After seeing someone else with red eyes, I didn't stop—I just moved on.
Before I saw the red-eyed woman, Emma and Emilia had gone their separate ways for whatever reason. I didn't ask, because my sixth sense told me they were shy.
Soon, they returned, and Emma said,
"We are all done, sir. So we can go back whenever you want."
I nodded, but instead of returning, I went to the magical devices shop. Treasures were also displayed there, which I examined carefully.
After this last visit, I finally returned to the hotel.
There, I saw that red-eyed woman again and heard a surprised voice behind me.
"Sister?"
I immediately turned and found that it was Emma who had spoken. I was a little shocked, but since I didn't know Emma personally, I didn't care much. Then I heard four voices in unison:
"Sister?"
Looks like my other escorts were also surprised.
The red-eyed woman seemed startled, then anxiously looked around and said,
"How about, instead of making a commotion here, you all come to my room?"
Emma looked embarrassed but answered resolutely,
"I am on an escort mission, so I can't, sister. Maybe some other time."
I could feel the red-eyed woman was sad, but she nodded.
I thought for a moment and then said,
"Emma, you can go for a little while. It looks like you haven't met in a long time."
Emma was surprised, then happy, but after an inner struggle said,
"How can I leave you, sir?"
I replied, "Well, I remember just an hour ago, you and Emilia left me."
She averted her eyes.
Then I heard a laugh. It was Emma's sister.
She chuckled and said,
"You're all invited to my room. That way, everyone can be happy."
Emma looked at me out of the corner of her eye.
I sighed and agreed. The other members of Claw grinned—they were clearly interested too.
We all followed the woman.
As soon as we settled in the red-eyed woman's room, Emma introduced her.
"This is my sister, Emily."
Before Emma could introduce us, Lucas cut her off.
"Emma, you said you were your father's only daughter." He raised an eyebrow.
"Did you think we would hit on her?"
Emma paled and quickly said to Lucas,
"She is a noble and married."
This frightened everyone. Disrespecting a noble carried serious consequences.
But Emily sighed and said, "It's fine."
Emma continued,
"She's my uncle's daughter. My father and uncle were both skilled fighters. My father liked freedom, so he became an adventurer and eventually died as an S-Rank adventurer. Her father joined the army and contributed to the kingdom during times of war."
Emily picked up from there.
"My father then married the daughter of a knight and was later awarded the title of Baron."
Emma added,
"But then she was married off to a viscount. My uncle knew this would help her rise on the social ladder, and he also knew how the world worked."
Then Lucas asked,
"Forgive me for earlier. So, where were you married to, and what are you doing here?"
Emily remained silent, so Emma answered for her,
"She was married to Viscount Henry Narbonne."
Lucas replied,
"Isn't this Viscount Henry Narbonne's territory? Why is your sister in a hotel?"
Emma looked at Emily curiously, waiting for an answer. Emily only looked down in silence.
Meanwhile, I was in my own thoughts.
Viscount Henry Narbonne had illegal dealings with an organization that the MC will reveal in the future. Later, more of his crimes are exposed—such as working with demons, capturing people from his territory for human experiments, and even killing his ex-wife.
Suddenly, I blurted out unintentionally,
"He is trying to kill her."
Emily jolted and stared at me in shock, as did the others. Emma started to argue, but she stopped when she saw her sister's reaction.
Emma asked slowly,
"Emily… why are you here?"
Emily sighed and admitted,
"He's right."
Emma gasped.
"But… how is that possible?"
Tears welled up in Emily's eyes.
"Henry was the only son of his father. When his father died, he inherited the title at a young age…"
She began sobbing, so I'll summarize what she explained:
Because Henry was so young, others began targeting him indirectly. He was vulnerable, and Emily's father noticed. Wanting his daughter to rise higher socially, he married her to the young viscount. Henry was happy, since Emily's father was a military man who wouldn't meddle too much, but if Henry was attacked, Emily's father would step in.
Those targeting Henry had no choice but to stop, because Emily's father commanded more soldiers and had a fiery temper. With ongoing conflicts against neighboring kingdoms, even the king might intervene to keep Emily's father from being distracted. Since Henry's enemies were only motivated by greed, they backed off.
Things were peaceful until Emily's father died two years ago. That was when Henry began showing his true colors. At first, he was only occasionally angry with Emily, but a year ago, he met a beautiful girl named Eleanor, the daughter of another viscount. Henry fell in love and wanted to marry her.
Multiple wives were allowed in the kingdom, but Eleanor's father refused to let her become a second wife—especially when the first wife was only a baron's daughter. Eleanor's father was a weak viscount, and some barons were stronger than him.
Logically, Henry could have used underhanded but not illegal methods to get what he wanted. But Henry, being a fool, didn't want Eleanor to be unhappy. So instead, he chose the illegal path: plotting to kill his first wife.
If Emily had a son, she might have used him as protection. The situation still would have been grim, but at least she'd have some leverage. Unfortunately, Henry made things worse. He went hunting with his son and accidentally got him killed.
Emily couldn't leave the city because Henry's men would find her. Instead, she hid in the best hotel, knowing Henry would never expect her to be that bold.
After hearing everything, Emma cried and said,
"I wish I could do something."
Emily smiled softly.
"It's alright. Just feeling the warmth of family again has strengthened me and given me happiness."
After that, we all left.
I felt once more that I needed strength to protect myself. If Emily had been an S-Rank, Henry wouldn't have dared touch her. He would probably have been the one hiding in this hotel instead.
All I could do was pray for her well-being.
We rested for the day and decided to leave tomorrow. That night, we treated ourselves to a proper meal, since we couldn't enjoy much while traveling. We ate to our hearts' content and left.
By then, the streets were empty in the late hour.
Suddenly, we felt movement around us. Raven was the first to notice after me. He immediately tensed, ready for battle. Everyone reacted instinctively and prepared themselves.
The first attack came—not at me, but at Raven. He handled it easily. But the attacker's identity puzzled me. It was a soldier. Soon, more soldiers appeared, attacking everyone without targeting me specifically.
Our team had enough strength, and with them protecting me, we had the upper hand. But then the soldiers noticed I was being guarded. They shifted focus, targeting me to pressure the others.
Even so, we managed to hold our ground. Suddenly, however, I felt an intent directed at me—not to kill, but to do something else. Before I could react, someone attached a device to me.
It sealed my magic.
Since I wasn't attacking anyway, I didn't understand the point.
Then the soldier in charge announced,
"Everyone retreat a little."
The soldiers obeyed. Clearly, he was their leader.
The leader turned to Claw members.
"Surrender your weapons and come quietly."
Raven looked at him like he was an idiot.
The leader smirked.
"That magic restraint has a built-in detonation feature."
I looked at the restraint. I couldn't be sure, but I bluffed.
"Yeah, I can see there's no such feature."
The leader laughed.
"I can tell you don't actually have that ability. Otherwise, you'd already be pissing your pants."
Well, I guess there was a detonation feature.
He explained, amused,
"They won't kill you, but they'll injure you enough to destroy your hand. If you get help in time, you might survive. Three things will trigger detonation: I activate it, you go out of range, or you try to break it."
He stroked his chin.
"Of course, maybe I'm bluffing. You know what they say—never trust your enemy. You can leave if you want. I won't stop you."
He just stood there, waiting for me to go.
I started to walk away.
He didn't stop me.
A soldier asked him,
"If he dies, the viscount won't care much, but how will we handle these adventurers?"
The leader thought for a moment.
"Then we'll have to retreat. Adventurers won't attack us—otherwise, they'd be branded criminals."
The soldier nodded.
Meanwhile, I became certain the restraint would detonate if I left. So I smiled sheepishly and returned.
"Can't leave my friends behind, can I?"
The leader raised an eyebrow, then laughed.
"Yeah, yeah, Mr. Hero. Now, you five surrender your weapons."
The Claw members exchanged looks. Raven sighed and complied.
We were all restrained and surrounded.
The leader spoke again,
"Actually, we needed you all. So thanks for not running. By the way, I wasn't lying—the device really would have detonated."
Then, under guard, we were marched away by the soldiers.