The young man who appeared before them had a very delicate face, almost feminine, and long black hair, his ears pointed but not too long being clear proof that he had some elven blood in him. Since she hadn't interacted with too many girls since arriving in the city of Orin, it didn't take Kara long to realize that he was the fiancé mentioned by the receptionist.
Although he remained momentarily fascinated when Kara and Ophelia looked at him, there was no trace of carnal desire in his eyes, only pure admiration for their beauty, which put him in a favorable light in front of Kara, who decided to be patient with him and to avoid conflict as much as possible.
If you're referring to Lina, I can assure you that nothing happened between us. At most, I teased her a bit because I found it amusing when she blushed...", Kara defended herself, while her hand, with its fingers intertwined with Ophelia's, fell victim to Ophelia's annoyance as Ophelia squeezed Kara's fingers and pinched the back of her hand.
"Just that? My friend who informed me said he saw you trying to kiss her...", the half-elf continued, seeming unwilling to accept Kara's explanations.
"I don't know who told you that, but I assure you he's not really your friend..."
"Huh, why do you say that?", the half-elf asked, not understanding what Kara was suggesting.
"Because he encouraged you to confront me. And a confrontation with me has no other outcome than death...", Kara explained, letting a little killing intent show to make it clear that she wasn't joking.
"You, you...", the half-elf stuttered, trying to move his hand, which seemed frozen, toward the saber at his waist.
"You'd do well not to escalate the situation. My girlfriend is much stronger than you...", intervened Ophelia, who didn't want Kara and herself to get into a conflict with nothing to gain. Moreover, she wasn't too eager to see Kara fighting for another girl.
"Galen, stop!", shouted Lina, rushing down the stairs.
It didn't take her long to figure out what was happening, as it wasn't the first time her boyfriend had gotten into a conflict with an adventurer because they made advances toward her. But what could she do to prevent this from happening again and again? She couldn't just label herself with a sign on her forehead saying she had a boyfriend, could she?
'Ahh, being very cute can be a real burden...', Lina began to complain again in her mind.
It didn't help much that Galen didn't fit the mold of male adventurers, muscular and intimidating, as he had a more delicate build and a face with feminine features. Often when he tried to convince those who made advances to Lina to give up, most of them didn't take him seriously. Furthermore, some even started making advances toward him.
Lina didn't expect Galen to get into a conflict with Kara, as he had only ever confronted men who made advances to her before. She couldn't know that Galen was aware she was a face-controller and felt much more threatened by Kara than by the male adventurers, whom he confronted just so Lina could have peace at work, not because he feared any of them would succeed in winning her over.
"Galen, I don't know what you've heard, but I guarantee you this young woman didn't go further than just teasing me a little... Yes, she didn't lay a finger on me! Plus, as you can see, she already has a girlfriend...", Lina continued after reaching Galen, fearing her boyfriend would actually fight Kara, knowing she was very powerful and not the kind of person to fight with gloves on.
"If you say so, Lina...", Galen finally said, for whom Lina's intervention was like a godsend, as he had realized that he couldn't defeat Kara and didn't know how to back down without being considered a coward.
"Well, sorry for that... The Guild Master is waiting for you in his office to discuss what you encountered on the mission. It's upstairs, at the end of the hallway...", Lina then addressed Kara and Ophelia, being able to breathe a sigh of relief only when the two headed for the stairs.
"Uff, I really got scared!... Galen, you have no idea how close I was to becoming a widow..."
Hearing Lina's words, Galen wished to contradict her, but he was aware he had been overwhelmed by the situation and that this outcome was the most favorable for him. However, admitting he wasn't strong enough in front of his girlfriend wasn't a pleasant thing for him, so he tried to change the subject, starting to talk about the things he had seen on the mission he had just returned from.
................
"A bear with diamond claws, you said? That's quite far from The Great Moonshadow Forest. Moreover, it seems a bit strange that it met the adventurer team including the two you had a conflict with just a day ago...", said the Guild Master, who didn't seem to believe Kara and Ophelia's story about how Mason's team had been eliminated.
Hearing the words of the middle-aged man behind a desk full of documents, Kara could tell that he wasn't intending to accept their explanations and was planning a more thorough investigation.
'Hmm, it seems this old man doesn't believe in coincidences. Well, maybe the fact that I didn't even spend a full minute thinking about how to explain the deaths of those three adventurers made the story I told imperfect. But what's the point of wasting my time trying to cover my tracks perfectly? Does a tiger bother washing the grass on which he tore its prey? No, only someone afraid of consequences would do that...'
"What can I say? The world is a place full of wonders...", Kara said without a hint of worry, pretending not to notice the movements of the two guards standing by the wall near the door, seemingly ready to jump and arrest them.
"I'll ask you again. Are you sure this happened? I think you know the consequences you will face if it's proven you lied...", the Guild Master asked again, irritated by Kara's attitude, which didn't seem to take him seriously at all.
"What do you mean, old man? Are you suggesting that I was the one who killed those three and that I'm trying to blame it on a bear with diamond claws? Then it's true what people say, in old age a person really starts to lose their clear thinking..."
Hearing Kara's words and seeing the Guild Master's face turning red with anger, Ophelia, who knew she was perfectly safe as long as she was with Kara, couldn't help but laugh, causing a vein on the Guild Master's forehead to twitch.
"Do you think this is a joke? Do you know you could end up as slaves if it's proven that you killed those three? Well, I'm sure you'll make some nobles happy..."
"Boom!!!", suddenly echoed throughout the building, the sound being made by the impact of the Guild Master and the two guards hitting the floor, crushed by the pressure exerted by Kara, who had no intention of seeing the Guild Master acting as the emissary of the God of Justice.
"See, I was right when I said you're not thinking clearly anymore. Did you forget that the powerful are the ones who write the history and decide what the truth is? Or did you think that just because you were an A-rank adventurer in your youth, you no longer need to be cautious?", Kara asked the Guild Master, although she was aware that it was impossible for him to respond as his face was stuck to the ground.
It had always been hard for Kara to tolerate the hypocrisy of those in leadership positions. Knowing enough about how the Adventurer's Guild operated, she was aware that someone who couldn't bend and stretch when needed couldn't hold the position of Guild Master. If Ophelia had revealed her identity as a high-ranking noble when they entered the Guild Master's office, or if one of them had been a very well-known high-ranking adventurer, the Guild Master would have certainly accepted their story even if they said Mason and his team had been killed by a cricket. However, since the Guild Master believed they had no one backing them up and posed no threat to him, he thought it was the perfect moment to act just and righteous, to pride himself on his authority.
"So here's how we'll proceed, old man...", Kara continued after pushing the desk aside and flipping the Guild Master face-up using her foot. "My girlfriend and I want to enjoy peace as long as we stay in this city, so you'd better not continue wasting our time with the things you imagine. If not, I wouldn't be surprised if a bear with diamond claws shows up in your office too..."
"....Yes...yes...I understand...", the Guild Master finally managed to say after swallowing the blood that had gathered in his mouth, completely losing the imposing air he had just moments before.
"Alright then. I believe we're done here, so we'll go to finalize the other formalities and receive our reward...", Kara said, regaining her good mood, then she grabbed Ophelia's hand again and left the Guild Master's office, only releasing the pressure holding the three men down after closing the door.
"She's a monster... A true monster...", the Guild Master began to murmur, visibly horrified by what had transpired and feeling like all the bones in his body had been crushed, making it impossible for him to get up from the floor.