Isaac was triumphant when he saw that I had come up empty-handed.

"I'm sorry, but there's no need to apologize to you. Why don't you just get it delivered?"

"Hmph!　You can still be a sore loser now.



　Isaac delivers the requested items to the receptionist.

　The receptionist is, of course, Ricca.



"Adventurer party Graella has delivered 20 rainbow dragonfly wings, 30 orengo eggs, and 15 fresh green emeralds. Is everything alright now, Mr. Locke?"



"Yes, he is.



Mr. Locke has already delivered 30 flying dragon scales, 10 claws, 60 rainbow dragonfly wings, 90 orengo eggs, and 45 fresh green emeralds, so Mr. Locke wins this game.



"What are you talking about? How can they do that when they left later than us and arrived at the new green dungeon later than me?　It's rigged!　This is a trap set by the guild!　I don't accept it!"



　Emmy and Cara stared dumbfounded as the situation unfolded.

　Isaac was the only one who couldn't accept what was happening.



"Sorry Isaac. I'm your childhood friend and I've always considered you my friend. I've forgiven you for some of the things you've done, but the last time I saw you, you really tried to destroy Shannon's face. And you left me and Kara behind. I shouldn't have spoiled you. I'm sorry. That's why I gave it my all this time.



"Don't play with me. Don't play with me. What do you mean, "give it your all"? You're the kind of guy who'll be a burden for the rest of his life. You're a coward.



"Cowardly?　What are you talking about?　Isaac delivered the goods he bought at a stall in this town, right?"



"What are you talking about? I got it after defeating the demons."

　Isaac's voice is getting weaker and weaker.

　Isaac has always been bad at lying.

　Especially when it comes to something as important as this.



　How did you know I bought it in Chickasaw?

　The surprise is evident on his face.



"I see. Then why does this rainbow dragonfly have the letter T on its wings so I know it's from Chiyoshino?"



"Don't be silly. Don't be silly. There's no way that's in there. ......"

"Please check it out, Mr. Ricca."



　Ricca checked all the rainbow dragonfly wings, the orengo eggs, and the fresh green emeralds, and found a small T engraved on them.



　I knew Isaac and the others would buy these items. That's why I had them put them side by side with the Cavettes on purpose.



"Your wallets are almost empty, right?　If you buy at three times the guild's asking price, you'll run out of money in no time. I knew all about the party's finances, so I knew exactly how much they would pay. I even went to the trouble of making adjustments so that the party could just barely afford to buy everything."



　It was also a set-up when Shannon had deliberately told me to buy the goods in King's Landing when I met Isaac and the others in the new green dungeon. At that time, Shannon said to me.



"Mr. Locke, let's go back to King's Landing, buy what you asked for and report back to them. The best thing is not to lose. I don't care if it's more expensive. I saw them for sale on the outskirts of town."



　At that point we had enough stock that we didn't need to buy any more.

　Isaac must have heard that and thought



　If they were selling what we were asking for in town, we would lose if they bought it.



　And at that point, Isaac thought I didn't have any of the guild's commissioned goods at all. So if I got all the actual goods in King's Landing, he would be able to make me fail.

　If I hadn't been so greedy, I wouldn't have had to lose all that money.



"You're lying. How did they get to that dungeon before us?"



"You all haven't looked at the map properly. I've suggested this to you before and you rejected it, but it's faster to go in a straight line from the royal city of Kront to the new green dungeon than through the commercial city."



"I remembered that."

　Kara says flatly as she turns away.



"Why didn't you tell me that when you knew such an important thing?"

"What?　Why do we have to go all the way through the woods in the dirt? Are you stupid?"



"This is the test for being a ...... S-class adventurer. ...... You didn't want to win against Locke?"



"You're the only one who wants to beat Locke. You're the only one who wants to win the Rock. I don't need your help after you abandoned me. I'm sorry. I'm really tired of your smugness."



　Isaac kneels on the ground as if he's given up.

　Kara, you really don't want Isaac to get up.



　When you are in a party, it is not enough to specialize in one thing or another.

　Being able to use a sword, magic, or heal wounds is only one role in a party. Invisible chores and assistance are more important.



　I hope Isaac could understand how hard it was to organize this party behind the scenes.



　It would be nice if he could see a little of what he didn't see when he was just following along without a sense of ownership.



"Oh, and Isaac, thanks for killing the goblins. The people in the village of Chiyoshino were in trouble and we appreciate your help. It was worth the trouble of sending Shannon to get the wyvern scales and claws so as not to cause a ruckus. But the guild sent you there to help out when the village of Chiyoshino couldn't pay for your services, didn't they?"



　Ricca-san smiled bitterly and did not nod his head, but the fact that he did not deny it was no different than if he had affirmed it.



　It was not the right thing to do, but I guess the guild took advantage of our confusion. I am getting paid by the village as a result, so it's all good.



　The guild is also very shrewd.



　The first day I arrived at the village, I asked Shannon and the others to retrieve the wyvern's claws and scales.

　You don't have to kill the wyvern's claws and scales to retrieve them. It is just that there are many battles, but if you do not get caught, the claws and scales that have been shed will usually be found.






　There was a possibility that the wyverns would notice us if the goblins found us and made a fuss, so we asked Shannon and the others to go in hiding. I was afraid that they would find us and we would end up in a battle, but Shannon made it without incident. That's what you'd expect from an elf.



　Isaac and the others thought they had to hunt the wyverns for sure.



"I guess we're better suited to killing goblins. Now I know what you thought of me."



"Isaac...... whatever you say, you made the decision to cut me off in the first place and you even tried to hurt Shannon and Kara. You should think again about how much your actions bother and affect the people around you."



"Shut up. I've had enough of your sermons. Hey, receptionist, what's my punishment for this?"



　Before I knew it, Mr. Titus, the guild president, had arrived. The guild leader answered Isaac's question in place of Ricca.



"Isaac, I'm very sorry to hear about this, I thought you were very good at what you do. The guild takes this incident very seriously. An S-class party is supposed to be an example to everyone and to kill each other amongst yourselves is outrageous. Over the past week, Mr. Kidd has confessed to everything. He told me that you had been hinting that if Mr. Locke had an accident in the dungeon, there would be an open seat."



"d*mn ......."

　Isaac didn't say another word.

　He had only smelled me, he hadn't told me what to do, but Isaac had gone to such lengths to get rid of me.



"However, there are some things that are quite doubtful based on the testimony of Mr. Kidd alone. Therefore, Isaac will be questioned, and then he will be punished. The other two will be questioned as well, so be prepared for that. It is very difficult to determine whether what happened in the dungeon was an accident or an incident. But even E-level adventurers know that you shouldn't force yourself into a dungeon where accidents are likely to occur in the first place."



　Isaac's shoulders slumped as he silently listened to Titus' words.



"I'll talk to you later, Mr. Locke."



　Then we were all interviewed separately in separate rooms, and Isaac was generally approving.



　As for Emmy and Kara, they may have abandoned me, but the reality is that as adventurers, our lives are in danger and we need to make the decision to abandon them.



　However, the act of overlooking the fact that one's comrades were attacking one's comrades is inhumane and cannot be considered an acquittal. The rank of the individual was demoted to C level.



　The S-class party, Graela, was disbanded, and Emmy and Kara offered to team up again if they could, but we politely declined.



　Kara and Emmy said that they believed in each other and that they would form a new party together.



　Isaac had managed to avoid enslavement, but he was going to work in the mines for six months, and if he were to become an adventurer, he would have to re-register and start at the E level.



　And then we received another new request.

　It was a request to investigate a rash of thefts in King's Landing with no witnesses.