It's rare to see even the city lord here.

That's right, the person leading the army is none other than the city lord of Blue Lake City, the lord of this territory, and one of the three dukes, Duke Smulandor.

Alright, it's a bit confusing, but without a brief introduction, we won't appreciate this guy's important status.

Indeed, a person of such importance is now leading a large group and standing in front of us, intending to capture us. It's quite surprising.

...

Alright, I was just joking. After all, I've been mingling with princesses and nobles for so long, I've become immune to this kind of person.

But it's troublesome. Although I didn't directly damage this bridge, it's obvious that this guy is going to pin the blame on us.

But we can't confront him directly. After all, this guy is a duke. If we mishandle the situation, it could be quite troublesome.

We are civilized people. We can't just kill a noble every time we encounter one, right? Otherwise, one day the nobles will definitely become extinct.

"Cough, Your Grace, the bridge was not damaged by us. You just saw it being wiped clean. If we hadn't stopped that monster, it would have exploded in the city and engulfed the whole city in flames!"

Maristos loudly argued with the duke next to him, but the duke remained indifferent.

"Why didn't you lead the monster away? Did you have to enjoy the explosion on the bridge or in the city?"

"That monster is not something we can easily deal with. It was already extremely difficult to prevent it from entering the city!"

"Hmph, that's your problem. Our army can certainly stop it. Your reckless actions caused the monster to explode on the bridge, and that's your problem."

"What! The monster was about to explode in the city. Have you no shame?"

"Mind your status! You're just a mercenary! Don't think you're powerful just because you're a guild leader. With just a word from me, your head will roll!"

"You..."

What a hassle... This guy is really disgusting.

Looking at Maristos's angry expression, I didn't know what to say.

It's really impossible to communicate when our values differ. The impulse to rush over and kill him is getting stronger and stronger.

"In conclusion, you can't escape the charge of destroying Blue Lake Bridge. Sire Guild Leader, it's wise for you to step aside. After all, mercenaries are everywhere, and you don't need to defend them. You're just a guild leader of mercenaries. Do you plan to shoulder the blame for yourself when the emperor finds fault?"

"..."

Maristos fell silent for a moment and then shook his head.

For me, every mercenary's life is important. Moreover, they are the ones helping to defend the town. I also have a certain responsibility for failing to stop the monster. If they need to be arrested, then arrest me as well!"

"Tch!"

The duke was clearly dissatisfied with Maristos's response.

"Fine, this is what you asked for! Men, take them all back."

"So that's how it is. It's unfortunate that someone like you, a waste, can become a lord."

As soon as he finished speaking, I continued.

Seeing his face turning blue, I nodded in satisfaction.

"You coward. Weren't you hiding behind the city gate just now? While we were doing everything we could to stop the monster, you were just standing there watching, thinking about how to avoid responsibility, weren't you? It's unbelievable how the lives of the entire city were entrusted to you to protect. You're simply sacrificing lives for your own sake!"

"Hmph, go ahead and say whatever you want now. It's useless. You'll be talking to the wall in prison in the future. Or maybe in hell, it doesn't matter, hahaha!"

"So you're not denying it, that's good enough. Let's go, I'm actually curious about what your prison looks like."

"You... You're just showing off. Guards, handcuff him!"

The nearby guards immediately walked over, wanting to handcuff me. But Oyado swiftly stepped in front of me.

"Who dares to touch big brother?!"

"Don't worry~"

I smiled and patted Oyado's head, then took the handcuffs from the soldier and put them on myself.

Then I pulled them apart, and the entire handcuff snapped!

"You see, this kind of rubbish doesn't work on me. Let's just go to prison. Bai Yueguang, Oyado, don't bother these soldiers, it's already hard enough for them to have this idiot as their leader."

"You... you! Fine, capture his two companions separately. You may be strong, but I have countless ways to deal with you!"

However, before he finished speaking, I had already appeared behind him, a sleeve blade pressed against his neck.

This guy was clearly a waste, as the sleeve blade effortlessly broke his skin.

"Blood... blood...!"

Watching the blood trickle down, he trembled all over.

"Listen to me carefully, I'm only interested in going to your prison. I wasn't captured by you. If you dare to do anything to my companions, your head will become food for the monsters in Blue Lake. Do you understand?"

"... Fine, I understand, fine."

"That's more like it."

Watching him continuously nod dumbly, I let go and walked back into the midst of the soldiers.

The soldiers had started to keep their distance from me.

"Alright, where's the prison? Lead the way."

"..."

The Duke gritted his teeth.

"Let's go! Keep an eye on him, don't let him escape."

Looks like this guy still doesn't have any intelligence, well, that's fine. The real show is about to begin!

As I walked, I connected with Bai Yueguang through communication.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"What else can I do? Reading and waiting for you guys to come back. You made quite a commotion, did you destroy the bridge?"

"Yeah."

"Hehe... alright then, you guys won."

The other person fell silent for a while before continuing.

"When will you guys be back?"

"We can't come back today, because we've been locked up in prison."

"... Can't you stop triggering these strange storylines all the time?"

"Well, this Duke is really unpleasant. Anyway, I have a favor to ask of you."

"What is it? Definitely not something good."

"Just something interesting. Later, go to the left corner of the city gate and pick up the recording crystal I've hidden there. Then show the contents to the entire city, and send a copy to the palace. Oh, and send a message to Princess Annie as well, telling her that we're here on vacation."

"... You're truly a devil."

"No no no, I didn't kill him right away... I'm already an angel."