More than a week has passed since the ruckus in the guild, and now the guildmaster is calling us over for another meeting. Even without asking what for, it was obvious that the reason is something related to the interrogation they did.
「Grey, Yuna, you're here.」Gaston
「Oh, so these are the people we're waiting for. Whoa～ they really are young!」???
「I agree with you, onee-sama.」???
When we arrived at the guildmaster's office, there were already a few people there. Other than two others, the people there were the same as the ones in the previous meeting, except that Arlon-san is not around.
Hmm...『Appraisal』
-----------------------------------
【Name】Vanessa Helsberg-Filastra
【Race】Human
【Sex】Female
【Age】22
【Status】Healthy
【Mana Capacity】1,917 【Mana Quality】C
【Combat Power】2,366 【Threat Level】B
【Attribute】Fire 【Spell Proficiency】60%
【Class】Swordsman 【Art Proficiency】56%
【Physical Enhancement】62%
【Ability】---
-----------------------------------
【Name】Kurt Helsberg
【Race】Human
【Sex】Male
【Age】20
【Status】Healthy
【Mana Capacity】1.799 【Mana Quality】C
【Combat Power】2,208 【Threat Level】B
【Attribute】Fire 【Spell Proficiency】58%
【Class】Lancer 【Art Proficiency】58%
【Physical Enhancement】61%
【Ability】---
------------------------------------
B-rankers? And on top of that, both of them are nobles.
Hmm... Looks like this discussion is more serious than I thought.
「These two are Commander Filastra-sama and Brigadier Helsberg-sama, they are here to represent the army of Alfrione as per my request for a discussion. They also happen to be B-rankers.」Gaston
A commander and a brigadier, huh. I can't believe the kingdom sent two of their most powerful knights in the army to attend this discussion. This just shows how serious they are with the case.
In a kingdom's army, the general has the highest rank, followed by commanders, brigadiers, colonels, majors, captains, lieutenants, knights, and soldiers. But if it's in empires, there's a marshal which ranks higher than generals.
To think that these two have achieved those ranks while still in their early twenties, just what is wrong in this world.
「I'm Vanessa, and this is my little brother, Kurt. Nice to meet you.」Vanessa
「Onee-sama, your introduction is too crude. You should act more proper and dignified as a lady.」Kurt
「Kurt, you're too stiff. You should relax a little bit, you know?」Vanessa
「Then I guess you wouldn't care if rumors about how the dignified and graceful Vanessa-sama is actually a slacker behind the scenes.」Kurt
「Urk.」Vanessa
With a single statement from Kurt-sama, Vanessa-sama's mouth was shut tight in an instant, not being able to retort in any way.
Aren't we here for an important discussion? How did we end up watching a comedy bit?
「Sorry for that, we ended up wasting some precious time. Now, why don't we start the discussion by summarizing what we currently know about the case.」Kurt
「「「Y-Yeah.」」」
It's amazing how good Kurt-sama is at controlling the conversation. And the way he changed the topic was just amazing.
Somehow, I feel pity for Vanessa-sama.
「For the past year and a half, there have been 37 recorded incidents, with all of them located in the south-western part of Alfrione. In those incidents, 31 were stopped before it could cause any damage, while the remaining 6 caused the destruction of 8 villages and a total of 5,581 deaths. It is currently branded as a priority || case with no current suspects.」Kurt
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「5 thousand...」Grey
「I know what you're thinking, Grey-dono, but with the information we currently possess, we have no way of finding out where there hideout is and stopping their operations.」Kurt
Kurt-sama's right. If all we know is the number of cases and the total amount of damage, there's no way we can solve this case. If this goes on, not just 5 thousand but...
「Ahem!」Gaston
With a fake cough from the guildmaster, the attention of everyone in the room was turned to him.
「With all due respect Helsberg-sama, that information of yours might need some updating.」Gaston
「What are you trying to imply, Gaston-dono.」Kurt
「Rina, kindly hand Helberg-sama the files.」Gaston
「Yes, guildmaster.」Rina
Rina-san then did what the guildmaster told her to, and handed the files she was holding unto Kurt-sama.
Kurt-sama took a quick read to the files Rina-san handed him, and his eyes became wide open from shock.
「This is!」Kurt
「What is it, Kurt?」Vanessa
「Onee-sama, take a look at these!」Kurt
「Hm?」Vanessa
Vanessa-sama also took a quick read on the files Kurt-sama was holding and had the same reaction as him.
「That's right! That file contains the perpetrators of the incidents, their numbers, their leader, and their hideout! All the information we need to plan a raid and destroy them!」Gaston
「That's true, but forgive me for asking, Gaston-dono, but where did you get this information from?」Kurt
「It was all thanks to these youngsters. Because of them, we were able to acquire the magic tool used in the incidents and find some of the members of these group of perpetrators, and interrogate them.」Gaston
「I see... Then, I give you all my thanks, Grey-dono, Yuna-dono.」Kurt
「I also feel the same.」Vanessa
Kurt-sama and Vanessa-sama bowed their heads towards us.
「Ah! P-Please raise your head, Vanessa-sama, Kurt-sama.」Grey
Is it really alright for nobles to bow their heads to commoners? Even Yuna is feeling uneasy with the current atmosphere.
「You might not realize it, but what you two have done is a great service to the kingdom. Don't worry, you will receive great remuneration after we close the case.」Kurt
「We really aren't in dire need of money, so there's no need to reward us. And we also have our own reasons for helping out.」Grey
In fact, if we did not experience the demon hound incident a year ago, we probably wouldn't have cared as much about these incidents. The only reason we are helping out is to make the perpetrators pay for what they have done.
「I see... Then I won't be inquiring any further.」Kurt
「Ahem! Now that we have all these informations, why don't we create a plan to eliminate the threat and stop all of these incidents.」Gaston
「I agree.」Rina
Knowing Yuna's past and noticing the gloomy atmosphere, the guildmaster then changed the topic which was seconded by Rina-san.
「Right, but first, we should probably share this information with everyone in the room. Gaston-dono, do you have other copies of this file?」Vanessa
「Rina, please hand over a copy to everyone.」Gaston
「Yes.」Rina
After Rina-san handed everyone a copy of the file, everyone read it silently and discussed a few things here and there.
According to the files, the perpetrators of the beast incidents was a criminal organization named "Bellowing Specter". A notorious organization which was supposed to be destroyed by the army's raid 20 years ago.
The records indicated that the leader of the Bellowing Specter 20 years ago was a former A-rank adventurer who sought to destroy Alfrione for unknown motives. He was ultimately killed when the army raided their hideout.
Currently, the leader of the Bellowing Specter is the son of the previous leader. The members of the organization numbers about 900, about a quarter of their numbers 20 years ago.
Their hideout is located about two hundred kilometers south of Galderia, in a mountain named Ardoa, just in the outskirts of the Haltea Great Forest. The hideout is built like a maze, with multiple routes that serves both as entrances and a way to escape.
The goal of the organization is still unknown but it is assured that they are the perpetrators of the recent incidents.
「According to what we know, there are three entrances located here, here, and here.」Vanessa
Vanessa-sama pointed out three places on the map. One by the cliffside, one by the summit, and another one in the forest.
Surprisingly, there was no entrance in the cavern located by the mountainside. If this were a manga or a novel, there would 100% be one. I guess you can't compare reality with fictional stories.
「Each of these entrances are guarded by a single C-rank beast and a couple of D-rank ones. And since we have 6 people participating in the raid, we will go in pairs. Me and Kurt will take the cliffside one, Grey-kun and Yuna-chan will take the one in the summit, while Kris-sama and Aria-sama will take the forest. Are there any objections?」Vanessa
Everyone shook their head in response to Vanessa-sama's question.
「Good, now that we have settled the pairings, the next step is to device our plan of action.」Vanessa
「Since it is built like a maze, it will surely take us quite a while to find the main room. I suggest that we block the entrance one way or another. This way, we can prevent the criminals from escaping while we find our way inside the maze.」Kurt
「Forgive me for being rude, but I'm afraid that would be bad for both Kurt-sama and Vanessa-sama, since both of you are of the fire attribute.」Grey
「What do you mean, Grey-dono?」Kurt
「Since the hideout is a closed system, using fire-attribute spells would burn up the air inside, and if too much air is burnt, breathing would become harder. Worst case scenario, we would suffocate to death.」Grey
After my explanation, everyone in the room was frozen solid.
「I didn't know fire could burn out air... Grey-dono, you really are knowledgeable. You even knew that me and onee-sama are of the fire attribute.」Kurt
「Ah... ha... ha...」Grey
I almost revealed my 『Appraisal』ability there. Luckily, Yuna already knows which things should be kept secret.
「Then I guess we should scratch this out.」Kurt
「Wait, Kurt-sama, I think that plan is still doable, we'll just have to change how to block the entrance. I suggest that we create multiple layers of net-like walls for ventilation with the use of earth magic. Aria-san, Yuna and I could also use wind magic to help circulate air inside and outside the hideout.」Grey
「I wouldn't mind helping out the circulation of the air, but about building the walls, only Kris here have the earth-attribute.」Aria
「Don't worry, both Grey and I could also use earth magic up to the advanced level.」Yuna
「And if ever the temperature spikes up, Yuna and I could also use ice magic to control iー Hm? Is something the matter?」Grey
Before I noticed, the faces of everyone in the room were already in shock.
「Ah, Grey, did you say that the both of you could use wind, earth, and ice magic at the same time.」Gaston
「Ah...」
Crap. I accidentally revealed some of our powers...
Wait, maybe I could lie our way ouー no, there's no way in hell they will believe us if we lie at this point.
No, before things gets worse, I'll admit that we can use only those three attributes, and add a little bit of fabrication.
「Yeah, we could use all the attributes, although those three are the only ones we mastered above the high level. as for the others, we can only use it up until the low level.」Grey
「I see... But it's still amazing that you could control three attributes at such mastery with your age. Even I could only use the other elements at the basic level.」Kris
「I also feel the same. You two should be proud of your achievement.」Kurt
「Yeah, it would normally take decades to master that many attributes.」Vanessa
Yes! It worked!
If I told them that we can only use three attributes, they could have been suspicious of us. Looks like adding the power to use all the attributes but only at the low level was the right choice.
With this, they shouldn't probe further into this topic. But I should probably change back the topic to what it originally was, just to make sure.
「Now that all those problems are gone, we should probably change the pairing. Since we can't have both Yuna and I as a pair.」Grey
「You're right... In that case, I'll be going with you at the summit.」Kurt
「And I'll be entering the cliffside with Yuna-chan. Is this alright with you two?」Vanessa
「Fine by me.」Grey
「Un.」Yuna
After finalizing the pairing, everyone in the room brainstormed for a couple of minutes to devise a master plan.
We will attack at night to disable the enemy from noticing our approach. When we get inside the hideout, we will barricade the entrances with net-like walls while taking out the guards as quickly and quietly as possible.
When we traverse the maze, we will seal all the routes that will lead to a dead end. Destroying the maze is forbidden as the mountain might collapse on us. If we ever find the main room, we will wait for the others before acting, unless necessary action is needed.
「Hm...」Grey
「What is it Grey-kun?」Vanessa
「Ah, nothing. I just thought that the plan was more simple than I anticipated.」Grey
「Hehe, you're right. Well, normally it would be more complex and sophisticated than this. But with all the members of the raid team at least at B-rank, we could even charge without any plans at all.」Vanessa
She's right. With the members of the raid team consisting of an S-ranker, two A-rankers, and three B-rankers, even a simple plan like this can easily lead to victory.
「Now that we have finished planning, everyone is now dismissed. Just remember that we will be meeting up when the sun sets, okay?」Vanessa
「「「「Yes.」」」」
With the meeting finished, everyone slowly went outside of the guildmaster's office, including me and Yuna.
The meeting was somewhat lighthearted that I forgot we were talking about the ones behind the destruction of Yuna's home village.
Haah... I can finally fulfill my promise with them. And "Bellowing Specter", was it? Whatever your goal is, I'll make sure I'll destroy you entirely.
I'm coming for you!
CHAPTER 20 END