Surprise Attacks Seem To Be All The Rage

Perhaps because they had taken self-defense lessons, the twins seemed to possess a reasonable amount of stamina.

Tōru, who was leading the way, glanced back at them over his shoulder.

They were running with excellent posture. Thanks to Thought Sharing, they could observe their own running form from an outside perspective, which probably explained why their movements were so refined.

Even so, they couldn’t possibly keep pace with an adventurer like Tōru. The Demon Centipede adventurers should have been pursuing them, but perhaps thanks to the caltrops, there was no sign of them.

Just as Tōru turned his attention forward again, a petite woman jumped down from the roof of a two-story inn.

The twins instinctively stopped, but Tōru called out to reassure them.

“Don’t worry. She’s an ally—the messenger who was stationed at the inn.”

The twins nodded at Tōru’s explanation and resumed running.

The female messenger waved her arm broadly, signaling for Tōru and the others to follow, then took off ahead of them.

Once Tōru and the twins caught up, the woman spoke.

“I’m sorry. There seems to have been a mix-up, and our communication was delayed.”

“Don’t worry about it. Just tell me what’s happening.”

What Tōru needed more than anything right now was information. When he urged her to continue, the woman seemed relieved.

“First, the branch manager received the information about the smuggling method. He then passed it along to the guards. I can personally confirm everything up to that point.”

She explained that after passing the information to the guards, she had remained at the inn as a messenger, so everything that followed was based on secondhand reports.

“Our original proposal was to seal off the checkpoint, but the guards discovered that a large quantity of firewood had been delivered to the inn used by Demon Centipede last night. Apparently, they decided to catch them in the act instead.”

“…Ah, now I get it. Can’t blame them, really.”

Tōru cursed his own carelessness for not realizing it sooner.

Euphie and Mary also seemed to understand why the guards had acted so quickly.

“As the escorts guarding the cargo, Demon Centipede would undoubtedly be fully armed when passing through the checkpoint.”

“If evidence of smuggling were discovered there, Demon Centipede would likely attempt to escape, even if it meant forcing their way through the checkpoint.”

“Fighting a group of adventurers, regardless of their abilities, would inevitably result in significant casualties among the guards.”

“In that case, launching a surprise raid on their inn before they’ve finished preparing would minimize the casualties.”

Having understood why disturbances were breaking out across town, the twins looked apologetic.

The female messenger shook her head.

“You don’t need to worry about the townspeople getting hurt. The guards are professionals when it comes to that sort of thing. If anything, I should apologize again for the delay in notifying you.”

“Why was the communication delayed?”

When Tōru asked, the woman explained with a troubled expression.

“Because the suspects were an adventurer clan, the guards were apparently afraid that information might leak through our guild and expose the surprise raid. That’s why they only informed us afterward. I can’t help regretting that we weren’t able to coordinate more closely.”

“Ah, well, nobody’s really at fault there.”

Even the branch manager had been unable to trust the adventurers belonging to his own guild, which was why he had entrusted the twins’ protection to Tōru. It was only natural that the guards, who weren’t familiar with the internal circumstances, would wait until afterward to report their actions if they wanted to take every possible precaution.

“So, how many of them got away?”

“I heard they captured ten people at the inn. However, the whereabouts of the key members, including the clan leader Wenz, remain unknown. The guards were also planning to inspect the Ubaz merchant company because of its connection to the investigation, but they were attacked by Demon Centipede along the way and are apparently regrouping. I heard someone charged at them with a wagon.”

Tōru recalled the Demon Centipede underlings and the wagon he had seen while escaping the merchant company’s building.

Having been caught off guard by the guards’ raid, Demon Centipede was probably planning to use the twins as hostages to force their way through the checkpoint. They also appeared to be coordinating with Harran.

By now, the key members of Demon Centipede had probably joined up with Harran and several other employees of the Ubaz merchant company who had been involved in the smuggling operation.

“Still, something doesn’t add up. I don’t see why they’d bother going after the twins at this point.”

If they merely wanted hostages to help them get through the checkpoint, kidnapping ordinary civilians would have been much easier. After all, those people wouldn’t have a bodyguard like Tōru protecting them.

The defensive wall near the Adventurers’ Guild came into view.

They were just one turn away from a straight path to the Adventurers’ Guild when Tōru and the others stopped at the sight of several men blocking the road.

“Harran and Wenz…”

The female messenger muttered bitterly and took a step backward.

Ten Demon Centipede adventurers, including Wenz, were blocking the road. Alongside them stood Harran and three employees Tōru recognized from the Ubaz merchant company.

Apparently, they had used a wagon to get ahead of Tōru and the twins. Their determination to capture the twins at any cost was unmistakable.

Harran looked at Euphie and Mary with a bitter expression.

“To think you’d uncover our smuggling method after I took my eyes off you for just one night… This is why I can’t stand geniuses. Or did you make some kind of pact with a demon?”

Euphie and Mary responded to his words with exasperated sighs.

“You should learn to acknowledge your own ignorance without being afraid of it.”

“Instead, you let your fear drive you to slander others by suggesting they must have learned everything from a demon. How pathetic.”

“You refuse to reflect on your own lack of education, show no respect for those with knowledge, and constantly try to reassure yourself by eliminating anyone who threatens your peace of mind.”

“That’s why everyone ended up leaving the Ubaz merchant company. Of course, we also bear responsibility for failing to stop it.”

“But you, who are trying to run away from your responsibilities even now, have absolutely no right to insult us.”

‘Whoa, they’re tearing him to pieces,’ Tōru thought, feeling sorry for Harran despite the man being his enemy.

Realizing that he was receiving looks of pity from several directions, Harran’s face turned red.

“You certainly know how to run your mouths! You couldn’t possibly understand how ordinary people feel! Running a merchant company of that size requires—”

“Boss, that’s enough. They’re just stalling for time. They’re not even listening to you.”

Wenz interrupted Harran just as he was about to launch into a furious, spittle-flying rebuttal.

If they wasted time here, the guards would arrive. Having accurately seen through the twins’ intentions, Wenz drew his greatsword and issued a warning to Tōru and the others.

“We don’t have time to waste. Surrender quietly. I guarantee the twins’ lives. With those sisters’ knowledge, we can use the money we’ve made to rebuild our operation as many times as we need.”

Two adventurers took up positions on either side of Wenz, who held a greatsword with a blade nearly two meters long. Unlike the others, none of these four wore Magical Prosthetic Arms or Legs. Two carried small shields and short swords, while the other two wielded two-handed spears. They were probably Demon Centipede’s core members, the Rank B party led by Wenz.

After assessing Wenz’s forces, the female messenger stepped backward and whispered to Tōru and the twins.

“We should give up on reaching the guild and head for the guard station instead.”

It was an entirely reasonable suggestion, but Tōru merely toyed with his Chain War Ring in one hand, looking thoroughly annoyed.

“No need. I’ll just knock them all down right here.”

Seeing Tōru ready his weapon, Wenz snorted.

“Come on, don’t get cocky, you loner Rank B. You won’t even buy them any time.”

“…I’ve been up for two nights straight.”

“Huh?”

“Last night, I stayed up playing board games. The night before that, I was drinking all night to celebrate an anniversary. So that’s two consecutive nights without sleep. And now that I’m thinking about it, I’m getting really damn sleepy. I just want to get this over with.”

With a metallic clatter, Tōru grasped the end of his Chain War Ring and took a step forward.

“Don’t underestimate a loner. If you think you can win just because you’ve got numbers on your side, go ahead and try.”

The instant Tōru casually tossed the bladed ring at the end of his chain with one hand, a thunderous roar erupted.

It was a momentary explosion of sound, almost like a peal of thunder.

By the time Wenz and the others realized that the noise was actually countless metallic screeches overlapping as chains violently scraped against one another, five heavy thuds sounded behind them.

From the sounds alone, Wenz and his companions understood that the subordinates stationed behind them had been struck down without being able to resist.

With a series of metallic rattles, the Chain War Ring danced through the air and returned to Tōru. The weapon had been enchanted with Tōru’s mana, and crimson lightning crackled around it.

That peculiar weapon had launched a thunderous surprise attack from behind Wenz and his companions, sweeping their subordinates aside.

There was no longer even a trace of contempt in the way Wenz and the others looked at Tōru.

“…A crimson lightning enchantment. A solo Rank B adventurer.”

Recognizing Tōru’s identity from those distinctive traits, Wenz and his companions completely lost their composure.

“—Ranked Seventeenth, Red Thunder!?”