My Players Are So Fierce

“But for now my little group is targeting the ‘Origin’ faction, and we have no plans to start a war with the Scholar Faction in the near future. If you really want to settle the conflict between you and your father, maybe you should go and join Minkus and Flywheel.”

“I believe those two won’t let things slide either.”

“The former ‘Charldo Harbor Geniuses F3’ getting back together… I’m sure sparks of a very different kind are going to fly.”

“Those two idiots only know how to scheme and think. When it comes to actually doing things, they’re way worse than you lot. I’m really annoyed right now, Handsome Murphy. I just want to smash something to vent, so joining you is definitely the better choice.”

Granny Bach shook her head and said:

“Whether it’s Origin or Scholars, if they’re trash that has to be cleaned up, it doesn’t really matter which end you start chopping from.”

“But there’s another reason I came to bother you today. A very important reason.”

“You’ve overlooked a very crucial link, Murphy. I spoke with that Princess Qiuchote from the Aztec Kingdom earlier, pieced together the timeline, and found that Twilight’s raids on the Aztecs line up almost exactly with the time the Half-body Men’s Adventurers’ Guild landed on the New Continent.”

“In other words, the Adventurers’ Guild, which has always acted harmless to humans and beasts alike across the Continent, is very likely tangled up with the Twilight Organization in all sorts of ways.”

“To put it more harshly, Twilight’s corruption of the New Continent and its wars there are very likely being secretly advanced through the Adventurers’ Guild as a channel.”

“As it happens, I’ve got pretty good personal ties with Uncle Sherlock, the honorary president of the Adventurers’ Guild, so if you need…”

“Of course we need it, Granny.”

Murphy raised an eyebrow and said:

“Honestly, I’d already noticed the Adventurers’ Guild’s suspicious role in all this. I have a rogue working the black market down below, she’s called Doris. She used to be a full member of the Adventurers’ Guild, but during an expedition to the Elven Ruins in Antani she accidentally uncovered the Old Church Knights desecrating the Avalon Relics, and they chased her across half the Continent.”

“She told me that some of the investigative projects inside the Adventurers’ Guild look weird on every level. But at the time I was short on manpower and had no way to follow that lead.”

“Right now my warriors are itching to start traveling all over the Continent under the guise of adventurers. Having their names on the Adventurers’ Guild’s roster would make their roaming a lot easier, and I happen to be missing someone to introduce them.”

“If you’re willing to take that position, I couldn’t be happier.”

“My warriors can also be your best Assistants for tracking the Adventurers’ Guild line, though you’ll need to learn a few tricks for dealing with my warriors.”

“Speaking of which, we’re planning to head to the Origin Land next. Do you have anything similar in mind?”

“I can arrange an ‘explorer master’ identity for you in the next patch, so you can blend into the warriors’ group better.”

“The Circle Tower is being reborn in flames and is just about to rebuild its own credibility. Master Sim has been considering whether to participate in the Pharaoh King of the Sanghai Empire’s birthday banquet.”

Granny Bach shrugged and said:

“I wasn’t interested in that at first, but now it seems I might have to fight for an envoy or representative role. But are you sure you’ll be able to catch Twilight’s trail in the Origin Land? You know, I’m really seething with dark fire right now…”

“I’m sure!”

Murphy raised his cocktail glass and clinked glasses with Granny Bach:

“Twilight is rabidly obsessed with every last thing the creator left behind, like a starving dog chasing bones. If they don’t have some sort of plan going on in the Origin Land, I’ll take my head off and let you kick it around.”

“And after we wrap up our business in the Origin Land, we’re heading to the Castilla Peninsula to completely wipe out the Witch Cult. So if we’re lucky, you might be able to eradicate two plagues in one go—maybe even more.”

“Then let’s wish our battle this time goes smoothly.”

Granny Bach raised her glass too and clinked it against Murphy’s.

And so the pact was happily sealed, and one more person joined Murphy’s little anti-Twilight group.

“On your way back from the Castilla Peninsula, I suggest you swing by White Cliff.”

Granny Bach satisfied her craving for drink, picked up her Mechanical Scepter and got ready to leave. Slightly tipsy, she said to Murphy:

“I heard from Lord Sim’s recent transmission that the ‘Headmaster’ suddenly shut down. He’s repairing that thing, and in it he’s found some very unique relics the creator left behind…”

“Tell Lord Sim not to touch that thing.”

Murphy tapped the table and said:

“If it can’t be dismantled, seal it in place as it is. That’s mine, and I’ll come collect it. Also, please tell Lord Sim not to leave too many people stationed at White Cliff for the time being…”

“Hm?”

Granny Bach asked in surprise:

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, if Twilight plans on stealing my stuff again, I’ll definitely treat them to a taste of the God’s Scepter… Hiss, now that I think about it, maybe using that thing to set up a trap for them would be even better.”

Murphy rubbed his chin and said:

“Should we leak this information? Then, when they swarm over like dogs scenting bones, we hit them with something vicious. If we’re lucky, we might even net the Dusk Leader in one go—though I don’t really believe that kind of good fortune would ever happen to me.”

“But there’s no harm in trying, right?”

“Mm, good idea!”