Illegal Occupation
The commercial city of Gracela was in a state of complete lawlessness.
Crimes were happening all over, but with the vigilante corps nowhere to be found, the criminals had free rein... and on top of that, it was as if they'd all gathered here in anticipation of this exact situation.
Until reinforcements arrived, I made it my job to go around apprehending every last criminal I came across.
There were a lot this time, so I couldn't afford to go easy on them. I gave them just enough of a beating to knock them unconscious, and then had the townspeople help tie them up with rope.
By the time they woke up, they'd be behind bars.
While repeating that process, I caught wind of some information—apparently the root of all this evil was holed up in the Adventurers’ Guild. So that’s where I headed next.
Gracela’s prosperity owed a lot to the existence of this Adventurers’ Guild.
The Dresslaw Company, which I owed favors to, also counted adventurers among its best customers.
In that sense, this guild was a lifeline for merchants.
—But what I found there was a disaster.
The place was full of rough-looking adventurers I’d never seen before.
I’d visited a few times after the Eigenberg Company incident, but I didn’t recognize a single one of these faces.
Drifters?
Even if so, this is way too organized for that.
As the stares in the guild turned to me, I headed to the front desk to ask what was going on—
Only to have one of the adventurers step in my way.
“Hey there, never seen your face before. You from outta town?”
“That’s my line. You guys are the ones who don’t look familiar around here.”
“This place is ours now. Our personal guild. If you wanna take quests, go somewhere else.”
What the hell is this guy saying?
The others around him had creepy grins plastered across their faces too...
Do they even understand what kind of place Gracela is?
“I’m a knight of the Royal Order. I haven’t heard a single word about this place becoming your personal guild.”
“A-a knight!?”
The mood in the guild instantly shifted.
What, did they think no knights would show up?
These guys have been acting weird from the beginning.
Did they really believe the kingdom would just turn a blind eye while they occupied the guild in such an organized way?
This is beyond naive—it’s just plain stupid.
“Heh heh heh... got some guts, don’t you, Sir Knight? Storming in here all by yourself.”
The men all drew their weapons at once.
… Good.
That makes things simpler.
Now I can knock them around without holding back, and it’ll be much easier to get some answers.
Following their "manners," I too drew my sword and prepared myself.
What do you think about this chapter?
