The Hexenbiest Decoy: ......!

　What those words point to is the fact that it dared to let the adventurers escape.
　In other words, Ronald-san had used the escaped adventurers to keep the demonic beasts away from the labyrinth city.
　It was as if it was a possibility that he had never imagined.
　Normally, I might have denied it without thinking it through.
　However, I realize with astonishment.

　...... After the swarm of demonic beasts led by Rich came to the labyrinth city, the demonic beasts still haven't come to the labyrinth city.

　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

''Could it be that there were signs that the demonic beasts were leaving the labyrinth city: ......''

Narcena ......?

'Oh, um, eh, eh, ......'

　Narsena gives me an ambiguous smile as I unintentionally reacted to her words.
　It was an attitude that only seemed to be trying to mislead me about something.
　That Narsena's appearance reminds me that Narsena was the first to notice the existence of the orcs even when Rich brought the demonic beasts with him.
　Perhaps Narsena is .......

''...... In other words, I used the adventurers as bait to pull the time for the magical beasts to come to the labyrinth city. Is that what you mean?

　It was Zeke's voice that brought my attention back to Mr. Ronaldo.
　Zeke asked Ronald, with a serious expression on his face, "What is the answer to your question?
　The question was answered not by Mr. Ronald, but by his teacher.

'How else could I think of it?　There's no way the adventurers can escape by fooling this guy. It's much more convincing to think that he calculated it and let the adventurers escape.

　Before he knows it, the master, who is sitting in a chair with only one person cross-legged, says so while pointing at Mr. Ronald with his foot, even though he is not behaving.
　Mr. Ronaldo told him, despite the troubled look on his face at such a visibly grumpy master.

''No, it's not that big of a deal. This is just a bitter pill to swallow because of the delay in noticing the escape of the adventurers.

You're lying.

If I set it up deliberately, I can limit the number of adventurers I let escape to a hundred or so.

　To his master, who didn't want to believe him as if he didn't believe him, Mr. Ronald piled on the words in a matter-of-fact manner.
　However, his face was somehow filled with an emotion like regret.

''By the time I noticed the escape of the adventurers, eighty percent of the preparations for the escape had been completed.

Did you get ahead of yourself?

　Master still looks at me skeptically, and Ronald took out what looks like a piece of paper.
　He spread it out on his desk for us to see.

　...... The words written on the unfolded piece of paper were a suggestion for the adventurer to flee.

This is ......!

　In that piece of paper, we reflexively understand.
　This is the piece of paper that was used to help the adventurers escape.

I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that the piece of paper is now in the hands of most of the adventurers. If I had handled it poorly then, there would have been an incomparable number of adventurers who would have escaped.

　...... We understand that the damage now in that word was much better.
　But there was one thing I didn't understand.

How did you come up with this ......?

　Surely this piece of paper would be able to notify the adventurers to escape while relatively hidden.
　Even with that in mind, I couldn't think that those adventurers would be able to hide from Ronald, Zeke and the others and agree to let that many adventurers escape.
　The one who answered my question was Narcena.

''Are you a ...... guild employee?''

'Yes, they must be the main culprits. They must have inspired the adventurers to come up with this escape. ...... It's beyond stupid.

　I recall that I was told that adventurers fleeing from Narsena were holding guild officials.
　When I heard that, I assumed that the guild staff had been used by the adventurers to force their way out.

　However, those guild staff members were not such easy people to deal with.
　It reminded him of the time when he had been framed by the Great Sword of the War God once.
　That time, too, guild staff had been involved.
　Why couldn't I notice the possibility that the guild staff was involved this time as well?
　With that regret in my mind, Ronald-san continued to speak with a frustrated expression that he rarely showed.

'The guild staff of the labyrinth city has a manual for when a labyrinth runaway occurs, and they are supposed to act according to that manual's principles. The guild staff here ...... pretended to work to that manual's dictates and stole my eyes and spread this piece of paper to the adventurers.

　If an emergency arises, adventurers will be feared as potential criminals.
　Therefore, when the labyrinth is on the loose, the guild officials are expected to control the adventurers.
　In other words, it was the guild staff who had the most opportunities to interact with the adventurers, and they were able to persuade them to do so.

'Considering their deftness, the guild staff must have decided to abandon the labyrinth city at the very moment the labyrinth runaway occurred. ...... It's the first time for me to see all the guild staff running away from the labyrinth runaway, too.

　There was a cold light in Ronald's eyes as he spat that out.

''......!''

　Ronaldo-san's anger, which rarely shows negative emotions, made Zeke-san's face upset, and I noticed that Narcena, who should have been next to me, had moved to my back.
　Is it unusual for Ronaldo-san to show so much anger, even from the point of view of his apprentices, Zeke-san and Narsena?

　The actions of the guild officials, even though they were ......, were understandable in their reaction.

　Instead of having great authority, the guild staff is obliged to take the initiative in case of an emergency.
　The guild employees who ran away only coveted their privileges and fled the moment an emergency occurred.
　What I had inside me was a feeling of disgust that went beyond anger.
　Honestly, the guild staff would be killed by the demonic beasts along with the War God's Great Sword, but I couldn't feel any emotion.
　Master also opened his mouth with an irritation on his face that was incomparable to the one he had just experienced.

''I knew that the guild was making money by sending materials from the labyrinth out instead of inside, and that they were cozying up to certain adventurers and taking the lead in abusing those adventurers who weren't capable of doing so: ......

Apparently, they were several levels more corrupt than we knew.

　Ronaldo spat out calmly, but with cold eyes, looking in the direction where the guild staff usually is.

''It's inexcusable stupidity. ...... I don't know what would have happened if it wasn't for them convincing the other adventurers in secret.

　Mr. Ronald told me and let out a sigh.
　It was then that he turned towards me as if he remembered something.

''Speaking of which, Roust, would you guys mind giving them a good workout?　And in the name of Ronald the Excellent, I will formally reward you when the labyrinthine rampage is over.

...... Huh?　Ordinary adventurers would be more pleased with Ronald's words than mine: ......

　I nodded my head involuntarily at Ronald-san's sudden words.
　The people who helped me, Ronald-san, are probably adventurers.
　If that's the case, I don't think the adventurers of the Labyrinth City would be pleased to hear from me, with whom they have a feud.
　As I was perplexed, Ronald-san continued to speak.

'No, they said they were indebted to Raust. Um, Marnell, was it?

Marnell!

　Come to think of it, Marnell and the others are getting along with the people of the city, but they were people who could be forgiven for thinking that the guild officials were just like the other adventurers.
　If you saw them training the children of the city, you could tell that they were different from the other adventurers, but the guild officials didn't know what they looked like.
　It was understandable that Marnell and the others could convince the other adventurers not to run away so that they wouldn't get suspicious.
　Even though I was convinced, I was surprised by the work of Marnell and his team, and Ronald-san continued, looking somewhat happy.

He continued, "If it's for the good of Raoust. That's what they said and they cooperated with me. I didn't expect that I was not only getting a mutated super-difficult magical beast, but also friends.

......!

　I was blindsided by Mr. Ronald's words.
　It was definitely a word of encouragement for me.

'...... Well, you're my apprentice,'

　Following Ronald's words, Master also tells me this in a small way while curling his red hair with his fingers.
　At first glance, it seemed like an appropriate attitude, but there was no reason why I couldn't understand that Master was also trying to praise me.
　Words from two people who are top-notch adventurers and, above all, who taught me the art of being an adventurer.
　It was more than anything else that made me happy, and when I noticed, my mouth naturally relaxed.
　Anyway, I had to say something, I thought, and I was about to open my mouth when I noticed that someone was gripping the hem of my clothes tightly.

　As I turned back to the back of the room, wondering what was going on, I saw Narcena, who was even more pleased with Ronald's words than I was with mine.

'Hmmm.'

　Narsena's cheeks were red with excitement as a faint smile escaped her loose mouth.
　As if she could no longer control her emotional outburst, Narsena grips the hem of my robe even tighter.
　In the next moment, Narsena noticed that I was turning around.

...... Ah.

　Narsena, whose eyes met mine, swam her eyes, blatantly flustered.
　At that moment, she looked at her own hand grasping my robe and let go of it as if in a panic.
　Could it be that my grip on the robe was unconscious?
　For a moment such a thought crossed my mind, but I couldn't say anything to Narsena, who laughed with a shy and reddened face as she tried to fool me.
　...... To be honest, I was already too full of heart to mention anything to Narsena.
　I just remembered one thing I wasn't happy about, and I muttered quietly.

'...... I could be more proud of you.'

　There's no need to be embarrassed, I just wanted Narcena to be more proud of me.
　If it wasn't for Narcena, it wouldn't have been possible for not only the mutated Hydra, but also Marnell and the others to adore me like this.
　It's a good idea to have a good time with them.
　So, you don't have to be proud of Narsena for me to be proud of her.

　...... But now I feel embarrassed to tell Narsena how I feel, and I turn my face away from Narsena to hide my flaming face.

　It was only when I put it back that I noticed the atmosphere in the room had become lukewarm before I knew it.

'What's going on ......?'

Haha. ......

　I ask him what's going on, but for some reason the only answer is a dumbfounded sigh.
　Ignoring me, who can't hide my confusion about it, my master looks tired and opens his mouth.

''These two are always the same, so don't worry about it.

What's the time? ......

...... Anyway, back to the story. Right now we need to figure out where we're going to go from here.

　For some reason, he quickly ignores Ronald, who looks at me and gives me a vague smile, and his mentor tries to get back to the conversation.

...... A little bit of ......, if you don't mind?

　It was then that Laila-san, who had a serious look on her face, announced that.
　Laila-san's words tightened the air in the room, which had been a little loose until now.

''Is the neighbouring town that the adventurers escaped from, is it safe?　Isn't it possible that you're not involved in a runaway labyrinth?

　Lila told us anxiously, and the blood drained from our faces .......