After hearing the couple out, Kiriko more or less understood what had happened.
Stripped down, it was simple: the noble in the neighboring town had taken a fancy to their daughter, and the "bandits" wrecking the place were almost certainly his men.
As for the Adventurers' Guild…
Either he'd bribed a few adventurers to "arrest" the troublemakers, then quietly let them go afterward—
Or the local guild branch itself was in on it.
He didn't need to buy off the entire Adventurers' Guild. He only had to grease the palms of the people running this territory.
So in the end, it still came back to power.
Without power, you couldn't even protect yourself.
"Master, I…"
Lute opened his mouth, then stopped, unsure how to finish.
Kiriko knew what he wanted to say.
Since this couple had once helped Lute, Kiriko—his master—was willing to repay that debt on his behalf.
But before Kiriko could answer, the couple spoke again.
"Actually… earlier at the tavern, we met a group of kind adventurers too. They said they were willing to help."
Kiriko's eyes sharpened.
"Tell me exactly what you saw."
The couple tried to recall it.
"The one who approached us was a big man in extremely ornate full plate armor. But in their party, he seemed to defer to a very young boy. That boy wore cheap, shabby gear—he had a shortbow in hand, and a longsword at his waist."
A bow…?
Kiriko thought back. Over the past little while, she'd been hearing rumors about the other Heroes:
The Shield Hero, Naofumi Iwatani—apparently he'd switched to merchant work, and he'd even earned the title "Saint of the Heavenly Fowl." Stories about him were everywhere.
The Sword Hero, Ren Amaki—hardcore grinder type. Wherever there was a strong monster, he went. Supposedly he'd recently defeated a demon dragon rampaging in the eastern regions.
The "fake Spear Hero," Motoyasu Kitamura—no need to explain that one…
And lastly, the Bow Hero, Itsuki Kawasumi…
Strangely enough, there were concrete details in the rumors about the other Three—but stories about the Bow Hero were pitifully scarce.
Some said he'd joined forces with a rebel army and helped overthrow the brutal rule of a small country in northern Melromarc.
Others only reported vague sightings—"a bow-wielding adventurer active somewhere"—the kind of rumor you couldn't tie to any one person.
Did he think he was playing some nameless-hero routine?
…Whatever.
Whether that "kind adventurer party" was actually the Bow Hero's group or not, Kiriko had no intention of putting her hopes in someone else.
...
Generally speaking, a noble's estate looked nothing like a commoner's home.
High walls and a broad compound were standard. Those with money loved to make their estates loud and showy.
So it didn't take Kiriko's group long to find the mansion the couple described.
"Hey, you. Stop right there. Up ahead is the lord's residence. Commoners aren't allowed to approach."
Two guards with spears stood at the entrance, blocking Kiriko's group.
"Wait—aren't you two…?"
The other guard spotted the couple at once, and his expression turned ugly.
"You old bastards—what, then? Got money to hire adventurers, but not money to pay what you owe? Let me tell you, our lord is a noble trusted by the king. He's not like you lot, sheltering demi-humans…"
"Don't think you can get your daughter—and your money—back just by dragging a few adventurers here. Didn't we already tell you? What you brought was only the principal. You've gotta pay the interest too before you can take your daughter back…"
"And with how barren your land is, by the time you scrape together principal and interest, your grandkids will be old enough to be buying soy sauce! Hahahahahaha—!"
The two guards cackled back and forth, clearly convinced Kiriko's group wouldn't dare touch them.
And honestly, that wasn't an unreasonable assumption. After all, you didn't beat a dog without thinking about its owner. These two penniless, fallen nobles—how could they possibly—
"Master, please leave these petty vermin to me."
Lute stepped forward.
"Then it's yours. Don't hold back."
Kiriko nodded, her tone as casual as if she'd just decided what to eat for lunch.
"You—!"
The guards' faces changed at Kiriko's and the Dogkin's words. But before they could say anything else, Lute lunged forward, swung his shield, and smashed it down hard on one guard's leg.
A squeal like a pig being slaughtered rang out—followed by another.
Both guards clutched their legs and screamed in agony.
The estate, jolted by those cries, turned into a kicked hornet's nest in an instant—shouts and footsteps rising everywhere.
"Th-this… this lady…"
The couple stared at Kiriko with fear in their eyes. Clearly, they hadn't expected her to act so brazenly.
"Relax. I'll have a proper talk with the noble—use reason to help him understand his mistake—and I'll get your daughter back."
With that, Kiriko strode forward in the lead.
Raphtalia and Lute followed at her left and right, shoulder to shoulder. Then came Gabriel, Tohru, Kanna, and Motoyasu Kitamura.
"Intruders!"
"Stop them!"
A noble's estate obviously didn't have only two guards. Besides the pair at the gate, guards scattered along the walls and courtyard rushed toward the entrance.
Tohru drew in a deep breath, cheeks puffing out.
"[IIZ-SLEN-NUS]!"
A terrifying wave of cold swept over them. The temperature plunged. The guards who'd been charging forward froze mid-stride—each one preserved in the posture of running, their faces so vivid they looked like masterfully carved ice sculptures.
"[FLASH]!"
Raphtalia raised her staff. A burst of brilliant light erupted from its tip, and the archers posted on the rooftops around the courtyard were blinded the moment they tried to aim at Kiriko's group.
One unlucky bastard even screamed as he toppled off the roof.
"[METEOR THRUST]!"
Motoyasu lifted his Legendary Spear. A streak of golden light shot from its tip. He rotated the spear ninety degrees, and the beam swept across the tops of the buildings like an industrial laser cutter.
Tiles and splinters rained down nonstop, and the rooftops were left in ruins, like a storm had torn through.
And so, with no one able to interfere, Kiriko came to a halt before the estate's main building.
The doors were tightly shut.
Kanna stepped forward. Her slender right hand shifted into a dragon's claw, and she casually punched through the metal doors.
Then, without even seeming to strain, she tore the entire door free with a screech of twisting metal.
The guards gathered behind it stared, dumbstruck—
Then scattered like startled birds.
---
T/N: yiippppppee addicted to listening to manwha readings now