Thanks to visiting the sweets shop with Eriko and enjoying my time there till my heart’s content, I felt super satisfied today.

The time is just about 6 o’clock. Although it’s time when the sun is right over head in game, I logged in regardless.

●●●

「Hello everyone, good afternoon. Today’s theme is 『Taboo Means of Funds Gathering』. 」

『Upotsu』

『Guhehe, I was waiting~』

『She really logged in when the day’s still out』

『RIO-sama needs money? 』

『That parasol is the reason』

With the parasol leaning on my neck, the sun is not my concern. Thanks to that, I even felt quite refreshing.

Though, the parasol form meant that my combat force is an entire league lower, and changing form in this situation is totally a suicidal act but, since my aim today isn’t to fight, I will keep it in this form as long as possible.

「We should be seeing the outer walls of the third town, 『Lawrence』 any time soon. 」

Going down the route from where I logged out previously, I arrived near the third town but, there’s no longer any need to infiltrate through the checkpoint.

After all, there was coincidentally a large-scale event that happened yesterday, thanks to that, there’re many more entrances to take, and it’s also the reason why I went dungeon diving yesterday as a detour.

The scent that I can smell even without using 《Blood Scent Detection》.

Looking at the ground, there were blood clots that were scattered around like after a heavy rain.

「This is…… quite the casualties. 」

In front of my eyes, the circular outer walls that was supposed to protect the town is in a terribly ruined state, as if it had accomplished its role of stopping the invasion from foreign enemies.

The scars of battle all around is because of a battle with a group of Enemies that came from a nearby area.

In short, the town was attacked by a large group of Enemies, and there was a defense event where all adventurers banded together to fight them.

『The outer walls aren’t working……』

『Come to think of it, the adventurer’s thread was noisy yesterday』

『I see, that’s why RIO-sama didn’t come here right away』

『There’s not much merit even if she broke in』

『Rather, she would just get caught』

Since I’m a wanted fugitive, lending a hand would be counterproductive, even if I managed to save the town for some reason, with the villainous role I have, any dreaming of a dramatic development where the residents start to hail me would never happen, so I made an effort to wait till the storm passes.

Besides that, with this ruined state, with just my adult form, I can easily enter the town. That’s also one of my reasons.

「It looks like most of the repair work are done by hand and not magic. I guess that part’s the same with reality. 」

While trying to hide from the guards’ eyes, I looked around, it seems like there weren’t a single player among the repair workers, all of them were NPC residents working their sweat off.

In the first place, the Enemy killing specialized adventurers had done their job, so it’s time for the residents to work, there’s not much reason behind it except it being the right person for the right job.

「Looks like no one is interested in me. Fufu, a long stay in this town may be possible. 」

Stretching my arms upwards to loosen my stiffness, I reconfirmed the situation of the town.

With some residents looking anxious, there were also others that looked worried for tomorrow’s life.

With this sorry state, it looks like they don’t have the room to care about a countermeasure for RIO. Thanks to that, taking down this town probably wouldn’t be so difficult.

「Oya」

「……Return him to me! Return my one and only son that died because of you!! 」

Mu, to think there was a relative of someone I turned into my kin in this town.

I reflexively turned around while tensing up, but confusingly, the elderly woman’s sorrowful cry was not towards me but another young woman, so I stroked my chest in relief.

Though, it had piqued my interest as one who plays a villainous role, so I decided to keep watching without interrupting them.

「Your feelings are natural but, your son had become a shield for adventurers, and has offered his own life in the defense battle, our adventurer guild can no longer return him, so please give up. 」

The young woman that is likely from the adventurer’s guild dealt with it in a calm demeanor. Or rather, looking from her outfit, she’s probably a staff from the guild.

Just my guess, but the defense event was probably a difficult battle, even regular residents were forced to participate in the battle.

After all, the outer walls that I doubt I can even break is fully in ruins.

「Then it’s the adventurer’s guild’s responsibility! Because of your guild’s incompetence, my son……, return him! 」

Certainly, with the person saying it in a business-like manner, there’s no way she would back down.

However, rather than demanding apology or compensation, demanding them to return a dead person is the impossible. She probably just wanted to vent her anger somehow by asking the impossible.

……The voice of a person that cannot accept an eternal farewell because of her opponent’s circumstances. Well then, how will the guild staff respond.

「You want us to return him is it. Please wait for a minute. 」

While saying so, the staff took out a pen and paper and started writing something on it.

Could it be they have a method to meet with a dead person? It can’t be, it’s common sense that a regular person cannot revive a dead person.

Then what could be written on the paper.

「T-This is……」

It looks like she handed it over to the bereaved mother after finishing writing.

「I helped you to write 『Please resurrect my beloved son』 on it, with the recipient as the Netherworld God Sedaaha. I’m sure he would listen to your request if his mother were to deliver it by hand. 」

Netherworld God Sedaaha, as the name suggests, it’s a god that overrules the souls of dead.

In other words…….

「Why, you said you will return him……」

「That’s why I had said it already. We cannot return him with only the power of our adventurer’s guild. So, please go try to die once and beg for him to return from the afterlife. 」

「No……noooooooo!! 」

After saying something like that chillingly, the guild staff took out a sharp knife, and pinned the mother on the ground, and swung it at her.

『Eh』

『EEH!? 』

『Hic』

『F-For reals? 』

It was an action so unexpected even the viewers were shocked.

Even I was totally stunned because of the unbelievable development that led up to this carnage.

「Aa……ah……」

「Haha, it was just a joke. 」

The guild staff smiled brightly, and then sheathed the knife that she stopped just before.

The series of events were so eye-catching that even the people that were busily working stopped and looked there.

However, the threatening conversation continued.

「Let’s stop the joking for now, depending on your attitude, we can designate you as one of the anti-adventurers force in this Lawrence. Are there any words of apologies from you? 」

「S-Sorry for bringing up something that had passed……, I have no intentions to talk back to the great adventurers……」

「That’s right. Good job, but make sure to remember that. Surely the strong adventurers will once again keep our town at peace when another emergency occurs if you keep this promise. Well then, please do continue favoring our adventurer guild in the future. 」

The guild staff patted on the mother’s head for a bit, before leaving for the Lawrence adventurer’s guild.

Just that, contrary to her polite words, I could tell for sure her eyes weren’t smiling at all.

The guild staff had pressured that the mother would really be convicted if she had gone further than just a verbal protest.

「Why…… why did you die for someone like them……! 」

After that, what only remained was the bereaved mother weeping after being forced to say something she didn’t want to.

Even the people that were watching from afar had lost their words.

「Everyone. I didn’t cut the stream purposefully but, what can I say about this? 」

『Saw all of it』

『My fingers typing a message were completely frozen』

『Is this the real nature of the adventurer’s guild』

『Did I really retire because of these trashes』

『The AI is really messed up』

『I want to think that it’s a lie』

『But it’s the truth. The organization itself had gone weird for a long time already』

Well, it surely is something that dampened my mood.

That kind of arrogance and rudeness, the guards around should’ve interjected them but, in reality, all of them pretended to have not saw it, in the end, there were no one that appeared to stop them.

The reason being no one dared to go against the adventurer’s guild, the guild has such a great force that it can trample on any country under the name of justice if they so willed to.

That was what everyone that lives in this world had acknowledged.

No matter if the fault lies on the adventurers, the gap between the adventurer’s guild that saves people and the people is like heaven and earth, anything they do will just be justified.

If anyone that are under their protection dares to voice their dissatisfaction, their lives tomorrow can’t be guaranteed.

「Let’s go. It’s not a business that concerns me, having not in the same group as them. 」

Expressing my own thoughts, I left the desolate site, and headed towards the center of the town.

Comparing to what just happened, my villainous role is still too insignificant, like being the average high school girl I am.

A/N: Slept too much yesterday and woke up at a weird time today