A small hill outside the royal capital.
There stood a mansion that appeared to be a noble's villa.
"So this is the hideout of the dark guild 'Diamond'…"
The surroundings were wooded, with nothing but animal trails.
And there I was, floating in the air, gazing down at the mansion.
I remembered the Pope's words perfectly:
"[Those 'Diamond' bastards talked big but couldn't even show up — useless lot!!]"
So after burying the Pope, I captured one of the dark guild's members and used [Memory Plunder] to extract information about 'Diamond.'
That was how I learned the key members gathered here once a month.
Good thing it was an organization with solid communication and coordination.
The one I'd captured was ranked fifth, called 'Annihilation' — apparently a serious criminal with a bounty on his head, so after I was done with him, I handed him over to the guards.
A short while later, I received notice that the Adventurer's Guild was promoting me to Mithril rank.
My memory extraction should have left him a hollow shell, useless for anything — yet I still received such a reward. 'Diamond' must truly be a feared organization.
But their history ends today.
"[Crimson Flare]!!"
[Scorching Magic] — my greatest offensive spell. I conjured a massive mass of flame and hurled it down upon the mansion from above.
The searing aftershock washed over me.
I felt a twinge of guilt for engulfing the surrounding forest as well, but there were no environmental protection groups in this other world, so it didn't matter.
◇◇◇
That day, the royal capital was struck by tremors and explosions the likes of which it had never known.
The people trembled in fear — could it be a natural disaster?
The royal knights braced themselves — was this a precursor to a stampede?
The epicenter appeared to be somewhere in the villa district on the outskirts, but they couldn't deploy immediately.
Horses were either too terrified to move or thrashing about in a frenzy, and in the midst of the panic, the knights were also busy dealing with thieves and other opportunists who emerged from the chaos.
Amid all this, Sophia — the receptionist at the Merchant's Guild — remained calm.
Because Alan had told her what he was going to do.
She had also informed the Merchant's Guild Master, along with others he had given her permission to tell.
"Alan — no, Senpai… please don't do anything too reckless."
Sophia murmured, gazing in the direction of the sound.
◇◇◇
Just a little before Alan hovered above the hideout to launch his surprise attack.
The master of 'Diamond,' mid-meeting, suddenly felt a chill run through his entire body.
[Super Intuition] activated.
The message it conveyed: "Get out of this mansion. Now."
This was no ordinary threat.
Gripping a teleportation stone himself, he roared at the executives in the same room.
"All of you, get out of this mansion immediately! Do you hear me — right now!!"
◇◇◇◇◇◇
Skills: [Reverse] [Divine Eye] [Sword God] [Gentleman Thief] [Dark Magic] [Stone-Iron Magic] [Holy Magic] [Space-Time Magic] [Scorching Magic] [Frost Magic] [Magic Hand] [Seduction] [Pain Mitigation] [Complete Status Abnormality Resistance] [Fire Spirit's Protection] [Phantom Demon] [Lightning Flash] [Dark Spirit's Protection] [Monstrous Strength] [Thunder God Sword] [Great Fortune] [Tempest Magic] [Humility] [Heaven's Gate] [Ninja Master] [Eloquence] [Seeker of Truth]
Rank: Mithril (Alisa: Gold)