Chapter 161 – Bellatrix and the Adventurers

It is six hours before Luke arrives at the port city.

Galarhorn’s deputy guild master Bellatrix.
The name that people call her by her nickname is Bella.
Bella, who was staying in the port city, went to the adventurer’s guild with her escort on the fifteenth day after she came out of the temple.

“Bugilma-sama! Is there an adventurer’s guild in the port city? Isn’t it only in Yoensu?”

A red-haired female swordsman on her escort quest asked Bella. As she walked to the guild building, Bella gave her answer to her curious female swordsman.

“Yes. Adventurer’s Guild exists in any city in the Western Continent. Our Galarhorn has branches all over the continent. It’s much smaller than our headquarters in Joensuu.”
“Aha-.”

Was it a female swordsman named Rebecca?
She had noticed from the time Bella took her entrance exam, but she was a savvy woman.
Every westerner knows that there are adventurers’ guilds in many cities.

‘Did I mention that this redhead is from the kingdom of Jakarta? Where the hell is Jakarta?’

Bella was left questioning her as she glanced at Rebecca, who had caught up with her. Since her ancestors, Bella and her family have had countless adventures, but she has never been to the region called Jakarta Kingdom.
It’s to the point where I wonder if that place really exists.

But it was impossible to answer her question.
Rebecca had evaded her answer whenever I asked her in detail about her hometown. She shut her mouth even in front of her immediate superior, Bella. Apparently, she doesn’t reveal her hometown affairs to her boyfriend or the nun she’s partying with.

‘Well, you can figure it out later. For now, the first step is to investigate the fishmen.’

I was curious, but what was important to Bella now was not the story of the newbie adventurer’s hometown. He needed to know why all the fishmen in the western continent had turned into killers in the last month.

15 days ago, Bella ordered the adventurer’s guild in the port city to investigate the fishmen. The deadline was until today, so all I had to do was get the organized materials from the branch manager.

“K! Adventurers’ guilds are said to exist everywhere on the continent! Did you know this?”
“Of course you know because it’s common sense, Rebecca. If you don’t know that, you’ll be treated like an idiot. Please study common sense!”
“What’s wrong with your tone? Are you flirting with your sister right now?”
“I don’t want to be treated like her sister-in-law.”
“No, let’s see. Hey!”

The adventurer’s guild in the port city was shabby. It is so small that it cannot be compared with the headquarters of Yoensuu.
Bella entered the building with two escorts and tried to find the branch manager.
Of course, she stopped the fighting escort sisters before that.

“Be quiet, everyone! You’re a nuisance to the other adventurers. I’ve felt this since the day I broke up with Mr. Luke. Why are you guys so anxious that you can’t eat each other?”
“Kei keeps messing around! Oh, that’s pissing me off!”
“I can’t help it because her sister is being frustrated!”

A fortnight ago, Bella broke up with Luke, the leader of this adventure party. She must leave him at Nine Gard’s temple so she can grow as a mage. However, from the day after she broke up with Luke, something happened to the adventurer party she hired as an escort.

-Kay! I told you not to buy cookies with party money!
– Oh, if it’s money, I’ll refill it. I’m just buying snacks, but can’t you look at that too?

The adventurer party that Luke left was shock and horror to Bella. Rebecca and Kate fought each other over everything. To Bella, it was as if they were having a party with each other.

‘Don’t you have any real answers? These adventurers.’

To the point where I wonder how Luke, the alternate party leader, has managed to roll these unresponsive party members.

-Sister! Be honest! Don’t you like me?
– Hey, why do you open your eyes like that?

But it wasn’t just that the relationship between the two women was bad. There were times when they would fight each other like they were going to kill each other, but quickly loosen up and become close friends. The mood went back and forth between hell and heaven, and I couldn’t figure out which tune to match.

– Whoahahahahahahahaha!! Get the Eye Beam!!
ㅁPuhehehehehehehehehehehe!! The face is funny!!

Bella finally realized during the 15 days Luke was gone.
It seems impossible to command these female adventurers under one’s control. It was right to let her do the escort quest on her own. Of course, if I was too loud, I would have been intellectual like I am now.

“If you talk more, the quest reward will be cut. Please be careful, everyone.”
“Yes, Mr. Bugilma.”
“I have the confidence to be quieter than my sister.”
“Hey, are you the noisiest?”

Bella felt her head spinning as she went to the guild’s waiting room. There, a man named Brooks, the branch manager of the port city, was waiting for him. Brooks bowed down to Bella as soon as she appeared and gave her a polite bow.

“It’s been a while, Miss Bella. She has finished the investigation into the fishman riots you requested.”

Although he was running a shabby guild, Brooks was a competent guild member. Information on the entire port city relies solely on Brooks. Because he was a trustworthy man.
Bella took her papers and listened to Brooks explain.

“There was a force behind the scenes that secretly commanded the fishmen. A special entity called the ‘Warchief’ gave orders to the fishmen to revolt.”
“Warchief? That’s a name I’ve never heard of.”
“Most of you, not just the lady, probably didn’t even know such a thing existed. The fishmen kept their warchief well hidden. Besides, their breath smells like shit, so who would want to talk to them?”

Bella knew very well that fish people had bad breath. There was even a time when she passed out while watching interviews with fishermen who applied as adventurers.

‘That was the first time I passed out because of bad breath.’

Bella recalled the incident during her job interview, but quickly regained her composure and focused on Brooks’ explanation. The story he told was mixed with unusual keywords such as race and genocide.

“Chief Neptune! He is leading his tribesmen to raid this port city. They say that all the fishmen of the Western Continent are gathering here. Lady Bella, you’d better get out of here quickly.”
“Are fishmen attacking this place? It’s definitely a place guarded by the kingdom’s soldiers. If you do crazy things like that, the royal family will issue a subjugation order to the fishmen.”
“The chieftain of the fishmen is crazy enough to not care about that. He has a mission to annihilate all foreign races on the continent, not just the fishmen. Blood and wind will soon blow in this port city. I will remain here and build the Lotus branch with the adventurers. I will keep it.”

Somehow, I thought the atmosphere inside the guild was hideous. The adventurers belonging to the Lotus branch had been armed with heavy equipment since early morning. It was to receive the quest and protect the guild building from the fishermen.

“Do you know that the lord of Lotus is also attacked by fishmen? This city must be under the jurisdiction of Count Cloud.”
“Of course, I sent an adventurer to the lord’s castle to deliver the news. The Count has strengthened the walls and the beachside defense. He replied not to worry about the fishermen.”
“Hmm.”

Bella had met the lord who ruled the port city at a social party for nobles.

Count Cloud.
He is a young man who only likes to play, so he is not very trustworthy. He said that he does not invest in military power at all and spends a lot of money on the city budget only for entertainment facilities.

‘You can’t help but worry. A man named Cloud was dumber than a monkey.’

Bella was rather uneasy when her lord’s reply told her not to worry. She had to get out of the port city as soon as possible. But there was just one thing that bothered me.

“Mr. Luke…”

The adventurer Luke I left behind at the temple in Ninggard.
It was the time when the ordeal was over. Perhaps within today, Luke will leave the temple and return to the port city.
He visits a port city that has become a battlefield by himself without knowing anything. The horned adventurer’s life was in danger.

“Why Luke? Why is my boyfriend calling me?”
“Today is the day he returns from the temple. If we leave the city by ourselves, Mr. Luke could get lost here. Then the fishmen could kill him.”
“Lord, you’re dying.”
“Anyway, if only.”

When he left, he intended to speak to the guild members of the Lotus branch and the employees of the villa. When you meet an adventurer named Luke, tell him that Bugilma and his escorts have left the city. However, it is not known whether the news will be delivered properly in the chaos.

“Everyone. It’s better to do this for Luke and us safety.”

Bella got her head rolling and quickly devised a plan.

“We’re going to visit the temple in Ninggard today by carriage. If we meet Mr. Luke on the way, it’s better to join us right away. Until the commotion subsides, we ask the rune mages for protection.”
“You mean the temple is safe?”
“Yes. It’s the safest place on the continent.”

The Ninggard was a powerful organization that could grind and drink fishmen. Because of the principle of not interfering in the disputes of outsiders, aid will not come to the port city.
However, it was possible to ask for protection.

‘I’ve had a relationship with Ninggard since the time of my ancestors. They can’t just throw us out.’

All planning is done. Go to the villa right now and order the employees to evacuate. After that, Bella intended to get into the carriage and leave the city immediately.

“First, let’s go to the villa. Let’s take a carriage with Hannah and escape here. Everyone, prepare for battle.”

Bella got out of the guild building with her two escorts. She doesn’t know exactly when the fishmen’s raid will start, but she has to hurry.

“To everyone living in the port city! Evacuate immediately to a safe place, everyone! Count Cloud has issued a curfew!”

From the moment I entered the city, I could see articles evacuating citizens and tourists. The knights screamed, but the order was so sudden that it was difficult to control.

“What is it! Why is the curfew suddenly imposed! We want to hear the reason too!”
“The fishmen will be raiding the city. Don’t go outside and stay at home. You’d better lock the door tightly.”

Bella walked right past the confused citizens to the villa. However, as she got closer to the beach where her villa was located, something strange happened.

Squeeze!
A mist of unknown water began to cover the city. The direction from which the water mist blows is towards the beach. The thick water mist mixed with the smell of fish instantly covered the entire city.

“Boo, Mrs. Bugilma! Suddenly it’s foggy!”
“The fishmen did a trick. They spread the fog with their ability to manipulate water.”

A thick mist obscured the view.
Panicked citizens in the streets chattered loudly. But the spreading of the mist was just the beginning.

Chaaaaagh-!
Not only the water mist, but soon the seawater flowed in from the beach side and flooded the stream. The water rose up to my ankles in the blink of an eye, making it difficult to move forward.

“Hurry up! We have to go to the villa before it’s too late!”

Bella ran to the beach with her escorts.
But after a while, they had no choice but to stop.

“Kurrrr.”

An unidentified monster appeared on the road leading to the beach.
It was a strange-looking monster with arms and legs attached to the body of a huge shark.