Greg was worried about Lylia, Elwen, and even Donetta so he asked right away, "I will ask again...! Is everyone alright there?!"

Lylia answered, "Yeah, we're fine, Greg. It's just minor injuries."

"And everyone in Ferndale was shocked and scared about that explosion, but we can manage it just fine. Don't worry about it."

Greg's brain was about to explode with his own rage that he had to take a lot of deep breaths before he lost control. "That fucking bastard Elias... did this all of this because of his shattered braindead ego...!"

Greg bites his lips until it bleed. "He put a curse and trap on anyone who got out of the dungeon, so that anyone who tried to get help or tell what he was doing can also be killed."

"That's the fucking reason why he can escape... it's to kill one of us!" Greg punch the wall next to him, making them all flinched.

"A failsafe," Seraphine said, her voice cold with analysis even though her hands were shaking. "The way he do it is pure cruelty without giving a single care to make sure that no one can tell anyone what is going on inside the Citadel..."

"This is what happens when someone spends time in the internet, watching a lot of dark edgy shit stuff," Felix said angrily. "That's fucking messed up!"

"He killed that man just to warn us, and it could kill my Donetta...!!!" Felix clenched his teeth with rage.

"What minor injuries you got?" Greg asked to be specesific about the minor injuries. "How about the others?"

Lylia said, "It's fine, Greg. Don't worry about us. Just a little scratch," but her voice was still shaky. "The scratch is all from the pieces of explosion. And thankfully the blast didn't hurt anything important."

"But Greg, you need to be careful. If Elias can do that kind of dark magic, who knows what else he can do when you get there..."

Greg said, "I'll be careful," but the words didn't mean much. "Be safe, okay?"

"Keep the workshop and Ferndale safe in case there's an attack coming from that bastard. We'll take care of Elias."

"Greg," Lylia's voice got softer. "Don't do anything dumb. I know you're mad, but don't lose your mind."

"Marina needs you to be smart, not stupid."

Greg hung up and slumped back in his chair. His hands shook, not because he was scared, but because he was so angry. The system notifications were still flashing at the edge of his vision, tempting him with power he had promised never to use.

"Boss," Bork said softly, keeping his eyes on the road. "Are you okay?"

Greg said honestly, "No. Right now, I'm about as far from okay as I've ever been."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Felix asked in a manner that was unusual for him.

Greg looked around the carriage at the people with him. His family, his students, and his friends had a right to know what they were getting into.

Greg said, "Elias Grimhart is a reincarnator like you, Felix."

"I fucking knew it... It's that asshole." Felix knew right away.

"How do you know...?"

"We met once, and he knew right away that I was a reincarnator from the same world as his. And of course, he insults me while insisting that I need to live a more proper life here than I did before."

"I see..."

Gre continued. "He took the power the gods gave him and became exactly what they wanted him to be. An S-rank adventurer with strength that is almost superhuman."

Seraphine's eyes grew wide with surprise. "That's absurd...!"

"We met him during the monster stampede," Greg said next. "He came to 'save' the village, but he did a lot of damage in the process."

"He destroyed three houses and almost killed civilians, all because he cared more about showing off his power than keeping people safe."

"When the shadow figure showed up and put us to the test, Elias was humiliated. His ego was shattered when he was beaten up in front of everyone."

When I saved the village, all the villagers began insulting him until he truly faced reality. "I saved the village, not to make him look bad, but it was the villagers who did that themselves."

"And then he said he would get back at them before he left to take revenge."

"Who would've thought that revenge came today... he's probably been waiting for months to prepare a strategy that could make him have a better chance at doing it."

Bork's grip on the controls got stronger. "So this is all because you made him look bad?"

"Not only that," Greg said. "The shadow figure told Elias he had been given power but hadn't earned it. It made him feel like he was worthless."

"We met him during the monster stampede," Greg said next. "He came to 'save' the village, but he did a lot of damage in the process."

"He destroyed three houses and almost killed civilians, all because he cared more about showing off his power than keeping people safe."

"When the shadow figure showed up and put us to the test, Elias was humiliated. His ego was shattered when he was beaten up in front of everyone."

When I saved the village, all the villagers began insulting him until he truly faced reality. "I saved the village, not to make him look bad, but it was the villagers who did that themselves."

"And then he said he would get back at them before he left to take revenge."

"I believe that broke something in him. With whatever evil force is giving him strength now, he's become more than just arrogant. "

"He's turned into a monster who craves revenge."

"The shadow figure," Seraphine said with a look of thought. "You said it tested people who are reincarnators."

"What really happened?

Greg discussed the whole thing, from the Berserk Titans to the shadow figure's interest in his philosophy of protecting instead of destroying. He talked about how the Guardian Reborn had won the shadow's favor and how Elias had been turned down as unworthy.

Felix said, "So Elias is taking out his shame on innocent adventurers," with his fists clenched. "He is using them to hurt you indirectly, particularly through Marina, because he knows she is important to you."

"And he's doing it with dark magic that can kill anyone who tries to tell on him," Seraphine said. "This is worse than we thought."

"We're not just going into a dungeon to save someone. We're going into a trap that was made just for Greg."

"Then we set the trap and break it instead," Bork said with grim determination. "Boss, we're on your side. We'll help you with whatever you need to do down there."

Greg looked at each of them and saw the same determination in their eyes. But he also saw worry in their eyes. They were worried about what he might do or what he might turn into if he was pushed too far.

Greg said firmly, "I won't make weapons," as much to himself as to them. "No matter how mad I am or what that bastard has done, I won't go that far."

"There has to be another way."

"Then we'll look for it together," Seraphine said. "Greg, you're not the only one going through this. The Brotherhood of Peace never leaves its own behind."

"Speaking of which," Mira said, trying to make things a little better. "Mira says we should get our gear ready. At this speed, we'll get to the Citadel by dawn."

She was correct. The night was going by quickly, and the mountains in front of them looked dark and scary against the sky before dawn. The Sunken Citadel was somewhere in those mountains, and it held both the friends they had come to save and the enemy who had planned this nightmare.

Greg's determination grew stronger as the first rays of sunlight began to color the eastern sky. Elias wanted revenge and aimed to hurt the people he loved in order to break Greg.

The silver-haired bastard, on the other hand, had made a big mistake. He had given Greg time to get ready, time to get his family together, and time to really, really get mad.

The peaceful blacksmith who wouldn't make weapons was about to show Elias Grimhart just how dangerous peace could be when its defenders were pushed too far.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.