Pick One

By the time Master arrived at the plaza after hearing the alarm bell, the battle had intensified.

Numerous adventurers watched the fight between the bronze statue and Master's slaves while receiving treatment.

The only ones still moving in the plaza were Elza, Azu, Alexia, and the statue.

The mages had exhausted their mana and couldn't cast anymore. Even so, their efforts had clearly taken a toll on the statue.

Its body was dented and battered all over, its left shoulder half-melted, the arm dangling uselessly.

The statue swung its khakkhara one-handed, but Elza met it head-on with her mace.

She was pushing it back.

"That cleric is incredible."

An adventurer beside Master muttered.

"The little one's no slouch either. She's been moving nonstop and hasn't slowed down at all."

Another adventurer chimed in.

Master felt a quiet swell of pride.

"How has that girl not run out of mana yet?"

A mage who'd collapsed from mana depletion said this while watching Alexia.

The statue seemed to be thrashing in blind rage, but at this rate, it looked like they could actually bring it down.

Elza deflected the statue's khakkhara and drove her mace into its left knee.

The statue staggered, and Azu seized the opening to follow up.

She'd been targeting the neck repeatedly, whittling it down with each strike. This blow carved even deeper.

The statue slowly raised its dangling left arm and clutched at its own neck.

Its mouth twisted. Its blue eyes wavered.

Just a little more.

Even Master, who knew nothing about combat, could tell.

At the same time, lights began flickering on inside the lord's manor, which had been dark until now.

They'd finally noticed, apparently.

What would the lord's son do when he saw this?

Regardless, that statue had to be destroyed.

Waiting until there were casualties would be too late. That was what Master thought.

The statue turned its back on Elza and tried to bolt toward the less crowded side of the plaza.

It was trying to flee.

But Elza noticed instantly and leaped after it.

She wound up her mace in a wide arc, aiming for the statue's head.

Azu planted herself in its path, sword at the ready.

The statue halted for a split second, then swung its right arm, khakkhara still in hand, at Azu.

Azu dodged and thrust at its neck.

Alexia's magic struck the neck at the same time.

The neck crumbled further, and in the instant the statue wobbled, Elza's mace smashed through its head from the side.

The force sent the head flying off the neck, rolling across the plaza.

The headless body lost all strength and crumpled.

The statue's severed head opened its mouth as if trying to say something, but Elza planted her right foot on it and finished it off.

Despite it being the dead of night, the adventurers' thunderous cheers filled the plaza.

As Master moved toward Azu and the others to congratulate them, the crowd of guards parted to clear a path.

The lord's son had arrived, Temple Knights in tow.

"What is the meaning of this?! What have you people done?!"

After shouting his rebuke, the lord's son spotted the toppled statue and clutched his head.

"The—the statue…! You, get your foot off of it!"

At the lord's order, Elza stepped away from the statue.

"Sacrilege! Sacrilege, sacrilege, sacrilege! Do you have any idea how much I had to beg to get permission for this statue?!"

"We're the ones who paid for it," a quiet voice muttered from among the adventurers.

"Who said that?!"

"Shut up!"

The protests began growing louder. Not just from the adventurers.

Townspeople who'd gathered to see what was happening started hurling complaints at the lord's son too.

He screamed back at them with terrifying fury, but he was hopelessly outnumbered and losing ground.

The townsfolk were fed up.

Crushed under high taxes and now a midnight rampage on top of it.

The culprit, the statue, had been destroyed, and the one who'd ordered its creation had waltzed right out to face them.

Condemnation spread like wildfire.

Even the lord's son was overwhelmed, forced to back away.

At this rate, things might actually work out.

That was what Master thought. But things didn't go that smoothly.

When the armed Temple Knights appeared, the voices of protest faltered.

Evris, who led the Temple Knights, leaned close to the lord's ear and whispered something.

"Lord Abaus, for now, the priority should be punishing those who destroyed the statue."

The lord's son, Abaus, heard this and visibly regained his composure.

A standoff was forming between the adventurers and the Temple Knights.

But the adventurers were spent from the fight with the statue, while the Temple Knights and the guards behind them were fresh and fully armed.

Things didn't look good.

"So the adventurers gathered here did this, did they? Especially you three!"

Abaus pointed.

At Azu, Elza, and Alexia.

"Mmmmm, my my. These three appear to be slaves."

Evris peered at the trio through his monocle.

He seemed to have used a magical tool.

"Slaves?! Mere slaves destroyed the Sun God's statue?!"

"What 'Sun God's statue'?! That thing was going on rampages every night!"

A large adventurer shouted back, and Evris silently drew his sword. On cue, the Temple Knights drew theirs as well.

"Mmm. As if such a thing could happen. You were likely just disgruntled about the taxes. All we saw upon arrival was a destroyed statue."

"They showed up late on purpose," the man beside Master muttered.

The lord's son being obsessed with the statue was one thing, but Evris, that man was definitely capable of pulling something like this. Master thought so too.

"Execute them! Execute them all! Evris, do it!"

"Now, now. Killing someone else's slaves without cause would be problematic. First, we'll need the slaves' owner to step forward."

The word "execute" sent a ripple of alarm through the townspeople and adventurers.

Cries of "It was self-defense!" rang out.

Master listened to all of it, then stepped in front of Azu and the others.

"I'm the owner of these three."

Master's gaze met Abaus's.

"I've seen your face somewhere… Ah, that's right. You're the merchant who came to protest before. You again."

Master held up a hand to stop Azu and the others from raising their weapons.

"You made quite the fuss about money, as I recall… Fine, I'll give you a choice. Those slaves won't go unpunished. But if you reimburse the cost of the statue, that's another matter."

"You're the one who caused this."

"Silence. I am the ruler of this town. I can do whatever I please."

The surrounding protests flared again, but Abaus ignored them.

"Twenty thousand gold coins, or your slaves' heads. Pick one. Refuse to choose, and I'll take yours."

At a flick of Abaus's chin, Evris moved in an instant, pressing his blade to Master's throat.

Azu tried to move, but Elza held her back.

"Let me go."

"Not now."

"Why?"

As the slaves' voices reached him, cold sweat ran down Master's forehead.