowly placed my hand on his.

"Hey, stop it!"

Tetra called out to the man to stop. He laughed again.

"Haha, being protected by a girl. What a wimp, kid."

"…I don't think I'm being protected."

I snorted.

Tetra, who had grabbed my hand, wasn't protecting me. She had called out to me, not to stop, but to be careful. Probably, she wasn't protecting me.

"Still talking back? A punk like you needs to be taught a lesson by me, Torné the <Unrivaled Strength>!"

The man raised his free right hand and loudly proclaimed his name. His voice echoed through the building.

But, <Unrivaled Strength>? Was he famous?

I glanced at the receptionist, who shook her head slightly. He was probably unknown.

...I see. That's it.

A smile unconsciously appeared on my face.

The strange way he was picking on me, the increasing number of accusations, and the unnatural proclamation of his name. It all made sense.

This farce was to make a name for himself.

If he caused a scene, his name would spread, whether it was positive or negative. A bad reputation was better than no reputation. He wanted people to know his name. This bullying of a new kid was part of his efforts.

A dry laugh escaped me. So, this was why I was being stopped.

He thought I was safe to use.

"Hey, laughing again..."

"<Unrivaled Strength>, that's quite a name."

I tightened my grip on Torné's hand and forcibly pulled it off my shoulder.

"Ah!?"

Torné let out a short cry. His arm was bent at an unnatural angle. It was a Colles' fracture.

"It's a bit ridiculous to be outmatched by a kid and still call yourself strong."

I checked the badge on my collar. It still showed a young lizard without eyes.

"The woman earlier wasn't protecting me. She was worried about you."

The guild hall fell silent. Attention was on me. I had made things worse, but this was a backlash.

I felt uncomfortable. I decided to leave quickly. I looked at Tetra and started walking.

But I was still annoyed. I wanted to leave one last insult.

"Thank you for the valuable educational guidance, Torné of <Unrivaled Strength>."

"...Damn you!!"

As soon as I finished speaking, Torné stood up quickly. ...Ah, I should have kept my mouth shut.

Torné reached for the large axe on his back with his remaining hand, but someone else's hand stopped him.

"I think it's better to stop."

A slender man, who seemed to have been there all along, quietly pulled Torné's hand down. He had short, curly blonde hair tied back.

"Y-You...!!"

Torné, recognizing the smiling face, shuddered and stopped.

"More importantly, you should go to the clinic quickly. It's serious if the injury leaves a disability."

Torné seemed unable to respond, closing his mouth. He spat and shook off the hand, passing by me quickly.

"Remember this."

He left with a look of anger and a parting shot.

"...Wow, that was scary."

The slender man, with a sly smile, acted playfully.

As soon as Torné left, the guild hall returned to its usual bustling activity. The report counter was functioning normally again.

It was as if nothing had happened. This must be a common occurrence.

As I stared blankly at the scene, the slender man smiled and spoke to me.

"That was tough. But don't worry about it. He often causes similar scenes."

"Even though he causes similar scenes, no one stops him?"

The guild staff didn't seem to want to stop him. Earlier, the receptionist and other staff didn't move to intervene.

"Well, there are various reasons why it's overlooked. Are you leaving?"

"Yes, I guess so."

"If you are, you should go quickly. You have to find a place for the girl to stay."

"...Right, that's true."

Indeed, it was better to find a place for Tetra quickly. There should still be some available if we started now.

Well, I wasn't going to help that much.

"Thank you. Um..."

At the parting, I was at a loss for words, not knowing the slender man's name. He smiled and responded.

"I'm Leighton Dorgwant. Just call me Leighton. See you next time, Crow and Hedron."

He waved and walked back into the guild.

---

As soon as we left the guild, Tetra spoke heavily.

"So, why did you make that report?"

"Which report?"

"When I entered the top floor of the fort, the fire was already lit."

"Ah, I see."

She was talking about the report to the guild. The report where I had shifted the blame for the burned room to Nerg, not Tetra.

"You didn't have to lie, did you?"

"Well, I noticed it while waiting in line..."

I stopped and said.

"If I didn't, it would have felt like I was pushing Tetra out, wouldn't it?"

It wasn't just like pushing her out; it was exactly that.

"Ha!? That's it?"

"Yes, that's it."

I said with a smile, and Tetra looked exasperated.

"You lied to the guild just for that..."

"Well, to increase credibility, I didn't cancel Tetra's presence, but it seems they already knew. I just caused you trouble."

I bowed my head slightly. Seeing this, Tetra smiled wryly.

"...Actually, I should be the one to apologize. You saved me by bringing me quickly, and you saved my life. Furthermore, you even lied to the guild to protect me... I can't complain."

"...Right."

The conversation paused, and we both laughed.

"Let's call it a day. You had something important to do in this Ilayne, right? Good luck."

"Yes. Take care. I don't think you'll get hurt, but take care of yourself."

We exchanged brief goodbyes and parted ways.

If we met again, I hoped it would be somewhere without monsters or assassins.

The city sank into darkness with the setting sun.