#013. Adventurers Are Too Kind (2)

#013. Adventurers Are Too Kind (2)

He knew Ian was a boy with many scars.

Born in the back alleys.

Father a runaway, mother neglectful.

Siblings, including a younger sister, under parents worse than none.

A pathetic child.

And now, this same child was saying he was going to meet a monster in the dead of night, just before an impending confrontation with the Level 3 adventurers of the guild.

The first thing that came to Gorgo’s mind was suicide.

‘If the kid dies, the guild will go ballistic.’

Even if it took that form, highlighting the danger of the monsters in the piggy bank request could force the adventurers to selfishly stop Theresa.

But wasn’t that too cruel a consequence?

Too terrible a thing to do to Theresa, his mother, and Anna, his younger sister.

More than anything, Ian couldn’t possibly be unaware of this.

His family wouldn’t be happy if he sacrificed himself that way.

It would only plunge his mother back into despair and increase the risk of Anna being neglected.

Ian wasn’t foolish enough to throw his life away pointlessly, leading to a future of utter ruin for his whole family.

The next possibility that occurred to him was a little outlandish.

The boy-monster.

A being with the same face as Ian, but a monster nonetheless.

It had strolled peacefully through the monsters, leaving the area.

Perhaps Ian had seen that and had a crazy idea.

*I can take the monsters and leave too.*

When the piggy bank quests of all the 3rd-tier adventurers vanish, mother and adventurers will have no reason to fight.

If luck favors me, maybe I can lead the monsters away like that.

A notion born, no doubt, from a child’s pure heart.

The moment that innocence is shattered by the cruelty of monsters, the outcome won’t be so different from the initial thought.

“Either way, the result is the same.”

Ian dies, Theresa’s ruined, Anna’s neglected.

The party breaks up, and he, Gorgo, will at least try to take responsibility for Anna, fighting tooth and nail to protect this precarious family, repaying the debt he owes for his life.

But Gorgo himself is still just a 2nd-tier adventurer.

Hardly enough to take care of a family.

No matter how he looked at it, this future couldn’t be allowed to happen.

“I’m sorry, but no matter what you say, I can’t let you go outside the village. It’s too dangerous, no matter how I think about it. Theresa would be devastated if you died. She might never rediscover the courage and responsibility you showed when you tried to break free. “

“…!”

“Stop for Anna’s sake. Let’s go back. It’s not too late. Whatever you want to do with the monsters, you can do it safely with Theresa and me watching during the day at the party.”

Ian sighed at Gorgo’s desperate plea.

“Alright.”

And so, the late-night suicide attempt, something Ian hadn’t even considered, was barely averted.

But the situation began to spiral in a direction neither Ian nor Gorgo could have foreseen.

* * *

The Adventurer’s Guildmaster’s office.

The Guildmaster, of course, was aware of the blatant conflict brewing within the guild.

“I hear that Theresa, that rising star, has unsheathed her sword over the piggy bank quests?”

“That is correct.”

“Hmph. I quite like that one. Unlike the trash who only chase profits, she has her own clear measure of right and wrong, and the conviction to follow it.”

A great warrior makes themselves known through the excellence of their martial skill.

But a righteous person makes themselves known through their virtuous deeds.

Theresa walks the path of virtue.

A heroic act closer to a hero than an adventurer.

Of course, the world is full of materialists.

Righteousness.

Justice.

Why are such things praised?

The Guildmaster knew the answer.

“There are adventurers in the industry who know what’s right but have no intention of doing it themselves. The Deputy Guildmaster is openly backing those kinds of people.”

“The Guildmaster is different. A man who could have climbed the ranks in the capital as a high-ranking official, but couldn’t ignore the plight of the border regions, and came down here to even establish a Guild.”

“Yes. Perhaps our Guild has found a last chance. Consider any threat to this Theresa’s party a threat to me, and watch them closely.”

The Guildmaster tasked his confidant with the secret protection of Theresa’s party.

And then, just before dawn that very day, the confidant returned with shocking news.

“Theresa’s eldest son, Ian, was trying to sacrifice his life to stop the conflict between his mother and the adventurers, only to be stopped by his babysitter?”

“Yes. I confirmed that he returned to the inn safely. If the babysitter hadn’t intervened, I would have had to step in myself.”

A chilling story.

“The adventurers?”

“Holed up in the tavern, or sprawled out in the guild dormitory.”

Attached to the Adventurers’ Guild was a nighttime tavern. Third-rate adventurers usually just plant themselves there. The dormitory beside it was half a drunken brawl every night.

“There is a child who must brace themselves for the risk of death, fearing the violence of drunkards, and I cannot bear to stand by any longer. We too, must take action.”

“In terms of raw power, we are utterly outmatched. You know this. The Vice-Guildmaster’s influence and connections…”

“The power struggle between the Guildmaster, with his public servant background, and the noble-born Vice-Guildmaster, ended in utter failure. But justice should not be defeated by injustice. Send a letter to that person.”

“That person… surely not?!”

A public official who knows what righteousness is will inevitably come into contact with those who are righteous. All the more so if one has served in a high-ranking public office, those of high status who practice righteousness, their position and power are sure to be great. In this country, the world calls the one who embodies the highest justice:

“The Hero, of course.”

The moment *he* arrives, those affiliated with the Vice-Guildmaster, who are committing the piggy bank requests, will be suspended from duty entirely.

* * *

From the moment they departed on the quest, the adventurers’ attitudes were incredibly uncooperative.

“What a coincidence, our paths happen to align.”

“I know, right? It’s not like the hunting grounds are small. Why do our paths keep crossing?”

“Doesn’t it seem like they’ll keep crossing until Teresa’s party leaves the forest?”

The adventurers openly obstructing the quest, determined to protect the piggy bank requests. There were simply too many to make the first move. They were carrying long spears and bows, and if a battle broke out, it was just a matter of becoming a hedgehog full of arrows or a beehive riddled with spear-holes.

‘It’s a good thing I listened to Mr. Gorgo.’

But there was a variable the adventurers didn’t know about. He had been subtly brainwashing the monsters, and surprisingly, it was working. Simple commands only for species with low intelligence. There were limits to the target and the distance, though.

[Brainwash Activated]

[Designated Target – Monster]

[Command – Attack humans in 10 seconds.]

Brainwashing, nudging the monsters already filled with the urge and instinct to attack humans. It was like slapping a child who already wanted to cry, taking immediate effect.

“Agh!”

“Damn. Ankle-Crunching Grub!”

“Watch the underbrush!”

The Ankle-Crunching Grub, hiding underground, targeting single entities or those with low body weights. Even a Second-Rate adventurer could deal with this monster if they were careful, but it also had the characteristic of being “Strong Against the Weak”. Normally, if they moved in groups, and there were stronger individuals present, they would be too intimidated to come out.

But today was different. The command from the brainwashing had broken through their inhibitions.

“The monsters are acting strange.”

“Why do they keep defying their instincts?”

“This isn’t good.”

The adventurers trembled with unease.

Those who knew that a single overlooked change in the hunting grounds could cost them their lives were easily spooked by even the smallest anomalies, and quick to flee.

With the adventurers who’d only come for easy money now gone, what remained were skilled individuals determined to protect their hard-earned commissions.

Three parties of three, two parties of four.

The opposition still numbered seventeen.

But there were far more monsters lurking in the forest.

With each path I took, I whispered, activating ‘Player Knowledge’ to target the monsters hiding in their lairs with subtle indoctrination.

Simple intimidation could no longer thin their ranks.

‘Now, it’s time to turn the tables and target them instead.’

The object the adventurers were so stubbornly guarding was the ＜Chrysalis of Evolution＞.

Insectoid monsters would protect themselves within a chrysalis to grow stronger, nurturing their power within.

Driven by their instinct to become as strong as possible, they typically wouldn’t emerge until their evolution was complete.

To come out early would mean missing out on a chance for growth.

[Indoctrination Activated]

[Designated Target – Chrysalis of Evolution]

[Command – Complete your evolution, emerge, and kill the humans.]

The moment the monster ripped through its chrysalis, the adventurers were horrified, for two reasons.

“It completed its evolution?!”

“Incomplete evolution. It’s lost its value…!”

“Wait, the other chrysalises are awakening too.”

“A chain reaction!”

As one chrysalis sensed the external danger and stirred, all the others hastily finished their evolution.

Giant spiders, the size of large dogs, charged forward with savage force, colliding with the adventurers.

Spear and bow-centric weaponry proved ineffective against spiders that deflected attacks with their eight long legs.

Maces.

Blunt weapons.

Nothing but heavy, blunt weapons or greatsword-class armaments were of any use.

Caught in the sudden melee, many adventurers found themselves in peril due to their ill-suited equipment.

Unlike Gorgo, who faltered at the chaos ahead, Mother’s gaze briefly met mine.

Did she notice?

Unlike my own apprehension, she spoke quietly.

“Stay close to Gorgo.”

The mage’s fire magic.

The fighter’s consecutive evasions.

Thanks to the cooperation of his party members, the spearman Russ fought valiantly, tearing off two of the spider’s legs with a decisive blow.

Among the adventurers, it was the most visible success so far.

Those same adventurers clicked their tongues as they watched Mother charge headlong toward that very spider.

“You’ve got a death wish.”

“There was nothing to hinder her anyway. I came for nothing.”

Of course, Mother’s strength was beyond common sense.

Crushing and snapping the spider’s legs like breaking cookies, each one she grasped, with monstrous power.

It was a terrifying display proving that party members were for the weak, those not strong enough, or for those who needed something.

“Damn, Theresa’s situation is over.”

“If we’re ambushed now…!”

Gorgor asked.

“Should we attack?”

“I am a mother who cherishes her children above all else. I wouldn’t do such a thing in front of them.”

Instead of wiping out the cornered adventurers, Mother saved them.

“Why did you help us?”

“If you all die, the manpower to take on the lower-ranked requests disappears entirely.”

“…I lost. In skill, and in character. A complete defeat.”

The spearsman, Russ, acknowledged his utter loss.

“The monsters we intended to use for a piggy bank commission showed unexpected, erratic behavior. You, whom we considered troublesome pests, were right. Monsters are not objects we can control and manage for our own profit. I am truly sorry.”

My mind control, fortunately, prevented the collision between Mother and the adventurers, and even brought about reconciliation.

But the excessive abuse of power always comes at a price.

“Gorgor. I’m gonna faint.”

“What? Uh, why is he falling backwards!”

Mind controllers are just like mages.

Casting a mind control “spell” consumes MP.

And when MP runs out?

You pass out.

Like me.

* * *

Gorgor carried Ian on his back and held Anna’s hand as he followed behind, but Theresa couldn’t even think of taking Anna’s hand in return.

Gorgor, whose senses weren’t as sharp, might not have heard it, but Ian’s muttering was clear as day to her ears.

-Attack the humans in 10 seconds.

-Evolve and come out and kill the humans.

Ian’s words became reality.

Just like the boy monster who had left with a swarm of killer monkeys.

Theresa unwillingly began to grasp the meaning.

‘Ian. That sweet child used an evil power.’

Because of whom?

Because of us, of course.

The source of that power….

There was only one thing to think of.

Magic.

The ability to realize things that transcend cognition and common sense.

That one who could wield him.

The man who betrayed and abandoned her twice over.

That loathsome mage had gifted Ian with a wicked power.

But more fearsome than the power was the fact that Ian could control it.

‘Because I was weak, Ian wielded such cruel strength.’

Resolution swelled within Teresa.

A resolution to become stronger than ever before.

-You are a mother who cherishes her children above all others.

Above all.

Those paltry adventurers.

Those perilous monsters.

Even that wicked ex-husband.

She must become stronger than them all.

A greater power settled into Teresa’s clenched fist.