Just as I was trying to figure out how to settle the score with the evil cultists, the Council made its move. However, it wasn't a move to eliminate the cultists; it was a blatant attempt to interfere with us. They issued a formal prohibition order against the Muscle-yaki stalls.
The official excuse was that the stalls had become too popular and were causing congestion. While that was true, a total ban was a heavy-handed overreaction. They claimed they would permit business in storefronts provided by the Council, but those shops would be under their direct supervision. They were clearly trying to sabotage the Malice Purification Operation.
To make matters worse, the guards following the Council's instructions were just ordinary people, not brainwashed by Malice. I tried using Clean on them as a test, but there was no reaction. They were simply obeying the Council, the city's governing body. They did seem to have their own doubts about the measure, but the Council had built up a foundation of trust over many years. Believing that there must be some valid reason behind the decision, the guards were solemnly carrying out their orders.
Consequently, the Gurna Warrior Group couldn't exactly force the issue, and the Muscle-yaki stalls were closed down. Shiroru was the most heartbroken of all; he had been more excited than anyone about the expansion of the stalls. Honestly, I was pretty dejected too. I had just finished mass-producing those special toothpicks the day before the ban. I had about a thousand of them sitting in my Storage Ring. What was I supposed to do with them now?
"I've been trying my best to stay under the radar... but it looks like we're being treated as the enemy now, aren't we?"
"...Regardless of your perception, Tort, anyone who cares to look will see our connection to the Warrior Group," Lowell agreed, though he added a rather unnecessary comment at the beginning.
Wait, I had been keeping a low profile, hadn't I?
The Clean magic tools I made might have become popular through the Merchant Guild, and Allen's "Street Clean" spree might have nearly become an urban legend, but surely none of that was my fault.
"In that case, should I sing again?" Halfa suggested. She was referring to the operation where she delivered her song from the airship. Even though she had pushed herself to the point of mana depletion before, she was full of motivation now. Since her mana recovery speed had increased thanks to the Ring of Malice Conversion, I figured the burden would be lighter than before, but still.
What did Lord Lamuyadas say?
"It seems that with the help of the Spirit God, the Malice in Aingurna is decreasing quite rapidly. He said he'll be able to interfere directly before long, so he told us not to push ourselves too hard until then."
It was as if a barrier had been placed over the Aingurna Dungeon, preventing even Ren-kun from interfering. However, as the Malice decreased, it seemed that state was becoming impossible for the cult to maintain. I had been diligently making toothpicks every day, after all. That mana consumption must have helped the process of converting Malice into Destiny Element.
"Hmm. In that case, we should probably hold off on the Song Operation for now."
"I agree."
Although we had purified the giant bird, there was no guarantee they didn't have other forces. It seemed they were trying to use the Great Busters to collect monster materials, too. They likely possessed the technology to craft things like Kin of the Evil God from those materials. While Clean could purify them, its range was limited, which would put us at a disadvantage if we tried to fight from the airship again.
Just then, Allen, who had been keeping watch outside the Magic House, came rushing in. We were still staying at the inn that had been caught in the explosion. I had used a golem to construct earth walls for some makeshift repairs to the damaged building.
"EMERGENCY. WE ARE SURROUNDED!"
"What? By what?"
"THE GUARD."
Needing to see the situation for myself, we stepped out of the Magic House. Peering through the window, I saw that members of the guard had indeed cordoned off the inn. There were about thirty of them. Their presence felt far from a friendly social call. I decided to pack the Magic House away, just in case.
"What's the plan?"
"It’s not like we can't escape... but running away will just make things more complicated," I said.
"At the very least, we wouldn't be able to stay in the city anymore," Lowell added.
After a brief discussion, we decided to hear them out first. It wouldn't be too late to make a move after that. To avoid causing any more trouble for the inn, we walked out to meet them. It would be a funny story if this had absolutely nothing to do with us, but...
"So, you are Glory's Steps. Hm? There is one more of you than reported."
Unfortunately, it wasn't going to be a funny story. A middle-aged man who appeared to be the captain spoke as soon as he saw us. The "extra" person was likely Allen. This was a good opportunity, so I decided to have him head to the Adventurer's Guild to explain the situation. Without the captain noticing, I cast a quick spell on Allen and had him slip back into the inn for a moment.
I turned back to face the guard.
"I apologize for the excessive display. A summoning order from the Council has been issued for your party. It is to be carried out immediately... I'm sorry, but will you come with us?"
The captain didn't seem like a bad guy. In fact, he looked genuinely apologetic. I could see a similar sense of hesitation among his men. Just as I thought, the guards were ordinary people who hadn't been brainwashed. They seemed uncomfortable with the Council's forceful orders. After all, everyone in our party except Lowell was still just a child. They probably felt a sense of guilt.
"...What do you want to do?" Lowell asked, his tone cautious.
Even so, I was hesitant to bowl over decent people just to make an escape. If they had specifically chosen these men to make us hesitate, then we were falling right into their trap—but even so, we decided to go quietly.
It might be dangerous, but I had been wanting to get a look at the Council anyway. Even if there were brainwashed people there, I could just fix them with Clean. Probably.