The leader, who had been fleeing through the forest, had finally reached the exit with a handful of reliable companions.
At the edge of the forest—when they broke through, what greeted them was a formation still burning but devoid of any living presence.
One of them scanned the surroundings with their Skills.
"—Leader, there are three survivors."
In a place that had held at least five hundred people, only three had survived. If they had managed to flee, that would be one thing, but judging from the situation, it was impossible to tell how many had actually gotten away.
Blackened, charred corpses lay everywhere as they walked through the stench-filled area, every one of them pressing cloth to their faces.
The fact that they could confirm no enemy presence in the vicinity was thanks to an adventurer among them who possessed such Skills. A reliable companion, and one the leader had known for a long time.
When they found the survivors, they spotted a young man leaning against a charred wooden crate. He was a man who had done menial work for a mercenary company.
"Hey, stay with us."
One of the adventurers gave him water to drink, and the young laborer came to.
"What happened?"
When the leader pressed him for answers, the young man clutched his head and spoke through his tears.
"They... they got back up. They were burning everything... and collecting the equipment. The guy who was wearing women's armor as a joke...!"
The young man's breathing was ragged—he had clearly witnessed something terrible. And then he delivered a crucial piece of information to the leader.
"They asked everyone the same question: Are you from the Eastern Branch? And... when people showed their Guild Cards, only the Eastern Branch adventurers were let go..."
Upon hearing this, the leader concluded that "they" could only be the Valkyries. He had thought he defeated them, but it turned out they had simply been beaten temporarily. He thought it was a nasty trick, and he found it suspicious that only the Eastern Branch adventurers had been spared.
His companions likely shared his suspicions. One of them spoke up.
"Leader, this is going to be a problem. It looks like it might have been a factional dispute within the Guild. I thought something was off—they wanted us to make an example of the hero of Redant Fortress's companions, and all that."
The leader thought it was a bit late for that now, but he looked at the handful of companions who had survived. They were strong—surviving this ordeal was proof of that.
Still, thinking about the companions he'd lost, he couldn't feel at peace.
(How many years would it take to rebuild from here? They'd finally broken through the sixtieth floor of the Dungeon and been recognized as top-tier… three years? Impossible. Five years at the very least. If things went badly, ten… Even if the party made a comeback, I'd be the one retiring first.)
He was slightly past his prime in terms of age. He could fight without issue for a few more years, but from here on, things wouldn't be so easy. Rebuilding as a top-tier party felt hopeless.
"…We're heading back to Baim immediately. Where are the dolls?"
When the leader stood up, the errand-runner in front of him had a desperate look in his eyes. But the leader ignored him. There was no time for that.
The reliable adventurer looked around and shook his head.
"There don't seem to be any nearby. We can move."
Several of them broke into a run, and the leader headed for Baim——.
——In the forest.
The captain of the mercenary band, captured by the dark elves, had taken an arrow to the leg.
By the time he was dragged out before Novem, only a handful of survivors remained.
The mercenaries, restrained by threads conjured through Miranda's Skills.
Novem glanced toward a tree some distance behind her, and the dark elves seemed to understand, remaining motionless as they surrounded the mercenaries.
The captain was kicked flying and collapsed in front of Novem. Looking up at her with a leer plastered across his face, he grinned.
"Come on now, show a little spirit, princess. How about letting me peek up your skirt one last time? Well, I don't expect much from a woman who's an adventurer. If you'd become a prostitute, you might've been popular."
Hearing that vulgar laugh and provocation, Novem understood that the man had made peace with death. Or perhaps his sense of death had simply gone numb.
To such a captain, Novem pulled a bundle of documents from her bag and placed them on the ground where he could see them.
At first, thinking they were some kind of paperwork, the captain felt a glimmer of hope that he might survive. But when he saw the contents, the furrows between his brows deepened.
"Who is it. Who sold us out?!"
The captain glared at Novem and shouted. What was written there was detailed information about the mercenary band — the kind managed by the Guild.
The documents contained formats and other information managed by the Guild — they looked nothing like intelligence cobbled together by an information broker.
The captain immediately suspected there was a traitor, but Novem remained expressionless.
"No one has betrayed you from the beginning. This was simply the inevitable outcome."
Novem was not lying. The Guild had not betrayed the adventurers it had selected as attackers, and Lyle's group, who had obtained information from the start, had simply prepared themselves to win.
The captain seethed with frustration.
"…Please! Take me back to Baim! You think I'll let this go?! I will never forgive the bastard who set me up! The gold is hidden in Baim! So team up with us! Let the Guild see just how terrifying we are—"
The captain seemed to believe he had been caught up in a power struggle within the Guild.
Moments later, the captain was impaled on spears by three Valkyries — Number One, Number Two, and Number Three.
Novem watched the scene unfold.
"That won't be necessary. You will all disappear here. Not a single one of you will be allowed to leave alive. Also, you seem to be under a misconception."
Novem leaned down toward the captain and smiled.
"Baam's decision was unanimous. That is all."
Hearing those words, the captain's face twisted in despair, and then he drew his last breath. Around him, the mercenaries who had witnessed the scene began begging for their lives en masse — but—
"You've been running wild for quite some time. You understood what would happen if you lost, didn't you? Besides, I prefer those who resist to the very end over those who beg for their lives. What a shame."
The Valkyries took up their weapons and finished off the surviving adventurers.
Then, an unnatural sound came from a tree some distance away. But no one turned to look.
Novem ordered the corpses to be disposed of and withdrew from the scene.
Lastly, after casting a glance toward the adventurer hiding in the tree—
The adventurer party that had offered to cooperate in Kartafus.
On top of that, five hundred soldiers from Galleria. And five hundred soldiers from Kartafus. Using that many manpower, they had been lying in wait along the roads heading toward Baim.
They had split into several units and lain in wait.
Before long, a group of adventurers who had fled came running toward us.
"Help us! We're being chased!"
I was wearing a hood, so when I heard that, I pulled it off.
"The ones chasing you wouldn't happen to be my companions, would they? After all, you lot... were the ones who launched the attack, weren't you?"
I said it with a smile, and the adventurers' expressions froze.
However, among them, one was an adventurer from the Eastern Branch. I had seen their face at the Guild several times, and I nodded.
"Ah, you from over there—you're free to pass. Good work out there."
As I said that, the adventurers' gazes all converged on that one person.
"Wait, huh? ...What?"
They looked confused, so I gave instructions with a smile.
"Share some water and food with them. Baim's still a ways off, so maybe let them have a dagger? Oh, are you going to rest here for a bit?"
The Eastern Branch adventurer nodded awkwardly and was led off toward the back. Then I turned to the other adventurers.
"Well then, it's over for you all. Good work."
One of them protested.
"Don't screw with us! Why does that guy get to walk free while only we're... You lot—from the very start, didn't you—!"
I looked at the adventurer from a different branch as I spoke.
"And? You attacked someone else's companions, and you really thought that if you lost, we'd let you go home alive? Because that seems pretty unreasonable to me."
The adventurer grabbed their weapon and charged toward me.
Before my hand even touched the hilt of my katana, Ludmilla moved first. She drew her longsword, and the red blade extended and flexible, like a whip.
The blade moved with apparent intent, and in an instant, it carved through the adventurers. They collapsed to the ground. Meanwhile, Ludmilla walked toward me from a short distance away.
The sword had already returned to its original form.
"You really are something, doing that. No, I have to admit, that was cleverly thought out."
I thought she might sound exasperated, but Ludmilla seemed to be enjoying herself. Or rather, this woman must have had ample real combat experience. She showed not the slightest agitation after cutting people down.
"...It was necessary to win."
When I said that, Ludmilla smiled.
"Do you feel bad about it? Still, if you're capable of carrying out a tactic like that, I'll give you credit. You're a man who knows when to act."
I didn't think of myself as kind. But the fact remained that I was still bothered by it. Was my heart too weak?
While I was thinking that, a voice came from inside the Jewel.
"Lael, do what needs to be done first and regret it later. You can always regret things afterward."
Then the Seventh Generation spoke, sounding pleased.
"That's right. A queen who is strong and doesn't just spout pretty words... and the bloodline is impeccable. Lael, make Ludmilla your first wife."
At that, the Third Generation protested.
"Wait a minute! I'm not saying Clara, but Novem sold off her dowry when Lael was completely helpless and scraped together the money! There's no way I'll ever accept not making someone like Novem the first wife!"
The inside of the Jewel was heating up. While the Third and Seventh Generations argued heatedly with each other, only the Fifth Generation was going at her own pace.
"...The sea, you know. I wish that divine beast whale had been smaller. If it were, it would have been way more fun. I don't really care about the first wife thing, but I'm all for a smaller whale."
I ignored the conversation inside the Jewel and detected the approaching group with my Skills—Search. I quickly escalated my Skills in stages—Spec, Real Spec—to gather information on them.
They were the core members of the adventurers, those who undertook Dungeon subjugations.
—The Trace family estate.
There, those who had agreed with Gina's plan had surrounded Fidel and the others.
Vera too was surrounded together with Fidel, and those loyal to Fidel were likewise hemmed in.
Even the figures who could be called the Trace family's military strength had sided with Gina.
Beside Gina stood Roland, wearing a specially tailored suit, sweat pouring down his face as he loosened the collar of his shirt slightly.
He appeared tense.
Vera, glaring at Gina, spoke.
"Gina, you do understand what you're doing, don't you?"
Her younger sister Gina looked at Vera with a slightly frustrated expression. Recently, she had been making attempts to persuade Vera and Fidel through her words and actions.
However, even when it came to resorting to force, she hadn't expected the majority of them to side with her. Fidel, too, was feigning composure while surveying the faces of his subordinates, but inwardly he was likely seething with outrage.
Roland was no different.
Fidel spoke.
"I had high hopes for you, but I never expected you to aim for the head of the Trace household. You can't support it, Gina. It's not too late even now. Reconsider."
Gina shook her head.
"The ones who don't understand are Father and the others. In Baim these days, many merchants aren't happy about the new privileges the Trace family has gained. It's precisely because they keep hoarding everything despite knowing this that people are trying to crush the Trace family!"
Within Baim, there had been growing moves to wary of the Trace family's rapidly increasing power. But neither Vera nor Fidel had been unaware of it.
"So you're saying we should give up our privileges? Don't be ridiculous! The merchants who invested in Laiel were a select few, starting with the Trace family. If we submit to those who show up after the fact demanding their share, it'll be obvious that we'll be stripped of one thing after another!"
Vera had actually been on the ships and seen the work firsthand.
But Gina's opinion differed.
"So the Trace family should grow bigger and become Baim's de facto rulers? And who will be sacrificed to sustain a household that large? You're fine, sister! You've got a man who's been funneling profits to make your business successful! And Father would surely approve of the marriage if he keeps growing like this, right? But what about me then?! I'd have to marry someone I don't even love for the Trace family's sake! Everyone around me will absolutely push for it!"
Fidel didn't deny it either. Because regardless of Laiel, Roland was already not an equal match in the current state of things, and if the Trace family grew larger, the other merchants would absolutely not stay silent about Gina's marriage.
They couldn't very well push Laiel aside for a marriage, but what about Gina? Many people thought exactly that, and Fidel was a merchant too. Roland would absolutely not be chosen.
"......Gina, it's not that I don't acknowledge Roland. He's excellent and hardworking. But he's too earnest to lead a merchant house. He doesn't have the capacity to support the Trace family. You understand that this isn't just about idealistic sentiments, don't you?"
Fidel had kept his eye on Roland too. The man was diligent and hardworking. That was why he had raised him close and given him opportunities to interact with Vera and Gina.
But he was simply not suited to be a head of household.
Gina seemed to understand that as well. Which was why she said:
"Then we just need to scale the family down to a size he can support. I'll pull back from several ventures. I've thought for a while now that the weapons trade wasn't necessary. Besides, I've already finished discussing it with the other merchant houses."
Vera heard this and:
"Do you even understand what that means?! It's not just a problem for the family! What about the craftsmen and customers we have relationships with?!"
Fidel, in the midst of it all:
"What did you just say. You've already finished discussions — you... Roland, you!"
Roland bowed his head before Fidel.
"I'm truly sorry! But Baim intends to crush Mr. Laiel. It's meant to be a message to our household. If this goes any further, a truly vicious faction war will break out within Baim. I cannot stand by and watch blood be spilled."
Upon hearing this, Fidel looked at his subordinates.
"You deliberately withheld information from me? No wonder I felt something was off. Even you lot, whom I had investigate again...... are you planning to watch your employer fall into ruin?!"
The figures who could be called the shadow of the Trace family had been cooperating with Gina. Both Vera and Fidel found it puzzling. If their employer's household shrank, their own standing would change as well.
"Roland, you don't get it at all. You think it's fine as long as blood isn't spilled within Baim alone? If this continues, Baim will spark fires in the surrounding regions and drag everyone into war again. At worst, it'll provoke Banseim! Did you really think a peace limited to Baim was enough?!"
As Vera despaired at Roland's narrow perspective, Fidel turned to Gina.
"Gina, stop this. There's still time to turn back. Baim is far more dangerous than you think. It's become too reliant on warfare. Why can't you see that now is the time to bring some order to Baim?!"
At that moment, a man dressed in black spoke up.
"That would be quite problematic, Lord Fidel."
"You......"
The man, originally an adventurer, wore a hood that concealed his face.
"I have connections on this side as well. There are people who can only survive through warfare. After we've sold them that many weapons, we can't very well play the goody-two-shoes now, can we? A moderate level of war is necessary."
Moderate war. Hearing this, Fidel speaks.
"You people really don't seem to see the situation at all. Or have you simply lost your nerve!"
Gina looks at Fidel and says sadly.
"The ones who don't see it are Father and Elder Sister. If it means the Trace family won't spill blood in factional struggles, if it means we won't spill blood in Baim, then I am prepared to reduce the Trace family's scale."
In a sense, Gina's opinion was correct. If you consider the residents of Baim, those caught in the crossfire of factional disputes among merchant guilds and guilds would be them.
But the world outside Baim was different.
Vera turns a look of exasperation towards Gina.
"You... do you really think the world is just Baim? Besides, you're just finding excuses, but all you've done is shrink the scale for Roland's sake."
Gina said nothing. Vera's point was probably correct. But her concern for Baim was also a fact.
Fidel speaks to try and convince Gina.
"Gina, the situation has changed! Neighboring countries have united, large nations share borders. The old methods won't work anymore! You can't just throw money and supplies at it and leave the rest to mercenaries! Have you ever thought about how those around us perceive Baim!"
But Gina's will seemed unshakable.
"...I will strip Father of his position as head of the house. The discussions at the merchants' conference are proceeding, and Roland will become head very soon. The formalities of my marriage to him will be carried out tomorrow at the latest. Father, Elder Sister... I ask that you leave Baim. You may take the nearly completed ship and Elder Sister's ship with you. We cannot manage them all."
Fidel collapsed to his knees.
He had been trying to be careful of those around him, but he never imagined his own daughter would betray him.
And then, Vera murmured.
"...Lyle, your prediction was spot on."
Gina turning against them, and Baim seriously coming to crush them. Vera had been warned about this beforehand, but she never imagined Gina would go this far.
"I took them too lightly."
Vera released the collapsing Fidel and addressed her subordinates.
"...As you can see. Those of you willing to follow me, stay. You'll be cast out of Baim for it, but if you're okay with that, then follow me. Come on, Father!"
Vera clapped Fidel on the back, giving him a jolt of energy.
"Vera, do you understand? All of Baim has turned against us now. The Trace family has been expelled — how could we possibly fight back..."
Before her panicked subordinates and her dispirited father, Vera drew a gun from her holster and fired a shot toward the ceiling.
Everyone looked at Vera.
"Two state-of-the-art ships. And the crew will come with me. That's enough to make it anywhere. As long as there's a port, the Trace family can rise again. There's no time for whining. Come on, get on your feet! We're going to start earning right away. Baim isn't the only world out there!"
Fidel looked at Vera and nodded.
"That's... right. Yes! Two ships and sailors... as long as we have this, there's no time to be moping. We can reclaim everything. From the sound of it, Gina's launched a purge. They won't stop at just driving us out. Let's gather those like us and relocate. We should reach out to the craftsmen too. Start securing funds immediately! I'll make every merchant in Baim regret turning Fidel into an enemy!"
When Fidel stood up, his loyal subordinates nodded and began moving as directed. Then Vera spoke.
"Also, I have an idea of where we could relocate. Shall we rely on Lyle?"
When Fidel heard Lyle's name, his face twisted in open distaste.
But—
"Hmph, that punk has been using us this whole time. The Guild seems to be up to something, but that deadbeat won't go down so easily. Fine — this time, let's use him for a change. Just you wait, kid... I'll squeeze you dry to the bone!"
Watching Fidel rally with renewed vigor, Vera couldn't help but smile wryly. Everything had gone exactly as Lyle had predicted.