Reasons for Punishment

—Raust—

Master also widened her eyes for an instant after the Branch Chief told us there was no escape route.
If there really wasn’t an escape route, that would break the plan from the ground up.
However, we couldn’t take that information for granted.

「Who believes that?」

Master glared at the Branch Chief with cold eyes.

「Did you think you could deceive us with such a lie? You told us that you didn’t cause the labyrinth runaway, but you know about it beforehand. On top of that, saying you don’t have an escape route?」

Murderous intent leaked out from Master, the atmosphere in the room turned tense again.

「Don’t you dare mock us!」

Matching Master who glared at the Branch Chief Mist, I also silently raise my fighting spirit.

Currently, we needed to avoid fighting as best as we could, but if the enemies knew about it, then the threat would be meaningless.
That was why Master and I were pretending that we were reaching that limit and about to engage in a battle by letting out our fighting spirit.

In front of that fighting spirit, Hanzam’s face was tense, and my body was full of strength due to the tension.
Even Master who had encountered much more fight than myself looked nervous.

Among everyone, only the Branch Chief was calm.

「It’s upsetting to be misunderstood.」

In the tense atmosphere, the Branch Manager put on a troubled smile and laughed.

「I just realized that this could happen due to my position as a branch manager. I wasn’t even sure.」

Then he turned his sharp eyes to me and continued.

「Also, about the sign, I think the adventurers in Labyrinth City should be more familiar with it, what do you think— the hero that defeated the Hydra that mutated faster?」

「……Huh?」

I was confused from suddenly being talked to.
Master also looked at me like asking if I knew something, but I couldn’t think of anything.
I had some knowledge about labyrinth runaway.
But there was nothing about the sign of the labyrinth runaway among that knowledge.
There was no way I could detect the sign of the labyrinth runaway.
I wonder if the Branch Chief is trying to make me agitated, I was about to thought.

It was just before I came to that conclusion that I realized something.

「Hydra that mutated faster…!」

Instantly, the memories that had once been stored in the back of my mind due to the labyrinth runaway came flooding back.
It was about the super-high difficulty monsters that we had encounter until now.

The Phoenix that we defeated together with Zieg-san’s party and the Hydra too, both were mutating at the speed that wouldn’t have been possible.

My worry about the speed of super-high difficulty monsters mutation was pushed to the back of my mind from the combination of the labyrinth entry and leaving ban and the labyrinth runaway.
However, from the memories that came rushing back combined with the Branch Chief’s words, everything became connected.

「…Maybe you want to say that all the anomalies that happened to the monsters were signs of a labyrinth runaway?」

「Maybe?」

I drew a conclusion that I had never imagined and asked him in a daze, but he didn’t say anything definite.

「However, only labyrinth runaway can explain the overlapping mysterious happening that happened lately, like the one where intermediate adventurers dying in the upper layer of the labyrinth.」

When the Branch Chief mentioned that, I remembered when Marnell and the other adventurers came to apologize to me and asked me to not kill them.
I had forgotten the rumor of intermediate adventurers often died in the upper-layer at that time.
I thought it was from their carelessness.

But now that I had subdued the Hobgoblins who came to the city, I was aware of the truth.

「The hobgoblins were killing intermediate adventurers …?」

I said to him while remembering the armed hobgoblins that were trying to attack Marnell and the others.
If that was the case, that would explain the existence of the weapons the hobgoblins had.

There were more anomalies scattered around than I thought.
While I was upset from the possibility of these things connected to the labyrinth runaway, the Branch Manager smiled at me as if to ask for my agreement.

「Do you understand now? I just thought the labyrinth runaway could occur due to the abnormalities that have happened so far. I’m not going to use that conjecture as a reason to prepare an escape route.」

「……-!」

There was nothing weird with his words at all.

There was nothing weird with deducing labyrinth runaway from the abnormalities that had happened so far.
Furthermore, it also wasn’t too far-fetched if they didn’t prepare an escape route because it was still just a conjecture.

Still, I couldn’t trust the Branch Chief’s words.

I fixed my eyes on the Branch Chief’s face who still had a smile on his face despite this situation.
The Branch Chief said he only knew that labyrinth runaway was a possibility, but seeing how calm he was, I didn’t believe that was all.

The Branch Chief’s calmness seemed to be only due to the fact that he was sure that a labyrinth runaway would occur.

Besides, I now had nothing but distrust for the guild.
From beside me, Master whispered.

「…Raust, don’t trust what he said.」

Knowing that Master also didn’t trust the Branch Chief, I gave her a small nod.
And then, I glared at the Branch Chief.

「Sorry, I can’t trust you even if what you said is true.」

「……-!」

Hanzam who stood beside the Branch Chief reacted to my words with a glare.
However, after judging that there was no real harm in that, I continued to speak to the Branch Chief.

「I can’t trust the words of someone who abandoned the other guild staffs and disappeared when labyrinth runaway occurs, someone who, despite noticing the possibility of labyrinth runaway, didn’t take any action at all.」

I told the Branch Chief nonchalantly.
No matter what, I would never trust the word of the Branch Chief.

「I think my decision at that time was appropriate?」

Even after being told so far, the Branch Chief’s attitude toward me didn’t change.
On the contrary, he laughed at me in an even friendlier manner.

「This time, Hanzam and I disappeared together because I judged staying in that guild would be a waste of time, we wouldn’t get the correct information about labyrinth runaway. You also know, don’t you? About their incompetence.」

I didn’t reply when the Branch Chief asking for my agreement.
However, there was no denying what he said was true.

The standard of the guild staff and the first-class adventurers in this labyrinth city was low.
Wealth and prestige were being considered.
In this situation, they would only think about saving themselves and brought biased information to the Branch Chief.

Though, for me, the Branch Chief and Hanzam aren’t like that.
Without noticing my thoughts, the Branch Chief continued.

「And one more thing, I want to correct you, I have been taking action from the moment I knew that a labyrinth runaway could occur.」

「…-! That’s nonsense!」

The next words from the Branch Chief irritated me.
As far as I could remember, the guild didn’t do anything useful.
On the contrary, all I could remember was that they gave me a rough time.
Consequently, my reply to the Branch Chief was surly.

「Or are you going to tell me that all those things you did to us and the townfolks are the actions you’re talking about?」

It was just ironic.

When the townfolks asking for help.
Also, when I was prohibited from entering and leaving the labyrinth.

I knew that it wasn’t from good intentions.

「Oh, that’s right.」

「…………Hah?」

Hence why I couldn’t hide how shaken I was when the Branch Chief replied so.

Without looking away from me, the Branch Chief affirmed.

「The fact that I didn’t let material flow into the city and the unjustified punishment for you were all a measure to reduce casualties in the unlikely event.」