Ex Strongest Swordsman Longs For Magic In Different World Chapter 160

"Did you fail?" (??)

A man raised the eyebrows while ruminating the words which had just been said.  While looking at the head that was lowered in front of him, it wasn't impossible not to squint the eyes.

"What do you mean… did something get in the way?" (Man A)

"Please forgive me… It was something unexpected. I was able to run away because of that guy's warning, but… when I entered a back alley, I encountered a woman who happened to be an adventurer…" (Man B)

"Tsk, what bad luck… hmm? No, wait… was she alone? There weren't more than a person, right?" (Man A)

"Yes… she was alone." (Man B)

The reason why that man was surprised because there were at least three people should face him by now. Moreover, the person in front of him had Intermediate Rank skills, while the others had Beginner Rank skills. He had confirmed that they were no good adventurers in this town, so if the opponent was alone, they weren't going to lose.

No, the result should have been the same even if there were more than the same number of opponents. However, there was no way for him to avoid making a fuss. He just thought that he hated it and gave up…

"How can this be…" (Man A)

"…We weren't unable to do anything. There were five people, including me, but we were defeated instantly. At least, I think she had Advanced Rank skills." (Man B)

"There shouldn't be such an adventurer in this town, but… did one really come here? Tsk, we don't have any luck…" (Man A)

Anyhow, if the opponent had Advanced Rank skills, shouldn't it be say that they were lucky to be able to run away? There were four people with Beginner Rank skills, but they couldn't go against that kind of opponent.

"You did well since you escaped safely. It doesn't look like you're hurt…" (Man A)

"It was better to throw burden right away. She was giving priority to protect, and that was why I was able to escape at that opportunity. However, other than me, even though I can't say that they become seriously ill, they suffered considerable injuries." (Man B)

It's good enough if everyone managed to escape while facing an Advanced Rank opponent." (Man A)

"Yes… thank you very much." (Man B)

The words were sincere. It certainly hurts to have failed, but it would be better than losing a subordinate. Besides, it couldn't be said that it failed completely.

"Well, it's fine. Even though we failed, we should have communicated our intentions well enough. On top of that, if you haven't shown up to now, I may think that the negotiations have broken down. Damn it." (Man A)

"Indeed. It should be fine to handover that child who isn't blood-related. Married couples are entirely stupid." (Man B)

"Although he ran away with the expense of his wife's life, we have found him eventually. Hmm, in a sense, that guy is unlucky, isn't it?" (Man A)

"On the contrary, even though we came here for an experiment, we were lucky to find them by chance." (Man B)

"That's also including the fact that this thing could be used by chance." (Man A)

While saying so, the man took out a black sphere from his pocket, and played it on the palm.

He thought that it was over when the revolt failed, but… he didn't understand what life was about. If he used this thing, and get his hands on something, there was still a lot of work needed to be done.

"Well, not everything goes smoothly. This failure of this time wouldn't be a bad thing if we think that we've learned the lesson. I feel bad about them though." (Man A)

"No, it's true that we've been unmotivated since we've been on track recently. I thought it was just right for us to focus our mind." (Man B)

"I see… How much can their wounds heal?" (Man A)

"Well, three… no, two days should be enough." (Man B)

"Understood. Then, in two days from now, we'll go to him." (Man A)

"…Are you sure?" (Man B)

What was the man surprised about was if this didn't go well, they weren't only turning the town to be their enemy, but also the guild. That was what it meant to attack the town's inhabitants.

But…

"What? There's no problem. I will come out two days later as well. If that woman shows up again, there's no way that I'm going to lose since I'm also having Advanced Rank skills, yes?" (Man A)

"It's very reassuring and I really appreciate that at the same time, but… are you sure?" (Man B)

"It doesn't matter. If we have two more days, the experiment will be enough, and if we get 'that', there's no need to be here anymore. Even if this gives me some burden, it would be more convenient if I were with you." (Man A)

"…Thank you very much. But then, I feel a bit sorry for that guy." (Man B)

"Well, he betrayed us and ignored our kindness. So this much of circumstances would be normal." (Man A)

"Is that so? …That reminds me, that guy is managing an inn now, but what would you do if there are guests?" (Man B)

"You don't have to worry. If they get in your way, you can kill them, and if they want to run away, just leave them alone." (Man A)

Depending on the situation, things might turn to be flashy, but they didn't have to worry about it. If the man used this tool and placed suitable monsters, the town inhabitants couldn't do anything about it. It might be easier for them to escape later if they did it a little flashy.

If there was anything that bothered him… it wasn't the guild of the town, but it was the woman who killed his subordinates instantly.  After all, the man didn't know what would happen in that situation, but he was sure such a thing wouldn't happen at all. He might be overthinking this matter.

More importantly, they were only taking advantage in the current situation. It would be a fool to be hesitated because of one or two failures.

After the man telling that to himself, he stood up.

"Now, even though we have two days, there are many things need to be done. You're going to work for me, right?" (Man A)

"Yes, please leave it to us. I will make up for the failures." (Man B)

"Hmm, really? Well then, I depend on you." (Man A)

"Yes." (Man B)

After that, the man started walking while being accompanied by the subordinates. Then, they left that place.

—

The next day after dawn.

After having breakfast, Soma went to the town. Then, he tilted his head to the atmosphere that was flowing there. It felt that the whole town was more on edge than yesterday. However, while thinking about it, he went the opposite direction from the center of the town. Being alone today was the result of yesterday's discussion, and his role wasn't to worry about the town.

However, Soma came to know the reason at once unintentionally. He was about to go to the east side of the town, but it was blocked by a group of two armed men.

Of course, if that was done unfairly, he could brush it aside, but he immediately understood that this wasn't the case. When the groups looked at the people coming towards them, they shouted.

"It is basically forbidden to get out from this town now! If you really want to know why, go to the adventurer guild branch to find out why! Therefore, an explanation of this matter and a permit are issued if deemed necessary! If you don't have a permit, we can't allow you to go pass here, and there's no exception!" (??)

There were noises retorting them, saying that it was too sudden and unreasonable, but the groups were repeating the same words all over again.

It seemed that there were people who try to go out in the morning, but not everyone was allowed to pass. The spearhead of a spear was pointed at those who were in a hurry and tried to go out forcefully. It looked like they were going to do it forcibly if people didn't give up.

"Hmm…" (Soma)

From what was just shouted, Soma could see that this was done by the guild. In general, the guild was a secondment agency from a country. In short, its duty was to manage the adventurers. Obviously, the autonomy of the town wasn't given to them.

That was especially true since this place didn't belong to any country. Therefore, nobody held the authority to do such a thing either.

However, there were some exceptions. Those were if the town asked the guild to do so, or the guilds decided that they needed to do so.

However, it wasn't a matter of doing so, whether the former or the latter. In particular, the latter was the responsibility of the guild. This wouldn't happen unless the guild judged that it was an emergency, but… it might be due to something that this situation happened.

It wasn't necessary to think about what was judged as such.

"It's faster than I thought…" (Soma)

Of course, it should be said that this was due to the appearance of the Shadowtaker yesterday. In short, the guild had decided that it was a persistent threat.

That was the right thing to do, but Soma honestly thought that this decision wasn't made yesterday. He thought that the decision would take two or three days. Moreover, the fact that the guild had been able to handle so far at this point in time probably meant that the judgment had already ended as of yesterday, and it might have been a request to the adventurers.

Yes, those armed men were obviously adventurers. It might be his imagination, but Soma felt like they were people he had seen yesterday.

The number of people who could use the services of the guild was limited. Hence, it was true that there were some situations that required armed forces, but…

"They may be looked down because of this." (Soma)

That guild staff seemed to be very motivated, but this situation wasn't possible to be done by an average person. Well, at least Soma recognized her as a mere staff.

"Well, anyhow…" (Soma)

At this rate, Soma wouldn't be able to get out of town, and he should go to the guild immediately. Originally, he was going to go out once, and checked the surroundings. He thought if the Shadowtaker or equivalent monsters appeared, he would defeat them, but this should cause a big problem if he didn't do it right away. It was possible that the guild had obtained new information, and it wasn't too much to ignore it.

Well, he was going to go to the guild after looking around the outside, so the order of doing things just changed the other way around. There was no problem with that.

After deciding that, Soma turned his back to the still commotion, and headed to the guild

Chapter end