The incident occurred after several battles on our way back to the royal capital. We had grown somewhat complacent after getting used to the fighting.
While Ava and I were busy fending off a few attacking werewolves, I let my guard down.
Trinity, our guide, had some combat training but primarily focused on guiding us rather than engaging in fights. Suddenly, she pulled out a rope from her side and tossed it.
"Rope Bind!"
The thrown rope snaked towards Ava and me like a living thing, wrapping around us tightly. We were powerless as we were thrown to the ground.
"What the hell, Trinity!? What's going on here?"
"It's exactly what it looks like. Honestly, you two trust me way too much. Normally, you'd be a bit more cautious. But I guess it's understandable, considering you're just naive inhabitants of another world. And being from the Guide Guild made it all too easy for me."
Trinity, who had been speaking politely as a guide until now, dropped her facade and became much more crude.
"Was the whole 'beginner guide' thing a lie too?"
"Sorry, but it's true that I'm a guide. Normally, I'd carry out my role without a hitch, but I got an unexpected opportunity this time."
As she said this, Trinity began rummaging through my and Ava's bags, snatching up the leather wallet. Inside Ava's initial equipment wallet was 1,000 gold, just as it was supposed to be—one silver coin. Since I had given Trinity 1 gold as an upfront payment for her services, my wallet had nine silver coins, nine copper coins, and nine tin coins, making it rather heavy.
"Wait, what!? Are you serious!? There's this much gold?!"
Trinity exclaimed in shock as she checked Ava's wallet. Normally, she would have the same 1,000 gold as me. Does the blessing affect our finances too?
"This is an unexpected windfall. I never thought the contents of a wallet would be more lucrative than the main prize."
As Trinity tucked away the wallet he had stolen from us, he grabbed the light blue and blue swords hanging at Ava's waist.
"I see. So, you were after the sword I received from the blessing. Selling this sword would indeed fetch a pretty penny."
"Well, that's how it is. Even if the rank is low, it's still blessed equipment. If I had my way, I'd like to take that armor too, but I can't remove the ropes, so that will have to wait."
It seemed he originally intended to be our guide but switched to robbery upon seeing Ava's blessed gear.
"So, what's going to happen to us now?"
"Sorry, but you're just going to be left here. If you're lucky, you might survive."
"Are you really just going to leave us? What if we somehow live and report to the guards?"
"If I did that, they'd trace it back to me. Besides, if you happen to survive, I'll just play dumb. There's no evidence linking me to this."
Wait, what is he saying? There's plenty of evidence.
"Your blessed gear will lead them straight to you. The gatekeeper saw us together. A little investigation will reveal that sword belongs to Ava. If we somehow survive, what excuse are you going to come up with? Carrying that sword doesn't seem plausible."
"Shut up! Instead of worrying about that, worry about surviving here!"
Trinity seemed unsettled by my comment, perhaps not having thought it through deeply. It appeared that this robbery had been an impulsive idea, so she probably hadn't considered the consequences. For her, the best outcome would be to eliminate us without hesitation, but she didn't seem particularly committed to that course of action. She wasn't a true villain; rather, she seemed more like a common small-time crook incapable of pulling off anything grand.
"I think you should focus on saving yourself instead of worrying about us," I said.
"Huh?"
The reason for my suggestion was that Ava, tied up beside me, was muttering strange incantations under her breath.
"Wind Cutter!"
As Ava spoke, a small blade of wind descended upon us, slicing through the ropes that bound us.
Seeing the ropes severed, Trinity panicked and swiftly attempted to flee. But I quickly pursued her and caught up with ease. After all, she was burdened with a bag full of stolen loot. No matter how fast she was, my training in the swift and agile techniques of Hо̄hō-ryū karate made it simple to overtake her.
"Damn it! How can you use magic?! You really weren't a beginner, were you?"
While I held Trinity down, Ava brought over the severed ropes and bound Trinity instead. During this time, Trinity shot Ava a venomous glare.
"Oh, it's true that I'm a beginner. This is my first time in Alive In World Online," Ava said.
"That's a lie! How can a beginner suddenly use magic?" Trinity retorted.
"Who knows? It's just one of the 26 secrets of a maiden."
"26 secrets? And what do you mean by 'maiden'... never mind."
"Damn it, I went through all this trouble, and look at this mess..."
"Mess?"
"Probably referring to the code language. Trinity, you belong to the Thieves' Guild, don't you?"
At Ava's words, Trinity's expression hardened.
"Are you saying the Thieves' Guild is some kind of criminal organization?"
"No! The Thieves' Guild isn't made up of criminals! Don't talk nonsense about something you know nothing about!"
"Well, it isn't exactly a criminal organization, but it's close. Just like there's always a shadow where there's light, the development of a nation goes hand in hand with the Thieves' Guild. Their code designates dogs as the nation's spies, mice as informants, cats as thieves, and snakes as assassins. Tigers, meanwhile, represent robbers."
Hmm, so the Thieves' Guild is like a sanctioned band of robbers for the nation?
It seems to be a necessary evil.
"I was originally a cat. I was just pretending to be a tiger today; I'm not really a tiger."
"Then why did you act like a tiger—like a robber?"
Trinity fell silent for a moment, then reluctantly explained, recalling the predicament she was in.
"W-well, my pickpocket earnings this month were terrible, and I couldn't meet the guild's quota. So I had to find a way to make up for it, and I thought of that tiger act I heard about from a colleague.
"It seemed like a low-risk gamble; I mean, no one would suspect me just once. Plus, I heard that people from other worlds always bring at least 1,000 gold as starting funds when they arrive from the goddess Alice.
"And besides, even if they die, they just return to their world, so there's nothing to worry about."
How ridiculous. The reason her life was in danger was to make up for her thievery...
It's true that we players always have starting funds, so it's not a bad target, but this plan feels awfully reckless.
"By the way, Ava, we've heard that we can't resurrect if we die in this world. Is that true?"
"Yes, if you die here, that's the end. Unlike other VRMMOs, there's no revival. In this world, you only have one life.
"Sure, you can log back in with a new character after you die, but it seems you have to wait for a month before you can do that."
"What the...!?"
"Are you saying that if I had died here, I would have wasted a whole month? I don't have the luxury of dying when I'm already short on time."
"By the way, it's great that you tied her up, but what are you going to do with Trinity now, Suzanne? Are you going to leave her here for revenge? Or turn her over to the guards? Or toss her to the thieves' guild? I'll follow whatever you decide as the party leader."
Since when did I become the party leader? But, I suppose I am the leader in this mission to find Yuki, and Ava is here to assist me.
Trinity, who had been glaring at me just moments ago, suddenly looked frightened at the mention of being thrown to the thieves' guild. If she were branded a failure in thieving, it would harm the guild's reputation, and she would likely face serious consequences.
Thinking about it, Trinity's quick willingness to talk shows just how inexperienced she is as a thief. After a moment of contemplation, I finally spoke.
"I'm willing to forgive Trinity."
Trinity stared at me in shock. Ava seemed unfazed, as if she already knew my answer. It's not that I feel sorry for Trinity; it's more complicated than that.
What she did is unforgivable and a serious crime in this world. Normally, she would be turned over to the guards. However, there's a reason I'm not doing that.
"But you're not getting off without consequences—there's a condition. My goal is to find my childhood friend in this world, and I need Trinity's help to do that. Specifically, we need assistance in navigating this unfamiliar world and information from the Thieves' Guild to locate her."
Trinity belongs to two organizations: the Guide Guild and the Thieves' Guild. She will continue to guide us in this world while also searching for Yuki through the Thieves' Guild. As for the fees for guidance or information? Those will be waived as part of the price for this situation.
"If you can't accept this condition, then I'll have to turn you over to the guards or one of the guilds. Which one would you prefer?"
I ask Trinity with a teasing tone, fully aware she can't refuse. Both the Thieves' Guild and the Guide Guild would face a credibility issue if she were handed over, resulting in serious repercussions for her.
"You're being cruel. There's only one answer I can give, no matter how I look at it," she replies reluctantly. And with that, Trinity grudgingly becomes our designated guide and thief.
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AIWOn Information Exchange Thread 333
63: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/05/02 (Tue) 08:10:11 ID: J9lnT4nHR
Isn't the AIWOn wiki lacking in information?
63: Shikiba Asuka Arankon: 2059/05/02 (Tue) 08:12:13 ID: EVA2014Snd
Are you an idiot? It's obvious if you think about it for a moment.
64: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/05/02 (Tue) 08:14:25 ID: gGa444AsSin
Normally, a wiki would be a treasure trove of strategy information.
65: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/05/02 (Tue) 08:15:01 ID: OrE49BneOv
Well, it's just because it's AIWOn, what else can you say? (lol)
66: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/05/02 (Tue) 08:16:11 ID: J9lnT4nHR
What do you mean by that?
67: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/05/02 (Tue) 08:17:41 ID: Ang8Dvl666
There's this thing called a thief guild in that world, you know?
68: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/05/02 (Tue) 08:19:34 ID: need9kill9
Oh, the thief guild is responsible for dungeon traps and handling information.
69: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/05/02 (Tue) 08:20:11 ID: J9lnT4nHR
"Wait, I don't understand at all. Are you stupid? Use your head a bit."
"Basically, in that world, information is worth money."
"Exactly! Useful information can make more money if you sell it to thieves in that world instead of posting it on a wiki."
"Even if you post it on the wiki, the value of the information will drop because it will be deleted quickly. Then the person who deleted it—having found it on the wiki—can sell it for a large profit. After all, they got the information for free from the wiki!"
"What!? Is that really allowed? So the information on the wiki isn't reliable…?"
"Not that it's completely unreliable, though!"
The basic information about AIWOn and the obvious facts that have lost their value are included here.
76: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/05/02 (Tue) 08:32:01 ID: OrE49BneOv
They're listing really basic information.
77: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/05/02 (Tue) 08:34:25 ID: gGa444AsSin
If you really want AIWOn strategy tips, you should search through the past logs on this board or consider recruiting a thief in AIWOn.
78: Shikiba Asuka Aranko: 2059/05/02 (Tue) 08:35:13 ID: EVA2014Snd
Just be careful not to get robbed when you recruit a thief!