Chapter 228: Unforgivable
"...It seems you all have quite a lot of dissatisfaction with this guild. It would trouble us greatly to entrust requests to people like that. There are plenty of other adventurers. I suggest you find a guild more suited to you."
"W-Wait a second!"
Even after being told all that, they still had something to say?
"Yeah, we didn’t mean to go that far—"
"That far... what exactly? You don’t like it here, do you? Then why not just go to another guild? It wouldn’t trouble us in the slightest if you left. In fact, people who insult him aren’t welcome here."
"Wha—!"
As the man hurried to make excuses, Sarin grabbed him by the collar and glared at him as if he could kill him on the spot.
"Shut up. Don’t act tough, you brat. Do whatever you want for fun, but choose your fights carefully. Otherwise... you’ll regret it."
Perhaps being intimidated by Sarin’s words, the group of men quickly fled the guild.
However, in the end, the adventurers who had picked a fight with Qiong Xing were captured and their guild registrations were revoked.
So what exactly happened?
It was simple, because they’re harboring resentment toward him, they tried to ambush Qiong Xing and his group on their way home and were thoroughly beaten instead.
"I can understand holding a grudge against me. But if that grudge is directed at my children as well, then I will show no mercy."
They were first counterattacked by Albe who had noticed them early.
Even then, they stubbornly tried to strike again, but Albe kept them at bay effortlessly with magic and never letting them get close.
As Qiong Xing hold the twins in his arms, he wondered what to do next.
At that moment, one of the women tried to reach toward him, only to be restrained by him instantly.
Hadn’t she realized from his appearance that he wasn’t a swordsman or a shield user?
Or had they underestimated him simply because he was F-rank and assuming he would be no match for them?
"Were you planning to take my child hostage? That makes me question you... Not as adventurers, but as human beings."
"Shut up!"
"Aren’t you the one being loud? I don’t mind if you act like fools, but dragging others into it is unacceptable."
The woman glared at Qiong Xing with a face twisted like a demon’s, but he could only sigh in exasperation.
He had already contacted Sarin and the others, so it was only a matter of time.
Despite being outnumbered three to one, Albe handled the men with ease, almost as if enjoying it, which Qiong Xing found impressive.
The fact that Albe wasn’t killing them was it because Qiong Xing was there? Or because he didn’t want to show something like that to the children?
Perhaps it was both.
"Why are you making such a big deal out of something that could have ended with just a warning? You might feel satisfied doing this, but for us, it’s nothing but trouble. If things go wrong, this could turn into murder."
Qiong Xing and his group were able to defend against their attacks, but if it had been an true F-rank adventurer, they would have already been dead.
"Shut up, shut up, shut up! This is all your fault! You’re the one to blame—Aaaahhh!?"
The woman who had been pinned to the ground with magic somehow managed to move her wrist and something flashed as it flew through the air.
It was clearly aimed not at Qiong Xing, but at what he held in his arms.
However, the wind barrier he had set up just in case deflected it with a sharp clang and sending it flying away.
Still, realizing that the twins had been in danger, Qiong Xing reacted instantly.
Without thinking and without hesitation, he unconsciously poured magic into his action.
A snapping sound echoed and the woman screamed.
He had broken it.
Her arm.
Qiong Xing had broken it.
As if he could not forgive the hand that had tried to harm his child.
The sudden scream made the men turn around, their eyes landing on the woman collapsed on the ground and writhing in pain.
"The hell did you do!?"
"Don’t mess with us—"
"You’re the ones who shouldn’t be messing around."
The men’s shouting abruptly stopped and before them now stood people Qiong Xing recognized.
"Sorry we’re late. Are you alright?"
"It’s all fine now. Sorry for making you wait."
"...Katarina... Sarin..."
Without realizing it, Qiong Xing had reverted to his old way of addressing them, but Katarina and the others didn’t seem to mind.
They approached him and gently patted his head, apologizing for the delay.
"This is their own fault. You don’t need to worry about it."
"That’s right. Protecting your children is only natural for a parent."
Natural... protecting them...
Qiong Xing had hurt someone to protect the twins.
But was that really the right thing to do?
It wasn’t an injury that wouldn’t heal.
But still... he had hurt someone.
"Don’t worry. You did nothing wrong."
As expected, Katarina and Sarin had noticed.
That Qiong Xing had never hurt anyone before.
"I just... felt like I couldn’t forgive it. That’s all."
"Of course you did. Anyone would get angry if their child was hurt right in front of them. So there’s no reason for you to feel hurt over it."
"...That’s not it."
Qiong Xing felt nothing as he watched the woman writhing on the ground in pain and screaming.
"Even though I hurt someone, I didn’t feel anything. Not guilt, not worry... nothing at all. I only felt that I couldn’t forgive it..."
He wasn’t saying people should never hurt others.
But acting purely on emotion and lashing out... That was wrong... or at least, that’s what he had believed.
And yet, in that moment, all Qiong Xing felt was that he couldn’t forgive it and his magic moved in response to that feeling.