Chapter 066: Men who assertively follow orders
I have no idea how much time has passed … or not. The men immediately began making a commotion.
“I don’t have it, I don’t have my mask.”
“My mask and goggles are gone as well.”
“My magic pants is gone as well.”
“My full face helmet is … ”
… The men most likely had equipment that could block off the smell of Object X.
I won’t tsukkomi one of the comments there … But I understand that those 2 would not hesitate and go through any means necessary to obtain equipment and magic tools.
These people are the precious victims that made me understand that.
“S-rank … What happened to my magic bra?”
As I was thinking about that, the first to stand up was a leader-like man who said that … but, by any chance is he a woman with that appearance? … I’ll confirm it just in case.
” … Are you a female?”
“Of course not! That is … right, I can only calm down with that on!”
It’s fine to emphasize it, but that excuse is unreasonable. Moreover, if he is a guy then there will be no mercy!
“Is that so. I’ve received reports that all your belongings and equipment have been taken by the 2 dwarves that you saw just now. That is why, it have already been examined and modified, so it will never return to how it once was. Please give it up.”
Was the equipment that they mentioned meant to block off smells? Or were they capable of preventing abnormal statuses? However, they now know that the items that they needed are no longer with them and they expressed hopeless expressions.
“It’s fine. If you all don’t talk, I will just make you all into slaves tomorrow and relinquish you to the Adventurer’s Guild after I make you drink undiluted Object X.”
The instant I delivered the final blow, the men raised their voices.
Devil, demon, villain.
However, a few minutes after those were thrown at me, a man talked.
” … The ones who hired us were the Herbalist Guild and this city’s representative!”
It happened much earlier than I had expected.
I saw Lionel at a long distance away looking amazed as well.
I did say that I wanted them to speak, but I had the man who began talking take an oath.
“If you tell me everything that you know about, I will get rid of the barrel of Object X. I also swear to God that I will not make you drink Object X. However, if you lie to me, I will cast a magic that makes you want to drink Object X. Once you become a slave, Object X would be your meal for some time. Do you pledge the words you will speak from now to God?”
“Che, I swear! If I don’t lie, you won’t make me drink that right?”
“Yeah. At the very least I promise to treat you humanely for your time here.”
The man sighed a breath of relief as he began talking.
“Our job was to sabotage the Healer’s Guild and crush the healer’s healing showcase today. The sabotage of the Healer’s Guild was impossible due to the tight security, but this morning you all went to the Adventurer’s Guild in force so we thought that this was the time, but as you can see, we’re now here.”
There wasn’t any change in the man even after he talked to that extent, so I recovered the Object X. The others also spoke out. (TL: Apparently it seems like they are held in different cells so he has a barrel in front of each cell.)
“I’ve said everything that I’ve heard, so please place that somewhere far away.”
“S-rank healer-sama, I’ve also said everything that I know, please keep that away.”
… Do they really hate it that much? Well, it’s fine.
“Alright, 「Purification」”
I applied it to the man in the prison who spoke out first. He looked bewildered and spoke.
“There’s no smell? A smell as pungent as that disappeared?”
“Since I promised to treat you all humanely.”
I answered with a smile and the other men began talking as well. Was Object X’s smell really that unreasonable?
“Okay. Well then, you guys share will be placed in front of their prison then.”
I placed the barrels in front of the assault leader-like man before listening to their story.
There wasn’t any among them that lied.
They were initially employed by the Herbalist Guild.
Currently, the criminal slaves working as guards for the Healer’s Guild were the underlings of these men, but because the organization itself is small, without the criminal slaves, the executives had no choice but to mobilize this time around.
It seems that yesterday, Shaza appeared at the Herbalist Guild and wildly yelled at the vice-guildmaster for sending assailants at me on their own accord.
And apparently, he told them about the healer’s demonstration today at the Adventurer’s Guild today and strictly ordered them to sabotage it before going back.
Thus, these men received the request.
When asked why they couldn’t kill me, they were told that there was a possibility that I might be wearing poison resistant equipment, that they don’t have poisons that cause instantaneous death and that the escorts were too strong which made it impossible to approach me.
For that reason, by using the magic sealing powder such that the healers cannot heal, together with a little instigation and rumours spread based on the traditionally rooted contempt for healers within beastmen, they planned to cause the Healer’s Guild’s reputation to worsen and crush the operations of the Healer’s Guild.
The men told me.
Does Shaza intend to go that far to drive us out of Ienith?
Despite giving him a warning once, he still can’t make a decent judgement?
” … Why tell that to the vice-guildmaster? What’s the guildmaster doing?”
“The guildmaster is a man who is only interested in compounding, so the operations are all led by the vice-guildmaster.”
“I see. I will ask 1 final question, why is Shaza able to dominate the vice to that extent? Even if you say he is a representative, this is still too unnatural.”
” … For that, I also have no idea why.”
There wasn’t any change in the behaviour of the man, so he probably really doesn’t know.
“Does anybody here know him?”
But they all shook their heads.
“Okay. I will hand you all to the Adventurer’s Guild tomorrow, but I will offer food to you.”
When I handed them the bowl with bread and curry, they looked delighted. But the leader that was now hidden behind the barrels has yet to say a word.
I was curious so I went to look at his situation. He was foaming.
However fortunately, he was still breathing, so it looks like I discovered him just immediately after he attempted suicide.
In this world, as long as you’re not dead, there would be no problem reviving you.
I immediately used 「Recover」 and 「High Heal」 to restore the man, before scooping out water with my hand from a water barrel in my magic bag and splashing it on his face. The man regained consciousness.
“In front of an S-rank healer, don’t think that you would be able to die so easily. Also, if you really wish to die so much, at least be useful to others in the end before dying.”
The man remained silent.
After that, Cathy came over to call me over for dinner.
“Cathy, when did you go back to the surface?”
“I somehow had a very bad feeling nya! Nyanya?! It’s super smelly here nya.”
“Is that so. Then, I order you to monitor these guys until I’ve finished my dinner and come back.”
“No, no way nya~!! That is way too cruel nya~, Lionel-sama~”
She said that and clung on to Lionel, but Lionel replied with a straight face.
“I am a slave, so I have no choice but to listen to the words of my owner.”
“You’re eyes are smiling nya~!”
“It’s punishment for running away on your own.”
Lionel said, causing Cathy to hang her head. 『Gaku』
I kept all the barrels of Object X into my magic bag and applied purification magic to the entire underground 5th floor.
“It’s fine like this right? Please properly keep a lookout.”
“As expected of master nya. I’ll work hard if it’s like this nya.”
I said a single sentence to Cathy who had returned to normal.
“If you get carried away, I’ll make Cathy drink Object X as well okay?”
“Nyaa!!”
The second I said that Cathy replied with a salute.
This sure is useful.
I was convinced that it was so, as I went for dinner together with Lionel.
SIDE: Assailants POV
The S-rank healer together with his slave ascended the stairs.
“Hey! You’re a slave right? If you release us, we will get a slave dealer that we know to release your slave seal.”
As a beastman slave, furthermore of a healer who are primarily human race advocates, there is a high chance that this slave is looked down upon severely, so I said after considering that, but the reply was completely out of my expectations.
“I am of course dissatisfied with the position of a slave. But that’s all. Other than that, I am interested in my current life.”
“But you’re a slave?”
I had no idea what this cat beastwoman was saying.
“That’s right. It is true that my identity is a slave. However, it’s not like I am tied down in particular, I get the same food, I’m even given time to sleep, and I live in a room with another person but we have proper beds to sleep on.”
“Ha?”
I had no idea what this person was saying.
Beastmen slaves are basically used and thrown away. Even getting leftover food would be excellent, they would normally only get water.
What’s surprising is that she is given a room and she even has a bed to sleep on.
This was completely not the treatment for a slave.
“… That guy, what kind of guy is that S-rank healer?”
“A timid person with a naive personality. But he does not discriminate against other races, and even though he holds such power and status, he is a man that doesn’t get prideful. That is why I have pledged allegiance to him.”
” … Is that so.”
Listening to the cat beastwoman speak, I thought that it would have been a different story if I met this guy earlier, but this was probably my fate.
Our future was already set in stone.
That was why I told him everything. With what I received from the beastwoman that I could not hate, I’ve decided on what to use my life for.
SIDE END
Author’s Note:
Thank you for reading.