One of the forms of the puppeteer,
"Hey, Puppeteer, is it okay if I move away from here for a bit?"
"Yeah, sure, Master!"
I saw Puppeteer nod in response and then shifted my gaze to Darga.
Darga seemed to be already in a state of shock, trembling in fear.
"Hey, Darga, stand up."
Even though I commanded, Darga was just shivering and didn't react.
So, I ordered more forcefully, "Stand up!"
"Yes, yes!" Darga jumped up as if he had been startled.
"Guide me to the village chief's place."
"Huh?"
"Don't answer back. Don't think. Just listen to what I say."
"Yes, y-yes! He should be over here!"
Darga, now entirely abashed, said this and walked ahead.
I followed behind him.
Our destination was the Adventurer's Guild.
I was aware of its existence, but I had never been inside. There was no particular reason for me to go.
The interior of the Adventurer's Guild was bustling.
Presumably, they were in the middle of a dispute over how to deal with the
Village Chief Rizlut was at the central table, apparently having an argument with other adventurers.
"Come on, hurry up and subdue that monster!"
"I've already told you it's impossible! Besides, we should request reinforcements from a nearby guild!"
"Damn it, we've already sent a request for reinforcements long ago, you good-for-nothing!"
Amidst the shouting, someone forcefully pushed through.
"Please! Help me!"
It was Darga, who had been walking in front of me.
"This silver-haired guy teamed up with the monster to attack the village! Please, I beg you! Kill him right now!" he exclaimed as he rushed toward the adventurers, pleading for assistance.
"Hey, isn't that Kiska."
"Kiska was banished deep into the dungeon."
"Wait, why is he here?"
Upon noticing my presence, they voiced their doubts and scrutinized me.
"Is it true that this guy released monsters in the village?"
"Oh yeah, it's true. I saw him commanding the monsters!"
In response to Village Chief Rizlut's inquiry, Darga answered as such.
"Haha, there's no way a guy like this could be controlling monsters."
"Even if you tell me that a mere useless farmer can summon monsters…"
"Maybe the village chief's son has gone crazy out of fear."
They began to laugh and chat, seemingly unconcerned. So, although I internally knew that
"Listen, Village Chief."
Ignoring the surrounding commotion, I addressed him.
"You banished me to the depths of the dungeon on false charges. And you know it was your own son lying there who raped and killed Namia, not me."
"Wh-what are you saying?"
"Someone, stop this guy!"
While I was still in the middle of speaking, the Village Chief ordered the adventurers around him. They attempted to rush me, but I calmly evaded them and continued talking.
"My sole reason for coming here is to seek revenge on all of you."
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
As Village Chief Rizlut began to say something, he was interrupted.
"This guy has returned from the depths of the dungeon, and he even brought monsters with him! So, kill him now! He's dangerous!"
The one who interrupted the Village Chief was Darga, and his cry was filled with fear. It seemed that the adventurers had finally realized the gravity of the situation after hearing Darga's explanation, understanding the implications of a human who should have been banished to the depths of the dungeon returning to the village.
"Hey, someone restrain this man immediately! If necessary, you can kill him!"
Village Chief Rizlut ordered, and immediately, the adventurers armed themselves.
"Hahaha, too bad, Kiska! You might have survived the dungeon and grown stronger, but you can't possibly win against this many adventurers. Your fate is sealed, and I bid you farewell!"
Darga, seemingly relieved that he was now protected by the adventurers, taunted. It seemed unlikely that I could win against this many adventurers… So, why not put that to the test?
Then the battle with the adventurers began. They came at me without hesitation, wielding their weapons and spewing insults like "Die!" and "Drop dead!" In response, I gripped the
"Compared to battles with dungeon monsters, this is way too easy."
When I was fighting numerous Armored Bugbears and Golden Living Armors, it was billions of times tougher than this. While thinking about this, I quickly defeated all the adventurers.
"Hey, what's going on here? Why are you all lying on the ground? He's just one guy! This doesn't make any sense!"
Darga's screams could be heard.
"So, what did you say earlier? 'There's no way you can win against this many adventurers.' Wasn't that it? Huh? Strange, isn't it? Can you still say the same thing now?"
"U-uuh, well…"
Both Darga and the Village Chief were terrified.
Ah, I thought there was a foul smell. These guys had lost control of their bladders again.
"We might as well play a little game."
"A game?"
The Village Chief muttered.
"Yeah, how about this? I'll torture only one of you. And the two of you can decide who's going to be tortured. Come on, discuss and decide now which one of you will undergo the torture."
These two are father and son. So I thought I might hear lines like, 'I don't care, do whatever you want with me. Just don't harm him.' But…
"You should be the one to be tortured. It's your fault that it came to this, you killed Namia!"
"Don't screw around! You're the one who framed Kiska! So, it's your responsibility, father!"
"I did it for your own good."
"Then, endure this torture for my own good!"
The two started a brawl, shouting and hitting each other. It was a pathetic fight, to say the least. They exchanged insults and engaged in a rather ugly physical altercation. Watching this was both absurd and somewhat amusing, but it didn't make the anger in my gut go away.
"If you don't decide in the next ten seconds, I'll torture both of you."
Saying this, I began to count, "10, 9, 8…"
In response, the scuffle between the two heated up and deteriorated into an even uglier brawl.
"You should be the one to be tortured!"
"Father should be the one!"
As the two of them fought, I announced "zero."
"Too bad, looks like I'll have to torture both of you."
It couldn't be helped if they couldn't decide, so I decided to torture both of them.
"I'm very sorry! My son has caused a great deal of trouble this time! I apologize for this, so please, at least spare me!"
It was truly a magnificent bow. The top of his head touched the floor, and his elbows formed a perfect 90-degree angle. Right now, there was no one else in the world making such a magnificent bow, and it was truly an outstanding performance.
"I don't mind what happens to my son. So, please…! At least spare me! I beg of you!"
"Father! You damn traitor, you piece of crap!"
I was deeply moved. The Village Chief had bowed and betrayed his own son. This grotesque sight was unlike any other in the world, and that's why I felt I had to respond from the bottom of my heart.
"All right, let's consider the Village Chief's plea."
"What!?"
Saying this, his son, Darga, screamed as if he couldn't believe it. Without delay, Darga took action as well. Yes, just like his father, he also went down on his knees.
"I apologize! I should be the one to apologize, so please torture my father!"
There's no way such an argument would be accepted. Doing it once had its value, but attempting it a second time was pointless.
"Darga! There's no way your argument is going to work!"
See, even his father is saying that.
"Village Chief, we're going to tie him up with a rope now. Please cooperate."
"Understood!"
With that said, since Darga tried to escape, we forcibly caught him and, with the Village Chief's help, tied him to a pillar.
"Father! I'll hate you for the rest of my life! Damn you!"
Darga desperately hurled insults at his father, but his father seemed unbothered.
"Well then, Village Chief, now please follow my instructions and execute your son."
"Me? Execute him?"
"If you won't do it, then…"
"No, I will do it! Please let me!"
I was thinking about saying, "In that case, the Village Chief will be subjected to the torture instead," I was about to speak, but the Village Chief interrupted me with his insistence.
"All right, then. Please proceed," I said as I handed a knife to the Village Chief.
"Now, let's start by cutting off all of his fingers."
With that, the Village Chief began torturing his son.
"It's because of your damn antics that we're in this situation! Show some remorse, you scumbag!"
As the Village Chief spewed insults, he continued to cut his son with the blade.
"Aargh!"
Meanwhile, his son continued to scream and occasionally cursed, "Father, I'll definitely kill you later!" The torture conducted by the father on his son went on for several hours.
I watched the scene throughout, pondering, "Why are humans so ugly?"
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