Chapter 62: Unknown Grudge
ㅤ”Wha-――What are you doing?!”
ㅤ
ㅤThe adjutant-san’s bewilderment wasn’t an act.
ㅤSo, for now, I’ll ignore him.
ㅤ
ㅤI place my own teacup, which I left for evidence preservation, on the table and turn my eyes to the female knight.
ㅤ
ㅤ”D*mn it!”
ㅤ
ㅤThe female knight curses and tries to escape from the tent.
ㅤ
ㅤUnfortunately for her, she’s on the opposite side of the table from me.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Catch her!”
ㅤ
ㅤIt was Warban-san who reacted to my cry.
ㅤ
ㅤThe head of the Warrior’s Guild, with agility unbefitting his large frame, leaps at the female knight.
ㅤ
ㅤThe female knight tries to draw her sword, but Warban-san’s body slams into her before she can.
ㅤ
ㅤWarban-san grabs the female knight’s arm, pulls her to the ground, and pins her down.
ㅤ
ㅤ”There’s no point drawing a long weapon in a cramped tent. You’re not a regular knight, are you?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Ahaha, somehow I saw this coming.”
ㅤ
ㅤAt my words, Shizu-san looks at me.
ㅤ
ㅤ”What do you mean, Minato? Well, I understand if you’re saying the tea we had earlier was poisoned.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”What?!”
ㅤ
ㅤThe adjutant-san is surprised.
ㅤ
ㅤThis time, Arne-san speaks up.
ㅤ
ㅤ”It’s a pretty strong paralytic. If we had ingested it orally, I think we would have gone into cardiac arrest. My hand is numb just from a little bit of it splashing on me.”
ㅤ
ㅤArne-san awkwardly moves her hand.
ㅤAs she said, it seems a little of the tea spilled from the broken cup got on her.
ㅤ
ㅤ――That’s right. The tea was poisoned.
ㅤ
ㅤAt that time, when I peeked into the tea that was served, letters appeared on the surface of the tea.
ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤParalysis Moss Spores: Upon oral ingestion or inhalation, it instantly paralyzes the muscles throughout the body. In large doses, it can cause cardiac arrest and death. Tasteless and resistant to high temperatures, it has been used for poisoning since ancient times. Even skin contact can cause short-term paralysis.
ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤThe automatic appraisal function that appears on low difficulty activated.
ㅤ
ㅤThat’s why I hurriedly smashed everyone’s cups.
ㅤ
ㅤ”I’m sorry, if I had noticed a little sooner…”
ㅤ
ㅤ”It’s not your fault, Minato. Rather, thank you for noticing.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Are your hands alright? Um, are there any… aftereffects?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”It’s alright, this much will heal quickly.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Hmm. So Minato-dono saw that the tea was poisoned and immediately smashed our cups.
ㅤAs expected of Minato-dono. It makes sense that you were able to hunt the Cockatrice.”
ㅤ
ㅤThe adjutant-san nods and praises me.
ㅤ
ㅤShizu-san looks down at the female knight pinned to the ground.
ㅤ
ㅤ”The question is, who did this?
ㅤWarban, take off her helmet.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Alright.”
ㅤ
ㅤThe moment he says that, the female knight starts to struggle.
ㅤ
ㅤ”You… be still!”
ㅤ
ㅤWhen Warban-san forcefully restrains her, the female knight’s helmet rolls off.
ㅤ
ㅤThe face that emerges from the helmet is one I recognize.
ㅤA beautiful woman in her twenties with striking red hair and sharp eyes.
ㅤ
ㅤI sigh and say,
ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤ”Ahaha. As I thought, it’s Latifa-san.”
ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤAt my words, Latifa-san, lying on the ground, twists her neck and glares at me.
ㅤHer eyes are like those of someone whose parent has been murdered.
ㅤ
ㅤ（…Did I do something to deserve this resentment?）
ㅤ
ㅤI try to think, but nothing comes to mind.
ㅤ
ㅤThe representatives of the three guilds all gasp in unison.
ㅤThe adjutant-san is also bewildered by the appearance of someone he knows.
ㅤ
ㅤThe first to react is a somewhat unexpected person.
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ㅤ”D*mn it! You screwed up! I was a fool to expect anything from you!”
ㅤ
ㅤIt’s Cretias.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Hmph! That’s because you fell for cheap provocation and picked a fight with Minato! I told you she was dangerous, didn’t I?!”
ㅤ
ㅤLatifa-san retorts to Cretias.
ㅤ
ㅤ”You said she was a thief! No one would think a thief, however competent, could win a duel against a knight! Moreover, I’m a top-ranked participant in the royal capital’s tournament!”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I told you she wasn’t strong in that sense, didn’t I?!
ㅤYou’ve always been like this since you were a kid! You listen to people’s stories conveniently and reconstruct them with yourself at the center! The world doesn’t revolve around you!
ㅤYou’re astonishingly similar to that d*mn old man!”
ㅤ
ㅤ”What did you say?! You’re the selfish one!
ㅤYou threw away a good marriage and became an adventurer, continuing to drag our family name through the mud!
ㅤI thought you would be useful in obtaining the Cockatrice beak, but you were easily overtaken by other adventurers!
ㅤYou’re the one who’s just like that good-for-nothing old man in your lack of success!”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Um…”
ㅤ
ㅤWhat’s going on?
ㅤ
ㅤ”Come to think of it, Latifa-san is the daughter of the Loft Count, the lord of this area, right? Did you know Cretias?”
ㅤ
ㅤIt’s the adjutant-san who answers my vague question.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Commander Cretias is the eldest son of the Loft Count. He was disinherited when he left home and enlisted, and his surname has changed, but…”
ㅤ
ㅤ”So, these two are siblings?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”That’s right. They have different mothers, though.”
ㅤ
ㅤ（What an unpleasant pair of siblings. But, it makes sense.）
ㅤ
ㅤPerhaps because they have different mothers, their hair color is different, but their features are similar.
ㅤAnd, of course, their selfish personalities are very much alike.
ㅤ
ㅤ”So, Latifa-san, you were trying to help Cretias?”
ㅤ
ㅤ””No!””
ㅤ
ㅤThe siblings deny in unison.
ㅤ
ㅤ”She tried to drug me too, you know?!
ㅤThe plan was to only give the temporary paralytic to the adventurers and steal the beak!
ㅤShe was going to double-cross me and use the beak as a gift to curry favor with the prince!”
ㅤ
ㅤCretias’s right hand is trembling as he says this. Like Arne-san, it seems he got some of the paralytic on him when I broke the cup.
ㅤ
ㅤThen, Arne-san speaks.
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ㅤ”Wait. This paralytic, it’s a lethal dose in normal amounts. In other words, Latifa was trying to k*ll everyone here.”
ㅤ
ㅤAt Arne-san’s point, everyone’s eyes focus on Latifa-san.
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ㅤLatifa-san, ignoring their gazes, glares fiercely at me.
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ㅤ”Ahaha. La, Latifa-san? Did I do something to deserve your hatred?”
ㅤ
ㅤI honestly can’t remember anything.
ㅤRather, since I saved her from the goblins first, it would be natural for her to be grateful.
ㅤOf course, I haven’t said anything about it to make her feel indebted, nor have I asked for anything in return.
ㅤ
ㅤIf I had to say, maybe it was because I refused her party invitation?
ㅤ
ㅤ”D*mn it… Minato, you always get in my way.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Ahaha, huh? Did I get in your way?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Hmph, is that a carefree laugh?
ㅤI know it’s you who’s been sneaking into the guild and scouting the dungeon ahead!
ㅤWe’re struggling with a mountain of slow-moving knights in armor, and you’re making progress with the guild’s backing… and on top of that, you show off by obtaining a plethora of Cockatrice beaks! The very thing we’re desperate for, the thing we’ve even had casualties trying to obtain!”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Wait a minute! Minato isn’t receiving any support from the guild. Her exploration is the result of her own efforts.”
ㅤ
ㅤArne-san defends me.
ㅤ
ㅤ”I don’t know about that… I can’t believe anything you say!”
ㅤ
ㅤLatifa-san spits out the words with hatred.
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ㅤ”Even so, it’s not very peaceful of you to try to k*ll us all, including us.”
ㅤ
ㅤWarban-san says this while still holding Latifa-san down.
ㅤ
ㅤThen, Cretias also speaks.
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ㅤ”That’s right! If you go that far, you’ll definitely be investigated later!
ㅤIf you just paralyzed us and stole the beak, you might be able to feign ignorance!
ㅤBut try poisoning all the guild representatives, and it’ll be a war between the Adventurer’s Guild and the country!”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I don’t care! I… I can’t live with Minato knowing my secret! If she exposes 『that』 after I curry favor with the prince… even if she doesn’t, if she spreads 『that』 around Loft… I’ll be a laughingstock for the rest of my life!”
ㅤ
ㅤLatifa-san’s words are even filled with anguish.
ㅤ
ㅤ（Ah… I see.）
ㅤ
ㅤI’m the only one who understands what Latifa-san is saying.
ㅤ
ㅤ（The moment I saved Latifa-san, this future was set in stone.）
ㅤ
ㅤEven if her life was saved.
ㅤNo, precisely because her life was saved, she finds me, the one who holds her secret, unbearable.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Ahaha… You didn’t have to worry. I wouldn’t tell anyone.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”How would I know that?! Even when I tried to bring you into the family and keep an eye on you, you refused the party invitation!
ㅤYes, of course! You wouldn’t want to join a party of idiotic adventurers who were in such a predicament! Minato is an excellent thief who has caught the guild’s attention!”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I didn’t mean it that way.”
ㅤ
ㅤI simply didn’t want to get involved with Latifa-san because I didn’t like her type.
ㅤSo that was the reason for her persistent party invitations.
ㅤ
ㅤ”In that case, there’s no choice but to k*ll you!
ㅤAt first, I thought I’d k*ll you in the dungeon, but Minato, you were always ahead and I couldn’t catch up!
ㅤI tried to target you while you were resting at the outpost’s lodging, but I couldn’t find you anywhere, you never showed up at the lodging!
ㅤFor several days, you disappeared, and I hoped you had died in the dungeon, but you came back with a mountain of Cockatrice beaks!
ㅤI thought my idiot brother would finish you off in the duel, but he was the one who ended up stripped bare in an instant!”
ㅤ
ㅤWow.
ㅤWas my life being targeted that much?
ㅤ
ㅤ（I’m glad I used the Goblin Smoke Ball to erase my presence.）
ㅤ
ㅤI was worried about being ambushed by Latifa-san, so I used a false name to get a room at the lodging and rested while erasing my presence.
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ㅤ”D*mn it! If it weren’t for you, Minato, by now I would have been――Gughhhhhhh!”
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ㅤ”Oh, no!”
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ㅤIt was too late by the time I said it.
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ㅤFresh blood spills from Latifa-san’s mouth.
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ㅤLatifa-san has bitten off her own tongue.