The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick up Trash - Volume 9 - Chapter 437.4

SIDE:

The Guild Master and the Summoning Circle’s Activation

GUILD MASTER ULIGA’S PERSPECTIVE

“AGH, I’M BEAT.”

I flopped face-first onto my bed. The day was finally over—actually, it was past midnight—and so much had happened in just the one day. I’d talked with Druid and Ivy about the day’s revelations and what our plan would be moving forward. I think I told them everything… I did, didn’t I? Wait, did I tell them about the priest and the bishop?

“Eh… It’s probably okay.”

Okay, tomorrow morning, I’m going to… What am I going to do again? That’s right, I’m going to see Appas, ask how the people freed from the spell are doing, and then select the people for the village-wide search… There’s so much to do. Right, we’re going to free adventurers from the spell, starting tomorrow.

“I wonder if they’ll be okay…”

I thought of the people activating the summoning circle over and over in such a short time. They were quite friendly with Appas, so they were probably in the know. I wanted to make them 

stop because of the potential harm, but we had no time left. We needed to break the spell quickly, or else everyone would wind up like that mad gatekeeper. Sol’s magic stones were a great help, but we didn’t know how long they would last… I should ask Ivy to let us borrow Sol’s magic stones tomorrow. No, no, we’ve already relied on them way too much. I shouldn’t ask for any more favors.

“Agh… I feel so powerless.”

I’d fought fiercely over the years to protect my village. I’d failed over and over and left a mountain of regrets in my wake. But never had I ever felt so powerless as I did now. I was supposed to protect this village, yet I’d put it in danger. Nobody chastised me, but this wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t let myself be put under a spell. After all of this was over, I needed to reconsider how I acted around here.

“The other issue is, who am I going to choose as my successor?”

I’d had some candidates in mind for my job, but once my memory returned, I couldn’t recall who they were. They weren’t anywhere in my recent memories. I heard there was a pile of bodies in the sharmy cave and wondered if my candidates were among them. If so, I knew they’d been targeted because of me. It was a thought that haunted me.

“It could be just a coincidence—but it sure doesn’t feel like it.”

Anyway, tomorrow was going to be another busy day. I needed to get some sleep while I had the chance. I closed my eyes and felt myself drift away. I must have been really exhausted.

Knock, knock.

Knock, knock. Knock, knock.

“Guild Master! Guild Master!”

Arrrgh… What is it? What’s that noise?

“Are you all right in there, sir? Oh… Got it. Wait just a moment, I’ll go wake him up.”

Urrrrgh. Sleepy.

“Ivy! Be careful when you open the front door!”

“Sorry, but they want the guild master. I’ll just go wake him up.”

Those voices… Ivy and Druid? “I’ll just go wake him”—do they mean me? Right, I recognize one of those voices. Who is it?

“Guild Master, please get up. There’s a problem at the adventurer guild.”

A problem? Ah… I’d better get up. I opened my eyes to see light faintly streaming through the window. It was probably about four in the morning. Feeling dizzy, I sat up and shook my head. Agh… I’m so tired.

“Guild Master? Are you up? Oh dear… What do I do?”

“Don’t worry, I’m up. I’ll be right there.”

“All right, sir. Ilya of the adventurer guild staff is here to see you.”

Ilya? Oh, right, I remember. That’s… Huh?

“You mean Ilya, the dungeon master?”

If he’s here, did something happen to Salify? I quickly got dressed and ran down the stairs. I found Ilya in the room closest to the front door, with Druid and Ivy standing in front of him.

“Here, wipe your face, sir. You’ll feel better.” Ivy handed me a hot towel. I scrubbed my face and felt refreshed and energized.

“Thanks. So, what happened?’

“Sir, Father Salify activated a summoning circle in the middle of the night. The guards watching over his cell collapsed.”

He activated a summoning circle? But he’s wearing slave bands. I didn’t think he’d be able to do anything on his own.

“Did somebody else come into his cell?”

“No, sir. We checked, but nobody entered the cell. Since I was told to put him under maximum security, I heavily restricted entrances and exits. So nobody got close to him—of that I’m certain.”

“I see.”

What a pain. This means he activated the summoning circle without any outside help. So there’s even a summoning circle that will respond to verbal commands. Damn it!

“How many people collapsed? And what’s their condition?”

“It was four adventurers around the perimeter of the dungeon and two adventurer guild employees, sir. All of them are unconscious. I contacted the captain at home, as per your orders.”

“Okay. Thanks for that.” It was reassuring to have a capable employee like Ilya. “Druid, anything could happen, so tomorrow—well, today, actually—don’t leave the house.”

Either the church had stepped in or the clergymen’s accomplices did something when they heard they were arrested. With so many unknowns, we couldn’t even predict what might happen, so I needed to ensure Ivy’s safety first and foremost.

“I understand. We’ll stay here inside all day,” Druid nodded.

“Please be careful out there, Captain,” Ivy said, looking at me worriedly. I smiled and gave her head a pat. I couldn’t let those bastards have their way any longer.

“I’m going back to the adventurer guild. I probably got an answer back from Appas already.”

“Yes, sir.”

I left my house with Ilya. Once I heard the door lock securely behind us, I ran toward the adventurer guild. Now that a summoning circle had been activated there, it would be dangerous to get too close.

“I might be okay, though?”

I’d slipped Sol’s magic stone into my pocket when I left the house—it had protected me at the church. I’d already tried to give it back to Ivy, but she said, “You might still need it, sir,” and insisted I keep it.

“I’m gonna go check on the cell. Don’t let anybody else come near me.”

“Will you be all right, sir? If you get near an activated summoning circle…”

I rubbed my pocket again, to make sure the magic stone was still there. “I’ll be fine.”

“Understood, sir. Please, be careful.”

“Ilya, go inside the adventurer guild and make sure there’s nobody acting fishy in there.”

“A mole, sir?”

“Yeah.”

It gave me no pleasure to suspect my own people… But still, how could he have activated that summoning circle? Was there some other way of doing it that I didn’t know about yet? When I got closer to the adventurer guild, I noticed a small group of thirteen adventurers crowding around the front door. They were my most trusted people, and the ones I’d freed from the spell first.

“What’s going on inside?” I asked.

The closest adventurer to me shrugged their shoulders. “Everyone’s going about their business, even though they know a summoning circle has been activated.”

“Damn, that’s creepy.”

“Hey, that was us just a few days ago.”

“Ee-yaaagh.”

The adventurers who were freed from the spell had already been debriefed on how summoning circles suppressed their consciousness, but seeing the effects from the outside had shaken them up a little.

“You okay?” I asked. The adventurers nodded. “I need two of you to check on Father Gupinus in his cell.”

Since I hadn’t heard anything about him, it was probably okay, but I thought we’d better make sure.

“Guild Master!”

I looked in the direction of the voice to see Piarre and Juggy running over to me.

“What’s wrong?”

“The captain told us to move the people who got knocked out to his house at once.”

That would be a big help, but could they handle it?

“What about the guys operating the summoning circle? Are they okay?”

“They said they’re fine. They just need us to hurry.”

“Got it. The other eleven of you, help carry the unconscious guards to the captain’s house. Make that your top priority.”

At my command, the remaining adventurers headed over to the dungeon in the adventurer guild. The six unconscious guards had been placed in a nearby room.

“Ilya, do the thing.”

I didn’t want to believe there was a mole among us…but there had to be.

“Will do, sir.”

I watched as Ilya disappeared into the adventurer guild.

“A mole, sir?” Juggy asked.

“Yeah… At times like this, they’re easiest to spot,” I answered listlessly. I was always reluctant to do this kind of search. After a while, the adventurers emerged from the guild, carrying their unconscious comrades on their backs.

“Are you coming with us, Guild Master?”

“No, I’m going to check in on Salify.”

“I’m coming with you, sir,” Piarre raised his hand.

“What?! Whoa, easy, you two. Salify’s dangerous—you should stay away.”

Juggy grabbed my arm. I turned my head and a pair of eyes, shaking with fear, stared back at me. These men hadn’t been elite adventurers for very long, and yet I had gotten them mixed up in such a serious situation. To make matters worse, I had let the enemy brainwash me and use me at will. They had every right to be afraid. 

“Everything will be okay,” I said. I felt him squeeze my arm. “Juggy, you go back to the captain’s house with the others. Piarre and I will check on Father Salify together.”

Juggy looked back and forth between me and Piarre. “But sir…”

“We’ll be fine. We have a talisman to protect us,” Piarre said.

I gave him a quizzical look. What did he mean by “a talisman”?

“Got it. Be careful out there. I’ll be at the captain’s house.” Juggy kept an eye on his surroundings as he made his way to the captain’s house. Once his retreating figure was out of sight, I looked at Piarre.

“Ready to go, sir?”

“Sure.” One look at Piarre told me that he was scared, too. “You can wait out here if you’d rather.”

“No, sir, I’m coming with you.”

I sensed a strong will in his eyes. But there was an activated summoning circle nearby, and it was too dangerous to let him get near it.

“Leave me when I’m halfway there.”