Chapter 25: Dissuasion

“They’re all dead!?”

Larry, a man of slightly stout build, stared at the scene before him, his face filled with disbelief and astonishment.

At this moment, he was naturally no longer the profligate wastrel he had been back at the tavern.

His luxurious, brightly colored, yet cumbersome robes had been replaced by a form-fitting combat suit of similar vibrant colors, but significantly more practical.

However, perhaps because the purchase had been too rushed and failed to account for his slightly oversized physique, the outfit looked a bit too tight, making him appear as if he were wearing children's clothing.

“Buddy, did you do all this?”

Larry’s eyes were fixed on Xia Nan, who stood on the open ground gripping his sword hilt with a look of intense vigilance. His tone was still thick with incredulity.

Without waiting for Xia Nan to respond, he suddenly turned around like a curious passerby on the street, exposing his defenseless back to Xia Nan.

“Dolores, I told you, those guys just now were nothing more than bandits.”

“Adventurers should be like this!”

Unexpectedly, facing the carnage in the clearing, the slender, blonde-haired young woman’s face paled even further.

Yet, upon hearing the fat man Larry's words, she actually nodded in agreement.

Xia Nan even felt that she seemed somewhat excited?

“Friend, it is a misunderstanding. We bear no ill will.”

On the other side, Heian, the half-elf, had also grasped the basic situation. He sheathed his longbow and spread his fingers wide in front of him, signaling that he possessed no intent to attack.

Xia Nan would not easily believe a stranger's promise.

Moreover, that man with extremely low presence—whom Xia Nan suspected to be a "Class User"—was currently standing beside the half-elf, watching him warily with no sign of suppressing his hostility.

Xia Nan did not respond much; he simply tightened his grip on his longsword and slowly retreated backward, facing the group.

Sensing his gaze, Heian froze for a moment before seemingly realizing something.

He turned to his guard, "Wood," and scolded him in a serious tone

“Wood, he is not our enemy!”

The young master, who had always spoken in soft, gentle tones like a matriarch, had suddenly used such a heavy tone.

No matter how reluctant he felt, Wood nevertheless sheathed his two daggers, though he muttered under his breath

“That’s not necessarily true.”

Seeing this, Xia Nan, who had already retreated to the edge of the clearing and put a significant distance between himself and the group, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

The environment of the Misty Forest was complex; no matter how experienced an adventurer was, it was very easy to get lost if one rushed in blindly.

The other party's behavior seemed genuine,

And since he could retreat into the forest at any moment, he had a certain margin for error.

Perhaps he could listen to what this half-elf had to say?

At the same time, seeing Xia Nan stop his retreat, Heian breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Then, across the wide clearing, he raised his voice to explain

“Friend, first of all, I must apologize to you.”

“The day before yesterday, just as our team entered the Misty Forest, we were ambushed by enemies.”

“Fortunately, our team is quite capable, and we didn't fall into their trap.”

“To find out who was pulling the strings behind them, my teammates and I intentionally let two of them escape.”

“And then, this happened...”

Heian glanced at the two corpses lying on the ground ahead and added

“Friend, on behalf of my teammates, I apologize once again for accidentally involving you.”

Xia Nan’s gaze swept imperceptibly over the group.

Grass clippings stuck to their hair from high-speed movement, mud spots on their leather boots, even the bloodstains on their armor...

Combined with the performance of the duo just now, the other party's words held some credibility.

Thinking back, when those two had rushed at him, they indeed wore expressions of desperate resolve, as if prepared to die.

So, they had mistaken him for an accomplice of the half-elf?

In that case, he truly had suffered an unprovoked disaster.

But...

Is that it?

All this solemnity just to keep him here to hear an apology?

Xia Nan's expression remained unchanged, but he felt exceptionally strange inside.

After a moment of thought, he finally spoke his first words since their appearance

“And so?”

At the same time, an idea formed in his mind.

Perhaps he had encountered the friendlier type of adventurer?

After all, if they were truly working with the duo from before, they wouldn't have needed to split into two groups to deal with him.

They could have simply attacked with all six of them; even if they had just sent that low-presence guard, he wouldn't have been able to hold them off.

There was no need to waste words with him here.

So... did they want him to hand over the loot he had scavenged from the two men, or did they want compensation for disrupting their plan to track the mastermind?

Xia Nan was speculating on the development of the situation, but he didn't expect that after his "And so?" left his mouth, it was as if a mute button had been pressed; the entire area fell silent instantly.

“Yes, so?” Heian opened his mouth, momentarily at a loss for how to answer.

Beside him, Wood, who had been following like a shadow, also twitched his mouth.

Although he was long accustomed to the young master's personality—which was as pure as a Paladin bound by a "Vow of Devotion" to inherit his matriarch's gentle nature—

When faced with such an awkward predicament, even he found it difficult to maintain a straight face.

Fortunately, the silence did not last long.

Looking at Xia Nan, who held an iron-gray two-handed longsword, a spark of inspiration flashed in the fat man Larry's mind. He leaned in and whispered

“Heian, didn't the new adventurer we recruited for our team die at the hands of those bandits?”

“If we go back to Valley Town to recruit again, it'll take a whole day for the round trip. How about...”

“Young master, please consider this carefully!” Before the half-elf Heian could speak, Wood interjected from the side.

“This man's origins are unknown. Letting him join the team would only add unnecessary risk.”

As a "Rogue" who had already obtained a professional class and embarked on the path of shadow and secrecy,

Wood observed very closely.

This black-haired youth appeared to be covered in blood, looking quite tragic, but judging by his movements, he didn't seem to have a single scratch on him.

The two corpses on the field were intact, with only the vital areas of the heads suffering heavy trauma. The cuts were smooth, clearly indicating a single, lethal blow.

And given the speed at which they had arrived after discovering the accident, the window of time left for the youth was no more than six or seven seconds.

To be able to end a fight in such a concise and efficient manner in such a short time—

Even if the duo's strength wasn't particularly outstanding and they were merely ordinary adventurers—

This black-haired man holding the iron-gray executioner's sword was far from as simple as his youthful appearance suggested.

Coupled with the two seemingly "coincidental" encounters in Valley Town, Wood couldn't help but become even more suspicious of him.

Under these circumstances, actively inviting him into the team would undoubtedly be planting a time bomb for themselves.

(End of Chapter)