“Tsubame Gaeshi.”
Mizuki whispered those two words.
The very next second, a brilliant gleam of sword light blossomed before everyone.
That was not just one sword.
Under the horrified gazes of the onlookers, the tip of Mizuki’s blade thrust toward Chandra from three completely different angles at the exact same moment.
From above, from the left, and from the right.
Three arcs of sword light sealed off every possible route of escape.
The arrogant sneer on Chandra’s face froze solid.
Was this guy not just a flashy amateur?
What kind of monstrous sword skill was this?
Panic seized Chandra completely, making him forget that he was a level 2 adventurer.
He had no time to think, let alone draw his weapon.
Driven purely by desperate instinct, he threw himself backward in an ungainly tumble.
Chandra crashed heavily onto the floor.
The three sharp beams of light grazed past the tip of his nose, his cheeks, and his throat before quietly fading into thin air.
Mizuki had not expected it to work so well himself.
Was this Chandra guy really that weak?
With a casual flick of his wrist, he smoothly returned the borrowed blade to the stunned adventurer nearby.
Looking down at the sprawling Chandra, Mizuki spoke calmly.
“Now then, do you still need me to take off my shirt?”
Eina’s mouth hung open slightly as she stared at Mizuki, her eyes brimming with pure shock.
As an elite employee of the Guild, she had met countless powerful warriors, but she still could not comprehend the strike she had just witnessed.
A heavy silence settled over the entire hall.
Every pair of eyes was glued to the youth who had just handled the blade and the disgraced Chandra lying on the floor.
“What… what was that?”
“Three slashes at once? Are my eyes playing tricks on me?”
“No way, that makes zero sense! How could a single sword thrust from three directions at the same time?”
“And how did a level 2 like Chandra end up completely defenseless?”
After that brief pause, an even louder uproar erupted through the hall.
Chandra’s face twisted into an ugly mask of humiliation.
He felt utterly disgraced.
Why had he backed down without fighting?
Slapping the ground, he sprang back to his feet.
“An illusion!”
He pointed at Mizuki and roared furiously, “That was a damn illusion! Can’t you idiots tell?”
Chandra convinced himself that his logic was flawless.
He puffed out his chest and pointed at his unharmed body.
“Look closely, all of you! Not a single hair on my head is missing!”
“I was just caught off guard for a second and fell for his trick!”
“That’s why he refuses to show his back! His skill must be an illusion, and he’s terrified of being exposed!” Get faster updates on g.com.
Hearing this, several adventurers in the crowd began to nod in agreement.
“True, Chandra is a level 2. How could he lose to a rookie?”
“I knew it, how could a level 1 newcomer pull off such a bizarre sword technique?”
“So it was just a cheap trick. That kid has some nerve!”
The vicious grin returned to Chandra’s face.
“Kid, you’ve got some nerve trying to pull illusions on me inside the Guild. You must be tired of living.”
He cracked his knuckles, the bones popping as he advanced on Mizuki step by step.
“Today, I’ll teach you that in Orario, real power is all that matters!”
“Please stop!”
Eina rushed out from behind the counter, spreading her arms wide to stand between Mizuki and Chandra.
“This is the Guild! Private brawls are strictly forbidden!”
Chandra spat on the floor with disdain.
“Miss Eina, step aside! This punk dared to impersonate an Astraea Familia member and used parlor tricks to humiliate me. I’m putting him in his place today!”
“The Guild handles identity verification through proper procedures! It is not your place to take action!” Eina replied firmly, refusing to yield an inch.
While the two were locked in a standoff, a sudden commotion broke out near the entrance.
“Look, it’s the captain of the Astraea Familia!”
“The Scarlet Pimpernel! Lady Alise is here!”
Hearing that name, the malice on Chandra’s face stiffened.
He whipped around and saw a girl with a vibrant red ponytail striding into the Guild.
A muscle twitched in Chandra’s cheek, and he threw a nasty glare at Mizuki.
“Boy, it’s inconvenient for me to make a move inside the Guild.”
He lowered his voice so only those nearby could hear.
“You had the guts to fake being in the Astraea Familia, and now their captain is right here. You’re completely done for.”
“I’m going to bring the captain of the Astraea Familia over to deal with you myself.”
With that, Chandra shoved his way through the onlookers and headed straight for Alise.
Haruhime tugged gently at Mizuki’s sleeve, murmuring with worry, “Sir Mizuki, did he really go to fetch Lady Alise and the others?”
“Looks like it,” Mizuki replied, looking rather amused.
“That coward ran off to tattle.”
Over in another section of the Guild hall, near the quest board, Alise was preparing to post several support requests for patrols and investigations on behalf of her familia.
Suddenly, a fawning voice called out from beside her.
“Excuse me, are you the renowned Scarlet Pimpernel, Captain Alise?”
Chandra squeezed his way over, wearing an oily, flattering smile.
Alise glanced at him without much interest and spoke briskly, “Who are you? I’m quite busy at the moment, so make it quick.”
“Lady Alise, here’s the situation! I am Chandra, a level 2 adventurer from the Soma Familia.” In that moment, Chandra’s posture carried none of the dignity expected of a level 2.
“The Soma Familia? Isn’t your captain, Zanis, the only level 2 among you?” Alise noted, sensing none of the typical presence of a seasoned adventurer from him.
“I reached the rank recently, so you might not have heard yet. But more importantly, I have something urgent to report.”
Chandra rubbed his hands together like a groveling servant.
“I wanted to step in and teach them a lesson myself, but since we’re inside the Guild, it wasn’t appropriate to start a fight.”
“That’s why I came straight to you, so you can deal with them personally before they tarnish your familia’s noble name!”
Hearing those words, Alise’s red brows furrowed deeply.
It could not be Mizuki and Haruhime, since they were supposed to be heading to the dungeon.
Who would dare impersonate a member of the Astraea Familia?
“Where are they? Lead the way!” A sharp edge of anger crept into Alise’s voice.
“Right away! Please follow me!”
Delighted by her reaction, Chandra puffed out his chest and led the way with pride.
When the adventurers gathered around Mizuki and Haruhime saw Chandra returning with Alise in tow, the room stirred into excitement once more.
“That kid is finished now!”
“No way, he brought the Scarlet Harnel over!”
“This is going to be quite a show!”
The crowd parted smoothly to make a wide path for them.
Alise marched over briskly, her gaze immediately landing on Mizuki and Haruhime standing in the center.
The anger on her face vanished without a trace, replaced by confusion as she turned to Chandra.
“You were talking about… these two?”
“Yes, them!” Chandra raised his chin high, pointing accusingly at Mizuki as he raised his voice.
“Especially that kid! He relied on some cheap illusion tricks to deceive people, and I only slipped up because I was caught off guard!”
“If I hadn’t been mindful of the Guild’s rules, I would have tied them both up and dragged them straight to your manor!”
Listening to his grand speech, Alise’s expression turned remarkably strange.
In the end, she could not hold it in any longer and burst into hearty laughter.
Seeing her laugh, Chandra assumed she was thoroughly pleased with his actions, which inflated his ego even further.
He stepped forward, throwing a smug look at Mizuki and Haruhime.
“See that, boy? That is the captain of the Astraea Familia!”
“Don’t let her smile fool you, she’s furious with you! You two are in serious trouble now!”
Alise finally finished laughing, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye before stepping past Chandra to walk straight up to Mizuki.
She reached out, gave Mizuki a familiar slap on the shoulder, and spoke in her usual bright, energetic tone.
“Mizuki, Haruhime, why are you two still hanging around here?”
“I figured you’d already finished registering and headed down into the dungeon!”
The moment those words left her mouth, all the noise in the entire hall died down at once.
The smug grin on Chandra’s face froze completely, his thoughts turning into a total blank.
The eyes of every adventurer in the room darted between Alise, Mizuki, and Chandra, filled with sheer disbelief.
“Lady Alise…”
Chandra’s voice came out dry and cracking as he stammered, “Do you… do you really know them?”
Inside his head, he screamed desperately.
This could not be real.
There was no way this was real.
She had to say she didn’t know them.
Yet, Alise simply scoffed.
“What kind of foolish question is that?”