Ch.30Street Methods (2)

“Haaah…”

Early morning.

Despite my accumulated fatigue, I woke up early and began to think about how those thugs might approach us next while lounging in bed.

Now that they know I possess overwhelming power by their standards, they won’t try the same clumsy tactics as before.

However, even a cornered rat will bite a cat.

If I come on too strong, they might lose their reason and act recklessly, so I’ll need to exercise some restraint.

To them, I’m a complete irregular.

Securing Seriya must be their top priority, but suddenly I appeared, mockingly saying “Nope, you can’t have her” while breaking their wrists.

“Tsk. Why did she have to get indebted to people like that…”

Elves are popular as courtesans due to their cheat-like characteristic of not aging.

Not aging means they can earn money as long as they don’t die, which means they can generate steady income indefinitely.

Since she’s a Wood Elf, many might be put off by her distinctive skin color, but there are plenty of perverts in this world who would even do a corpse, so green skin wouldn’t be an obstacle.

In any case, I have no intention of abandoning Seriya.

Not because she owes me, but because she’s my party member.

I grew up on the streets, so I know from experience how valuable “comrades” can be.

When I was fighting for my life against the Orc Muriabi, if Seriya hadn’t held back the coastal orcs, I would have died right there.

“The problem is the number of enemies…”

They’re just underlings of a cartel running a gambling den, not knights or vigilantes.

Their armaments must be poor, their training pathetic, and their loyalty not even worth mentioning.

But at least within Rascal, they could easily corner us.

They brought twelve thugs in the short time I was at the bank, which means they at least have the capacity to know where we are and dispatch forces there.

“Hmm…”

I once single-handedly annihilated a criminal organization.

Through all sorts of traps, sowing discord, and frontal assaults, my organization and I fought a desperate struggle for half a year, and dozens of their members ended up as corpses beneath my feet.

I’m definitely stronger now than I was then, and I have reliable companions.

However, if that strength means facing off against a massive organization controlling an entire city and destroying them all… I could still be considered inexperienced.

My strength is certainly formidable, but not yet enough to imbue my sword with aura.

Similarly, Seriya isn’t particularly strong despite having lived for 200 years.

If we’re surrounded inside a building, it’s not just about winning or losing—our lives would be in danger.

“Hmmmm…”

No conclusion comes to mind.

But strangely, my mood wasn’t bad; rather, it was improving.

Thump! Thump!

“Right. This is what adventure is all about.”

Conflicts arising from a party member’s past, discord over how to resolve it…

Isn’t this just like protagonists in manga or plays?

“Interesting… very interesting.”

I quietly laughed to myself, then crawled back under the covers and fell asleep again.

*

Several hours later, after a refreshing second sleep, I tidied my clothes, washed up briefly, and stepped outside my room. Then I knocked on Seriya’s door.

Knock knock!

“Seriya?”

“Just a moment.”

I waited beside the door, and before long, a freshened-up Seriya opened it and came out.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Well, more or less…”

She looked fine.

See? I told you things would be better after a good night’s sleep.

We went downstairs to the first floor and ordered breakfast for two at a table for two.

“What are we going to do now?”

“About what?”

“About Evelyn’s gang.”

“Who’s Evelyn?”

“The boss of the thugs you killed. Also the owner of the gambling den we went to.”

“Ah…”

As I let out a sigh, bread and soup began to be placed before us by a server, temporarily interrupting our conversation.

“Enjoy your meal!”

After the server left, I took a spoonful of soup and resumed speaking.

“First, let’s take on a quest from the Adventurers’ Guild.”

“And then?”

“We’ll gather 100 silver coins and pay off the debt.”

“…Will they leave us alone?”

“They’ll have no choice.”

I replied while spreading butter on my bread and putting it in my mouth. Seriya, having nothing more to say, silently began drinking her soup.

The food at this inn was excellent.

It was even more delicious than the Parcival’s Sturgeon… no, Trout Inn.

Bread and soup were very basic dishes, but true masters know how to bring out the best flavor even in such simple foods.

Between this and the roast pig from before, it seemed this inn wouldn’t be going out of business anytime soon.

We finished our meal neatly and then headed to the blacksmith where we had left our weapons and armor.

It had been a while since I’d ridden a horse without armor, and my body felt incredibly light.

“Hya!”

“Neeeigh!”

Clop! Clop!

The packhorse began galloping through the streets as if it were a racing steed, and before long, we arrived at the blacksmith’s.

“You’re here.”

As we arrived, the blacksmith, who had been working on a plow, recognized us and waved.

“How are the armor and weapons?”

“Well, the maintenance is all done, so you can take them now.”

The blacksmith said this while calling over an apprentice who was collecting iron filings nearby, telling him to bring our armor and weapons.

Before long, I received my chain mail and four swords, while Seriya received her leather armor.

As we quickly donned our armor and equipped our weapons, the blacksmith sighed and spoke to us.

“You two seem to have gotten yourselves into trouble. I heard there was a knife fight near the gambling den?”

“Well, something like that. I heard someone named Evelyn is the boss of those guys.”

“She’s a frightening woman. You’d best be careful.”

The blacksmith warned with a gloomy face.

Judging by his apprentice’s identical expression, it seemed her capabilities exceeded my expectations.

“Well, thanks for the warning, but I can handle myself.”

“Kids these days never listen to their elders.”

The blacksmith said this while pointing to my side with his hammer.

There, a group of ruffians was approaching with an air of arrogance, but their disciplined demeanor suggested they were more capable than the trash we’d dealt with before.

“See? I told you she’s frightening.”

Though no woman was visible, since she was the gambling den’s owner, she must have sent her subordinates.

I kept my hand on my scabbard, watching their approach, and soon the leader of the group came toward me.

“Are you the boy who killed twelve of our men?”

“What about it?”

When I said that, the leader’s eyes narrowed slightly.

But since he was unarmed and showed no particular hostility, it seemed he wasn’t here to rebuke me.

“Let’s talk. Don’t worry. I’ve chosen a neutral location.”

“A neutral location, you say?”

“The central plaza of the city. You can accept that, right?”

“I accept.”

I nodded and mounted my horse.

The leader also began leading his group in the same direction, and before long, we were seated facing each other on benches in the city’s central plaza.

*

“First, introductions are in order. I’m Pedro, working under Evelyn.”

“I’m Viktor. An adventurer.”

“Viktor… a good name.”

Pedro smiled faintly, then adjusted his posture.

He was probably about to get to the main point.

“Let me explain the situation first.”

“Hmm.”

As I nodded, he took out a paper from his breast pocket and handed it to me.

“This is…?”

It was Seriya’s debt certificate, showing our repayment progress. The original 400 coins had been crossed out and modified to 300, and then that too had been crossed out, reducing it to 100 silver coins.

“That’s Seriya’s debt certificate. The amount was set as compensation for raiding our gambling den. As you know, it’s not an amount a woman can repay alone.”

“I suppose not.”

Seriya had been driven to a point where she couldn’t even pay the interest, let alone the principal.

She was freed from debt solely because she formed a party with me.

As I looked at Pedro, he cleared his throat and spoke.

“Ahem! First of all, I wasn’t the one who sent those men. There are other action leaders besides me.”

“I see.”

I decided to believe him.

If I hadn’t, he would have been dead already.

“So? Why did you call me here? I doubt it was just to get acquainted…”

Glance.

I looked at Seriya.

She was looking at me with very anxious eyes, and interestingly, the nearby gang members had the same look.

As I turned back to Pedro, he swallowed and said:

“If you kill Evelyn, we can erase Seriya’s debt. Plus, we’ll throw in a hefty sum of money.”

“Oho.”

This is… a development I hadn’t expected…?