Oi, I heard you guys.

The heck? Youre planning on hunting rookies?

I was checking out the dungeons state of affairs for the first time in a while out of curiosity since its been a pretty long time since anyone had used the [Avarice Trap], but then there was a bunch of whispering going on. Curiosity got the best of me and I just started eavesdropping.

And then I heard their discussion about rookie hunting. Hahaha, too bad for you two.

Theyre wanting to target Maidence, Shikina, and even Meat. Judging by what they were saying, theyre planning on doing stuff thatd need an R-18 tag on it. Thats a huge no-no for Rokuko and Meats education.

I happened to see Maidence say that she was wanting to become an adventurer like Kuro-sama since she was her fiance, so it appears that shed decided on bringing Shikina and Meat as escorts to make a three-person party.

I dont think I wouldve bothered doing anything if they just chose people that had nothing to do with me, haha.

Maaaan those two are shit out of luck.

First off, they declared theyd be killing the villages resident adventurers. Not only was that picking a fight with me as the villages chief, but also with me as the dungeons master since it would take away from my regular DP income. Thats their first OUT.

Id let them live if that was all. (I didnt say Id let them be uninjured.)

Next, among those they targeted was an aristocrats daughter who Im keeping a watch over. Thatd obviously bring more crap my way. Besides, theyre wanting to do it in the dungeon, theyre obviously intending to blame it on the dungeon right? Youre kidding me. With that, thats two OUTS.

If that was all, Id leave them their lives. (I didnt say I wouldnt make them prefer death.)

But what they really screwed up on was targeting Meat, my hug pillow. Guess Ill have to have them die. Fufufu. Please repent, okay?

So because of all that, I decided to inform the guild.

I mean, itd be alright if I did it myself, but if a C-Rank whod been properly collecting information about the dungeon just up and disappeared, thatd raise alarms.

For example, if they didnt return after telling the guild something like how theyd just be checking around the safer parts today, thatd seem off.

Its not like it would be too troublesome to wrap it all up myself, but letting the guild know to bury them in a legal sense is a lot easier.

So I decided to prepare by reporting that I got the feeling theyre trying to hunt rookies! Its just their fault that the rookie they picked will be flipping the tables on them!

Proof wont be needed! Because itll be from an accident in the dungeon!

Well, in short, Im just laying the groundwork.

With all that, I went to the guild, leaned up against the counter and told the usual Receptionist-san we needed to have a word.

Which is how I wound up hearing them talk about hunting rookies, but what can we do? I think theyre aiming for Mai-sama and Shikina since theyre nobles, and I think thatd be a big problem~

Yes, I understand. How do you wish to handle it, then?

Eh? Ummm, we couldnt go for capital punishment, could we? I mean since theyre repeat offenders and all

Understood. I will leave taking care of them to you, Kehma-sama. I will prepare it so that those two adventurers assets will be frozen.

Eh?

I would like to use whatever they have stored within the guild as compensation for their victims bereaved families, so I would be thankful for any amount of information you can get from them. I understand that it isnt your responsibility for that, though, so if you arent able to, you dont need to worry about it.

Eh? Umm, excuse me

Is there a problem?

Err, how should I put it? This is going way, way faster than Id planned.

Is it alright for us to go on like this without her checking the facts? Doesnt she think Im lying at all?Wait, maybe she was using a lie detecting magic took under the counter?

Even so, wouldnt it be necessary for her to question them first?

Umm, isnt this going way too fast? Dont you need evidence first or something?

No. Although you havent prepared any evidence, we have your testimony, am I correct?

Yeah.

Which allows for capital punishment to be allowed.

Yeah, well

Eh? Wait, hold on, just by having my testimony?

Yes?

Even if she was using a lie detecting magic tool under the counter, I still think shed need confirmation or evidence. Theres even the possibility of me having made a mistake.

Would you prefer for me to explain?

Oh, yeah. Please.

When I responded to Receptionist-san, she just sighed as though she really didnt want to.

First of all, Kehma-sama, you are the [Village Chief]. Putting it more directly, were you aware that as the person in charge of this village, you hold judicial authority here.

Yeah, well you put it a bit harshly there

So its not that I dont hold authority despite being a figurehead?

Having a village chiefs testimony is enough to close the trial immediately. So, as I, the person responsible for the guild side of things, have confirmed your judgment, all that is left is their execution.

Haaah, so thats how it is?

In other words: [Hey you, youre going to die since the most influential person and the people in charge of you agreed on it.]

The heck! This world takes lives so easily!

Well, this is a world where you can buy people for a single gold coin (around a million yen1), so thats just the way it is here. I mean, Ichika was just fifty silver

Also, could I borrow your ear for a moment?

Eh? Okay.

I lent her my ear to hear what she wanted to say confidentially.

Then, with a voice quiet enough to not be heard by others around us

Kehma-sama, as an aristocrat, you could easily bestow punishment on your word alone if its simply for two common adventurers.

No waaay~!?

So thats how it all actually went.

An [Aristocrat (Me)] decided to punish two common adventurers.

An [Aristocrat (Me)] recommended capital punishment. Furthermore, the [Chief Executive (Me)] proclaimed their sentence was appropriate.

Simultaneously, the [Judicial Authority (Me)] decided their sentence to be appropriate and confirmed its decision with the adventurers guild. As there were no contradictions or discrepancies between the testimonies given by an [Aristocrat (Me)], the [Chief Executive (Me)], and the [Judicial Authority (Me)], the person responsible for the adventurers guild deemed the judgment valid. The primary reasons being due to the testimonies given by the [Chief Executive (Me)] and an [Aristocrat (Me)].

The [Chief Executive (Me)] requested to carry out the punishment.

Now what follows is simply to carry it out.

Right. So as long as I out someones crime even if it wasnt rookie hunting like this, so long as I dont lie, theyre screwed?

Even a figurehead chief like me could be seen as an aristocrat dictator.

I definitely cant just go and lightheartedly say someone should die so this is power, huh? Its scary!

Umm, why do you know Im an aristocrat?

That is something I cannot answer due to a duty of confidentiality.

Hmph. So was it Sally-san? Or maybe there was some story passing through this guild about it having a more reliable backing after the aristocrat listing was made? It couldve been Haku-san herself doing something, too

Wait, even if this is because of Haku-san, theres not much of a reason for me to care about how she got her information, huh.

Well, me getting the guilds cooperation is convenient.

No way, was that last thing Sally-san mentioned meaning Receptionist-san?

Lets be cautious.

I am even aware about your two cards. You have many exceptions surrounding you, so please align yourself into being solely B-Rank as soon as you can. Have you taken the examination?

Haah, Ill consider it.

I didnt commit myself to it. I have no intention of publicly becoming a noble.

Oh, but Meat showed her B-Rank card to the lord huh~. What should I do about that?

By the way, about the rookie hunters, do you know what their modus operandi is?

Oh, if thats all

I gave away their motus operandi. Well, thats just a service for her.

Now then, how am I going to go about disposing of them? I should get them to give up as much information about their victims as possible