The black-clothed man’s control over the spatial magic began to destabilize under the influence of that roar. He could barely even remain standing.
Because of that, Mann was able to break free from the spatial prison without much effort.
So Sophien… has already figured out a way to disrupt the flow of magic? Just from seeing the usage of the Evil God’s head a few times, she deduced the principle behind it… As expected of the original protagonist. Her talent is honestly terrifying.
Mann sighed inwardly as he looked toward the sky. A figure then descended from above.
Still clad in holy white armor, the sharply contoured helmet reflected pale golden eyes that were locked firmly onto the black-clothed man.
“So that’s how it is…”
The black-clothed man steadied himself and looked toward Mann, who was standing behind Sophien.
“So you’re the Mann Matthews they specifically warned us about. What a coincidence… But where did your Divine Envoy ability go? Why can’t I sense it?”
“Hmph. Isn’t that thanks to you people from the Cult of the Evil God?”
Mann turned toward Sophien.
“Captain, stop wasting time talking to him! This guy definitely knows a lot. We need to capture him quickly!”
Sophien didn’t respond, but the surrounding mana grew denser and denser. The atmosphere became incredibly tense.
“Whatever. Now isn’t the time to clash with you head-on…”
Before the black-clothed man could finish speaking, a violent blast of magic shot toward him at extreme speed.
Yet surprisingly, the attack passed right through his body.
Unhurriedly, he walked over to the crate filled with weapons and placed a hand on its surface.
“Heh… I’ll gladly take these weapons. And the next time we meet will be the day you both die.”
Sophien immediately launched another attack at the crate, but just like before, the attack passed through both the box and the man without affecting them in the slightest.
In the next moment, the black-clothed man—and the hundreds of weapons—vanished without a trace. Even his presence disappeared completely.
“Mister Mann?”
Sophien turned to look at him, but Mann only shook his head helplessly.
Compared to Rien, this man’s destructive power was far inferior, but he possessed additional spatial-transfer abilities. They hadn’t truly fought this time, but based solely on the abilities he had shown, he was likely even more troublesome than Rien.
It seemed that even among followers of the same god, their abilities could differ greatly.
“These lunatics gathered in this city long ago, and now they’re secretly ordering so many magical weapons. What exactly are they planning?”
“Who knows? Whatever it is, it can’t be anything good.”
After saying that, Mann walked over to the unconscious blacksmith father and son. Fortunately, neither of them was seriously injured.
“I say, Captain… do you still think this can be solved by fighting alone?”
“…”
“At this point, the enemy hides in the shadows while we’re exposed. Besides, Darkz is the Empire’s second-largest city. We can’t handle things the same way we did in Matthews Territory.”
“You’re right…”
“With you operating openly, we also need people investigating from the shadows… Given the current situation, that’s the only option.”
“From the shadows…”
Sophien held her chin thoughtfully, calculating the feasibility of different plans in her mind.
“What if my people join the Adventurers’ Guild? It would make investigations easier and wouldn’t attract suspicion. But I’ll still need to contact Father and secretly deploy troops nearby. If something unexpected happens, we’ll be able to respond immediately.”
Mann had no objections.
“Then let’s begin immediately. Those lunatics are becoming more active by the day. We can’t keep reacting passively forever.”
“But…”
“There’s no ‘but.’ I’m not doing this because I want to help you. I have my own goals too.”
“Also, that man tried to kill this blacksmith and his son earlier. If the Cult of the Evil God considers them a threat, then they’re definitely not ordinary people. We should protect them.”
“That’s about it, Captain. I’ll head to the Adventurers’ Guild first.”
Sophien nodded at his words.
“Be careful.”
Not long after, Mann—now disguised—arrived at a branch of the Adventurers’ Alliance Guild.
Though it wasn’t an official organization, it was thriving in every major city across the Empire.
Compared to the shabby mercenary guild back home, this place could practically be described as luxurious.
With a quick glance, he counted over twenty reception staff, while adventurers constantly came and went through the halls.
But before he could even enter the guild, someone called out to him.
“Hey, little brother! You over there! New face, huh? You here to become an adventurer too?”
Mann turned and saw a burly man grinning as he walked over.
The man casually slung an arm over Mann’s shoulder, only for Mann to immediately shake him off.
“Who are you? Do I know you?”
The burly man’s expression stiffened briefly, but he quickly forced a smile again.
“You seemed hesitant, so I figured you probably know the guild has very high standards for adventurers.”
“So?”
“I can help you pass and become an adventurer smoothly. Of course… for a small fee.”
The words sounded so familiar that Mann almost lost composure.
Amazing. Even in another world, scams like this exist.
Still, he couldn’t be bothered wasting time on him.
“No thanks.”
Seeing Mann about to leave, the man hurried after him.
“Wait! Wait! How about this—you only pay after you successfully become an adventurer. Fair enough?”
Even Mann was starting to get annoyed.
He was just about to snap at him when his eyes suddenly lit up with an idea.
Maybe he could use people like these to expand his information network.
With enough pressure—and a few rewards—it probably wouldn’t be hard to make them work for him.
“You serious?”
“Serious! Absolutely serious!”
“Then follow me, little brother…”
Honestly, the scam was painfully low-level.
Mann shook his head helplessly, already guessing exactly what the man intended to do.
At first he wondered whether the guy might come up with something clever, but clearly he had overestimated him.
Sure enough, the burly man led Mann into a secluded alley.
“Hey. Are we there yet?”
“Almost, almost.”
Heh… Let me guess. Next, a few guys are going to jump out and surround me?
“Seriously… can you hurry up? Anyone with half a brain would realize something’s wrong after walking this long. You’re making this difficult for me.”
Mann grumbled inwardly.
Thankfully, it didn’t take much longer before the burly man stopped. At the same time, three more men holding daggers appeared behind Mann. Judging from their skinny frames, though, they looked half-starved.
“Kid, if you don’t want to die, hand over all your money!”
Mann looked at the four of them and suddenly didn’t even feel like talking anymore.
Honestly… even though I planned on robbing them back from the start, why do I still feel like the idiot here? Good thing nobody I know saw this… otherwise this would be humiliating.
“Just the four of you?”
“Yeah, and what of—”
Before the burly man could finish speaking, something slammed violently into his jaw.
His vision instantly went black, and he collapsed unconscious.
***
When he finally regained consciousness, he discovered that he and the other three men had all been tied together, completely unable to move.
Meanwhile, Mann sat nearby, calmly watching them.
“Hand over all your money, or I’ll turn you over to the guards. Your choice.”