Episode 37.3-4 (2/2)

It's a crossroad that splits four rooms and a square shaped passageway surrounding those rooms and the crossroad. Zoltan is standing in the middle of all that.

Zoltan's bearing is completely serene, no bloodlust drifting out of him whatsoever.

Lecan stopped moving about ten steps away.

He's really tall.

He's supposed to be only a fist or two taller than Lecan, yet Lecan feels as if Zoltan is towering over him, perhaps the result of his long years in battlefields.

Lecan immediately inferred material of the armor Zoltan is wearing.

(Damn it.)

(He's got Phantasmal Verdant Hornet Armor on.)

”Hey there. Sorry for calling you all the way out here.”

Zoltan spoke jovially.

”What happened.”

Lecan was trying to keep his cool, yet his voice came out slightly stiff.

”Nark and Nell have been kidnapped. On knight Torog's order. Torog demanded the <Comet Cutter> you have in exchange for their lives.”

Gwislan the spy was speaking the truth.

Lecan spoke after thinking for a bit.

”I don't mind lending it if you swear you'll absolutely bring it back.”

This is the biggest concession Lecan is willing to make. Lecan has no intention to let go of this <Comet Cutter>. However, a man of Zoltan's caliber might be able to make use of this <Comet Cutter> to save the two. He should have a pretty good chance succeeding with Lecan lending a hand.

”That is kind of you. However, I am unable to say I will bring <Comet Cutter> back if you let me borrow it.”

”Where are the two being held?”

”General Dungeon Administrative Office.”

This also matches with what Gwislan said.

”Young lady is under house arrest, so General Dungeon Administrative Office is controlled by that Torog fella now. He wants achievements by getting the <Comet Cutter>.”

It appears Gwislan was speaking the truth.

”Can't we work together to save those two?”

”Fumu. We might manage, or the two of them might get killed. Even if we got them back to safety, they could never live in this town again.”

”I see.”

If that's his mindset, there's nothing Lecan says can change it.

There was an adventuress known as <Burstflame Dame Wojeni> in Lecan's old world. Her fame reached far and wide after conquering many dungeons, but then she married a shoemaker man and put her bloody trade behind her.

However, Wojeni never actually gave up being an adventuress.

When Lecan was much younger than he is now, the town Wojeni lived at waged war with its neighboring town. The town lord kidnapped Wojeni's husband and daughter and demanded Wojeni's cooperation. Wojeni blew the town lord to bits. And killed her husband and daughter. She burned down the town lord's mansion and killed every single person who went at her and perished herself. A few maids and servants who survived through the ordeal then spoke of the incident.

That's just how adventurers are like. Those who have been bound by something and lost their freedom are no longer an adventurer.

Zoltan has prioritized Nark and Nell's safety and happiness above his own freedom. Meaning he's given up on being an adventurer. That's how important his savior's grandkid is to him. Hence he cannot go against Torog. If he managed to kill Lecan and save the two, Zoltan would likely leave this town after. Warning Torog, 'You're dead if anything befell Nark and Nell when I come back.' Zoltan called Lecan here with that resolution already in place. Somewhere nobody else may interfere.

”I guess we gotta do this huh.”

”Sorry about this, Lecan.”

Thus began a fight to the death.