Synthesis-type adventurers

Chapter 15 The Hunt Begins

Two soldiers roughly ripped down the curtain.

Avira had only managed to put on a rough linen shirt, and before she could put her arm and leg armor back on, she was forced out by several crossbow bolts.

"Victor?" Avira recognized the man, her brow furrowing. "What do you mean by this? Trespassing, is this the Hohenheim family's upbringing?"

"Good manners are for nobles, Miss Griffin." Victor looked Avira up and down with a mocking gaze. "For murderers who murder nobles and embezzle inheritances, I only need to talk about instruments of torture."

"Murder? That was the Red Dragon!" Avira laughed angrily. "Kyle was greedy and reckless, which angered the Red Dragon. We only escaped death by sheer luck..."

"Shut up!" Victor suddenly roared, shattering his carefully maintained facade of elegance. "Who gave you the audacity to call my brother by his name? That's a disgrace to the Hohenheim family, and evidence of the crimes of you lowly people!"

He waved his hand dismissively.

"Take her down. If you can't find the ring, send this woman to the Black Iron Mine in the north." Victor paused. "They're short of a few decent dead servants to fill the bellies of those ghouls. I think the overseers there will be happy to offer a good price."

Several soldiers immediately rushed forward.

Avira instinctively tried to resist, but the moment her hand touched the hilt of her sword, two cold crossbow bolts were already pressed against her head.

"Don't move, Avira," Rod's voice rang out at just the right moment.

Avira froze, turning to look at Rod.

Rhodes shook his head slightly, remaining calm.

At this distance, with this level of firepower, resistance offers absolutely no chance of survival.

Moreover, the fact that Victor dared to take the law into his own hands in Rust Harbor shows that he is not afraid of the guild's accountability at all—or rather, he has already used gold coins to smooth things over.

The soldiers roughly pinned Avira to the ground, took out specially made anti-magic chains, and tightly bound her hands and feet.

These chains are engraved with suppressive runes that can block the flow of magic; they are instruments of torture specifically designed to deal with professionals.

"take away."

Victor didn't even glance at Avira on the ground, and turned to face Rhodes.

He walked up to Rhodes and patted Rhodes's soot-covered cheeks with the clean white handkerchief.

"You have seven days," Victor said with a smug snort. "In seven days, I want to see that ring, plus 800 Trade Ducat gold coins. Consider it 'compensation' for failing to protect Kyle. If not…"

He pointed to Avira, who was being dragged outside and struggling in the mud.

"Go to the mine and collect the body of this beautiful knight lady. Oh, I almost forgot, by then she might not be very beautiful or intact anymore."

After saying that, Victor disgustedly threw the handkerchief, which was stained with mud and grime on Rhodes' face, on the ground and turned to walk into the rain.

Two soldiers behind him, who were about to leave, shoved Rhodes and pushed him out the door like a piece of trash.

"Bang!"

Rod fell heavily into the mud puddle, his face splattered with dirty water.

He didn't rush in to his death like a hot-blooded fool; instead, he watched through the rain as Avira was roughly shoved into a black carriage.

Avira didn't beg for mercy or curse; she just looked back one last time before the car door closed.

There was no blame in his eyes, only a trace of regret for not fulfilling his duty and a deep concern for Rhodes.

His eyes seemed to say: I'm sorry, I'm afraid I can no longer serve you and repay your life-saving grace.

The carriage rolled through the mud, carrying the Hohenheim family's private army away.

Only after the black car disappeared completely at the alley entrance did Rod slowly push himself up from the mud.

He wiped the dirty water off his face.

The rain was icy cold, but it couldn't extinguish the burning fire in his eyes.

800 gold coins.

And also a ring that doesn't exist.

This is a dead end.

Victor had no intention of reasoning; this was merely a cold-blooded political maneuver to cut his losses.

He had to repackage Kyle's death as a "defeat of strength" into a "despicable betrayal."

More importantly, there was the ring.

If it is acknowledged that the ring was destroyed by dragon breath, it would mean the complete end of the family lineage, which would enrage the old baron and might even prematurely end the continuation of the Hohenheim title.

But if the ring was "stolen," then it means it still exists.

Once Rod and Avira's guilt is confirmed, the whereabouts of the ring will become a mystery that can be left unsolved indefinitely.

Victor was able to rise to power as an "Avenger" while perfectly shirking responsibility for the lost token—the item was hidden by these two lowlifes, not destroyed during his generation.

After all, the dead cannot speak out.

That's quite a clever scheme.

Rod picked up the handkerchief that Victor had discarded from the mud.

It was the finest silk, with the Hohenheim family's double-headed griffin emblem embroidered on the edges, now stained with dirty water.

[Analysis View], the handkerchief still retained Victor's scent.

[Temporary·Aura of Greed (Gray Inferior)]: It has been tainted by the master's intense desires.

Rod tucked the handkerchief into his pocket without any expression.

"Seven days, is it?" he muttered to himself at the empty alleyway. "Fine, I'll give it to you. Even if it's just to buy your life, I'll scrape together the money."

This is indeed a problem.

But in this world where everything has an entry, as long as there is desire, there will be flaws; as long as there is greed, there will be traps.

Rod turned and went back to the basement.

The dilapidated house had been ransacked; the table was overturned and crocodile skins were scattered all over the floor.

He walked straight to the corner, pried open a loose floor tile, and dug out the money bag containing all his savings.

Seven gold six-cent coins and some loose change, plus the several guild orim he had previously accumulated, could be converted into trade ducat gold coins at a ratio of ten.

Not even a fraction of the amount.

But it is not important.

The important thing is that the stubborn and rigid woman who, in any danger, even dragon's breath, would actually raise her shield to protect her teammates, and who would even attempt suicide if she failed to protect them—Rhodes's "personal property" and trusted companion—has been captured.

Without him, the danger level for Rhodes in exploring the dungeon and collecting more entries would be greatly increased.

He sat on the messy floor, fiddling with a gold coin in his hand.

well.

Victor, you want a keepsake, right?

Then I'll make one for you.

More than just a keepsake, I also want to make you a "big treasure".

A "big treasure" that can send you, your rotten family, and all the arrogance and greed of you bunch of dog nobles to hell.

Rhodes stood up and put the gold coins into his pocket.

He picked up the pile of crocodile skins and teeth from the ground and repackaged them.

Life must go on, and tasks still need to be completed.

Even if the sky falls, not a single penny of the money we're owed will be lost.

He stepped out of the basement and back into the pouring rain.

This time, his steps were lighter than ever before.

Because Rhodes has a clearer new goal.

The hunt has begun.