Chapter - 021 Punishment for Crime

The word CONGRATULATION appeared in the sky, and the second floor was cleared in just ten days.

No matter how you look at it, Nezha was the one who contributed greatly to this battle.

Lind tried to congratulate Nezha, but when he realized that she was still solo, he apologized.

"I'm sorry, even though there was some trouble, I didn't add you to the raid members,

I made you fight solo. I'm truly sorry. By the way, you..."

"Mr. Lind. That's the blacksmith that people have been talking about recently."

Just as Lind was about to question Nezha about her identity, a man standing next to her called out from the side.

When Hachiman saw this, he realized that this was the man who had previously asked Nezha to strengthen his weapon but had failed.

(If I remember correctly, that was the client when I first saw Nezha.

I thought it would be fine if this were to be left unresolved, but it seems it's not going to be that way.)

The man, who seemed to be called Shivata, began talking to Nezha.

"You're the blacksmith I asked to strengthen my weapon the other day, right? Why are you suddenly playing a combat job?

Why do you suddenly have such a rare drop weapon?

In the first place, can a blacksmith alone make that much money?

Hearing this, Hachiman realized that Shivata was already suspicious of Nezha.

(If this happens, it's certain that some responsibility will be pursued.

We must avoid the worst case scenario at all costs.)

The worst case scenario Hachiman envisioned was, of course, Nezha being executed by the members present here.

This is something that must be avoided at all costs.

However, we cannot easily justify such criminal acts.

While thinking about what I want to protect in this situation,

Hachiman casually moved next to a member of the Legends of the Braves.

Asuna and Kirito followed Hachiman, and the three of them watched the events unfold.

"What do you think, Asuna and Kirito?"

"I hope that everyone involved in this matter can come to an understanding. It may be difficult, though."

"I know how hard you've worked, Nezuha... after you've completed your penance,

I want him to start afresh with another team."

"Victims always need some kind of help... It's hard to save someone's soul."

With everyone watching, Nezha knelt down before Shivata and confessed all of his sins.

All details about his fellow Legend of the Braves members remain hidden.

"Don't be ridiculous! There are so many people who couldn't come here because of you!"

"You traitor!"

There was a moment of uproar in the room, but Shivata gently raised his hand to calm it down.

The surroundings were enveloped in a heavy atmosphere.

As if waiting for Shivata, the person involved, to speak.

"Does my sword still remain?"

"Sorry, I sold everything and turned it into a col..."

"So, is it possible to get financial security at Kol?"

Hachiman was surprised by his words.

(Seriously? That's amazing. It wouldn't be strange if he yelled at her, but he's really strong.)

"I'm sorry, I spent it all on eating, drinking and staying at an expensive hotel..."

"I see..."

"Enough already! You were just having a blast!"

"Who do you think you are?"

(That guy, he really is planning to take on the whole thing on his own.)

The atmosphere became chaotic again. Hachiman glanced to the side,

The members of Legend of the Braves were pale, but showed no sign of moving.

(Tch, I guess we can't expect anything from these guys.)

Hachiman called out to Asuna and Kirito and spoke to them in secret.

"Asuna, Kirito. What do you think of this conclusion?"

"There is only collective responsibility."

"I think that's the only option left."

"But Nezuha probably wants to protect her friends."

"That's the problem... Nezuha is willing to take on all the sins for his friends,

If we do something unnecessary then we'll betray his feelings..."

"Nezuha, are you okay?"

"If it's a peaceful solution, then maybe we should just wait and see. I'm not convinced, though.

But if it escalates..."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"It's not impossible. For now, let's make those guys next to us turn themselves in."

"Can you do that?"

"Yeah. Anyway, you two, if I ask you something, please answer a little louder."

The two nodded, and then Hachiman spoke loud enough for the people next to him to hear.

"Hey, Asuna, Kirito. How much would you be willing to sell those weapons for?"

"For me it's about 200,000 cor."

(Yeah, this guy cheated.)

"I definitely wouldn't sell it... Ah... You're right, maybe I would too."

Hachiman gave her a wink, and Asuna hurriedly rephrased.

「That's right. I guess it's going to be that bad.

But can such a large sum of money really be spent on food, drink and lodging?"

"That's right... If you say you used it, then surely you can use it?"

"It's hard for us to imagine that."

(Good job, both of you)

"Maybe I'll get Nezumi to check it out next time. I'm kind of interested too."

Listening to the conversation between the three, I suddenly heard a gasp from next to me.

(Okay, the seeds have been planted.)

When I looked back ahead, it looked like Lind was trying to suggest a peaceful solution.

"Well then, for now, I'll ask you to return it to me little by little.

From now on, I'll work hard on the strategy..."

At that moment, someone suddenly shouted from within the Kibaou squad.

"Wait a minute, Lindo! I've heard that before!

There are rumors of players losing their weapons because of him, and then dying because they were using weak weapons too hard!"

(Damn, I expected it, but it turned out like this after all.)

With that one voice from the player, the situation instantly changed into one of condemnation.

"What the hell is that?! That's murder! That's murder!"

"You PK bastard! Die and pay for it!"

"Die!"

The atmosphere at this point was such that the situation could not be resolved unless Nezha was sacrificed.

"Hachiman-kun..."

Asuna looked at Hachiman with tearful eyes.

"Asuna, it's okay. Hachiman is here."

Kirito remained calm, as if he trusted Hachiman.

"Leave this sort of thing to me. In return, I trust you the most when it comes to combat, partner."

Hachiman called out to Kirito, gently patted Asuna on the head, and stepped forward.

Hachman spoke to Lind first.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Ah, ah, Hachiman. Sorry I'm late in thanking you. Thank you for this, you really helped me out."

「No, it's me who is sorry, I only provided the last minute information.

I put everyone in danger."

Hachiman looked around and bowed slightly.

The people around him seemed to look upon Hachiman with favor.

Hachiman thought this might work.

「Sorry to butt in. As you all know, we were the ones who brought him here.

Because we fought together, even if only temporarily, he helped me out on a few occasions.

Oh, no, don't get me wrong. To be honest, after hearing that story, I don't feel like defending this guy.

But because of that, I owe him a few things. So, I'd like to make a suggestion.

Perhaps because Hachiman, one of the people who contributed greatly to this project, had asked him, everyone was in the mood to give it a listen.

"I understand the desire to punish this guy, but honestly, I don't want to see someone die in front of me.

So here is my suggestion. Hey, Mouse! Come here for a second."

Hachiman called out to Argo and said it loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Give me the list of those whose weapons were destroyed, now."

"Is there such a thing...?"

"You're not in cahoots with the Rat..."

"The truth is, I've seen weapons break due to failed weapon strengthening attempts.

That's why I asked Nezumi to look into it to see if that was a possibility.

I just wanted to strengthen myself. Well, I just asked how many cases there were."

"That investigation has certainly been completed already. I forgot to hand it over due to some trouble involving the boss, though."

Perhaps because it was true that I had asked Argo to investigate the matter, the talks went smoothly.

"What I want to hear this time is the information that follows. As we all know, this Rat is a professional.

I believe some of these people bought the information, but I'm sure it was all accurate.

And I don't think vague information has been dealt with yet.

Nezumi, do you have any information on what happened to the humans who failed to be strengthened?"

「Yes, there is. I'll waive the information fee this time.

It's a counterbalance to the help you gave me in gathering information about the boss."

After hearing that reply, Hachiman spoke to everyone.

"This will probably give us some definitive information on whether anyone has died.

Let's take a look at this and then make a decision. If that's the case, we'll investigate further..."

Hachiman spoke the key words and glanced towards the Legend of the Braves.

Orlando, the leader, said that the timing was such that the word "additional investigation" was mentioned.

As if he had made up his mind, he started walking towards me.

(Okay, it looks like you've made a decision. However, there's a chance that you might kill Nezha. Let's keep an eye on her nearby.

I know from Argo that there were no casualties.)

Hachiman took a step back, gave Lind a wink,

He pointed at the Legend of the Braves with his chin. Lind noticed and asked.

"It's you guys this time. What's wrong?"

The five members of the Legend of Braves knelt down next to Nezha in the same manner.

They began to confess their sins, asking that they be judged together with the others because they were their comrades.

"Good job, Hachiman."

"Thank you, Hachiman."

"Yeah, I feel like going home and resting right now."

"Same old thing."

"That sounds like you, Hachiman."

"But at that timing, I guess my bluff worked,

I can't really say whether he came out voluntarily or not."

"I want to believe it's voluntary."

"Yeah, Hachiman, isn't that enough for now?"

"Yeah, I don't feel bad."

In the end, no one actually died, and the people who spoke the words only heard it as a rumor,

All of the equipment that was in the possession of the Legend of Braves was transferred to the victim.

The matter was resolved by paying more than the amount of the damage.

At least in terms of value, it appears to be worth more than what was lost.

What will they do now? Will they start over from scratch? It's unclear.

Word will spread quickly about this too, so even if they were to try again, it would be a tough road.

No one can use the chakram except for Nezha.

Although it was rare, it had almost no monetary value,

It was left in Nezha's hands as it was.

It is unclear whether Nezha will remain with the Legend of Braves in the future,

At the very least, he will participate in the attack and continue to appear cheerful.

Thus, the conquest of the second layer, which was just as turbulent as the first, was now complete.