episode_0039

The hamster, who had been teaching me for a while, gave me his business card with a very excited look on his face and kept bowing his head, saying that he didn’t need money and to contact me whenever he needed something.

“Yes, I will. Here you go.”

It was a pretty satisfying lesson, so I put some of the money I had saved up during my academy life into my pocket and gave it to Hamster to buy some expensive and valuable equipment that would be enough to cover the entire game.

“Thank you very much!”

The hamster who received the bag waves his hand and walks away without even checking the contents, as he goes back into ‘thank you, really’ mode.

-Acquire the [Playing an Instrument] trait.

-Overall status, excluding physical status, slightly increases, and the limit value increases.

-The overall art characteristics are integrated into the [Art] characteristic.

-The limit for spell slots below level 3 increases by 1.

-Class changed: [Battle Mage] -> [Minstrel: School of Restoration Magic]

As soon as I turn around, system messages start pouring in again, so I just check them briefly and close them.

“Was it fun?”

“Yeah, more than I thought.”

I smiled and nodded at Bandi’s question. From behind, I heard a scream of ‘Kkiyak!!’

“Why are you like that?”

“Oh, I put in a little too much.”

“It must have been a lot of fun.”

As far as I know, the amount of money I put in (the price of high-end equipment) is an amount that a normal person would never see in their entire life, so they would be very surprised.

“Well, I’ll contact you during the vacation and learn more. Until then, I’ll practice on my own.”

… and tried to leave coolly, but the hamster came running out of breath, so my cool exit was ruined.

“Hey, hey, Youngsik! Something seems wrong with the tuition…”

The hamster was sticking out its pouch while sweating profusely, but I pushed the pouch back in and answered.

“No, I gave it to you correctly. Let’s see… Mr. Hamu.”

Looking at the business card, it said ‘Bard Hamu’. Since he didn’t have a last name, he must be a commoner. Surely his first name wouldn’t be Bard and his last name would be Hamu.

“That, that kind of… teacher!”

Even though he said that, Bard and Hamu looked quite happy.

“Anyway, it was fun. I’m an academy student, so I think I’ll contact you around the holidays.”

“Yes, yes! I understand! Please take care of me.”

Once again, Hamu is in ‘I’m really sorry’ mode, so this time he makes a cool exit.

As we were walking around the street again, we noticed that there were a lot of people gathered in the middle of the street.

“Ah, it’s a big show.”

“Large-scale performance?”

“Yeah. Artists usually travel alone or in small groups, but sometimes there are large groups like orchestras. They are not many, so it is hard to meet them, but I am lucky today.”

“That would be fun.”

Hoyo, the tallest one, goes around looking around, while Bam and Bandi talk to the band members who are moving around to control the audience.

“Then I’ll buy you something to drink.”

“Okay, I’ll be back.”

I remember seeing a drink stand near where people were gathered to watch a large performance, and as I was walking, wondering what to drink, I felt something covering my nose and mouth.

“… …!!”

I feel a strong force and evil power that I cannot control, and my consciousness gradually fades.

No matter how hard I struggled, I couldn’t escape the grip that was holding me, so I just tore off the emblems of the females on their chests and held them in my hands.

And that was the last memory.

Back to reality, I touch my chest.

There aren’t any emblems, so I must have taken them off properly before I lost consciousness.

All the belongings I had in my arms were gone. It seemed like the group that kidnapped me had taken them.

There were no other restrictions other than my hands being tied behind my back, but I guess they didn’t know that I could use magic.

‘That might not be a planned crime, but a simple crime of kidnapping a suitable male.’

I get up quietly from my seat and put my ear to the shabby wooden door.

“Hehehe, did you see the male I caught?”

“Of course. I’ll make my life easier at that level.”

It’s a somewhat frivolous tone. Looking through the crack in the door, I can see that most of the members are female hyenas.

‘I don’t want to be prejudiced against hyenas, but this one is a bit much.’

I’ve never seen a hyena in the Academy before, so I desperately try to resist the urge to form preconceptions about a particular species and focus my hearing again.

“You crazy bitches. I told you not to kidnap anyone unless absolutely necessary. Don’t you want to live? ”

A slightly deeper and lower voice. Judging from her appearance, she is a female hyena, much larger than other hyenas.

“No, boss. At first, you liked the boss too, didn’t you? ”

“Oh my, how many times do I have to say that kidnapping is dangerous? And if the male level is like that, it’s poison. ”

A large hyena, who was scratching her head as if it was complicated, the female called Boss thought for a moment.

“Fuck, kids. Pack your bags.”

“Huh?? You’re not going to come here? I worked so hard to settle down here? ”

They say there is no place that doesn’t get dusty after cleaning, and it seems that the Knight Sustained estate is no exception, as outlaws have been making their nests there.

“Don’t be so picky, just picky. I don’t have a good sense of humor. I should go south. I have connections there, so I’ll be able to do something.”

The boss who said that muttered, “What trouble is this because of a stupid subordinate?” while tossing his hair. The subordinates grumbled, but seemed convinced.

“Then boss, can’t we taste it before you sell it?”

“Is this kid crazy? Judging by the way he looks, the females in the group must be of high status. Can he handle it?”

“Hey, I don’t know about that.”

“Oh my. Anyway, don’t touch it. If you don’t listen, I can’t help but beat you up a few times, but don’t touch anything that’s visible. ”

“Hey, tsk tsk. I thought I could have a kid that’s that awesome.”

“You’re being sarcastic. Who would make a baby with a hyena unless they got shot in the head?”

The subordinates seemed to have been hit with the facts by the boss’s words and bowed their heads. (This is the first time I’ve heard this.)

“After saying that, is the boss just trying to get a taste of it?”

“… …Shut up. I said no.”

This time, it seems the boss has hit the nail on the head. If you’re not careful, your precious first experience could be stolen by this kidnapping boss.

“…no?”

At the end of the night, Bandi nodded with a sad face, and Hoyo looked extremely angry.

“If you get caught, you’ll be killed.”

“Calm down, Hoyo.”

“No, I can’t calm down. Don’t stop me, Chairman. I’m holding back the desire to destroy everything here right now.”

Hoyo was so angry that a metallic aura characteristic of Iron Foxtrot was emanating around her.

“Really, calm down, Hoyo. The moment you destroy this place, there will be no way to find Ain.”

As Night spoke with a cold face and crossed his arms, Hoyo barely managed to calm down his momentum, which was about to turn the surroundings into chaos.

“Wow, what should we do, Chairman. Bandi. We’re screwed…”

Hoyo, who had been wearing an expression colder than ice until just now, started to cry as soon as he calmed down.

“Calm down and look around. Where can I get a drink around here?”

“Over there.”

Night looks around with his hand to his mouth, and Bandi points to a beverage stand in the distance.

“Let’s see…”

Looking around, the night begins to ‘read’ the surrounding crowds and locations.

And without much difficulty, we found traces of the precious male.

“Hey. There’s a badge over there.”

As soon as the night points to the faint twinkle of its finger, Hoyo disappears, leaving behind only an afterimage, and then reappears in an instant.

“Gold Bunny is a badge.”

“There’s still some magic left.”

The Gold Bunny badge that Hoyo gave him still had Ain’s faint scent and magical power remaining on it.

“Hoyo, read this magic and find out if there are any more dropped badges.”

Hoyo nods at the night’s instructions and Goldbunny grabs the badge and begins to search.

“Chairman, is this a kidnapping?”

At Bandi’s worried question, Bam nodded faintly with a wrinkled expression.

“Most of them were arrested, but the small-scale criminal organizations were still not uprooted. It was my fault.”

A while later, Hoyo retrieved all the badges that Ain had left behind.

“Where are you?”

“Over there. But I can’t find it after that.”

“Still, it’s a big gain. It’s a good thing Ain is smart. While he was being captured, he thought of putting magic power into the badge and making it drop.”

The night said so and followed Hoyo with Bandi to the place where the last badge was.

“There was your chairman’s badge here.”

“It’s an alley… but it’s a dead end.”

The last badge Ain left behind was in a narrow alley that ended in a dead end.

“There seems to be a hidden passage, but it’s unclear how to find it.”

The night sighed and said.

Of the three, Hoyo studied boxing, Bandi studied economics and mathematics, and Bam studied political economy and management. Unfortunately, there are no magicians.

“If we go back and bring the wizard, it will take too long and the bastards will hide even deeper. If we don’t take action right now, it will be difficult.”

As they said that, the three of them searched the alleys thoroughly, but found little results.

But, as luck would have it, I hear a voice calling the three of them.

“Excuse me… Aren’t you the young ladies who learned the lute earlier? What are you doing here?”

When they turned their heads, it was Hamu who had taught them how to play the instrument earlier.

“…Kidnapped. Ain was kidnapped.”

At the words filled with the gloom of the night, Hamu opened his eyes wide, covered his mouth, and approached them, sauntering.

“Excuse me, I’ll help you. Is there any trace or object left behind…?”

“Hey, over here!”

At Hamu’s words, Hoyo, with the intention of grabbing at straws, placed all the badges in Hamu’s hand.

“But how…?”

Bandi asked Hamu, who was fidgeting with his badges, but Hamu turned the lyre he was carrying on his back towards him while still holding the badges in his hands and closed his eyes.

A moment of silence. The sounds of a festival rang out from outside the alley… Hamu slowly began to pluck the strings of his lyre one by one.

“…!!”

The five badges in Hamu’s hand float into the air…

“Found it.”

Hamu, a ‘Minstrel’ bard, classified as a male bard who can use magic, opened his eyes and spoke.