After rescuing Marianne and witnessing the moment Erhard's love came to an end, I headed back to the inn.
Of course, I couldn't just send Marianne straight home, so I brought her along to the inn, where she'd be kept nearby for the time being for her own safety.
After posting guards, I retreated to my rented room and picked up a white mask, turning it over in my hands. It was a Sweeper's mask—each branch apparently had its own distinctive design.
Monica, who was preparing my drink in the room, glanced at the mask and made a remark.
"You have no sense, do you? All white…"
She shot it down.
"The point is to hide your face while intimidating your opponent, right? Anyone would be terrified if someone wearing a mask like this attacked them in the dark. More importantly, are you okay from the poison?"
The poison-coated knife of the Sweeper who had attacked us.
Monica had been hit by it, but she remained completely composed. The wounds on her body and clothes had already healed—I was reminded once again that she truly was a being beyond normal parameters. When you only see her disappointing side day to day, it's easy to forget, but Monica was an Automaton too.
"…There it is. Even the Chicken has finally entered his dere phase. First you pretend you're not worried, then when it's just the two of you, you start fussing. Ah, what a classic tsundere! I'm so happy I feel like I want to brag about this to the other losers with video footage and commentary."
That was the Monica I knew, so I felt relieved.
"Haa, I see. So, what about the poison they were using?"
Monica poured tea into a cup and brought it over to me. As I took it and had a sip, she began talking about the poison.
"It seems to have both immediate effects and the property of not leaving residue in the body, making it difficult to detect. It also makes it hard to determine the cause of death. It's impressive they managed to create something like this."
Monica was praising the Sweeper for their poison.
"Would Miranda and Eva alone have been in danger?"
"I wouldn't say they'd lose. However, they let quite a few get away. They only took out one or two at most… that's all. And there's even a possibility that one of them could have died."
Even the two of them, who had gone through growth spurts multiple times in a short period, were likely to suffer casualties. Sweepers truly were troublesome.
We were fortunate that the Sweepers were targeting Marianne and hadn't been focused on us. Because we exploited that opening and our surprise attack succeeded, we'd essentially achieved a flawless victory.
"If they'd seriously sent Sweepers from the very start, it would've been dangerous. Why didn't they send them in right away?"
If they were truly trying to kill me, that approach seemed like it would have had a higher chance of success. When it came to assassination and disposing of bodies, the Sweepers should have been more experienced.
The one who answered that question was the Seventh Generation.
*'Lyle, it's not as if there are many people out there capable of becoming Sweepers. It's not just skill—you also need to investigate their personality and temperament. Sheer strength alone won't earn someone a spot as a Sweeper. Do you understand? You've effectively destroyed seven of your opponent's most valuable pieces.'*
On the small table lay six white masks. One was still in his hand—the only one of the eight attackers who'd been allowed to escape.
I hadn't imagined Tahnia was a Sweeper, but now that it was mentioned, there had been something off about her positioning, like she'd been drifting out of sync with the rest.
Hearing it afterward, there were parts I could accept.
Monica asked me.
"Chicken, what did you commission Fidel to do at tomorrow's merchant council meeting?"
I looked at Monica's face.
"To have them approve our base as an official operating location going forward. I asked him to handle the negotiations for that. Well, if someone wants to go to such a desolate place, they'd probably allow it. I'll also have Ludmilla provide support along those lines. I'll have Eliza and Gracia continue with the port development as planned—oh, right. While we're at it, I'll ask the Guild to send some staff. The management of the Dungeon over there—the Guild's know-how will be useful going forward."
I decided I would also obtain the Guild's know-how from Baim.
The next day.
On my way to the Guild headquarters, I spotted Fidel walking alongside Ludmilla.
Surrounded by knights, Ludmilla was in high spirits.
Only Fidel wore a complicated expression when he saw me. I'd asked Vera to explain that it was a joke afterward, but he didn't look the least bit happy.
While I was still trying to figure Fidel out, the Seventh Generation spoke.
*'...He probably wanted to see his granddaughter, didn't he. Lyle, your problems aren't settled. Vera apparently told Fidel it was a joke later, but Aria doesn't know that fact. You made the wrong choice.'*
Mireia also spoke in a more serious tone than usual.
*'Lyle, you'll have to pay the price for your failure. You need to put out fires while they're small—once they've flared up, it becomes a nightmare. ...Though I wouldn't mind watching it burn, either.'*
The latter part was just Ludmilla being her usual self.
Ludmilla approached me.
"Lyle, I did as you said. Now, you'll pay me the compensation you promised, right?"
Her eyes were like those of a carnivorous beast sizing up prey as Ludmilla demanded her due.
"Ah, ahaha... Compensation? Look, I did rescue her from Lark, didn't I?"
Watching our exchange, Fidel muttered to himself.
"I knew it. You're the enemy. Making moves on other women besides Vera..."
As expected, the father of his daughter had his own thoughts about me. But he also had the pragmatism of a merchant—.
"That matter you proposed has been advanced as you said. The upcoming meeting with the Guild executives will lead to the abolition of Dungeon subjugation requests and, at the same time, the establishment of a Guild branch in Baim. This fulfills our promise."
The Dungeon south of Baim would apparently be managed by Baim itself. It was reportedly well-regarded because it was relatively easy to clear and produced Monsters that didn't spawn from Dungeons managed by Baim.
"However, it's been decided that your party will have your adventurer credentials revoked. You've managed to make quite a few enemies among certain merchants and Guild executives. Considering our future dealings with Banseim, it's also been decided that you'll be expelled from Baim."
I nodded upon hearing this.
A voice came from the Jewel.
*'So, you're allying with Ceres. Now, what happens from here... Will you become Ceres's tool, or will Banseim attack? Either way, Baim needs to be destroyed once.'*
Ludmilla was watching me with an amused expression.
"You're remarkably unfazed. As if you already knew. Still, it would be troublesome for Lyle to remain an adventurer forever. How about it? Why not come to Cartafus and take the throne?"
I gave a wry smile and spoke to Ludmilla.
"I'll be sure to stop by before long. I have some business of my own to attend to."
And so, I made my way to the Guild headquarters, specifically the conference room where I was summoned.
In the conference room where the Guild executives were seated in a row, I was delivering a passionate speech.
"I risked my life fighting at Redant Fort! Not only that, I've made huge contributions to the Guild up to now! What's this about expelling me?! And then there was the incident at Kartavus, and on top of that, my companions were attacked while I was away. Is this how the Guild does things?!"
The row of Guild executives stared at my face with visible irritation. It was true that I'd worked hard for Baim as well.
But from their perspective, I was the one who'd created this inconvenient situation, and moreover, a valuable Sweeper had been killed by me during the attack on Marianne.
The merchants' deliberation had already concluded, and my punishment had surely been decided. That's right — the Guild executives had no decision-making power whatsoever.
I was using that to my advantage, playing up just how hard I'd been working.
Well, to put it simply—
"The hero who fought for his life — you'd cast him aside? And you tried to have him attacked and silenced, didn't you? I won't forget this, I will absolutely never forget this! ...That's the vibe, right?"
The Third Generation had explained it to me with tremendous amusement. It wasn't just the executives — there were clerks here to keep records, and various related personnel as well.
The Southern Branch executive was glaring at me with murderous eyes. The Western Branch executive's face was pale and hung low.
The Northern Branch executive was looking at the Eastern Branch executive and Tahnia.
The clerks accompanying the other executives were probably Sweepers too. But somehow, they seemed to pale in comparison to Tahnia.
The Eastern Branch executive spoke.
"Isn't everything precisely as you think it is?"
He made a remark that could be taken any way you liked, and the Eastern Branch executive regarded me with a serious expression.
From the Guild, I — along with my entire party — had been stripped of our adventurer status, and the Dungeon subjugation commissions we'd been handling were annulled.
Going forward, I would still be allowed to use the Dungeon, but I was removed from all subjugation work.
And on top of that, I was being forcibly expelled from Baim.
"I can't accept this. Will you explain the reason? Oh, right... Actually, about yesterday — I helped out an acquaintance who was being attacked. She was a clerk I've been on good terms with. We let one of them escape, though, and they were wearing distinctive masks."
I produced seven white masks and placed them on the desk before me. A killing intent radiated from the people behind the executives — the Sweepers.
The Southern Branch executive stood up.
"You! Again and again... So, you really were connected to the Eastern Branch! This time too, the Eastern Branch's—"
The North Branch executive cut him off with a cough before he could finish.
"...If a staff member was attacked, we cannot ignore the matter. Understood. We will take custody of those masks. However, this is Baim's decision. There is no change to your punishment."
The South Branch executive muttered in frustration.
"To act so brazenly..."
The Seventh Generation looked rather pleased. His dislike for adventurers was evidently quite deep.
*'You lot seem to think you've discarded us to win over Ceres, but that's a misunderstanding. It was us who discarded you, and trying to win over Ceres is also a mistake. She is not that kind of person.'*
—A monster.
As the First Generation had said, those people appear like fairy tale characters at turning points in history. Ceres, who inherited the blood of the monster that was Agrissa and now holds the Jewel imbued with will, is using her unparalleled beauty in Banseim to bring death wherever she goes.
Baim does not grasp this accurately.
He likely sees it as just one of those common stories. He believes Ceres caused a ruckus, and that the scale of it is currently contained.
She is never satisfied with something on this level. Even if I told him to understand that, he probably couldn't. You can only understand Ceres by seeing her. And once you've seen her, an ordinary person would be utterly captivated.
I accepted the punishment from the Guild and left the scene.
—Banseim.
In the audience hall, royalty stood lined up on all sides.
Today, Lyle and Ceres's father, Maisel, was absent. Instead, Ceres sat upon the throne, eating fruit from a plate held by the Crown Prince.
With a leg crossed and movements too seductively graceful for a girl about to turn fifteen, she popped another piece of fruit into her mouth.
The ministers and Royal Guard knights arrayed around her were all captivated by the sight of Ceres.
It was a bizarre scene.
And the most bizarre part was the girl curled into a footstool beneath Ceres's feet. Her name was Remis Zayin, the former Saint of Zayin. She was now just Remis, but she wore the vestments of a saint, serving as Ceres's footrest.
However, her expression was still one of delight.
"Ahh, I can feel Lady Ceres's warmth against my back. My goddess..."
Ceres was laughing at Remis like that.
"Oh my? The saintess who was everyone's idol is content being my footrest? You have no pride at all."
Remis said, her cheeks flushed red.
"Yes. I'm content. I am a woman worthy of being Lady Ceres's footrest!"
Remis, who had been cast out of Zayin and drifted to Banseim, no longer felt like the arrogant girl she had once been.
The one being shown all of this was a merchant who had come from Baim.
(Wh-what is this. This... no, the atmosphere is just a little strange, that's all. I'm surprised the former Saint of Zayin is here, but... more importantly, what is that thing nearby?)
Near Ceres, there was a Monster wearing a collar and chained up. The merchant had never seen such a creepy Monster before. Moreover, Ceres seemed to have it completely tamed.
Then Ceres noticed the merchant's gaze. She rested her elbow on the armrest and propped her cheek in her hand. Her beautiful golden hair swayed softly, and to the merchant it seemed to sparkle and gleam.
"Is that what has your interest? These are... the former High Priest of Zayin and his companions. They brought me something interesting, so I had them experiment with it on their own bodies. Impressive, isn't it? An experiment to obtain the power of Monsters that was researched long ago... It's not exactly a success, but they had been hiding it away."
Seeing those Monsters that had once been human, the merchant was shocked.
"Is-is such a thing even possible!?"
Ceres was smiling.
"Why wouldn't it be? I actually made them drink it. Right, Bart?"
The red-haired young man standing beside Ceres had blue eyes. He wore a tailcoat and addressed his master in a disrespectful tone.
"It was Lady Ceres who forced them to drink it, though. Well, in the end, they were happy about it."
Nearby, a girl with excessively long black hair sat on the floor, her hair covering her eyes so they couldn't be seen. In that state, she stared vacantly into the air.
It was eerie. That girl looked incredibly eerie.
The bizarre spectacle made the merchant think something was off. However, a deal had already been struck in Baim — they would approach Ceres, and that was that.
Ceres tilted her head.
"So? What does a merchant from Baim want with me? If it's something boring, I won't forgive you."
The merchant spoke.
"Yes. Our Baim is a trading city. Until now, we have lived as a free city without a lord. Now that we share a border with Banseim, we wished to pay our formal respects. There is nothing we do not handle. We hope Banseim will favor us with its patronage. This visit is an introduction to that end."
Ceres grinned at the merchant.
"I've seen the goods you brought. Some of them were rather interesting — I might buy a few things. But Baim, hmm... That's the place where that scum Remis threw you out, isn't it?"
She raised her foot lightly and brought it down. Remis felt the pain. But before long, her expression had shifted to one of drooling delight.
"Yes! They're the hateful ones who drove us out. But right now, those people don't matter at all. I have Lady Ceres now!"
At that, Ceres looked pleased.
"How sweet. You're adorable, Remis. I'll keep you as my footrest for a while."
The merchant thought to himself.
(As I suspected — she does have some feelings about her brother. She did call him scum.)
The merchant happily relayed to Ceres:
"If that is the case, then please be pleased. The adventurer known as Laiel — in Baim, it has been decided that he will be expelled in order to honor the bond with Lady Ceres. Baim does this for the sake of Lady Ceres—"
The moment those words left the merchant's mouth, Ceres stood up, stepped over Remis, and in a single instant appeared before the merchant — then kicked him flying.
The audience hall — he was kicked all the way to its entrance. The merchant couldn't understand what had just happened.
All Ceres said was:
"You compared me... me to that scum? You chose that scum over me? ...I won't forgive that. I will absolutely not forgive it. This is a declaration of war on Baim! I'll reduce it to rubble. Who on earth told you to compare me to that trash? How repulsive!"
Ceres wore a bitter expression. It was as though something had come back to her. There was no composure left, and she made no effort to hide her irritation.
(You... kicked me, your own envoy... and you call that a declaration of war? What... what did I get wrong?)
The surrounding ministers and knights raised their voices. Not a single soul dared to defy Ceres.
"Lady Ceres, leave this duty to me!"
"No, allow me to burn Baim to the ground for you to witness!"
"Pass judgment on Baim for the disrespect they have shown Lady Ceres!"
And then the merchant coughed up blood from his mouth.
"...I haven't had my meal today, have I?"
With those words, Ceres turned her gaze toward her pets—former humans turned Monsters, to whom she had not yet given today's feed.