As soon as I put on the ring, I was momentarily surprised by the flash of light activating. When I saw the color, I pursed my lips.
A yellow light, huh?
That color only meant one thing: that something that could have a positive or negative impact on my future was near.
«Erwen, is there something around here?». I asked quietly.
Erwen immediately focused on her ear. «One of those people from before».
«Since when are they there?»
«I don't know. But... Since they are hidden in the dark, I don't think they have just arrived. His breathing is also stable...» Erwen paused to listen. «Ah, they're even talking now. I think they are using a message stone. 'There is a Number Item, how far away are you?'»
No wonder the ring light came on. It seemed like they had even seen us kill the Laplaitmimic.
«Looks like they left an explorer behind. Erwen, keep focusing on what they're up to. We will clean our camp».
«Okay.»
Leaving Erwen on guard, we quickly packed our bags and prepared to leave. However, our opponents were one step ahead of us.
«People have arrived».
«How many?»
«Eighteen in total. Ah, they're discussing what to do with us».
«I see... What have they decided?»
«I don't know. They must have used magic because the sound was cut in half. Sorry...»
«Why do you feel it? We will know soon».
In fact, as soon as I said that, an artificial light exploded from where our opponents were hiding, brightly illuminating our surroundings.
«Hello friend! What was your name? I think I forgot to ask before».
«I forgot to ask. Yes of course. He hadn't even said his own name. «I don't know, I don't think we're close enough to formally introduce ourselves».
«Haha, you're much shyer than you seem». The man laughed, but his eyes were cold. Furthermore, he was standing in an inclined posture with his hand on his waist, near the gun on his belt.
«So what do you want?»
«It turns out that one of our clan members was patrolling the area and saw you hunting a Laplaitmimic».
«What a coincidence».
«Life works in mysterious ways. Anyway, I'll get to the point. Hand over your loot».
«Why should I?»
«As I said, this is the territory of our clan. I'm sure you agreed to our terms before».
«Okay?» I scoffed as soon as I heard that, but I actually understood where they were coming from. They had to wander around this island every day waiting for a Laplaitmimic to appear, and some adventurers who were passing through had managed to steal it. But what a shame. «The only agreement we discussed was that you wanted us to leave early in the morning and we said we would». In fact, he didn't remember that loot had ever been a factor in the conversation.
«That's a fallacy.»
«It's not a fallacy, it's the truth».
The man's jaw tensed and I heard teeth grinding. I could understand it. Of course I would have assumed we had reached an agreement. No, first of all, he would never have imagined that the monster would appear next to us overnight.
«The maze has its own unwritten rules. If you violate our right, no one can blame us if we hurt you».
It was a very direct threat. I stared at the man to ask if he was serious and the guy came face to face with my gaze. It would not have been unreasonable for either side to pull out a gun at that time.
Drink.
As the silence dragged on, the group behind the man clenched their weapons in a way that suggested they might attack depending on the response that came out of my mouth. Of course, that didn't change the fact that he was going to say whatever he wanted.
«I don't know any unwritten rules. Anyone I tried to take what's mine is a looter», I said firmly.
«...So you have decided to make the wrong decision».
It went in one ear and out the other, shrugging my shoulders. «I've heard that enough times already. Where do you think all those people are now? Anyway, at least we have clarified the situation». Soon, I gave the final warning. «What are you doing? If you're going to fight, fight. If you're here to talk, you better get lost».
This was a completely different confrontation than our first meeting. Before, this guy would look down on us and make a fuss until I told him we were leaving early in the morning. But now? When I got extremely strong, he didn't know what to do. She was sure it made him uncomfortable. I had no idea how she could be so sure when we had a fifth of her men.
And in part it would also be because of Erwen.
He didn't think they had recognized Erwen yet, but the scout would have reported that our team's elf archer had killed a Laplaitmimic with a single arrow. They would have realized that we were nobody. But it seemed like he was having a hard time making a decision in front of his clan members.
«If you can't decide, I will help you. If you continue standing in front of me after I count to three, I will take it as an attempted damage.»
«...What?» The man seemed incredulous, but when I started counting, his expression changed.
«Three. Two.» Instead of lengthening this, I counted the seconds faster than was strictly accurate.
The moment he was about to say one, he raised a white flag. «... There is no need to shed unnecessary blood.»
***
«Captain! Why has it gone backwards?»
At the shout of his subordinate, the captain, Ecksher Mellick, frowned. When he did, one of his confidants quickly stepped forward to speak for him.
«They hunted a Laplaitmimic without a mage. That elf archer must have at least rank three. If you are working together, the other two people should have similar ranks».
«Even if all three are rank three, we have the numbers on our side!»
«Remilton, have you ever fought a rank three adventurer? They are monsters».
«But they didn't even have a magician! We could have won with our numbers!»
«And more than half of us would have died. Do you really think a Numeric Object is worth all that?»
«That is...» The man who challenged the decision was interrupted by the confidant's logic and the official debate began.
«But if this comes to light, they will mock us wherever we go».
«That hasn't happened yet, and even if it did, I think the captain's decision was the right one».
«But who is that elf? To be able to kill a Laplaitmimic in one go...»
«A silver-haired elf... maybe it was Blood Spirit?»
«If that's really the case, we could have been in big trouble.»
«Spirit of Blood? Have you eaten something bad? Why would that beast be here? She's such a fan of war that she must be killing people as we speak».
The high-pitched voices refuting the opinions of others grew louder and louder. Naturally, the factions were divided based on those holding the same opinion.
«Captain! The bastards are leaving the island by boat!» a subordinate reported that he was exploring the area, and the clan members who were arguing and raising their voices immediately looked at a person. Everyone asked what the plan was.
Mellick sighed softly enough that no one else could hear him.
Damn.
Running a clan was like sailing a ship. Even if typhoons, waves and lightning crossed his path, the captain had to show his crew that he could pass all the tests. As such, the man made a decision. «Let everyone leave this and pack their bags».
«Captain, that means...»
«Let's go after them».
At that, the faces of the people of the radical faction lit up. On the other hand, those advocating a more moderate response expressed concerns.
«But his power is formidable».
His current estimate was that the three adventurers possessed a mid-range of three, but the man was not too worried about that. «I understand your concerns. Maybe if it were on land, I'd agree. But it is impossible for us to lose a naval battle».
«So that's why you let them go so easily!» The men of the radical faction were impressed by his decision and the opposing faction also seemed to agree to some extent. That was the confidence these people had in naval warfare.
But it seemed like there were still some questions. «But... Is a Numeric Object worth that much?», one of them asked cautiously.
Mellick responded with a smile. «Definitely not worth it for a single Numeric Object».
«You mean...»
«But that won't be all they have».
The Huntsman clan may be trapped on this island playing treasure hunts, but before they were pirates roaming the seas of the sixth floor. And pirates made their money hunting people.
***
At dawn, the day gradually lit up.
Shaaaaaa!
The cool wind hit the sail, pushing the boat forward. Behind us, a group of stars shone in the dark sky. In the east, where the bow was located, the presence of the sun could be vaguely perceived, still hidden behind the horizon. It was a pretty picturesque sight. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to enjoy it.
«Sir, there are ships that follow us. There are three in total and without emblems or anything like that».
As soon as we left the island, they chased us. And it was obvious who exactly was behind it.
So they never intended to let us go from the beginning.
No wonder the confrontation had ended so easily despite the yellow light: they were probably setting this same stage when they let us go. If those guys had three ships, that meant they were pretty skilled in naval combat. They had probably decided that they would have more of an advantage in a fight at sea. Of course, one question remained.
Why was it yellow instead of red?
If they were going to attack us anyway, shouldn't it have been red? What could be positive in this situation?
Those musings were cut off by Amelia. «Schuitz, what do you want to do?»
«It will be difficult to get rid of them, right?».
«Probably».
Their ships seemed to have modifications that made them especially fast, as the distance between us continued to shorten even though we used the mana propulsion device. Therefore, now we only had one option.
«Emily, don't waste the mana stones.»
«Let's fight?»
«Is there any other option?»
Amelia didn't answer my question. He just let go of the steering wheel. When it did, the speed of the ship, which was going downwind, decreased significantly.
Chwaaa!
The three ships riding the current towards us also entered my field of vision. Among them, the most notable was the ship in the center. It looked three times heavier than ours, was equipped with mana cannons at the front and sides, and had three sails. And that was not all. It even had an icebreaker device on the bow. A ship of that quality would be only two ranks below a real warship.
«Schuitz, if those guys fire cannons, our ship will sink right away.». Amelia expressed concern upon seeing the overwhelming grandeur of the small fleet, and she could see why. If this turned into a naval battle, a ship like ours would undoubtedly be destroyed in no time.
Smack.
I licked my lips and checked the traffic sign ring. The yellow light from before had long since faded, but now he thought he knew why the light had been yellow instead of red.
«That ship... looks very big and robust».
The monsters weren't the only ones throwing treasures into the maze.