Well, after everything that happened, Weeeen and I safely arrived at Rastal Village.

Fortunately, it was already late at night.

We didn’t pass by any villagers, so we were able to head straight to the guild.

By the way, I had already summoned Ray, so he was with us at the guild.

“To think… you captured three members of the Arceus Salvation Party…”

Guildmaster Altro greeted us, eyes wide in astonishment.

“Incredible… To so easily capture individuals regarded as formidable enemies…”

“No, no, the credit doesn’t go to me this time. It’s thanks to my companion here.”

“Weeeen. I am a subordinate of Lord Arios.”

The ancient weapon spun its torso around in circles while introducing itself.

This guy’s been doing weird movements the whole time.

“A s-subordinate…?”

Altro shrugged his shoulders, looking like he didn’t understand a thing.

“Lord Arios… Am I dreaming? This Weeeen creature doesn’t look remotely human.”

“Yeah… It’s probably an ancient weapon or something.”

“A-Ancient weapon…?”

“Yes. In the past, I served under the goddess Diees.”

“Th-The goddess Diees… Please, stop… That’s too much for an old man’s brain…”

Thud.

With that, Altro collapsed.

“Elder-!! Get ahold of yourself!!”

Weeeen rushed over to him in a panic.

“Looks like we’ve added another noisy member to our group…”

Off to the side, Ray let out a half-laugh.

★

That lively scene ended quickly.

Finally, we got to the real discussion.

As of now, here are the mysteries we’re trying to solve:

• Why was the Arceus Salvation Party trying to retrieve Em?
• There seems to be some connection between the Aldo family and the Arceus Salvation Party.

There are other smaller mysteries too, but that’s the gist of it. I never thought we’d end up fighting the Arceus Salvation Party at this point.

As for Em, I had already consulted Altro about it.

Since I’m affiliated with the guild, I couldn’t exactly keep secrets from the Guildmaster.

“By the way… Altro.”

Remembering something, I turned toward the Guildmaster.

“A few days ago, Yuya and I captured some of their members, right? I heard you were going to interrogate them afterward… What happened with that?”

“Well… about that…”

Altro rubbed his chin, clearly finding it hard to answer. His tone turned hesitant.

“—They escaped, it seems. Vanished without leaving a single trace.”

“What…!? Escaped!?”

“We feared it would stir public unrest, so only a handful were informed. I’m telling you now with that understanding.”

Altro folded his arms and continued with a troubled expression.

“Of course, the members were locked in the prison. All in preparation for the upcoming interrogation. But—suddenly, they vanished. Right in front of the guards’ eyes.”

No way.

This isn’t just a case of sloppy monitoring.

They were under strict surveillance… and still managed to escape?

“Naturally, it’s a major incident. A search team has been formed in secret and is looking for them behind the scenes. But… they haven’t been found.”

Yeah, that makes sense.

If terrorists that were supposed to be in custody just vanished, it would be a huge deal.

Definitely not the kind of thing you’d announce openly.

“—They probably used a kind of 《Shadow Stone》.”

Weeeen spoke to the now-silent group.

“Have you all seen it before? A jet-black gem that emits mysterious waves.”

A jet-black gem.

As soon as I heard that, something clicked in my mind.

“Weeeen. This one?”

I pulled out the gem in question from my pocket and showed it to Weeeen.

It was the same gem the Arceus Salvation Party had used before to teleport monsters.

—Teleportation.

No way…

“Yes. That’s the one.”

Weeeen’s voice held a tinge of revulsion.

“I remember it well. That stone was the very cause of the chaos two thousand years ago.”

Two thousand years ago…

Goddess Diees had said something similar.

This is bad.

Things are getting way bigger than I expected.

“The Arceus Salvation Party is most likely under the protection of the Shadow Stone. That’s probably the source of their strength. …Though even that wasn’t enough against Lord Arios.”

…Makes sense.

We’ve ended up with even more questions now, but at least we’ve uncovered something.

The jet-black gem, now known as the Shadow Stone.

We still don’t know exactly what it is, but the Arceus Salvation Party is using its power. That’s likely the reason for their strength…

“Altro… I have one favor to ask.”

I looked seriously at the Guildmaster as I made the request.

He gave a small smile.

“Heh. No need to say it—I already know.”

“Haha… You caught me.”

“Ho ho ho. That’s what makes you the 《Silver Sword Saint》.”

Well, it’s not like I’m aiming for anything that noble.

I can’t just ignore Em, who’s still a slave. More than anything, I can’t let the Arceus Salvation Party run free. I may not be able to solve everything, but I want to contribute at least a little.

“…Very well. It won’t be official, but as Guildmaster of Rastal Village, I formally request this of you, Arios. Please see this incident through to its resolution.”

“Yes… of course.”

I nodded with determination.