It was right after Sein shot down "Fafnir" and announced his victory in high spirits.


    （Now!)


    A girl draws her sword and runs noiselessly to Sein''s bosom.


    Sei-chan. Look out!


    Mm?"


    Just in time.


    Just before the sword reaches Thane''s throat, Arul seizes the bandit.


    The adventurers are in an uproar at this sudden scene.


    "d*mn!


    Oh, no. What the hell is that?


    I don''t know. Suddenly, he tried to PK me. Thieves'' guild, maybe?"


    d*mn you, get off me!


    Carla!　You son of a b*tc*.


    The elderly leader of the guild to which Carla belongs, looking completely flustered, steps to her side.


    Are you from your guild?"


    Yes, sir. I ran away from home a few days ago and disappeared. I never expected him to do this.


    What are you going to do, Sey?　Should I kill him?


    Arle puts a blade to the throat of Carla, who has been pinned down with her wings.


    Hey, little girl. Why in the world did you try to kill me?　Who asked you to do this?"


    I was not asked to do anything by anyone. I came here to kill you of my own volition. I came here to kill you of my own volition, to stop you from defeating the Giant Fire Dragon (Gran Fafnir). ......


    "To prevent the defeat of the ''Giant Fire Dragon (Gran Fafnir)''?　You''re the reason ......"


    Captain. She is a naive girl who does not yet understand the reason for things. I will give her a stern talking-to, so please forgive me."


    d*mn it, kill him!


    Please forgive me!


    Tsk. Oh, forget it. Let him go. You''re responsible for getting him back to town.


    Thank you for your generous treatment.


    Arle broke Carla''s arm.


    Uh-oh.


    ''Sorry, but just to be safe, I''m going to have to take away your fighting skills. Plus ......."


    Arle thrusts a dagger into Carla''s second arm.


    (What''s with this sword?　I feel no pain. For that matter, it doesn''t even bleed?)


    This is a cursed sword made of cursed stone. If you are stabbed with this sword, no blood will flow, but instead, it will continue to stab you for a week, preserving the damage. With this, even if you use recovery magic, you will not be able to heal for a few days."


    Arul says just that and moves away from Carla.


    Hey, Arul. Don''t do anything unnecessary."


    I was just doing my duty.


    Carla felt them move away from her as she endured the dull pain attacking her arm.


    The other adventurers were also passing by her side.


    (d*mn.)


    Hey, Carla. Can you stand up?"


    Don''t touch me. I can stand up by myself, gosh."


    You idiot, do you know what you''ve done?"


    I''ll be d*mned. You''ve ruined this whole search for me.


    You''re dragging me down.


    Carla''s guild mates were swearing at each other.


    Carla bites back her bitterness and stands up.


    (If only I had more, more power ......)


    Thane and Arul watched as Carla was taken down the mountain by her guild colleagues.


    ''d*mn, what the hell is that guy?


    She''s a snappy girl, isn''t she?


    "No matter how much warfare is allowed in the dungeon, you lurk in the Grand Alliance, defeat the ''Fire Dragon (Fafnir),'' and then surprise and assassinate him when there''s an opening. ...... Was that your intention from the beginning?　And a kid. What the hell is going on on this island?"


    I''m not sure that''s a good idea, Sei-chan.　I''m sorry I missed that girl. He might come back to try to kill you after he''s healed, right?"


    It''s okay. It''s always the kids that get chic and do crazy things. You can''t keep killing them all the time.


    Sein said bitterly.


    (Tsk. I just remembered something I don''t like.)


    Carla''s immature but pure murderous intent in her eyes brought back bitter memories for Sein.


    The memories of when he was still inexperienced and powerless, just gnashing his teeth and struggling against his own helplessness.


    The grand alliance led by the "Guardian of the Magic Academy" was advancing through the dungeon at breakneck speed, with no enemies in its path.


    This did not change even after entering the Metal Line.


    Fafnir the Fire Dragon, Wyvern the Flying Dragon, Ptera the Winged Dragon, Rock Orc, Rock Fang, etc. ......


    These powerful monsters stood in front of the group, but the Grand Alliance defeated them one after another.


    Eventually, they arrived at the first rare metal mining site.


    High-purity rare metals were glittering and shining all over the mountain slopes.


    With this, it would be possible to cut out the ore without having to use the "Ore Mining" skill.


    The group cheered.


    Rare metals!


    Wow! There are a lot of them.


    The adventurers rush ahead to extract the rare metals.


    However, a deafening roar echoed through the mining area, stopping the adventurers in their tracks as they tried to pounce on the rare metals.


    Sein unleashed the "Dragoon''s Cage".


    Don''t do anything rash!


    Sein shouted sharply.


    There was a stir among the people.


    All rare metals here are acquired and controlled by us. No one other than the Guardians of the Academy are allowed to take the rare metals!


    What? What?


    Oh no, so you''re saying we don''t get our share?


    Each guild''s share will be decided later. Each guild will be paid according to how well they work. But we will be the ones to decide. No arbitrary action is allowed at this time!　Otherwise, you will be burnt to ashes by this "dragon-headed cage hand". Now, if you understand, let go of the rare metal in your hand and put it on the ground beside you!


    They reluctantly placed the rare metals on the ground as Sein commanded.


    In the end, most of the ore on the spot was collected by the "Guardian of the Magical Academy," and only a few were distributed to the allied guilds, and even then only to the relatively large guilds closest to the "Guardian of the Magical Academy.


    (Sei-chan''s bad habit has come out, hasn''t it? (Sey-chan''s bad habit of getting greedy in front of treasures.)


    Nevertheless, the captain and vice-captain cannot be seen at odds with each other in public.


    Arul was inwardly opposed to Sein''s policy, but decided to keep quiet on this occasion.


    When they were alone together later, he would tell her off.


    As Arul was thinking about this, he heard the guys from the small guild whispering about something.


    Hey, hey ......."


    Yeah, I know."


    Everywhere I looked, I saw that the members of a small guild had begun whispering to each other about something.


    They had been relying on the "guardian of the magic academy," asking for help at every turn and eagerly trying to sell themselves, but now they were discussing something without Sein and Arul''s knowledge.


    (It''s getting a little ...... clouded, isn''t it?)


    Since the rare metal collection was done only by those who were close to the "guardians of the magic academy," the sun was setting as they worked.


    The group had no choice but to camp on the spot.


    The "Guardians of the Academy" were able to pitch their tents on the flattest part of the ground, but the members of the small guild were forced to spend the night on a slope or in a thicket of trees in an inhospitable environment.


    <>