"—A-Attack!!"
An attack alarm echoed throughout the building.
No matter where one was, such an alarm blaring should naturally send everyone into a panic, but—.
"Again?"
"Attacks have been unusually frequent this month."
"Who's attacking this time?"
"Heard it's a knight."
"Hmm, would a knight's body sell well to an alchemist?"
Most of the personnel were simply playing poker leisurely, wearing expressions devoid of any sense of crisis.
As if it were something they had experienced enough times to be sick of.
And this was, to some extent, true.
They were the organization that garnered the most hatred within the kingdom.
The Guild Union.
An organization that served as the representative of all the guilds gathered in the royal capital.
"Hmm, don't pay it too much attention. Let's just work."
Simon.
The man serving as the branch chief of the Pendragon Kingdom Guild Union did not attach much significance to the word 'attack.'
He simply paid it no mind, dismissing it as a trivial matter among his everyday routine.
"It's probably someone sent by a noble who holds a grudge against us. Might be the knight of that viscount who had his land taken away by us the other day."
"There are plenty of people to send, hmm... Who should we send?"
"Just send the boys appropriately. Still, it's a knight, so they should be quite strong."
"Understood, Simon."
It was an attitude bordering on arrogance.
Despite hearing that a knight had personally come attacking, they were just treating it as business as usual.
However, this was not mere arrogance, but confidence.
It was a fact known only to those in the know, but the Guild possessed many strong individuals.
They brought people in without discrimination, and their principle was to roughly scout anyone as long as they weren't human scum-level criminals.
Of course, secretly extracting such trash-tier lives occasionally required uncomfortable agreements with nobles, but if handing over some money could bring in the strong, it was undoubtedly a gain.
And thanks to such a principle, the strong individuals deployed by the guild were considerable.
Some could even be compared to your average knight commander, so it would be ridiculous for them to be nervous just because there was an attacker.
Therefore, even if a group of assassins came charging in, they would not panic, and they merely went about their work as if it were their daily routine.
"Did the production guilds ask us to look for a missing person?"
"Hans, a fairly high-ranking blacksmith. There's concern he might have been kidnapped by an illegal mage, and the duration of the kidnapping might be at least 10 years."
"Then he's probably already dead. Can't find him, that."
"But still…."
"Aah, I know. We have to at least put on an act of looking."
Simon was the head responsible for the Pendragon Kingdom's guilds.
He was the one responsible for a union whose scale reached 3rd among the 101 guilds spread across the continent.
Since he was a person running such a large guild, he did not fail in his work out of sentiment, and preferred to handle things efficiently and swiftly.
Everything fast and prompt, and efficiently.
It was Simon's work process that was like his credo.
"Sigh, understood. I'll relay it as 'We tried our best, but the results were poor.'"
"You understand well, as expected. Then the next matter, regarding Marquis Jeminia this time, how…."
Kuong!
Kuuuong!
"…Regarding Marquis Jeminia, I believe it's already in the processing stage. So you need not worry about…."
Kwaaang!
"That is true, but looking at these documents, there's something quite concerning…."
Kwaaaaang!
"…Why is it so noisy?"
"Ugh, could the attacker be quite skilled?"
"There's no sign of it quieting down at all, tch."
"I'll go out and handle it."
"Hmm, then Rem, please take care of it."
"I'll return before this black tea gets cold."
Rem, who was thin as a rail but referred to as Simon's left arm within the guild, stepped outside.
Formerly from a prestigious knight order, his skill was at the level of a vice-captain.
Simon figured it would quiet down soon since he had stepped out.
And sure enough.
"…It's finally quieted down."
The outside rapidly became quiet.
Simon, with a satisfied smile, resumed the meeting with his secretary—.
Kwaaang—!!
"!?!!"
Simon and the secretary's eyes grew as large as lanterns.
If something had appeared by breaking down the door, they wouldn't have been this surprised, but….
"R-Rem?"
Rem appeared, breaking through the wall.
No, to be precise.
"Grrrrgh…!"
There wasn't a single sound part on Rem's body, as if he had been used to destroy the wall.
Appearing in less than 30 seconds after going out, his appearance was disastrous.
The neat swordsman from earlier was gone, replaced by a beggar-like swordsman in tatters dripping blood.
Simon.
"Damn it—!"
He was quick to judge and sharp-witted.
The moment he confirmed Rem had been attacked, he was ready to throw his body toward the window to escape.
If he could just get out through the window, he could immediately reach the emergency exit.
Simon had laid out plans calculating all possible scenarios here and there, so he thought there would be no problem escaping.
"—Are you the branch chief?"
Kwaaang!!
—That was until I got hit.
"—!!"
Trickle.
Simon saw the sharp dagger that grazed his earlobe.
A dagger driven firmly into the wall; just seeing this showed how powerful the dagger's thrust had been.
The feeling that it was intentionally not aimed at him came across as certainty.
And just as Simon was about to slowly turn around.
"Uwooooh!!"
He could see a barbarian mercenary entering, using the broken wall as a door!
'Vent!!'
A fierce warrior of the mysterious race, the Barbarians.
His skill was already famous even in the royal capital, a slaughterer who had single-handedly harvested the heads of 200 vicious bandits.
He wasn't affiliated with the guild, but was a top-tier mercenary hired through a massive sum of money and lengthy negotiations.
'Perfect!'
Seeing that Vent was fine, Simon noticed that he had come late as usual after guzzling down booze, but such things weren't important right now.
The top priority was for Vent to eliminate that attacker.
Simon looked at Vent with expectant eyes, and Vent, as if responding to those expectations, swung his fist with all his might.
It was a strike from Vent that could crumple even an iron shield.
And the attacker.
Kkaang!
"…?"
"Are you done?"
…He hit his face, so why did it sound like hitting plate armor?
Without dodging, the attacker took Vent's fist head-on, yet he didn't budge at all and remained perfectly calm.
"…Steel rock?"
The existence of a massive boulder found only in the Barbarian's homeland, the Snake Forest Path, suddenly came to Vent's mind.
A boulder boasting the greatest hardness that only great warriors could break.
Yet the moment he struck this man's body, that boulder came to mind.
It meant it felt like hitting not a person, but a rock heavily infused with iron ore.
And the attacker, who seemed to be made of steel, no, who used a peculiar technique called [Vajra], did just that.
Huwoong!
He thrust his fist and fiercely struck Vent.
Ppeoeng—!
It was a fist that precisely struck the stomach, and a massive rupture sound like a drum bursting was heard from Vent's body.
"……!!"
Fortunately, he didn't die, but Vent fell to his knees and passed out accompanied by pain where death would have been preferable.
With a single strike, one top-tier mercenary had fallen; it was utterly futile, but the fact that his belly skin didn't burst open alone proved Vent was a skilled individual.
That was because the attacker, no, the knight.
"Hey, anyone else want to come out?"
"……."
…was a monster.
"If anyone else wants to come out, bring them quickly. Don't make this troublesome later."
"…N-no, there isn't."
"Really? Then sit down. Let's have a talk."
"……."
"What, you don't want to?"
"T-that couldn't be!!"
"Hmm."
"……."
Gulp….
To say it again, Simon was quick-witted.
That was why he realized.
If his answer had been even a little delayed.
'That man would have killed me.'
Without any hesitation.
Simon was certain, willing to bet his position as branch chief.
* * *
—Kkajik!
He sat on the ruined chair and casually took out a hand axe, throwing it effortlessly.
Simon flinched, his heart growing cold wondering if it would fly toward him, but fortunately, the place where the hand axe was thrown was—.
"T-that's an expensive desk…."
"Read the room, you idiot."
"…Yes."
Glaring at his clueless secretary, Simon looked at the hand axe standing upright, piercing the center of the desk.
It felt like a warning that the desk could be next at any moment.
And as predicted.
"I'm going to ask you one question from now on. And if that answer is late, this axe will be thrown at your glabella, your chest, or if you're unlucky, your lower half."
"……."
"Answer."
"I-I understand."
Had there ever been a person who treated him this roughly since he was appointed as the Guild Union Chief?
…There hadn't been.
Even those called great nobles or great merchants, while they might speak down to him, still showed respect, and there were only those who watched his mood.
But the man before his eyes right now had no such respect.
Only murderous intent that he could tear him apart at any moment reeked from him.
'W-who? When did I ever offend the mood of such a monster?'
Simon did not stop thinking even at a timing where his life could flash before his eyes at any moment.
As if proving he didn't win his position through poker, Simon never stopped observing and deliberating.
And to such a man.
"Your eyes are rolling around frantically. Curious about who I am?"
"…Y-yes, I am curious."
Simon asked honestly.
If you don't ask when the opponent gives you an opportunity, you're an idiot.
He had to bow his head thoroughly, but if he just stayed low-profile, he'd end up getting bitten to death.
So while sweating profusely, Simon asked, and the man—.
"I'm Ihan. A demoted knight."
"……."
He revealed his name so easily that Simon was momentarily dazed, but soon retrieved that name from a corner of his mind.
Ihan.
It was exactly the same as the name of the knight who had been active during the monster attack the previous day.
He didn't entertain the idiotic doubt of whether it was someone with the same name.
'-----!'
Instead, Simon's brain rapidly recalled and organized information, repeatedly processing until it outputted the result of why he had come here.
"S-Sir! I-I would like to clear up the misunderstanding first. I-I am in a state of having reached an agreement through a proper contract with Lady Levi Folt. H-however, if you charge in so recklessly, Sir, it will only make things difficult for Lady Levi Folt herself…."
"…You have a quick mind? You figured out exactly why I came here in 3 seconds?"
"Haha…."
To say it again, he didn't get the branch chief's seat through poker.
'Dammit! I knew it!'
The moment Simon heard Ihan's name, he outputted Levi Folt's name and immediately grasped why he had come all the way here.
'They said she was his disciple….'
The current individual named Ihan was classified as a 'Special Grade' surveillance target even within the Guild Union.
This was because guild members had already observed his absurd combat power during the monster attack.
Thus, they knew that a woman named Levi Folt was one of his disciples, and honestly, he had felt a sense of crisis when taking on this job.
Worried that he might offend his mood….
But the guild's leadership was confident.
Even if a noble lady named Levi was a knight's disciple, he wouldn't intervene in matters between families.
That was overstepping authority that crossed the line by a long shot.
Even a knight with strong power couldn't possibly not know what duties he must uphold.
This was the leadership's thought, and it was also the opinion Simon had nodded along to.
That was why Simon, as the Guild Union Chief, spoke confidently.
"L-let me state clearly, the guild's role is nothing more than a mediator. Of course, I know it's not honorable, but I don't see why we should be oppressed to this extent. This cannot be anything other than suppression against the guild—."
"—I saw the bastard you guys attached trying to mock and harass my disciple."
"……."
……He should have just kept his mouth shut. So much for confidence!
Simon's face went beyond losing color to becoming pale, and he heard the murmuring that gradually tightened around him.
"Hey, hypothetically. If I had a sister-like kid. And if that kid was being mocked and harassed by some punk, would a person get pissed off, or not?"
"………."
"I'm saying this in case you might misunderstand that I could be lying, but that punk is currently placed right in front of your gate? Well, he's not in a state where he can talk, but if you want, I'll use whatever means to make that bastard perfectly fine again. Then let's judge whether my words are a misunderstanding or the truth. How about it, want to give it a try?"
"T-that is…."
Simon couldn't get his words out properly.
No, he didn't have the sanity to complete a sentence.
However, the man didn't berate Simon for suddenly playing mute.
…But.
"Just know this one thing. If it's not a misunderstanding, and my words are the truth. I will definitely kill you painfully. And I'll find your family, your siblings, all your friends, and exterminate your nine familial lines. I stake everything on it, I absolutely will…!"
It was clear that he was a 'dangerous person' who should 'absolutely' not be messed with.
"………."
…Simon didn't dare to rebut his words and fell silent.
Swoosh.
He quickly buried his head into the ground from the start.