Chapter 57 – Clan Part 4
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Translator: SFBaka
Editor: Thor’s Stone
“Sorry for taking your time like this. The name’s Karl. I’m actually the leader of a Clan named Gale.”
Since he honestly introduced himself, it would be impolite if we didn’t do so as well.
“I’m Shining Star’s leader, Alan. These are my party members; Ria, Elna, Sharon, and Selena.”
I introduced myself and each of the girls. It looks like the girls were a bit wary of the rugged-looking guy.
“I see. Okay, Alan. I just want to make sure. It’s true that you properly buried and mourned for the members of Green Wind, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right. We did make them a proper grave.”
“I see. …Actually, Green Wind was part of my Clan. First, let me offer my gratitude. Thank you for giving them a proper burial.”
“No, don’t mention it. We just did what we felt was right. But how did you manage to find out?”
“Oh, that’s because in cases like this, the Clan leader has a right to know the particulars of what happened to a party under his or her wing. We can inquire about the necessary info from the guild, and if we get permission, we can also ask for details about their last employer.”
“I see. So that’s the case.”
“You guys rescued Green Wind’s employers from the hands of bandits in their place, recovered their guild identifications and personal effects, and gave them a proper burial. That’s what happened, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“It’s not something just any party would normally do. Actually, I haven’t heard of any other party willing to go that far. I’ve already taken a look at the recovered belongings, but you guys didn’t even touch the money. I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t check it myself.”
“We thought they must have families and loved ones they left behind, so it would be better to hand those things over to them.”
“Yeah, I know. Those guys were all from these parts. Some of them were married, and all of them had families depending on them. I already delivered their belongings to their families and loved ones personally. Everyone was very grateful.”
“I see. I’m glad to hear that. It was worth all the effort then.”
“Actually, I knew the guys from Green Wind ever since we were just brats. When we came of age and made a name for ourselves, they went and nominated me as the Clan leader. They then raised their ranks little by little until they made it to C rank. They even promised to go even further still, but…”
“…I see. That’s… truly unfortunate. My condolences.”
“Yeah. They were out of luck. Really… Dammit…! …Uh, sorry about that. …So, uh, I asked the employers about the details of their death, but I couldn’t get much out of them.”
“I see. So you want to ask the details from us. Is that it?”
“Yeah. I especially want to hear how those damned bandits died. I only heard from the employers that the bandits were all dead.
You guys look like decent folk, so you might have ended them quickly, but I honestly can’t help thinking I wanted to murder them myself.
I just keep thinking about how I would have wanted to kill them since I heard about what happened and it’s not letting me get a wink of sleep.”
“I see. Well, Karl. You’re under the wrong impression. The end of those bandits was far worse than what you’re thinking of. I’d even go so far as to say it was the most pathetic death I’ve ever witnessed in my entire life.”
“What!? Really!? Please, Alan! Can you tell me the details?”
I ended up relating the entirety of what happened to the guy.
I first told him that when we got to the site of the ambush, all the members of Green Wind have already died. But they still took down three bandits with them.
I then told him how we captured the five bandits who remained on site.
We then got to know they actually captured three women and took them to their hideout.
We had the captured bandits lead us to their hideout to mount a rescue.
We then managed to rescue the three women and captured an additional seven bandits in the hideout.
“And when we were discussing what to do with the bandits, one of the ladies proposed to buy them off of us for the market price.”
“Oh, now I get it! So that’s what happened!”
Karl started getting excited in anticipation of hearing just how the bandits were killed.
“Yeah, that’s right. I entered the cave with the women and prepared some rope. I then said to them: ‘Hey, you lot! Bind your own feet with that rope. I’ll take it that the ones who bind their feet the tightest are the ones who are truly about their actions, and maybe, just maybe, plead with the ladies on your behalf.’ Well, something like that.”
“You’re unexpectedly one cruel fella, aren’t you, Alan!? So what happened after that?”
“The bandits obediently tied themselves up of course. They looked pretty desperate too. They even raised their feet toward me so they could show me just how tight they bound themselves. Frankly, I couldn’t have done a better job if I tied them up myself.”
“Hahaa! I see! And then?”
“After that, the ladies told me to exit the cave ahead of them. Apparently, they wouldn’t be able to focus if I was with them.
But even if their legs were bound, this was still twelve bandits we’re talking about. I hesitated to comply with their request because of that, but unexpectedly, the ladies were proficient in wielding swords. They had really sharp-looking swords with them.
That’s why I decided to obey their words in the end.
When I was about to exit the hideout, the bandits shouted something like ‘No way!? Boss! What about pleading for us!?’ in a panic.
And then… the moment I stepped out of the cave that served as their hideout, I heard the agonized wails of the bandits.”
“Ah…”
“And in the following hour or so, the wails of those bandits continued non-stop. That gave me goosebumps, I tell you.”
“An hour huh…”
Honestly, it was more like twenty minutes or so, but if a white lie like this can make Karl feel better, then why not?
“When the ladies came out of the cave, they had really satisfied smiles on their faces. The victims were very satisfied with what transpired. I don’t even need to elaborate just what happened, eh… I honestly got scared to even check out the cave again. That’s why I can’t exactly say I managed to witness the end of those bandits, but I think you get the point.”
“Yeah, I do… Man, even I would hesitate to enter after all of that. But that sure was amazing. It’s a thousand times better than the ways I thought up each night.”
“Yeah… No worse way to go out than that. And so, we went back to the highway, recovered the dead adventurer’s belongings, and gave them a burial just like you heard from the guild. Oh, and we threw the three bandit corpses your comrades took down on the side of the road. Well, that’s about it.”
“But you sure say it like it was easy digging a grave for ten men. I’m sure it must have taken quite the effort… Alan, Ria, Elna, Selena, Sharon… Let me give my deepest thanks once more. Thank you for all you’ve done.”
Uh, I used Earth magic so it was actually quite easy, but I guess I’ll just leave that out.
“Well, just like I said, we only did what we thought was right. ……Oh yeah, Karl. I’m sure you already know, but don’t go around spreading this info, okay.”
“Yeah, you don’t have to remind me. It’s to preserve the honor of those ladies, right? No problem. They managed to avenge those guys from Green Wind after all. And what a satisfying act of revenge it was. They are also my benefactors. I’m never gonna let anything slip. I swear.”
“I see. Sorry about this, Karl.”
Thankfully, the tavern had next to no patrons present, so no one had the opportunity to eavesdrop on our conversation. That was a blunder. If the story got out, Arista-san and the others would probably be the subject of nasty rumors.
“But you guys sure are impressive. After all, you managed to subdue all the bandits without taking any injuries even if they outnumbered you.”
“Well, yeah, I guess. Keep this between us too, but we’re actually all able to use magic. That’s why we didn’t find it particularly difficult to subdue them.”
“What!? All of you!? …Um, by the way, what rank are you guys now?”
“We’re all B ranked.”
“Oi, oi! That’s amazing! You all look so young too. I see. It certainly would be a piece of cake for B rankers.”
“How about you Karl? What’s your rank now?”
“I’m currently A rank. Well, a Clan leader should be at least this capable, right?”
“Haah… So it really is like that.”
“Hm? What’s up?”
“No, well, we were actually planning on setting up a Clan too, but I guess a B ranker being the leader is a bit of a stretch huh.”
“What!? You’re going to set up a Clan at your age!? Now that’s impressive! Man, that sure is something, alright. Oh, and about a Clan leader’s rank, it’s normal for small Clans to have B rankers as their leaders. Only large-scale Clans have A rankers as leaders exclusively.”
“Is that so… Wait, so that means your Clan is also a large-scale one?”
“Oi, oi. Don’t tell me you haven’t even heard of Gale? …Wait, you guys are newcomers here huh. I guess that makes sense. The only ones who don’t know of Gale in Gantz are the newcomers. Not to brag, but we’re one of the largest here. Well, if you have something you’re having trouble with regarding running a Clan, I can give you some advice. You can pay me a visit whenever.”
“Oh! That sounds great. I’ll be counting on you then. Um, but where do you exactly stay at, Karl?”
“I’m staying at an inn called Sunbeam. Give me a holler if anything’s up.”
“We’re staying at the Spring Breeze. Feel free to pay us a visit as well.”
“The Spring Breeze? Man, that means you guys are actually loaded.”
“Well, yeah, I guess. We really wanted somewhere with a bath, y’see. We’re actually planning to move out soon, but we’ll either send word once we do or leave a message for you at the inn.”
“Yeah, understood. Sorry for taking up your time again. I’m glad I was able to talk to you though. It looks like I’m finally gonna be able to sleep tonight.”
“Glad to hear that. Oh, and thanks for treating us to ale. I’ll treat you next time too.”
We all exited the tavern, and Karl parted ways from us soon after. We then continued heading for the Commerce Guild.
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