Considering the provided context and the nuances of the characters, here is the polished English translation.

191. Fuuka's Values

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I bound the hands of the youth who had forced the Magic Beasts onto us behind his back, gagged him with a cloth, and hauled him along toward the Labyrinth’s innermost depths.

It seemed every Magic Beast on the 22nd floor had been lured toward us. We reached the end without encountering another soul—monster or otherwise. Given that we’d managed to turn the floor’s entire population into Magic Stones in such short order, perhaps I actually owed the guy a thank you.

The deepest area was an open space similar to a Boss Area. Aside from us, nine people dressed as Explorers were waiting there.

"Heath!"

A bearded man in his forties standing in the center of the group called out the moment he saw the restrained youth. Apparently, the guy who had tried to bait us was named Heath.

"I take it you’re this man’s comrades?" I asked, pointing a thumb at Heath.

"Yeah, we are. Listen here, brat. You’ve got a lot of balls getting rough with one of mine. I hope you’re ready for the fallout."

The bearded man narrowed his eyes, his voice dropping into a low, threatening growl.

"He’s the one who started this," I countered. "He intentionally led a swarm of Magic Beasts to us with clear malice. Restraining him for self-defense was only natural."

"Ha! Don’t give me that crap. You really think we’re gonna buy a load of nonsense like that?"

"Orun, as I thought, let's just kill them. Talking to people like this is a waste of breath."

Fuuka, her face as stoic as ever, slightly furrowed her brows as she reached for the hilt of her Katana.

"Wait, Fuuka. Give me just a little more time."

I stopped her before she could draw. Even if we ended up killing them, I wanted information first. I needed to know why they were directing such hostility toward us. We planned to continue conquering Labyrinths across the country; I didn't want to deal with this kind of interference every time. If this was a problem I could settle now, it was better to do it.

"Quite the composed one, aren't you? Real cool, you 'Explorers from Tsutrail'!"

The man’s voice flared with anger again, clearly irked by my calm demeanor.

Explorers from Tsutrail, huh? Come to think of it, Heath had called us that as well when he tried to dump the monsters on us.

"My companion was blunt, but she’s right. This is a hassle, so let’s get to the point. Why are you so hostile toward us?"

"Huh? You seriously don't get it?"

"No. That’s why I’m asking. If we can settle this through words, that would be for the best."

The man’s body began to shake as his face turned a deep, mottled red. Even though I’d intentionally phrased it to provoke him, he was far more livid than I’d anticipated.

"You people are infuriating to the bitter end...! Enough! Just die, you Tsutrail bastards!"

With a roar, the bearded man gripped a massive axe. Following his lead, the other eight drew their weapons.

They had crossed the line.

The moment I saw them take up combat stances, I activated [Gravity Manipulation]. I slammed the gravity around them into overdrive.

"—Guh! W-What the...?"

The man collapsed face-first into the dirt, letting out a strangled cry. The others were in similar states—some flattened against the ground, others barely managing to stay upright on one knee. None of them were in any condition to move.

"Haruto-san, are there any more of them hiding nearby?"

"No. I’ve scanned the whole floor. This is everyone."

"Understood. Thanks, Haruto-san."

I offered Haruto a quick nod before grabbing Heath—who had been muffledly shouting "Mmph! Mmph!" for some time—by the collar. I dragged him toward the group. He struggled desperately, but against my strength enhanced by Ki, his resistance felt like nothing at all.

Once I reached the immobilized group, I threw him. Heath stumbled into the high-gravity zone, immediately hitting the floor and becoming as helpless as his friends.

"Since you lot were the first to reach for your weapons, I’ll let you off with just this for now. So, I’ll ask again. Why the hostility?"

The moment they drew steel, they became my enemies. However, technically, Fuuka had reached for her sword first. If they talked, I didn't plan on hurting them more—though I’d certainly need to give them a scare to ensure they didn't come looking for revenge.

"Heh... you think that’s how you ask a favor? Explorers from Tsutrail really are sav—Guaaa!"

I didn't let him finish. I spiked the gravity even higher, focusing only on the spot where the leader lay. The sound of creaking bones echoed from his body as the pressure threatened to crush him.

After a few seconds, I dialed it back to the same level as the others. The man hacked and coughed, gasping for air.

"You don't seem to understand your position," I said coldly. "We aren't equals. Right now, I hold your lives in the palm of my hand. It would be wise to remember that."

"So you're gonna take it all, then?! Not satisfied with the Labyrinth, you’re gonna take our lives too?! You monsters!"

The man glared at me with eyes so full of loathing they felt like they could draw blood.

"...Take your lives?"

"Don't play dumb! You're here to conquer this Labyrinth, aren't you?! If this place is cleared, how are we supposed to survive?!"

(...Ah, I see. So that’s it.)

The reason for their malice finally clicked. Explorers make their living by diving into Labyrinths and selling the Magic Stones and materials found within. Simply put, for an Explorer, the disappearance of a Labyrinth is the loss of their livelihood. To these men, we weren't heroes or adventurers; we were enemies trying to steal the food from their tables.

"If this Labyrinth is gone, how are we supposed to live?! My wife, my kids—are you telling them to just starve in the streets?! Huh?!"

His roar sparked a chorus of angry shouts from the others pinned to the floor. Looking at it from their perspective, I was definitely the villain of the story.

I opened my mouth to counter, but Fuuka beat me to it.

"—Pathetic."

(...Fuuka?)

"What was that...? Hey, girl! Just because you’ve got us pinned doesn't mean you can talk down to us! You’re the ones being unreasonable, trying to steal our 'tranquility'! Are you too stupid to get that?!"

The man hurled his fury at her, but Fuuka didn't even blink. She remained as impassive as a statue.

"I understand that this Labyrinth is the foundation of your lives," she said calmly. "And I understand that to you, we appear to be unreasonable invaders. Even knowing that, I will say it again. You are utterly pathetic."

"............Ha! Haha... ahahaha! You really are insane! That’s why you can do this without a second thought! No normal person could just destroy someone’s peace like this!!"

The man’s eyes were bloodshot, his rage pushing him to the brink of madness. In stark contrast, Fuuka’s gaze was as frigid as a winter gale.

"Hurl all the insults you want. It’s easier to live that way, as long as you keep looking away from the truth."

"Looking away?! That’s you! How many times do I have to say it?! What you’re doing is the same as killing us!!"

"No. What we are doing is conquering a Labyrinth."

"And I'm telling you that results in—"

"Even if this Labyrinth vanishes, you will not drop dead instantly. If you claim you will die regardless, it is only because you have spent your lives in 'indolence.' Blaming us for that is the height of absurdity."

Fuuka didn't raise her voice, yet her words held a weight that completely smothered the man’s shouting.

"Indolence? Us...? Don’t you dare! For twenty years, we’ve come here every single day, working ourselves to the bone for the people of this territory! Some brat who knows nothing doesn't get to preach to us!!"

"I hear you. You said we were destroying your 'tranquility.' But let me tell you—tranquility doesn't exist anywhere in this world. Anyone who clings to such a non-existent fantasy has stopped moving forward. They are, by definition, indolent."

"W-What are you..."

"You’re only panicking now because you assumed today would be like yesterday, and tomorrow would be like today. Peace, and the daily life you take for granted, are built on thin ice. It could crack at any moment."

Her voice remained flat, yet I could feel the raw emotion behind her words.

"If you truly want tranquility, you cannot stay in the place you think is safe. If you settle there and grow comfortable in your laziness, someone like us will eventually come along and shatter that flimsy peace."

"............"

The group fell silent. Fuuka was from Kyokutou, a land ravaged by civil war only a few years ago. She had lived through that hell, and it had forged her worldview. There was no way these men, who lived under the illusion of permanent peace, could find the words to challenge her.

"Conquering this place doesn't kill you. You still have a grace period to struggle and find another way. You think this Labyrinth is your everything, but the experience you gained here won't vanish just because the Labyrinth does. As long as you don't give up, your lives aren't over."

With that, Fuuka stepped forward—right into the zone of my amplified gravity.

"H-Hey..."

The leader let out a worried sound, but Fuuka didn't even seem to feel the crushing weight. She walked past them as if strolling through a park, heading straight for the Dungeon Core.

"H-How... How is she just walking in there...?" the man stammered, his face pale with shock.

"She’s said enough on that front, so I’ll add just one more thing," I said, catching the man's attention as I deactivated the gravity. "Do you actually know what’s happening in the Kingdom right now?"

"...The war with the Empire. I know that much," he muttered, sounding defeated.

"Right. And the most credible theory in the capital right now is that the Empire has developed a way to force Labyrinths into a Stampede."

"What?! The Empire can...?"

His eyes went wide. Apparently, before we’d even left Tsutrail on Princess Lucila's orders, the Explorer Guild had been disseminating this warning to all its branches. The information was already out there.

The fact that it had reached this remote town so quickly, even though we’d taken the fastest route possible from Tsutrail, was impressive. The Guild must have a communication method far superior to standard messengers. I made a mental note to look into that later; it would be incredibly useful for the Clan.

...Anyway, back to the task at hand.

"You could have found this out easily if you’d visited the Guild recently. I suspected you didn't know, and it seems I was right."

"Then, the reason you’re clearing this place..."

"Is exactly what you’re thinking. If a Stampede happens during a war, the Kingdom won't be able to spare soldiers to protect this town. We’re conquering it now to prevent a massacre later."

"I... I see. What have we been doing...?" The man’s shoulders slumped as the weight of his own ignorance hit him.

"Well, no harm done to us, so we won’t press the issue. We’ve got plenty of other Labyrinths waiting for us, after all."

"Thank you... and I'm sorry. That girl’s words... I think they really hit home. You're right. Just because the Labyrinth is gone doesn't mean we’re dead. We can't just stop here."

"Good. Then tell her that yourself."

I gestured toward Fuuka, who had reached the central pillar.

At the heart of the dome-shaped chamber, a pillar made of the same material as the floor-entry Crystals stretched toward the ceiling. However, the pillar was severed in the middle. Suspended in the gap between the upper and lower halves, the Dungeon Core—a massive, glowing Magic Stone—floated in the air.

Fuuka gripped the hilt of her Katana with her right hand and unleashed a swift iai strike. A diagonal line flashed through the pillar. The lower half slid along the cut and toppled over, and the Dungeon Core began its descent.

Fuuka caught the falling core effortlessly and turned back toward us.

One Labyrinth down. There had been some friction, but we needed to keep up this pace for the rest of the tour.

Thank you for reading to the end. I hope you'll stick around for the next chapter.