"What on earth is going on…"

After making several turns in the labyrinthine sewers and ensuring no one was following him, Ogre finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Only now did he have the time to ponder everything that had just happened.

'It was that Viscount Bordel… no, it shouldn't be him. He wouldn't hand over his leverage at this moment…'

Ogre first thought of the family of that blue-haired knight but quickly dismissed the idea…

He then considered other nobles.

'That would be Bordel's rivals… no, those nobles are greedy but not fools. I still have so many mysteries surrounding me, even if they wanted to frame me, they wouldn't use such crude methods.'

But he quickly dismissed this notion as well.

Ogre knew that while those nobles were greedy, they were definitely not stupid.

Truly foolish people were not qualified to take over a family.

Did they really think the numerous offspring of nobles were just born for fun? Underestimating them as simple fools would only lead to one's own downfall.

"The other nobles who weren't present are even less likely to be involved…"

The time was too short, and there weren't many who could target Ogre.

"The two major churches wouldn't act against me for no reason…"

Ogre also ruled out the involvement of the two major churches.

The archer who acted was clearly not from either of those factions.

Neither church aligns with the nobles; they aim to win over the commoners and the disenfranchised bastards.

They have no reason to curry favor with any side of the nobility, not even an earl has that capability.

"The Arena? That doesn't seem right either; they have no reason to blow this incident up…"

The Arena would likely be the least interested in escalating the situation, as it would directly affect their interests.

Ogre thought the Arena would prefer to handle it quietly.

They would wait until everything was clear before deciding whether to smooth things over or curry favor.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Even ignoring it would be more likely than stirring up trouble.

"The person who acted… didn't want to kill me, tsk."

Ogre noticed an interesting point: the other party had the ability to attack him directly and then frame him.

Why kill the servant first?

That could have been dealt with afterward.

"Trying to provoke me…"

In emergencies, people often don't think comprehensively.

Even Ogre, at that moment, first thought of those nobles.

"What if they saw my performance in the Arena as hot-blooded?"

In that situation, if he truly reacted as he did in the Arena…

That might be exactly what they wanted.

"It seems they want to use me, and there aren't many left who could act so quickly and have such well-informed sources."

They might have even calculated his escape.

But those people probably didn't expect Ogre to decisively dive into the sewers.

"So they want me to cause a stir…"

Ogre had a vague answer in his mind.

He began to try to deduce the event further.

"Then who would benefit the most…"

"The Professional Association? No, no, it should be some individuals associated with the Professional Association."

"Empire law… there are quite a few who could frame me directly. If it's not the city guard, then who else? Let me think…"

There are only a few who would benefit from him causing a stir.

For example, the city lord sent by the Empire, who is quite troubled by those nobles, would be happy to mess with them if he had the chance.

But he couldn't have acted so quickly.

What if it's some individuals within the Professional Association?

What could they gain—forcing him to pledge allegiance under duress…

His potential was evident to all.

It's hard to say no one was tempted.

But acting so quickly…

It doesn't seem like a well-thought-out plan.

It seems more like some restless subordinates of a big shot trying to muddy the waters.

"It must be someone I don't know…"

Ogre thought it was likely the spontaneous idea of some subordinates under a big shot…

This despicable tactic was essentially no different from the tricks of those hooligans and thugs.

Although he had used his enhanced vision to see some general characteristics of the other party, the archer was clearly prepared.

It's hard to say if this information would be useful.

"Pesky little devils…" Ogre sighed, slapping his forehead.

Even though he understood, it still felt like a troublesome situation.

Sometimes, human society is no better than the Demon Beast Forest—if you try to climb up, you'll always encounter inexplicable resistance.

Sometimes, the real obstacles in climbing up aren't the high and mighty figures, but the 'little devils' under them.

Just like goblins never worry about dragons threatening them, they might be more afraid of the ogres in the middle of the forest.

Just as dragons never worry about any goblin reaching their level.

A dragon's opponent is only a dragon slayer.

But a drake has many opponents…

"Too complicated… looks like I need to return to the Demon Beast Forest for a while."

Ogre could only predict some of the nobles' thoughts.

In such a short time, he couldn't and wouldn't be able to predict everyone's thoughts.

Even if time were extended, Ogre couldn't do it.

"No going back now." Ogre sighed helplessly.

Anyway, with things like this, going home was out of the question. Returning now would be walking into a trap.

"Oh well, since I've already escaped, it's not a big deal. In the end, it's still a matter of not being strong enough."

Since it wasn't a big shot who acted, Ogre naturally didn't have to worry about further trouble.

This matter would likely spread throughout the city.

"Who would've thought I'd become the starting point of a vortex one day, though it seems some people will be disappointed." Ogre chuckled self-deprecatingly.

He then pulled out the dandelion emblem he had just exchanged—his greatest asset.

"Good thing I decisively exchanged the money first."

As long as he had the money, other problems didn't seem so big.

As for the gold coins accumulated at home, Ogre could only reluctantly abandon them. Compared to the 3,600 gold coins on him, that money was insignificant.

With Yard there, his 'home' probably wouldn't be ransacked too badly.

The secret disguise shouldn't be exposed so quickly.

'Even if Yard is hiding something from me, it shouldn't cause trouble in this regard…'

"Six gold coins, a dozen silver coins…"

Ogre felt the small pouch hanging at his waist and counted.

Carrying small change was a habit of his.

The large gold coins were meant for purchasing forbidden potions after changing cities.

The small gold coins were for emergencies, to handle daily needs flexibly.

Squeak, squeak, squeak—

Suddenly, a rustling sound reached Ogre's ears.

'What sound is that!'

Ogre immediately raised his gun in alert.

He saw a swarm of bats gathered together, flying over his head like a dark cloud.

"Sewers… why would there be bats?" Ogre muttered as he put away his gun.

Though puzzled, he didn't dwell too much on such trivial matters.

Ogre only cared about things closely related to him.

So after muttering to himself, he slung his gun over his shoulder and left.

"Looks like I'll have to stand Foucault and the others up…"