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Chapter 35: The Culprit

“You bastards used that ‘black stone’ I sold to transfer weapons, didn’t you!? That stone was mine! I brought it back from the dungeon! So all that fame and money you got from stopping the Stampede is all thanks to me!!”

Goda’s voice, his eyes bloodshot, echoed through the back alley in the early morning. Without giving Seira or me a chance to respond, he ranted on, spittle flying, consumed by his own delusions and his twisted sense of entitlement.

“Bring Master_Eye here right now! I’m the real hero! Give back my glory, you thieves!”

His claims were so misguided, so self-centered, that I was left speechless under my gas mask. Because an item he sold played a part, he took credit? Even a child wouldn’t make such an argument. Besides, he had sold it on the flea market as “worthless junk.” It was his own doing.

(To think he’d fallen so far that he’s lost his mind like this…)

Without lowering my guard, I focused on my right eye and activated ‘True Appraisal’ on the raging Goda. I needed to see what had driven him here, and whether anyone was behind him.

—Thrum.

A semi-translucent system window appeared in my vision, laying bare Goda’s status and the ‘truth.’ But the moment I read the line displayed there, a cold shock seized my heart.

====================
[Subject] Koji Goda
[Condition] Extreme agitation, grandiose delusions, pending special wanted status
[Truth]
The true culprit of the great calamity that caused the Shinjuku Stampede by physically destroying the ‘keystone seal’ installed in the Middle Layer Area in a fit of frustration.
Currently fleeing from his crime, he has deluded himself into believing that a fragment of the stone he previously sold is the source of Master_Eye’s power, and is attempting to claim the credit.
====================

“…!”

I caught my breath.

This man was the cause of the Stampede?

The one who had turned Tokyo into an inferno, pushed hundreds of explorers to the brink of death, and caused hundreds of billions in damages… was this small-time man, now shouting “I’m the hero” before me?

Before anger, an overwhelming wave of revulsion rose within me.

“Hey, are you listening, you bastard! Take off that filthy gas mask and answer me!”

I looked away from the ranting Goda and moved closer to Seira, who stood beside me. Turning the volume of my voice modulator down as low as it would go, I whispered in her ear.

“…Seira-san. This man is the ‘real culprit’ who destroyed the keystone and caused the Stampede.”

“Eh…?”

“I’m certain. He hasn’t been officially wanted yet, it seems, but he’s a fugitive.”

The moment she heard my words, the air around Seira, who had been frowning in annoyance, changed completely. Her innocent girl’s demeanor vanished, replaced by the absolute strong presence—the ‘Sword Saint’—and her ice-cold eyes pierced through Goda.

“…I see. I thought something was strangely off from the start.”

Seira murmured quietly, and without taking her eyes off Goda, she operated the guild-issued S-Rank smartwatch on her left wrist. Opening a special channel, she spoke briefly.

“This is Jinguji. …Yes, the suspect in the keystone destruction, Koji Goda. He’s right in front of me. …Yes, I’ll subdue him. Please send backup and a transport vehicle immediately.”

Whether he heard the call or not, Goda’s face twitched.

“The guild…? Hey, what did you bastards just do!? I’m a hero! I’m Master_Eye’s benefactor! Ignoring me, whispering behind my back…!”

His already frayed pride and desperation broke when we not only failed to praise him but openly acted against him.

“Don’t look down on me!!”

Goda pulled a cheap knife from his pocket and, with bloodshot eyes, charged at me. It was a desperate, mindless rush—he had lost his greatsword and his magic power was depleted.

“Watch out, To— I mean, Agent.”

Before I could brace myself, Seira sighed and stepped forward.

“Hmph…”

“Gh, agh!?”

It was over in an instant.

A perfectly executed, efficient leg sweep and arm twist. Goda’s large frame spun in the air, and the next moment, his face slammed into the hard asphalt of the back alley.

“Guh, geeee…!”

With his right arm twisted behind his back, the joint locked, Goda let out a squeal like a pig.

“Don’t move. If you struggle, I’ll shatter your arm.”

The overwhelming S-Rank powerhouse who had cleaved the Hydra in two declared in a cold voice. Before such overwhelming power, Goda could only lie prone on the ground.