Unwanted Trouble

****

Six hours passed. Kai and his party descended the floors at lightning speed, setting a new record. No enemy in their path lasted more than half a second. They were incredible! Just short of reaching divinity in strength. Many called them the avatars of gods for their inhuman power.

There was no other explanation, as their powers were blessed by the gods. No one, not even the strongest humans, could defeat them without suffering severe injuries. Some considered the heroes so strong that demons were no match against the weakest of the heroes.

However, those who considered such an absurd thing were ignorant! They've never observed a demon up close, nor have they ever been close to fighting one. They lived the high life. Far away from the front lines, in the safest place one could live.

Usually, a noble brought random pieces to the table without the intellect or experience to piece them together correctly. An ignorant fool that was equivalent to a weak, sheltered brat.

A man of the said nature was driven through the city of Ontrith in a luxurious carriage. The young man held himself in an elegant and noble manner and wore lavish clothes that fit his noble position. However, his expression gave off a different impression.

Anger! That didn't fit a noble, who was meant to maintain their image of elegance in the eyes of the public. Fortunately, he wasn't in the view of the public, nor was anyone inside the carriage with him.

"Father… Why? What have I done to lose favor with you? Sure, I've taken dozens of beautiful women to be my concubines, but isn't that my given right as a duke's son? I might have stolen the wives of those disgraceful commoners and turned them into my wives, but that shouldn't give you the intention to disown me. Instead of living the life of a poor commoner, they should be grateful to leave that poor life for one filled with luxury as my wife."

He glared at his family's mansion, begrudgingly watching as his carriage gradually distanced itself from the mansion. "Isn't it a commoner's dream to rise to the position of us nobles and live the wonderful life of luxury? I've given it to dozens of women, but your ignorance from reaching old age leads you to this? A father who wrongfully disowns his innocent son and the rightful heir to the position as patriarch of the family."

Clenching his teeth and fists, his anger, fueled by his foolishness, couldn't see his wrongdoings as the first son of Duke Vernon. "If I can't have the position of patriarch the rightful way, I'll forcefully seize it from my brothers-"

His voice suddenly trailed off. His eyes landed on a beautiful young woman's distancing back as she walked alone through the streets. Her black hair swayed from side to side in coordination with her footsteps. She was dressed in armor as dark as the void, which allured the eyes of many.

He unknowingly started to drool in his daze. He was infatuated with the woman, and a desire for lust formed inside his heart. He desired her! His heart, which seized any woman who pulled even a single heartstring, was pulled once again. His nature that removed him from the position of heir was active again.

"Turn left at the convergence ahead!" He exclaimed. He wouldn't want her to escape him, nor did he desire to wait before their engagement.

"Yes, lord!" The coachmen responded. He was confused by the abrupt change in direction, but he accepted it anyway. He would soon learn of his lord's reasons. However, a thought never ceased to appear in his mind: Was it another woman?

The carriage turned left as was instructed and drove through the streets, reaching where he observed the woman's distancing back.

It wasn't long before he located her!

"Stop!"

The carriage slowly came to a stop before the coachmen let out a sigh. He already knew what was to come! The young lord's antics never ceased to end. He repeatedly seized the woman who pulled his heartstrings and forced her to be his wife. Unknown to the Lord, his reputation was well-known as a spoiled brat and a playboy. His antics inevitably tarnished the Vernon family's reputation.

Naturally, this led to his being disowned by his father and losing his rightful position as the heir to become the next patriarch. Their reputation would decrease once again. However, the lord's punishment wouldn't be as measly as losing the right to be patriarch. At worst, he could be exiled from the family.

At that moment, the Lord stepped out of the carriage and chased after the woman.

"You there! Stop!"

Ayla, who was walking at her normal pace, heard someone shouting from behind. She stopped and turned around, quite curious.

'This man…' Seeing the man come after her, she felt like she had an idea why she was calling for her.

Behind the man, another man was seated at the front of the carriage—he was the coachman. His eyes rested on her, but they didn't reveal lust or hostility. Instead, they revealed pity for her.

Hearing the minor commotion, several civilians in the surroundings stopped, curious to what it was about. It looked like Lord Horace Vernon was persistently trying to seize all women who caught his eye. His wife's and his already terrible reputation would further decrease.

Horace reached her, fell to one knee, and took Ayla's hand. He brought it up to his mouth and kissed it. "Your so beautiful... Will you come and be my wife?"

"I decline!" She exclaimed, and she disappeared. In a blink of an eye, she appeared behind Horace, placing her dagger's sharp blade against his throat. She coldly whispered into his ear. "You're not the first to ask me for my hand in marriage or use force to force me into being their wife. Do you want to know what happened to him? I'll tell you, he and his guards were all killed!

"Tell me a reason why I shouldn't finish you off here. Killing you would be beneficial in the long run. Tell me?"

"I… I have money-"

"Wrong answer!"

"If… if you kill me, you'll be hunted down like a dog and killed!"

"Wrong answer! I'll kill them before they can even leave a scratch." She dug the dagger into his throat. "You appear to be unable to provide me with an answer. Die!"

"No… Wait! Wait! Wait!" He yelled. He felt fear for the first time. Not from his father or a noble, but a measly commoner. Someone who could easily be stomped under his feet. Even though he told her to stop, she didn't.

When the dagger cut through his vocal cords, she finally stopped. Not because she felt pity for the man or because she decided against killing him, but because the man sitting in the coachman's seat finally spoke.

"You can stop now; killing him in the middle of broad daylight would lead to unwanted trouble, especially with several witnesses. You don't want your adventure license revoked, nor would you want to become a criminal, do you? I'll ensure he doesn't bother you again, so I ask you to please let him go."

Ayla stared into his eyes, seeing truth in them. He was right; she didn't want more trouble, nor did she want her license revoked. Killing him would relieve her of the possibility of revenge in the future, but that didn't outweigh the losses. Losing her license would not only decrease the likelihood of finding and killing the hero's party, but it would also place a bounty on her head.

She didn't want more trouble, if possible. Even though both sides brought trouble her way, one brought less than the other. Leaving him alive would prove more beneficial than killing him.

"Fine, I accept! But you better keep a tight leash on him." She removed her dagger from his neck. Blood flowed from the wound, drenching his clothing in blood. He couldn't speak, nor could a sound escape his mouth. He quietly choked on his own blood.

Ayla walked away, her dagger deconstructing in her hand. She appeared like nothing had just happened, and she wasn't interrupted by the man. She reached an inn and entered. She bought a room and fell onto her moderately soft bed, falling into the land of dreams.

****

Back in the Damned Lair, the hero's party was swiftly descending the floors of the dungeon. It had been six hours and a half, and they still hadn't stopped for a break. They were determined to surpass their record.

At the moment, the hero's party had finished killing off the last of the blood wolves. They were on the 40th floor and were on their way to the 41st floor.

"Woo! This feels like a good workout." Zaria voiced her thoughts. The highest floors feared by many were no different from a casual workout.

They would never underestimate the dungeon, but the highest floors weren't difficult for them. Their strengths were worlds apart when compared to the dungeon monsters on the higher floors.

The higher floors might've seemed like a casual workout, but once they reach the mid and lower floors, the difficulty would drastically increase. They were waiting until then!