Chapter 36: Who Started This?

The room, hiding around ten people, was brimming with murderous intent. I was sure this was the main target.

Pressing my back against the wall, I struck the door panels with my short spear, then instantly tossed in a Whirlwind! and commanded it, Spin big!, before taking a brief pause.

“What… what is this?”
“I think it’s that kid’s wind magic.”
“Manager, take cover under the desk!”
“Waaahhh!”
“Grab onto something!”
“He should be on the other side of the door. Go!”
“Go? I can’t move forward!”
“I’ll support you…”
“Whoaah!”

“Hey, someone’s flying out the window!”
“He’s going crazy, isn’t he?”
“Sub-master, won’t we end up with a mountain of corpses?”
“Ask him! I didn’t think it’d get this bad either.”
“Right? Who gave the nickname ‘Gentle Breeze’ to Leon? Anyone would be fooled by that face and name.”

Peeking through the door hole, I dispelled the magic from the whirlwind.

Inside, the room was a complete mess. The men were disheveled, their clothes and hair in chaos, stumbling around.

I pushed the door open and entered, wrapping everyone I could see in a Whirlwind! and lightly spun them again—about fourteen or fifteen rotations—before extracting the magic.

There were six armored bodyguards, that butler-like man, and four other rough-looking bodyguard types. None could stand properly. The manager was nowhere to be seen.

Remembering the earlier warning to hide under the desk, I peeked beneath the office desk and found the moustachioed man.

“I am Leon, invited here. I’ve come to hear your request.”

Not wanting to anger the sub-master by killing the branch manager, I bent slightly at a 45-degree angle to give a polite greeting.

“Wh-w-who are you?”

“I am Leon, whom you invited. Are you not aware of me?”

Even while smiling politely, I sensed someone creeping up from behind. Noticing their lack of awareness, I sent a Whirlwind! Spin around! toward the movement as a “service.”

The scream that followed—something like Hieee! with a Doppler effect—gradually diminished. The blood-colored whirlwind darkened to black.

After dispelling the magic, a pale man lay motionless, bloodied.

“Everyone, sit against the walls. You understand what happens if you move even slightly, right?”

Perhaps realizing my seriousness, or waiting to recover some strength, they shuffled toward the walls. But to prevent complacency, I spun them again with a Whirlwind!

As I drained the magic, I stabbed the calves and arms of those who might resist with my short spear, ensuring they couldn’t fight back.

To flush out the moustachioed man under the desk, I pointed my short spear at him and gently warned.

“Come out, or you’ll be covered in blood.”

“Sub-master, it’s quiet now.”

“Good. Fire the signal Fireballs.”

BOOM! BOOM! The explosions echoed, signaling the guards and a few adventurers to rush toward the Warrens Trading Company.

“Smash it!”

Axes pounded doors, bodies rammed through, and the guards flooded the building, systematically spreading out.

“Follow the guards upstairs! If you spot Leon, alert them. Lag behind and you’ll take them—and yourself—down with you!”

“Hey, we didn’t hear anything about this!”

“Are we supposed to be some wind-detecting mice?”

“Stop whining and run!”

“Here! Come quickly and identify Leon!”

A guard yelled, peeking into the office. The room was a disaster: overturned sofas, furniture and curtain debris scattered everywhere, guards and rough-looking men sitting against walls, terrified.

A young man stood by the massive desk with a short spear in hand. Bloodied men trembled before him.

The guard, recognizing Leon from the guild’s dining hall, confirmed his identity.

The sub-master strolled in leisurely, shaking his head as he observed the chaos.

“Quite a show, huh?”

“Yes, I held back to minimize casualties. The guys in the back room on the first floor—the poorly decorated, wood-paneled one—were accomplices of the men who contacted me in Korche, so I made sure they got special attention.”

“Poorly decorated?”

“Lots of hanging equipment, ropes, and whips. They dragged me there first, so I judged them to be the same group from before.”

“Idiot! That’s a torture chamber! Use some common sense!”

“Do adventurers need common sense? I was taught to strike back if attacked, strike first, and buy a winning fight at a high price.”

“Ah, fine. You can leave, but come to the guild later—I have questions for you.”

After being thrown out of the Warrens Trading Company, a crowd of onlookers gathered, and the guards were sweating to shoo them away.

Returning to my regular hotel seemed bothersome, so I headed to the guild. A curious little receptionist stopped me:

“Big brother, you came out of the Warrens Trading Company. What happened?”

“Terrible commotion. Windows broken, furniture and curtains flying, and people even leaping out.”

“Really? I heard the noise and screams. How’s it inside?”

“I was just told to follow the sub-master and wait by the entrance. I don’t know the details inside. I have a letter for the guild master, so please deliver it.”

Dressed as an adventurer but looking like an Iron Rank, I was easily allowed in—likely mistaken as the sub-master’s aide.

“Sub-master, I’m Morton, captain of the South District squad. Where is the adventurer in question?”

“He’s been told to come to the guild later. Apparently, he immediately counterattacked the torture chamber where he was initially dragged. Those inside were accomplices of men who contacted Leon in Korche.”

“Oh, that’s fortunate. Between the branch manager and the steward, it seems we’re going to hear an interesting story.”

The branch manager and the steward were made to drink potions to heal their injuries, then wrapped up and taken to the Guard Headquarters.

Those who had survived in the torture room received the same treatment but were given cheap potions and thrown into the underground prison at the guard headquarters.

“Your Grace, it seems an adventurer went on a rampage at the Warrens Trading Company. The guards on standby, along with personnel arranged by the Adventurer’s Guild, stormed the branch. During that, the adventurer reportedly told the guild sub-master that those taken to the torture room were companions of the ones who attacked him in Korche.”

“Hmm. We can punish Warrens for kidnapping and forcibly taking adventurers.”

“Also, a team searching the branch reported finding what seems to be a secret room in the basement, though they couldn’t get inside.”

“Interrogate the branch manager immediately about the basement! And if any wrongdoing is found, make sure all branches within the territory are thoroughly investigated.”

I returned to my regular inn, the Adeliana Hotel, via carriage and then walked to the guild.

As I approached the guild’s dining hall, I could hear loud voices around a large table.

“It was beyond amazing!”
“The inside of the Warrens building sounded like a storm was raging.”
“I kept hearing incredible crashes, and objects were flying out of the windows.”
“Even three people jumped out.”
“All that was the work of a single kid called ‘Gentle Breeze’.”
“Can wind magic do that?”
“Unbelievable.”
“Gentle Breeze, huh? That kid?”

“The sub-master said Leon—the kid—was rampaging alone.”
“No doubt. The sub-master said it was dangerous, so they watched until the commotion settled.”
“Once the commotion ended, they fired the signal Fireball and stormed the branch.”
“The place was a mess—people lying down, furniture and ornaments in pieces, a complete disaster.”
“I met the sub-master and that kid. He stood bored in front of a massive desk, saying he rampaged because he’d been dragged into the torture room on the first floor.”
“In the end, they told us there was nothing more to do, so we could leave.”
“Well, at least we get paid, so no complaints.”

Realizing I’d be bombarded with questions if I stayed in the guild, I quietly slipped out of the dining hall—but ran straight into the sub-master.

“Ah, perfect timing. Wait in the large room on the second floor,” he said.

What terrible luck.

“You interrogated the ones in the torture room, and they really were the companions of the people who disappeared in Korche. They said the last they saw of them was when they went to buy the Chikki chikki Bird from you—they wondered if you might have killed them. They were going to press you to find out what happened, since losing their men to an adventurer would ruin their reputation.”

“Yeah, they were quite a tough-looking bunch.”

“Two women wearing slave collars were found in the secret room in the basement. All Warrens branches within the Duke’s territory will be investigated, and this may not be limited to just the Warrens company.”

“So this will eventually involve Marquis Fleming? If the nobility get involved, it’ll be a huge scandal.”

“You speak as if it’s someone else’s problem. You started this.”

“Eh… the start was just a greedy merchant. I was hit, so I hit back and ran. That’s all.”

I did make them goblin food, as a little thank-you for hitting me, though.

“Regarding the main Warrens branch, they might want your help, depending on the situation.”

“No way! I’ve already been thrown out of town by the nobility’s complaints—I don’t need any more trouble.”