"I'm fine. Even though I look like this, I'm also a member of 'Red Blood is Good!,' who is thirsty for blood..."
"「「「Cough, cough, cough!」」」"
Mile, Reina, and Mavis's exaggerated, loud coughs interrupted Pauline's words.
Yes, it was decided that this time, the name 'Red Vow' would not be mentioned, and it would be treated as a personal matter of 'Pauline and her cheerful friends,' not a job. They didn't want to spread the fact that 'Red Vow' was involved in too many gray-area incidents, and this time it was a personal matter for the members, not work.
Pauline quickly remembered this and hastily corrected her words.
"......I am also a member of 'Red Blood is Good!,' who is thirsty for blood..."
Mile and the others were stunned by her overly forced cover-up.
The crowd was taken aback.
"What kind of party are you guys, anyway...?"
Even the guard hunter was taken aback.
"This time, the party is not involved. The people here are not party members, but just friends... no, close friends, who have come to support my personal battle without any compensation."
Mile and the others noticed that Pauline's way of speaking was slightly more monotonous than usual.
It might not be noticeable to someone meeting her for the first time, but Mile and the others, who had known her for a long time, could tell. And they knew what it meant.
"My name is Pauline, the one who stakes everything to avenge my father. And I am grateful to the friends who have entrusted their lives and futures to me in my quest for vengeance..."
Pauline was not having a conversation but reciting lines she had prepared in advance. This allowed her to allocate her mental resources to other things while speaking.
"I'm going!"
As Pauline raised her staff, the hunter gripped the hilt of his sword.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch!"
The hunter screamed loudly and released the hilt. His palm was drenched in blood.
When the hunter looked at his sword, which was still in the scabbard, the hilt was covered with thorns.
"N-no..."
For a moment, he was flustered, but he couldn't afford to panic over something like this if he was to call himself a B-rank.
"Damn, it's a 'silent incantation,' isn't it? The advanced technique of casting a spell while having a normal conversation and pretending not to be casting!"
While saying this, he hurriedly checked his backup weapon, a dagger, which had nothing growing on it. He quickly gripped the hilt and drew it.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch!"
Then, with the momentum of drawing the dagger, he threw it forward.
"Secret technique, 'Heat Sword'!"
Pauline proudly called out the name of the technique (spell).
Indeed, as the hunter had said, it was the advanced technique of 'silent incantation,' where one secretly casts a spell in their head while having a normal conversation. It was a difficult technique to use while having a normal conversation, so the current Pauline could only use it when mechanically reciting prepared lines, but it was still impressive.
The 'Heat Sword' was a spell inspired by the weapon used by a giant golem in one of Mile's bedtime stories, but the way it was used, the part that heated up, was the hilt instead of the blade.
Mile thought when she heard the name of the technique Pauline had called out.
(Isn't that more like 'Heat Grip' rather than 'Heat Sword'?)
"Damn! But at this distance, even with my bare hands..."
The hunter, who said this while preparing to charge at Pauline with his fists, suddenly dropped to his knees.
"Huh...? What... what's happening..."
The hunter then collapsed on the ground.
"......It's not just the hilt of the dagger that can be heated. I just gradually raised the temperature, but it broke quite quickly..."
"Ah! Water! Someone, pour water on that person's head! He's going to die!"
At Mile's desperate cry, several onlookers hurriedly fetched water from a fire bucket in front of a shop and poured it over the hunter's head.
Thinking about it, Mile could have used magic, but in her panic, she hadn't thought of it.
After a while, Mile finally realized this and hurriedly cast cooling and healing spells. It was unclear whether the abnormal brain condition and lost memories could be restored with healing magic, so she was quite desperate. This hunter was just trying to carry out a normal guard request and wasn't a bad person. In fact, in this situation, the legal criminals were themselves.
"What... what is this..."
The guild master, who had lost his last hope, slumped to the ground.
However, luck was on his side again.
"Clear the way!"
A carriage arrived with several horsemen, followed by about twenty foot soldiers.
"Haha, fools, you fell for the time-buying trick! Now that the lord and his soldiers have arrived, you're finished! Prepare yourselves!"
Reina, Mavis, and Pauline were stunned.
(What? Really? Is it really going this smoothly?)
Mile, on the other hand, had a smug look on her face.
(Just as planned...)
"What's going on? Explain the situation!"
"......Who are you?"
Mile asked the person who had stepped out of the carriage.
"Rude! This is Lord Boardman, the viscount of this domain!"
A soldier who had dismounted from a horse answered, and the guild master continued.
"My lord, these are the villains who attacked me on a pretext!"
"What, a pretext?"
Mile quickly responded.
"Ah, yes, this man hired thieves to kill the owner of this shop and took over the business with forged documents! The officials who approved the obvious forgery are also in on it, so I'd like to have them all executed! Which officials approved the obvious forgery? Their superiors should also be investigated, right?"
Mile's loud declaration made the crowd laugh wryly.
"What are you shouting about!"
The lord tried to silence Mile, but she had already said everything.
"So, please arrest this criminal, my lord!"
This time, Reina shouted just as loudly.
"Shut up, shut up, shut up! You troublemakers, disturbing the town! You're the ones who should be arrested!"
The lord, aware of the crowd, shouted back just as loudly.
"Hmm? That's strange. How can you decide who's the bad guy without a proper investigation? It's like the officials who approved the obvious forgery or the ones who dismissed the appeal without an investigation. It's strange, isn't it? Oh, maybe..."
This time, Pauline spoke in a deliberately annoying tone.
"Shut up, I said! Damn, arrest them quickly!"
"That would be a problem."
A woman stepped out from the crowd.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Tilly, and I'm from the Hunter's Guild in the capital."
"What does a guild girl want?"
"Yes, this merchant is a criminal who ordered the murder of a hunter, a resident of the capital. I'm here to process the necessary procedures. The girls are the victims, and they were just now almost killed again by the men lying there, following this man's orders. I can't let you take them with you, my lord."
"Wha...?"
Tilly ignored the lord and addressed the guild master.
"The Hunter's Guild does not have the authority to arrest non-guild members except for current or wanted criminals. However, you ordered your subordinates to kill a guild member, which the guild considers a clear act of hostility. Therefore, it has been decided that all branches of the guild in all countries will not accept any requests from your guild, your business partners, or any other parties related to you. This includes bodyguard and caravan escort requests, as well as collection requests.
Furthermore, the guild has already reported the order to kill a guild member to the capital's guard. Since it is an illegal act against a resident of the capital, which is the king's property, it is a target for arrest by the capital's guard, regardless of whether the person is a resident of a noble's domain. The soldiers have already left the capital and should arrive soon.
This concludes the announcement from the Hunter's Guild in the capital."
"Wha...?"
The guild master and the lord were shocked.
The guild master had heard from Pauline about the soldiers from the capital, but he thought it could still be managed. He planned to silence the girls, find a merchant to take the blame, and claim that he was framed. As usual, he would have his lord's subordinates arrest and torture the scapegoat, who would confess and then 'commit suicide.' He had done this several times before. And if he prepared the right evidence and witnesses, even the capital's soldiers couldn't arrest him, a resident of a noble's domain. After all, he had the lord to vouch for his innocence.
However, the guild was a problem.
The guild did not have to follow the orders of nobles or even the royal palace. They were free to accept or reject requests, and they didn't need to prove the other party's criminal behavior to refuse a request. If the guild decided someone was an enemy, they would simply refuse to take their requests. There was no one to complain to about it.
Moreover, if not only his shop but also his business partners were refused service, it would be the end of everything.
Without caravan escorts or material collection, all the things involving hunters would be refused. This was a fatal blow to a merchant. The solution was simple: stop doing business with the Beckett Guild. Who would continue to do business with him? He wouldn't be able to send wagons or request material collection from his shop.
...It was a disaster.
"Lord, arrest them and execute them all! Such a girl can't be a guild messenger, it's a fraud!"
The guild master, desperate to avoid the capital's soldiers and clear the guild's punishment, tried to capture and dispose of the girls. The lord had the same idea.
It was indeed strange to entrust such an important mission to a new recruit aged fifteen to sixteen. Moreover, the longer the commotion continued, the worse it would be. They needed to quickly arrest everyone, find a scapegoat, and prepare to hand them over to the soldiers from the capital. If the guild master of the Beckett Guild was arrested and taken to the capital, he might spill the beans during interrogation, which would be bad for the lord. After all, he had provided various favors to the Beckett Guild in exchange for various benefits. He was the type of person who would reveal dirt if pressed. Besides, these girls were quite attractive. Their figures... well, they were a bit lacking, but within acceptable limits.
With this in mind, the lord finally gave the order to the foot soldiers who had just arrived, with a thin smile.
"Arrest the girls. Don't hurt them too much."
No matter how skilled the hunters were, five girls aged ten to seventeen or eighteen couldn't do much against over twenty soldiers. The soldiers drew their swords and approached the girls, threatening them,
*Boom!*
And they were blown away.
"Here, an attack with the intention to harm and approaching with a drawn sword. I have the conditions for self-defense!"