STGB Episode 532

Escape Plan (5)

It didn’t take long for our entire team to gather. Thanks to the possibility that something might happen, I had already called everyone together in advance.

Well, that doesn’t mean they were mentally prepared.

“By ‘gear’… do you mean weapons?”

“Yes.”

“Are you saying… we’re going to fight them…?”

“What’s wrong with an explorer wanting to kill some monsters?”

I replied to the still unprepared group, and that was enough.

“…No, there’s no problem.”

“What the hell are you all doing? Are you disobeying the Baron’s orders?!”

It’s reckless

We don’t have full confirmation, and if we just wait a little longer, there’s a chance she might return safely.

So let’s wait a bit more.

Surely that’s what everyone was thinking deep down, but no one actually said it out loud.

They just whispered among themselves and picked up their weapons.

“Really… is this okay?”

“What else can we do? Tell him you don’t want to go and see what happens?”

“……Never mind.”

“Tch, I’d rather fight those monsters.”

Somehow, strangely, none of them were talking back.

“Bjorn… calm down. Everyone’s scared, you know…”

It was only when Misha spoke up that I realized the expression on my face.

“…!”

When I looked around, Auyan met my eyes and flinched before quickly looking away.

Aynar reacted similarly.

“You must’ve misunderstood something, Those guys… they might not talk, but they are, uh, good guys… Oh, I didn’t say anything! I swear on my life I didn’t!”

She muttered to herself, and when I looked at her, she shook her head frantically and started to make excuses.

I walked over and stood right in front of her.

“Aynar.”

“Uh! S-speak!”

“You’ve been making friends with those monster bastards, and now you’ve developed a soft spot for them?”

“It’s not that! There’s something wrong with my head! That, that essence! Yes, It’s because of that essence—!”

I suppose I couldn’t entirely dismiss the logic about the ‘fighting spirit’ or whatever, but…

“Our companion might be in danger. Get a grip. Before I become disappointed in you.”

“…Understood.”

Okay, that should straighten her out.

The other explorers seemed to have finished their preparations as well.

So there was no need for a lengthy speech.

“Let’s go.”

I led the way out to the village street, with dozens of explorers following close behind.

I moved at an almost running pace.

At that moment, even with my dulled senses, I felt a presence.

“Mister.”

“Is that the one? The one who’s been watching our house from afar every day.”

“Yes. Shall I go get him?”

I hesitated for a moment before answering.

“No, leave him. He’ll guide us where we need to go.”

“Ah…”

“Pick up the pace!”

With Erwin’s help, we chased the fleeing scout.

[Explorers… explorers are coming!]

[Aquiti…! G-go inside! Hurry, into your homes!]

The monsters living ordinary lives in the village panicked at the sight of our armed group moving in formation and hid.

And before long…

‘This isn’t the direction of the chief’s house…’

Where exactly was this guy leading us?

I soon received the answer to my question.

[Today, I found a suspicious place. About 15 minutes from the chief’s house—a building that looked like an ordinary home, but with guards posted all around.]

The very same suspicious house Amelia had mentioned before.

“Stop.”

Upon reaching the destination, I stopped.

[Explorers! Put down your weapons!]

How long had it been? They were already swarming like cockroaches.

Looking at the pack of monsters, I muttered coldly.

[No.]

I didn’t come here to talk.

***

I’m looking for someone.

If you have nothing to hide, step aside.

There was no need to say such things.

Wasting time with dialogue only increases the chance of something happening to Amelia.
Right, so…
[Move, or die.]
That was the bare minimum courtesy I could offer.

However, Nyachichi—the village warrior, father of Marupichichi, and the chief’s right-hand man—ignored my ultimatum.

[The chief’s orders were to let no one through. Stand down.]

I wasn’t particularly regretful.

I wasn’t particularly regretful.

Nor did I waste time repeating myself to persuade him. I had warned him, and he had refused.

So, there was only one thing left to do.

[Oh, is that so?]

[Yes. So calm down and—]

[Then die.]

As promised, I swung my hammer with killing intent.

[The character has cast [Gigantification]

My body swelled with surging strength.

I poured it all into a full force hammer blow.

「The character has cast[Swing].」

Nuachichi, an archer class, hastily backed away and pulled his bowstring.

As if that would stop me.

[The character has cast [Transcendence]

[The character has cast [Eye of the Storm]

As I swung my hammer, I activated my grappling skill, and a gust of wind pulled Nuachichi back toward me.

And then—

CRACK!

The hammer landed squarely on his skull.

It wasn’t by chance or luck; I’ve fought enough to nail such timing.

Especially with the body of a warrior with exceptional combat instincts.

[……?]

His head crumpled like a crushed can.

Nuachichi stared at me with dreamy, blank eyes.

Blood streamed down his forehead.

But as the chief’s trusted right hand, he didn’t die in one hit.

So…

‘One more.’

I pulled the hammer back and raised it high.

WHOOSH!

Slammed it down with all my strength.

Well, with this, Marupichichi would grow up fatherless.

But what of it?

This was nothing new.

Hans A had a child too, and…

‘That bright kid will manage.’

Or else, he’d soon join his dad—

‘…Huh?’

Just centimeters away from turning Marupichichi into a single-parent child…

Something interrupted my hammer’s trajectory.

‘A sword.’

With my agility stat, I could only make out the weapon’s type.

And that it gleamed pure white.

Boom!

The moment my hammer clashed with the white sword, a violent recoil traveled up the shaft to my hands.

Flash.

The burst of light blinded me, but I forced my eyes open and glared ahead.

Then, I curled my lips into a cold smirk.

‘You said you were too busy to meet me earlier.’

But now that your subordinate’s about to die, you rush out.

***
“…….”

“…….”

A brief standoff.

[…….]

The monster warriors, who had endured the rainy season alongside us, now stared at us with weapons drawn.

Not that we were any different.

“…….”

Magic, divine spells, supernatural abilities—

The explorers who followed me were also ready to fight at any moment, watching the situation closely.

And in that tension…

“Chief.”

I spoke first.

My patience had already run thin.

“Give me back my companion.”

A demand without room for negotiation.

But the chief didn’t ask what I was talking about. He didn’t act like I was being unreasonable or suggest a misunderstanding.

Surprisingly…

“So you’ve come for her.”

He admitted it outright.

And with that—

The heat in my head cooled, and my tense muscles tightened further.

Because his reaction suggested only one thing:

He was fully prepared to stop us, even if we resorted to violence.

Not that I planned to back down.

“…Is she dead?”

After a brief staring contest, I finally asked in a low voice.

The chief moved both his index and middle fingers twice.

A gesture unique to this tribe of ‘humans who call themselves human’.

I know exactly what this gesture means.

“Don’t worry. She’s alive.”

It was a sign of denial.

The suffocating tension eased slightly, and relief washed over me.

Of course, there was a chance the chief was toying with me.

But just hearing those words let me breathe again.

“Hand her over.”

I repeated my demand in a sharper tone.

The chief studied me briefly before answering.

“And if I refuse?”

“I’ll come and get her myself. I’ll smash anyone or anything that tries to stand in my way.”

“Surprisingly… you seem serious.”

Of course.

Bluffing with a comrade’s life at stake was against my principles.

“I am stronger than you.”

I nodded.

“That might be true.”

“Aren’t you afraid?”

Well.

“I’ve never avoided doing something just because I was scared.”

“Hmm, I see. You’re quite hostile. Is she your lover?”

“…….”

I didn’t answer his question.

“If not, then you must care deeply for your comrade.”

The chief muttered in an emotionless tone before addressing his subordinates.

[Someone—anyone—bring out the female explorer inside.]

So… she’s really alive?

“Wait here a moment. We’ll talk once she’s here.”

After a tense wait, the monster warriors returned with Amelia.

She was unconscious, carried on a stretcher…

“What happened?”

“We only knocked her out; we didn’t hurt her.”

Fortunately, there were no visible injuries.

But appearances can be deceiving.

“Take her back. Given your current state, I doubt we can have a proper conversation like this.”

After receiving Amelia, I ordered the priests and mages to examine her.

And then…

“She really is just unconscious.”

At my allies’ confirmation, I finally exhaled the breath I’d been holding.

“Haa…”

Amelia was safe.

That alone felt like overcoming a major crisis, but there was still a lot to do.

Because nothing was really solved.

“Well, now that that’s settled, are you ready to talk?”

“Why did you kidnap Emily?”

“Kidnap? That’s absurd. If anything, we should be the ones demanding answers. She was the one who trespassed here.”

Yeah, of course it went like this.

“But if that were the case, the normal response would’ve been to call for me immediately.”

“True. But first, I wanted to confirm something—whether she broke in out of personal curiosity…”

The chief’s fish-like eyes, always unpleasant, fixed on me.

“…or if it was under your orders.”

Before I could answer, he continued.

“Ah, she claimed it was entirely her own doing. Refused to say anything else, no matter how we pressed her. Don’t misunderstand—we only intimidated her a little. No actual harm was done.”

“I appreciate that—”

“However, you must take responsibility for this.”

“……?”

“That’s what leadership means. Whether you ordered it or not, your comrade disregarded our goodwill and violated the village’s rules. Worse, without even confirming the situation, you barged in and tried to kill our warriors.”

I had nothing to say to that.

Amelia’s survival.

And the fact that she was returned to us unharmed.

It only proved that I had overreacted.

“So how do you want to take responsibility for that?”

The Chief’s tone was as emotionless as ever, which only made the pressure worse.

Because I couldn’t read his intentions at all.

‘An apology won’t cut it here.’

After a quick assessment, I spoke.

First, as a leader, I wouldn’t evade responsibility.

“Emily Raines entered that place under my orders.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

“But there’s a reason for it.”

“I’m listening.”

I laid my cards on the table.

I hadn’t planned to reveal this, but sometimes a direct approach is the only way.

“Not long ago, I ‘accidentally’ found a dagger with the Silver Lion Clan’s emblem on it.”

“And?”

“It made me wonder. Why would a weapon from a clan that supposedly left this village still be here? So I started investigating behind the scenes.”

“I see. So that’s how it was…”

“Now that things have come to this, tell me. What’s the deal with that dagger? And what exactly are you hiding in that house?”

The chief paused, as if considering his words.

Then, after a moment—

“First, about the dagger. I can’t be certain since I didn’t see it myself, but… before they left, the clan traded goods with our villagers. It likely got mixed in then.”

Yeah, I expected that answer.

Not like I could verify it anyway.

When I remained silent, the chief continued.

“As for the house you mentioned… This is a bit complicated, but… it’d be better for you to see for yourself.”

“Fine. Show me.”

At the chief’s signal, the warriors blocking the path stepped aside, and I followed him inside.

“It’s below.”

Below the ordinary-looking house was a staircase leading underground. As I descended, I finally saw with my own eyes what those monsters had been hiding.

“…What the hell.”

The stench of decay had hit me the moment I reached the stairs, but—

“Here. This is what you were so curious about—”

The underground was filled with decaying corpses.

“—the secret of our village.”

The bodies were in such a horrific state that identifying them was nearly impossible, but recognizing their original form wasn’t difficult at all.

“And now you, too, know the truth.”

…They were human corpses.

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