97 Tri-Dungeon Subjugation #2

The adventurer's guild of Pleura town had pin-drop silence the adventurers were all staring towards the reception.

"Hey who do you think those people are?" one adventurer whispered to another,

"Their clothes didn't look like nobles?" another adventurer said,

"I never saw Guild master this angry. In 10 years," another one said.

They all tried to speak as low as they could. No one wanted Rana's current rage pointed toward them. at reception, Rana was scolding the receptionist while questioning her,

"How did this happen?" Rana questioned again for the fifth time.

"As I said, those people took quest and show core to claim the prize…" the receptionist's eyes were full of tears,

"But the quest wasn't completed!! The village is devastated," Rana said angrily

"How would I know? They had core!!" the receptionist shouted but cowered back as she remembered she was speaking to the Guild master.

'Rana seems exactly like bosses who would shift mistakes on employees,' sighed Ryu.

"I think I know how it happened? May I?" Lana intervened as she patted the Receptionist,

"You, wife's sister?" Rana turned her face towards Lana.

"Yes, I am not 100% sure, but I think I know what had happened here," Lana pushed her glasses a bit up,

"If Lana big sister is saying this, she must really have thought it through… she is really smart," Aiena said,

"Yes grandma, Lana auntie had read more books whole Zerah combined!!" Jue said with confidence although it could be overstated,

"I believe in Lana big sister too," Ryu added with a thumbs up, and Rana sighed as she asked Lana,

"Tell me? But if it turns out to be stupid… whatever" Rana said as she was really troubled by the shortcoming of her Guild.

Lana nodded and turned to the Receptionist and asked,

"Miss, do you remember the colors of cores they showed?" her voice was filled with kindness,

'So gentle….' The Receptionist thought as she turned her face between Lana and Rana, and spoke wiping her tears,

"They all were white pearl-like,"

"How many people were there it the party?" Lana asked, putting a finger on her chin.

"They weren't in the party… single people, a big person, one with small height, and two were average," she said, and Lana moved her face near the Receptionist's face as she asked,

"You saw a total of 4 cores, right?" and the confused receptionist answered instantly,

"Yes!! 4 white pearly cores"

Lana pushed her glasses up once more they shined a bit as she said,

"Case closed!!" everyone looked at her with a confused look and she spoke, turning towards Rana,

"Guild master, Aiena told me earlier that there was a party who took down one dungeon in that village. The bandits said… but that means adventurers only had 3 dungeons to, raid yet your receptionist saw core 4 times and that of the same color"

'I see… it means,' Ryu thought,

"Just give it to me straight!! I don't have time for riddles," Rana shouted and Lana answered,

"You see, the cores were 4 when they should be 3 and also of the same color, which is rare 4 dungeons emerging nearby is almost impossible and I even read in a book that the same color core can only be found far from the previous one…. This all points towards a single thing. "

"What?" Rana asked restlessly, and Lana pushed her glasses up once more as she answered with a gleeful confident expression,

"The core that was shown was the same core… and the adventurers who took the quest and pretend to have solved them are those village's adventurers themselves, those who disappeared" Rana was about to shout,

"Wha…. No, it makes sense, perfect sense" but then she understood what Lana meant,

'Is she detective Canan!?' Ryu thought as he looked at Lana's expression.

"This would mean those villagers were part of the bandit's plan and the betrayers," Ryu said.

"Yes, Ryu," Lana answered, before Rana could ask anything, Jue exclaimed

"Lana, auntie so smart!!" and Hina too nodded with shining eyes,

And hearing their praise Lana thought, 'All those royal detective stories I read, didn't go waste!!'

"I could've done that…. Easily," Frank said with crossed arms and Ryu said in a sarcastic tone,

"Of course, after all, the last time I remember you got 2+2 is equal to 5 perfectly right,"

"Shut up!!" Frank shouted and Ryu just smirked as they began walking towards the exit of the Guild. The receptionist gave a little bow to Lana, who saved her from such a predicament.

At Rana's house, everyone was sitting at the dining table. Due to them arriving late at night the previous day, they just went to sleep and Rana woke them up early as soon as they woke up, taking them to adventurer's Guild as she didn't want many adventurers to hear about the situation.

"Jue, pass me the kokako!!" Ryu exclaimed as he empties his plate,

"Big brother… Lana Auntie is staring" Jue warned and Ryu notices Lana staring at him with an angry gaze as she would've scolded him if not for Rana being here,

'She is still as strict about table manners as ever…' Ryu thought as he started properly using a fork instead of his hands, since a few years Lana had begun scolding Ryu a bit about his eating habits and manners as she didn't want anyone to make fun of Ryu's eating habits ever,

'Chew properly,' Lana thought as she stared hard at Ryu, and Rana suddenly spoke turning towards Ryu,

"Kid, the carriage is ready outside… deal with the dungeon" the last part genuinely seemed concerned and was spoken in a manner of request, so Ryu smiled and said,

"of course, I will, that is why we are here," and Rana sighed as she thought,

'He sometimes gives an air as if…. He is a veteran warrior' well she was not wrong as Ryu's personality is part Mictian,

Turning her face towards Ryu, she spoke.

"This is a private quest… when you come across the bandit, I don't care what you'll do with them… just bring me those villager adventurers alive…"

"Auntie, don't worry. I am the one who will be dealing…." Frank tried to intervene, but Rana just turned her hand towards him.

And Ryu took a deep breath as he said,

"I don't give a guarantee and warranty over scratches" and smirked,

"It is fine if they are losing a leg as long as they are alive!" Rana said.

"Then no worries…" Ryu said as he stood up, finished his breakfast, and went to wash his hands,

The doubts about Ryu's strength Rana had were crushed earlier when he brought more than 20 bandits alone. If they were 15 or 16 levels like those bandits they came across before Ryu would not have any problem.

'This Ryu… stole my spotlight again!!' Frank felt envious of her aunt's belief in Ryu.

Two hours later out of Rana's home, Ryu, Aiena, and Jue stood up geared and Frank, who earlier came to know that they were wearing the adventurer's special armor, bought himself a flashy gold-colored iron armor.

'Is he an idiot!? Man, this armor shines in my eyes… irritating,' Ryu thought as he looked toward Frank and asked Jue and Aiena,

"You both ready?"

"Always big brother!!" Jue answered,

"I bought some mana pills," Aiena said as she showed Ryu a small pouch full of mana pills,

"You three, try not to get hurt!!" Lana said to them and Ryu answered,

"I won't let anything hurt them"

Lana said with a concerned face.

"I am more concerned about you Ryu, don't do anything impulsively!!" and as if waiting for it, Aiena said,

"I won't let him Lana big sister," and finally they all boarded the carriage. As the carriage was about to move, Rana jumped hanging to the window. She said to Ryu in a low voice,

"I don't know if you had killed anyone before or not, but if anyone says map changer, kill them instantly… and succeed my quest too,"

Ryu slowly nodded as he was one of the handfuls of people who know Map changer due to his eyes,

'Being a pacifist is already so last life for me anyway' Ryu thought as the carriage began to move,

After 5 hours of ride, Frank was sleeping on one side of the carriage. He got a whole side due to Jue's and Aiena's repulsion to sitting beside him and Ryu could relate with them so he didn't try pushing anyone of them. Aiena and Jue both were sleeping too, their heads on Ryu's shoulders.

And carriage finally entered the village or what used to be a village. The buildings were destructed there were pieces of rocks and wood fallen here and there.

'Did everyone die?' Ryu thought when suddenly a person jumped in front of the carriage shouting,

"Please take me with you!! There are kids too. Please take us,"

'Man, learn about traffic rules!! This is not how you ask for a lift!!' Ryu panicked as the carriage was moving fast toward the man.

"Might of slow coming darkness decre…."

-To be continued