Chapter 1231: True Identity

「Huh? Her card is… gold?」

「What? You really didn’t notice? Guess third-rates will be third-rates. There shouldn’t be many black cat girls carrying magic swords in this country, right?」

Eiworth taunted the adventurers, deliberately provoking them with the knowledge that Fran was Rank A.

「T-This is just a bluff!」

「Yeah, it’s gotta be!」

「E-Either way! There’s no way the Black Lightning Princess would be in a backwater village like this!」

Yeah, I guess they won’t believe us at this point.

Even the guys other than the leader started denying Fran’s identity.

Perhaps they suspected us of lying because of how often they lied their way through exchanges with others.

「Y-You just grabbed some brat off the street and gave them similar-looking equipment.」

「Of course! That’s it, that’s gotta be it!」

「Gyahaha! Not a bad trick, old man!」

Doesn’t look like we can convince them. There’s no helping it.

『Fran, show them a bit of your strength.』

（Nn. Got it.）

I only intended for her to intimidate them a little bit to make things clear, but…

「Get your dirty hands away from me.」

「Gyaboo!」

The man who tried to reach out towards Fran got punched in the stomach and writhed in pain. His screams, like a livestock before slaughter, incited fear in his friends.

And Fran didn’t stop there.

「Sei!」

「Gwah! Ugh! Bwah!」

She kicked the man into the air, punched him in the face, then jumped over the bloody mess he had become. Finally, she slammed his face back into the ground with a hook.

The man bounced off the ground several times before rolling over and coming to a stop.

I-Is he dead? Thank goodness, he’s twitching, so he’s just barely alive. I think Fran left him about half, no 80% dead.

「Phew.」

「…」

Fran seemed somewhat satisfied. It must have annoyed her that someone denied her identity despite finally reaching Rank A.

She was happy after venting her anger, but everyone else fell completely silent. I don’t think the adventurers had enough time to fully process what had just occurred before their eyes.

However, they gradually realized the sorry state of their comrade, and a sense of fear began to well up with them. They would normally be shouting in fury, but a silent scream had taken over their voices.

「You accept that I’m Rank A now?」

「…Eeek!」

The leader completely lost all his nerve. He certainly wasn’t expecting the sudden outburst of violence. The kid he had underestimated turned out to be a monster that was capable of killing him at any moment.

Must be quite an unsettling feeling.

『Fran, cast a heal on that guy first. He might die.』

（Nn. Got it.）

The adventurers were frozen stiff, showing no signs of trying to help their friend. Thus, I had Fran use Greater Heal to recover him.

Seeing that, they probably realized we didn’t mean to kill them, and their tensions relaxed just a little. The same apparently went for the leader.

Having regained a bit of composure, he opened his mouth again.

「H-Hey! We just wanted to talk and you attacked us out of nowhere! Our friend is on the verge of death! How can you be so cruel?! You won’t escape demotion if we report this to the guild!」

Really? The only correct choices were begging for their lives or making a run for it. After seeing the man’s choice, Eiworth started chuckling again.

「Kukuku…」

「W-What’s so funny, old man?」

「Who are you guys really? Are you even adventurers? If so, you’re certainly not from Kranzel. I suppose it wouldn’t be surprising if those from a country without Rank A adventurers don’t understand how terrifying we can be.」

「Y-You’re speaking nonsense!」

「Hmph. You truly think intimidation will work on a Rank A adventurer? Ridiculous. None of you have any clue what you’re up against. If the girl wanted to, she could kill all of you in 5 seconds flat.」

That’s certainly one way of putting it, but Rank A adventurers do possess unparalleled strength. They are simply strong enough to overturn most things with sheer power. Negotiating has no meaning against someone at that level.

Of course, very few Rank A adventurers would actually resort to violence. After all, they’ve made their way through several rank-up assessments. But there’s no doubt they could if they wanted to.

Would intimidation work on a Rank A adventurer? Of course not.

「W-We have a separate team! They’ll report about this incident even if you silence us!」

「Kuhahaha! Even assuming they succeed, your plan is still foolish. You think reporting to the guild will result in her demotion? You know nothing! Rank A adventurers don’t even get a slap on the wrist for a tiny bit of murder. Right, Black Lightning Princess?」

What!? Don’t ask Fran for her agreement there! That’s just you, Eiworth!

「Especially when we’re up against someone as sketchy as you lot! Fran merely needs to claim your guilt, and suddenly you’re a criminal! That’s how things work in the Adventurer’s Guild!」

Hold on! Isn’t that going a bit too far? In the first place, you’re literally a wanted criminal! Stop teaching Fran such radical things, she’s making her “oh really?” face right now!

「More importantly… how did foreigners find out about this village?」

That’s certainly true. We need to hear the full story.

「Let’s capture them for now.」

「Make sure not to kill them.」

「I know. We need them alive for the interrogation.」

「Kukukuku! The more guinea pigs, the better.」

Eiworth grinned, with a wicked gaze fixed on his prey.

I think these guys might end up wishing they were dead. Eiworth has been playing nice recently, so he might be holding in some frustration.

He’s probably been planning some inhumane experiments that can only be performed on criminals. The old man’s eyes gleamed darkly with a fierce determination.

「B-Boys! Take ‘em down!」

「Fuhahaha! Truly foolish! The likes of you can’t possibly defeat us, no matter how many miracles occur! Now let yourselves be captured so I can put you to good use!」