"W-who…?"
"H-how…?"
"T-this is…!"
A mixture of confusion and relief could be seen on the faces of every guard as they looked at the two unconscious teenagers on the floor.
Their disheveled hair and unkempt attires didn't remove an iota from their identity.
These were the Otherworlders!
The Head Guard, who was just in as much shock and awe as his subordinates knew he had to pull himself together.
Their actions were not befitting of the guards of the esteemed Royal Estate!
"I-If I may ask, Sir…" The Head Guard shifted his gaze from the two saviors of the world, and placed it on the dark-cloaked man who brought them.
He was dressed like the night itself—with a pitch-black hooded cloak, an obsidian mask that had a skull-like design, and his inner attires also echoing nothing but darkness.
He seemed like a shady man, but what kind of shady individual would do something like this?
"… Please, who are you?"
As the Head Guard said this, he gulped.
He was a great fighter, and he had been trained by the Head Warrior Brutus himself, but even he wasn't too confident about fighting the man before him.
Something about his vibe exuded strength, and an aura of darkness seemed to shroud his mysterious persona.
The Head Knight felt it was just his imagination, but he could also smell the stench of blood on him.
This had to be a testament of his power.
Still, despite the sheer tension that the masked man caused around him, his deep voice was calm and soothing.
"My name is Ralyks. I am an Adventurer, and I just happened to be in the Capital."
His words were simple, but they were so vague that no one present knew what to make of them.
Fortunately, he elaborated.
"A certain boy requested my assistance for this mission. He told me all he had was a single Gold Coin, and that if I wanted more, I should complete the mission and come to the Royal Estate for a bigger reward."
As the man called Ralyks said this, more men approached him from behind.
They belonged to the Undercover Investigation Unit that had gone out since early in the morning.
Their weary faces seemed to be breaking into relief, but they weren't out of the woods just yet.
"T-this boy…. What was his name?"
The leader of the Investigation Unit asked as he moved closer, only to stop the moment he felt the intimidating pressure of the mysterious Ralyks.
"I believe he called himself… Rey."
The moment Ralyks said this, the members of the Investigation Unit broke into a look of relief, but the leader still appeared concerned.
"When was the last time you saw him? He was meant to rendezvous with us, but he never showed up."
In response to this, Ralyks shrugged slightly—almost as if he couldn't care less.
"I placed a tracker on him, just in case I needed to find him, and from what I can see… he's not in any trouble."
It was only at this moment that the leader sighed in relief.
"He's probably still searching for these two. He told me he'd continue working on his end, so we'd cover more ground."
The members of the Investigation Unit all leaked out smiles, thinking about their adorable Extra saying something like that.
"Quite an energetic one, wouldn't you say?" Ralyks said, almost in a chuckle.
Both the guards and the members of the investigation unit all nodded, some chuckling in agreement with his words.
"Could we perhaps settle the details indoors? It feels a bit clumsy having this sort of commotion outside the gates of the Royal Estate." The Head Guard asked, a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead.
He had a friendly smile on, even though he was going for a firm facade.
"I-Indeed! We'd need to discuss at greater length on the matter. I'm certain the members of the Royal Council would like to meet with you and reward you for your effor—!"
Before the Head of the Investigation Unit completed his words, Ralyks raised his hand to interrupt.
"I do not care for all of that. I have already received my reward from the boy."
Surprise filled the faces of everyone present. They couldn't believe what they were hearing.
An Adventurer… rejecting money?!
It was unprecedented!
"Y-you mean…?"
"Indeed. That Gold Coin was enough for the job."
The military men present all exchanged glances with each other.
They considered the possibility that the Adventurer didn't know the importance of the people he had just saved. That was most likely why he wasn't being adamant about a reward.
It was the only explanation that made sense in their heads,
"I do agree that we should go inside, though." As Ralyks said this, he took a step forward.
The other Guards, who had surrounded him, found themselves stepping back.
It felt instinctive—purely natural.
"U-understood!" The Head Guard gestures for a couple of guards to pick up the two unconscious Otherworlders and take them inside.
Once they did so, moving as quickly as they could, everyone else could advance.
As they moved—Ralyks, the Investigation Unit, and a portion of the Royal Guards—a question wafted in the air.
"Did you get my earlier present? The Slave Trader and his 'merchandise'?"
The moment Ralyks asked this question, everyone froze up.
"T-that was you?!"
A slight chuckle escaped Ralyks' unseen lips as he shrugged it "T-that was you?!"
A slight chuckle escaped Ralyks' unseen lips as he shrugged it all off as if that achievement was nothing.
The guards had counted a little over a hundred victims of the Slave Trade, and a hundred or so perpetrators—with the Kingpin being present as well.
For so long, the Royal Council had been trying to quell the embers of Slave Trade that remained pervasive throughout the United Human Alliance, to no avail.
However, with the capture of Evals Redart—one of the three prominent figures in the trade—such a despicable industry had been crippled.
Hundreds, if not thousands of lives would be spared thanks to this man's capture.
And all of it was all thanks to Ralyks.
'He doesn't even see it as a big deal. Just who is this man? I've never heard of an Adventurer like him before!'
The Head Guard found himself thinking as he swallowed yet another round of saliva.
"How are they? The victims and the criminals?"
Normally, matters like this were kept confidential.
No outsider could know the inner processes of the Royal Estate, or how matters were being handled within its walls.
But this time… things were different.
The Head Guard felt as though not telling Ralyks would be somewhat wrong.
He didn't know why, but it felt almost natural to say the truth to this man.
"The victims are being treated. We'll make sure they get good nutrition and medical treatment. Once they're stable, we'll ask them some questions and try our best to return them to their homes."
Every guard or soldier present knew this was their responsibility
—the least they could do—considering the fact that they were too incompetent to prevent the capture of these victims in the first place.
"I see. And what of the criminals?" Ralyks said in his consistently calm manner.
"They'll be interrogated—especially their leader—to extract relevant information about their other business chains and the entire industry as a whole."
Ralyks nodded slowly.
It appeared that he was pleased.
Strangely enough, everyone present was happy to see that,
*
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Thanks for reading!
Looks like Ralyks is now playing the 'good adventurer' card. I wonder where this leads…
