"Oh, I know this really great coffee shop. It's my treat, so follow me."
And so, when told within the adventurer's guild that there was "something good to discuss," I followed along to what turned out to be a perfectly ordinary coffee shop.
Only a handful of customers were present.
Then the wooden door at the entrance clicked shut, and a lock clacked into place.
Using [Divine Eye]to peer through the wooden door, I could see the word "Open" on the other side.
Which meant the outside read "Closed."
Ah, so this is the kind of situation where you can't leave until you cooperate.
Or where you don't get out unless you end up as a corpse.
"Well, have a drink. ...Now then, about this matter—have you ever visited the Grand Cathedral in the city of Forthru?"
"Yes, sort of."
More than just visiting—I'd stormed the place and wiped it off the map.
"The Pope and a third-rate assassin have been flash-frozen there. On top of that, books documenting the Church's dark history are piled up like mountains."
Mhm, I know all about it.
"Nobody knows who did it, but the higher-ups are scrambling to find out. They've decided that any organization capable of such a thing must be either destroyed or brought under control."
No such organization exists, so you can't do either.
"We're hunting for that organization. We need more hands. With that innocent-looking face of yours, people will let their guard down. We do have a lead—it seems a guy named 'Alan' is the organization's puppet. Do you know him?"
You've got to be kidding.
"That name's pretty common—which Alan are we talking about? Besides, what do you plan to do once you find him?"
Charle's fate-judgment was about to begin.
"Catch him and make him spill everything about the organization. Torture him, bribe him into flipping, or guarantee his safety in exchange for information—and then sell that intel at a premium."
"I don't think any of those will work."
Because I have no intention of playing along.
"Oh, they'll work. The guy is the sort of fool who'd follow someone to an enemy base just because they said 'I've got something good for you' at the guild. Isn't that right, Orichalcum-rank adventurer Alan?"
"So you knew about me all along. Not that I ever planned to get caught by the likes of you."
Charle, who had brought me here, was staring at me with a look of pure contempt.
"What the hell are you talking about? The assassination guild 'Pandemonium' apparently warned people to keep their hands off you—but this is a chance to one-up Pandemonium and make a name in the underworld."
Chasing glory never ends well.
I won't deny the value of ambition itself, though.
"The fact that even the greatest assassination guild 'Pandemonium' would be wary of someone who'd walk right into a trap like this... they've really lost their edge."
That ice statue of the mob assassin had apparently been more useful than I'd expected.
Though it apparently meant nothing to the person standing right in front of me.
"Now then, time to talk. If you don't want to be tortured, you'd better spill everything nice and clean."
"You don't seriously think I followed you here on my own accord, do you, Charle?"
"...What did you say?"
"On the surface, you're the owner of the odd-jobs shop 'Seascape.' Underneath, you're the master of a small-time shadow guild called 'Skyview' that handles any dangerous information it can get its hands on. Nothing but a small fry—despite looking like a handsome middle-aged guy."
Skill: [Reverse][Divine Eye][Sword God][Fist God][Spear God][Scorching Heat Magic][Frozen Ice Magic][Clear Storm Magic][Rock Iron Magic][Holy Magic][Dark Magic][Space-Time Magic][Thunder God Blade][Phantom Thief Gentleman][Ninja Master][Seeker of Truth][Supernatural Strength][Pain Relief][Complete Status Ailment Resistance][Dark Spirit's Protection][Super Intuition][Heaven's Gate][Abyss Contractee][Magic Hand][Treasure Search][Temptation][Incitement][Eloquence][Strong Luck][10× Growth Speed][Growth Limit Breakthrough]
Rank: Orichalcum
Thank you for reading!