episode_0029

Naturally, I wasn’t planning on moving alone.

The gateway leading to the inner castle was blocked, so I couldn’t ask Shan for help, but.

I could mobilize other adventurers working in the outer castle.

“Please go back first. I’ll definitely check out the alleyway in District 11.”

“Yes, yes!”

Watching the older woman disappear as if fleeing, I clicked my tongue.

Although I was drunk and acting on the assumption of a slim chance, the mindset I fundamentally held was distrust.

I moved my steps and gathered the adventurers who were standing guard.

“Something like this happened, could you help me out?”

“How much?”

“Not how much, I’ll buy you two days’ worth of meals. Whatever you want.”

“Well, no matter how much they call it a dangerous area, it’s just a place that became a mess from them fighting amongst themselves.”

It’s not a dangerous area because there are particularly dangerous beings.

Since places with poor public order are simply called dangerous areas, from the adventurers’ perspective, it doesn’t really matter.

“…I don’t need the meal, if you speak well of us to Lord Shan, I’ll go with you.”

“Alright.”

So they want to be seen favorably by a Silver-rank adventurer.

I can package that well and say it for them.

Shan said I could use her name too, so it probably doesn’t matter.

“More than that, a trap… You haven’t even been here for a few days? What kind of grudge did you make?”

“It’s unfair. I didn’t do anything.”

I accompanied three fellow adventurers and headed to the alleyway in District 11.

With this many, ten ordinary people could come and sufficiently subdue them.

Perhaps unwilling to stand right next to me, I could sense a presence in the alleyway we arrived at, exchanging ordinary conversation with the adventurers who followed a little distance behind.

“Now I’ll go, so please follow without being detected. If this is a trap, I want to catch the ringleader.”

“…After catching them?”

“I’ll double the number of their arm and leg bones and throw them in prison.”

If they had just attacked, I would have stopped at just moderately dealing with them.

But, if they plan to set a trap and lure me in to do something to me, I have no choice but to go all the way.

“That’s intense… Anyway, got it. We’ll cooperate. If something goes wrong with you here, the residents will start looking down on us.”

“Thank you. I’ll speak well of you to Shan.”

I moved by walking towards the depths of the alleyway.

I made no sound.

I surveyed the surroundings.

The alleyway was like a maze, and it felt like I could easily wander for hours if I took a wrong turn.

Windows and the like were all closed, and filth was scattered arbitrarily on the ground, giving off a foul odor.

In the dark night, relying on moonlight, how long did I walk?

Bizarrely, a bright light caught my eye.

“…You came, you bitch.”

“…Oh.”

I showed surprised eyes at the words a man with splints on both arms threw out as if chewing and spitting, looking at me.

“To think you’d try to attack again after being beaten up like that, your tenacity is no joke….”

If it were me, I would have given up quietly when both my arms were broken.

This guy, even after breaking both arms and having his friends severely disciplined, attempts again. His tenacity alone felt like something I could learn from.

“So, what did you prepare this time?”

“…Underestimating me, everyone come out!”

Instantly, people popped out from alleyways.

Covering their faces with things like masks, and holding things like butcher knives.

“…Are you going to kill me?”

“No, we’ll cut off your arms and legs and sell them to a perverted noble.”

Such a terrible idea, it’s truly so like this world that I’m speechless.

Certainly, things had been too peaceful lately, making me think something like this might happen soon, but I never imagined they would utter such words directly in front of me.

“No matter how strong you are, you barely managed to beat three people who weren’t even holding weapons, so how do you plan to handle the seven people here?”

“Did I commit some great wrong against you?”

Although I made him the first example, that was justified.

Although I made him the second example as well, he attacked first, so that was also justified.

What on earth could the problem be?

“If you’re doing this over a justified punishment, then your daughter’s matter is rather something to be celebrated.”

“…What?”

“Isn’t it better to be reborn again and meet better parents than to grow up under a father like this?”

I shrugged my shoulders and showed a twisted smile.

What sin did children growing up under such broken people commit?

Her death is regrettable, but if it means she could escape from a father like this, wouldn’t that be a good thing in its own way?

Whether he was broken after his daughter’s death, or if he was a broken person from the start, I don’t know, but

That far is none of my business.

“Seven people with weapons is certainly a bit scary.”

If I had come complacently alone, my limbs would have been cut off and sold to someone with perverted tastes somewhere.

Hearing what those guys are saying now, it seems they have no intention of killing me, which was even more chilling.

But.

“…Then please help me a bit.”

Stomp, stomp.

Footsteps were heard.

They were the adventurers holding swords, spears, and maces that I had asked for help from.

“…Wh- what?!”

“Did you expect me to come alone like an idiot when it’s clearly a trap?”

“…Wow, there are all sorts of crazy bastards.”

“Those guys don’t even seem to know he’s close with the Silver-rank adventurer?”

“If something happens to him, Lord Shan will come looking… Well, does he have about 100 friends?”

It’s not that kind of relationship, but there was no reason to correct them.

“Please take care of things.”

“It’s an easy job. The way these bastards are holding their knives is already hopeless. If you hold it like that, your palm will tear, you idiot.”

“If I can look good to Lord Shan through this, it’s fine any number of times.”

“I thought she was an unpleasant girl, but she was a lucky charm… Hehehe….”

I laughed lightly and drew my sword.

Since they said they’d cut off my limbs and sell them, I guess it’s alright for me to blow off one of their limbs.

I won’t kill them.

Because that’s too easy and comfortable a punishment.

I rushed forward, my eyes gleaming, and the guys instantly collapsed.

The next morning, I handed the guys over to the guard post.

Except for one person, their arms or legs were each cut off.

If I had faced these alone, survived, and even killed some of them, I would have had to spend a lot of time explaining things, but

The fellow adventurers provided the same testimony, and one among them, who wasn’t missing limbs, also explained the situation on the condition that their limbs weren’t cut off.

Since they attempted to murder an adventurer in charge of public order duty, their death sentence was confirmed.

After everything was finished, I parted ways with the adventurers.

Beneath the blue sky, despite not having slept, the time for my shift change was approaching.

“…Sleepless duty is tough.”

Even so, duty right after something like yesterday’s event.

My head feels a bit hazy, my condition is a mess.

More than that, I have to do something about this kid.

I looked down at the boy pulling on my collar.

The reason I didn’t find and punish that older woman was simply because she hadn’t lied.

The boy was truly tied up tightly with rope and stuck in a corner.

After hearing the circumstances, it seemed they had made him do such things by holding him hostage.

To that extent, it seemed he should be seen as a victim rather than a perpetrator.

“When news of their punishment reaches here, he’ll probably come find me, so just wait a moment.”

“…Yeah.”

“‘Yeah’ is informal speech.”

*Thwack* – When I flicked him on the top of his head, he clutched the top of his head and politely replied, “Yes….”

It seemed he was mistaken that I was around the same age as him because our physiques were similar.

“I’m your older brother.”

“…Aren’t you my older sister?”

“……I’m your older sister.”

I didn’t know because I hadn’t had occasions to deal with kids younger than me until now, but I keep making mistakes.

“…*Sigh*.”

While sighing, I stretched.

*Crackle* – Sounds that shouldn’t come from a young body naturally echoed, and coolness arrived along with a slight pain.

“I’ll give you some money, want to go buy some snacks? Just don’t go off to some strange place again and get kidnapped by bad people.”

“…Yeess.”

“That’s right, good boy.”

When I stroked his head a few times as if praising a puppy, the way his face turned red was somehow funny and cute.

“Hey.”

“Yes, yes?!”

“Am I pretty?”

“…Are you crazy?”

“No, why is everyone like this…?”

To treat me like a weirdo just for asking.

“Then why did you blush?”

“…Uh, can I speak honestly?”

“If you say bad things, I’ll hit you.”

“…U- unpleasant, but you are pretty….”

“Did you *have* to put ‘unpleasant, but’ in front?”

I snorted and handed him a few coins.

“Still, since you answered honestly, I’ll give you a prize. Buy one thing you want to eat, and I… just an apple is fine.”

“I’ll be back!”

“Okay, okay.”

I waved back in response and leaned my back against the wall.

When killing an innocent child, the guilt felt so heavy and sticky.

But now that someone not innocent is being executed because of me, I don’t feel any particular thoughts.

In the end, dying is the same, so feeling this way probably means I’ve adapted to this world to some extent too.

I wonder if yesterday’s incident started spreading as a rumor.

The gaze of the residents looking at me held even deeper fear.

I knew it would turn out like this, though.

Seeing that five people are missing from just the area I’m in charge of.

Out of the seven people who were there then, five were from the area I was in charge of.

“Did I look that easy to deal with?”

It’s utterly ridiculous.

Did the system also judge this as such a trivial matter that there was no need to even roll the dice?

Not even a small reward came in.

Still, it’s not like I gained absolutely nothing.

For the next two months, I guess I can assume that the guys who try to do something to me have disappeared.

Let’s just swing my sword.

Anyway, there’s nothing much to do until the monster subjugation nearby.

I drew my sword.

While I was swinging my sword a few times, the boy I had sent to buy snacks came back.

Holding bread and an apple.

“…Already?”

Besides, what are those kids behind him?

He brought five people?

“……Wh- what?”

It’s really perplexing.