Chapter 23, Discussion

Translator: Kazumi

Editor: Silavin

 

Vibro’s demeanor shifted completely, his casual facade dropping as he fixed Kousuke with a hard stare.

 

“So, Wolf Fang is threatening my Tower Capture Guild?” His voice carried a dangerous edge.

 

Kousuke shrugged, seemingly unperturbed. “Why do you think it’s a threat?”

 

“Because—”

 

“All we’re saying is that this building is our base. Please follow our rules within it.” Kousuke’s interruption was smooth, calculated.

 

Vibro’s mouth opened to retort, but Kousuke pressed on. “If you still demand that we change our rules, that would mean the Tower Capture Guild is interfering with a private Guild. Is that acceptable?”

 

“That’s ridiculous. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?”

 

“But that’s exactly what you’ve been asking us to do since you arrived, isn’t it?”

 

Vibro snorted dismissively. “You seem good at talking, but you’re careless about the details.”

 

“Am I?” Kousuke’s smile was knowing. “It’s almost like you’re acting deliberately obvious.”

 

The change in the room was immediate. Vibro and his companions’ expressions shifted, wariness replacing their earlier confidence.

 

“What?”

 

“You really thought I hadn’t noticed? Someone in your position coming all the way here—your purpose for this ‘visit’ is rather transparent.”

 

Vibro’s mouth snapped shut, his gaze boring into Kousuke as understanding dawned. Kousuke had been deliberately provocative because he had known Vibro’s true intentions from the start. Of course, he had also been genuinely informing them of Wolf Fang’s rules.

 

After a long moment of silence, Vibro finally spoke. “Since when did you know?”

 

“From the very beginning.”

 

“What?” Genuine surprise flickered across Vibro’s features.

 

Kousuke shrugged again. “Just because we’re a Guild conquering the Tower at an unprecedented speed doesn’t mean we can’t recognize when our members are being assessed as threats.”

 

He gestured toward the group. “Starting with you, the guild leader, Alta the vice-guild leader, and several other executives of the Tower Conquest Guild. Just as I said, your members present is far too elaborate, don’t you think?”

 

It was true. If they had simply wanted to use their position to pressure Wolf Fang from above, Vibro alone would have sufficed.

 

“Haah…” Vibro released a long, weary sigh and sank deeper into his chair. His entire bearing transformed—gone was the lighthearted impression he’d maintained, replaced by the gravitas befitting the head of a major organization.

 

“I came to check on some rumors, but this is more than I expected.”

 

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

 

Vibro chuckled despite himself. “There’s clearly no point in trying to negotiate with you through subterfuge, so I’ll ask directly: how are you conquering the Tower so quickly?”

 

Kousuke tilted his head, genuinely puzzled. “What do you mean?”

 

“Our receptionist reported that you’ve already reached the 46th Floor. How did you manage such rapid progress?”

 

Vibro leaned forward, studying Kousuke intently for any sign of deception. But when it came to Tower conquest, Kousuke had nothing to hide.

 

“No matter how you ask, I can only say I’m not doing anything special. It’s exactly as I explained to your vice-guild leader the other day.”

 

“But there are monsters in the Tower. If you’re simply passing through, there’s no way you wouldn’t encounter them.”

 

“Even so…” Kousuke paused, then shrugged and continued. “Our carriage is custom-made for comfort during travel, but it doesn’t have any special capabilities for dealing with monsters.”

 

Kousuke’s confusion seemed genuine, and Lirica, who had been listening quietly beside him, interjected.

 

“Kou-sama, why don’t you tell them about Millie-sama?”

 

Recognition dawned on Kousuke’s face. He made a fist with his right hand and tapped his left palm. Millie was Mitsuki’s alias in public.

 

“Ah, that’s right!”

 

“So you do have a secret after all.” Vibro leaned back, vindicated.

 

“Well, not really a secret, but… does anyone know about Cory?”

 

Vibro blinked at the sudden topic change, then his eyes widened as comprehension struck. He nodded vigorously.

 

“The beautiful fighter everyone’s talking about in the arena? Wait, don’t tell me…”

 

“Exactly. Millie here is just as strong as Cory.”

 

The Tower Conquest Guild members’ faces grew grim. Arena prowess carried significant weight—everyone understood the implications of such power. They were stunned to learn another person of that caliber existed.

 

But Kousuke wasn’t finished.

 

“Oh, and Nana, come here for a moment.”

 

Nana, who had been resting some distance away, rose gracefully and approached.

 

“Besides those two, this one’s power was most crucial during our Tower conquest.”

 

“That wolf?” Disbelief colored the speaker’s voice.

 

“Indeed. Even while we travel in the carriage, she’ll leap out to repel any monsters that might attack us. She can easily defeat monsters from the 40th Floor. She’s quite exceptional.”

 

Kousuke spoke with casual pride, and finally, one of the Tower Conquest Guild members exploded.

 

“Don’t talk nonsense! That’s just a wolf! What Familiar could possibly do something like that? There must be some other secret!”

 

Though only one person voiced the objection, the others—except for Vibro and Alta—wore similar expressions of skepticism. They clearly couldn’t accept Kousuke’s claims.

 

Kousuke noticed their disbelief but kept his attention on Vibro. Regardless of what the others thought, what mattered was how the organization’s leader would decide.

 

Vibro scratched his head with his right hand, looking troubled. “Even if you say that… do you expect us to believe something so extraordinary?”

 

“I’m simply telling the truth.”

 

And it was the truth, so Kousuke had nothing more to add. To be precise, both Mitsuki and Nana had significantly restrained their actual abilities, but mentioning that would only invite greater disbelief. Such revelations would cause unnecessary complications, so he saw no reason to volunteer the information.

 

“If that’s the case, could you demonstrate these abilities? If you’re correct, I’ll accept it.”

 

Kousuke sighed at Vibro’s request. “What advantage would that give us? If I may say so, isn’t inquiring about a Guild’s strength against protocol?”

 

It was indeed taboo for adventurers’ Guilds and tower raiding Guilds to investigate private Guilds’ capabilities. While both organizations had access to certain card information, making such direct inquiries violated established norms.

 

“Hmm, but…” Vibro hesitated.

 

Kousuke sighed again. “It can’t be helped. I didn’t want to reveal this, but…”

 

“What? What are you planning to—?”

 

“Do you have sufficient Hangero Roots in stock?”

 

“What?” Vibro’s head tilted in confusion at the apparent non sequitur.

 

Kousuke continued regardless. “We also have Nero Pelts. They take time to process, so running low on stock would be problematic. Oh, and we have items like Minibear Gallbladders and Heavy Sadden Tongues as well.”

 

As Kousuke continued his casual inventory, Vibro’s face grew progressively paler. Alta, seated beside him, wore a similar expression of dawning horror. The others looked confused—apparently only those two understood the implications of what Kousuke was listing.

 

“Wait, wait! I understand. That’s enough. I believe what you said. Please don’t say more.”

 

“I see. I’m relieved you understand.”

 

Kousuke smiled warmly at Vibro, who had suddenly buried his head in his hands. Seeing that innocent smile, Vibro could only sigh deeply, the weight of realization settling upon him.