章 391: -386- Do whatever I want!
"You...you did such a thing!?"
Kuradeel glared at Rozen, his words dripping with hatred.
However, even with his anger, Kuradeel couldn't hide the paleness of his face and the continuous sweat streaming down, his voice trembling with fear.
There was no way around it. If there was indeed red phosphorescent powder inside Kuradeel's cloak, it meant that he had approached Rozen within ten meters in the labyrinth area.
Yet, despite being Asuna's bodyguard and determined to bring her back to their headquarters, Kuradeel hadn't shown up and confront Rozen and Asuna. This raised suspicions, and there was only one possible explanation: Kuradeel had deliberately stayed hidden.
Why would he intentionally stay hidden? Other than having ulterior motives, what other possibility was there?
Rozen didn't explicitly state this, but all the players present were top members of the clearing group or elite troops of Kibaou's "Army." Even the dullest among them couldn't miss the implication.
"Sorry," Kirito stepped forward, staring at Kuradeel. He spoke calmly, "Could you please let us see inside your cloak?"
It wasn't just Kirito; even the players from "Crimson Wing" stepped closer, all watching Kuradeel intently.
Klein chimed in humorously, "Yeah, if you haven't entered the labyrinth area and gotten within ten meters of Rozen, the phosphorescent powder wouldn't turn red."
Agil also shrugged and said "It's a way to prove your innocence, isn't it?"
The players from the clearing group expressed similar sentiments.
Even Kibaou added a threatening remark, "Could it be that you're the one who did this? Don't think we'll just let it slide if it's proven that you're responsible for us being under suspicion."
This was not a joking matter. Due to their title the "Army" and their presence in the starting town of Aincrad's first floor, the guild known as the "Aincrad Liberation Force" was known for maintaining order and was even rumored to engage in extreme forms of questioning and interrogation once a player turned orange.
As a result, there was a certain level of fear associated with them among players. If Kuradeel was indeed proven to have attempted to kill Rozen and Asuna, Kibaou might lead his "Army" to take drastic actions.
One by one, the players issued varying degrees of threats and intimidation towards Kuradeel, causing him to continuously step back, his expression filled with panic.
Typically, in such a situation, it would be reasonable for someone to prove their innocence by showing the inside of their cloak.
However, Kuradeel's face remained pale, and he loudly called out to Heathcliff for help.
"Guild Leader! You can't just stand by and watch, can you?" Kuradeel shouted, "Are you willing to let our Knights of the Blood Oath be oppressed like this?"
This individual had the audacity to elevate his personal issue to the guild's reputation and distort their reasonable request into a form of oppression against the guild.
It was no wonder that he had been capable of engaging in such extreme and perverse behavior as secretly monitoring Asuna for a month.
In the face of Kuradeel's plea, Heathcliff opened his eyes.
"Kuradeel," Heathcliff said indifferently, "I command you as the guild leader to immediately open your cloak."
"Guild Leader...!?" Kuradeel was incredulous.
Did this person really think that Heathcliff would intervene on his behalf?
"Kuradeel." Asuna also stepped forward, her face stern as she stared at Kuradeel. She said firmly, "I command you as the vice-commander to immediately open your cloak."
Asuna's words held no mercy.
"Asuna-sama...! Even you...!?" Kuradeel's expression began to distort.
As Kuradeel's expression twisted dramatically, the players in the vicinity felt uncomfortable.
Rozen, observing this scene, calmly asserted, "The one who locked us in the Guardian's boss room is you."
Rozen pointed out Kuradeel's guilt.
"You're the one who tried to kill us."
Rozen declared coldly, his voice echoing throughout the area.
All the players present turned their gaze to Kuradeel, their expressions cold.
Even Heathcliff looked on coldly. The other members of the Knights of the Blood Oath couldn't believe what they were witnessing, feeling as though their guild's reputation had been tarnished. They glared at Kuradeel in anger.
In this situation, Kuradeel lowered his head.
"Hehe... Hahaha... Hahahaha...!"
Kuradeel suddenly started laughing maniacally, his shoulders trembling as if he had become a different person.
Seeing this, everyone understood that Kuradeel was indeed the culprit.
"Why did you do such a thing?" Asuna asked, suppressing her emotions.
Upon hearing this question, Kuradeel halted his laughter.
"Why...?"
Kuradeel raised his head.
"Why would you ask me why?" Kuradeel's face was even more grotesquely distorted than before, and he replied maniacally, "It's all because of you, you ungrateful woman!"
Kuradeel shouted in rage.
"Even though I protected you and stooped so low as to stand guard at your home for an entire month, all to keep those filthy bugs away from you, you dare to associate with that man...!?" Kuradeel spewed out his resentful words.
"Since you're so ungrateful, do you really think I have no temper!?" he continued, venting his anger solely at Asuna.
Asuna clenched the hilt of her slender sword at her waist and bit her lip tightly in response to Kuradeel's one-sided accusations.
But Kuradeel kept going.
"I searched for you alone in the dangerous labyrinth, even faced several situations where I was surrounded by monsters, my HP considerably lowered. And when I finally found you, you were with that man, acting so intimately. How do you think that made me feel!?"
At this point, Kuradeel's voice took on a nervous, manic edge.
"So, when you entered the boss room in the guardian's area, I couldn't help myself. I locked the door, thinking you'd retreat using a teleport crystal. But I never expected that place to be a crystal nullification zone. Do you know how ecstatic I was when I found out?"
Kuradeel started laughing manically.
"That must have been Kayaba Akihiko helping me! As the god of this game world, he must have thought I was right. You all deserved it. That's why he intervened, so you would die in the guardian's boss room. But unfortunately, you survived!"
"Still, I'm grateful to him. Thanks to him creating this world, I can..."
Suddenly, Kuradeel's gaze fixed on Rozen.
"Do whatever I want!"
Kuradeel abruptly charged toward Rozen.
"Clang!"
He drew his two-handed sword with force.
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