Chapter 2 - "Jet-Black"
"A Tavern. ...... I don't have very good memories of that place."
Lilia gazed at the bustling tavern with narrowed eyes.
Mars brought Lilia and Hazuki to a tavern in town.
The building looks vaguely western, Mars thinks. The reason for this was the entrance door.
"I used to come here a lot when I was alone. I don't drink, though. It's the best place to gather information. There are a lot of people here, both good and bad, and adventurers come here to cheer themselves up before they enter the dungeon. You can get a lot of information just by being quiet."
Mars had come to hear that adventurers were entering the dungeon. Of course, he wanted to follow the strong adventurers into the dungeon.
Lilia disliked taverns.
She hated taverns because they were the places she had been brought to most often when she was being carried around by slave trader.
She was chained to the entrance of the tavern and exposed to the eyes of the visitors.
Lilia felt uncomfortable with the scornful and demeaning looks she received.
Mars had once been one of them, but he had reached out to her. Lilia remembered well the smile he gave her at that time.
The reason for keeping her tied up in front of the tavern was a plan to sell her to someone who was drunk and had lost his judgment.
In fact, several of the human women who had been tied up with Lilia had been bought.
"N-No way, Lilia-san――are you scared?"
Hazuki teased Lilia from below.
Lilia's face flushed red and she glared at Hazuki with a clenching face.
Mars shudders at the sight of Hazuki, who is actively stepping on landmines.
――This girl ...... is not good.
Her air-reading circuits are fundamentally short-circuited.
"――Master. If a slave kills or injures a slave, what will be the punishment?"
"Because it's belong to me, ...... so it's up to me, isn't it?"
I have never looked into it because I had never thought about it.
Since slaves are treated as objects, the closest charge would seem to be damage to property,......, but that's in modern Japan.
"Eh, Is it possible that, I'm about to be killed?
"――It was a short time, but it was fun, Hazuki-chan."
"You're kidding, right!?"
"Now, make yourself comfortable. I'll kill you in an instant."
Mars laughed when he saw Hazuki running away with a blue face and Lilia chasing after her.
It reminded him of an anime where a mouse and a cat play together.
――It's peaceful.
As the three of them entered the bar, the air in the bar froze for a moment.
It was Lilia, not Mars, who drew the attention.
"What's an elf doing here ......"
The man with the ridiculously large mug in his hand was glaring at Lilia.
The others were all strong, rough men, no women or children like Mars and the others are here.
The man's look at Lilia was clearly vindictive, and Mars tilted his head.
――Isn't this the part where you give her the erotic eye?
What's with that parentally murderous eye ......? First of all, Lilia is not a bastard.
He was about to attack the man, but Lilia grabbed him by the sleeve and stopped him.
The expression on Lilia's face when he turned around was that of an unreliable child who had been separated from her parents.
It's natural for a girl to be intimidated by a stranger, but it's a strange look for Lilia, who is resigned in normal times.
As a result, there was no fight.
The collars of Lilia and Hazuki drew attention next, and the slave crest on Mars' left hand drew attention.
Usually, slaves were quite expensive, and Mars, who was using two of them, looked like no ordinary person.
If he was a nobleman, it would not be a good idea to antagonize him as he could be a sponsor for them, and if he was an adventurer conquering a dungeon, they would be in a more critical situation physically.
Many of the people who come to the tavern are adventurers with unstable positions.
They wanted to avoid unnecessary conflict.
The three of them sit side by side at the counter.
Lilia sat in the middle, and Mars and Hazuki sat on either side.
"Lilia-san, ...... are you okay? You've been looking a little pale for a while now. ......?"
"I-I'm just being hit by the sheer number of people. ......"
Shrugging her shoulders and sitting small, Lilia was very different from her usual self.
Normally, she has a regal demeanor, but since entering the tavern, she has been as restless as a borrowed cat.
Her hands were trembling as she held her drink cup, and it clinked on the counter.
Lilia tried to be tough with Hazuki, but it was the first time in a long time that she remembered someone's malice.
When she was walking down the street, people would look at her strangely, but not maliciously. It was because people were more indifferent to others than Lilia had thought.
But this tavern was different.
She could feel the clear malice in their eyes.
"But hey, dungeons have changed lately, haven't they?. The dungeon has been conquering by strange guys like "Thunder" and "Jet Black". And they're both small parties. I heard that "Jet Black" can get through dungeon alone. How can he get through them by himself?"
"I've heard that there are two "Thunder" and five "Jet-black" adventurer. That's a big name these days. Both of them are unidentified."
"I've heard that the [Thunder] wears conspicuous white armor. I've also heard that when he enters a dungeon, lightning strikes the city."
A few of the guests said something like that.
Mars was a little embarrassed that his topic had come up.
However, it seems that he is still mistaken for Xerius when it comes to "Thunder".
――"Jet Black" ......? If he's alone, that means he must have ...... a [Treasure House of Dreams] as well.
Unlike me, he may have stepped into a hit dungeon.
"'Jet black' is just that, black. I don't know if it's a man or a woman. He went into a dungeon without saying a word and never came out. But I've heard that he's conquered many places. It's like a ghost."
"Maybe he's really a ghost, you know? Maybe he's wandering the dungeon looking for the friends who abandoned him!"
The men were imitating ghosts in order to startle the people around them.
Even though he knew that what was being said had nothing to do with him, Mars felt a chill run down his spine.
――He's looking for me. That's not possible.
"But dungeons usually take two or three dozen people. ...... Even then, they usually get wiped out."
"Well, I guess those special people will be the ones who break through and get everything they want. ...... A dream come true. ...... Haa, ...... I'm so drunk. I'll be back."
The men, who seemed to be adventurers, began to give off a blank air.
Mars, feeling that Lilia might be used as an outlet for their frustration, calls out to her in a quiet voice.
"Let's go home. I can gather the information on my own."
"I-I haven't eaten anything yet, but I'll put up with it ....... Lilia-san, you really look like you're having a hard time. ......"
Hazuki rubbed Lilia's back, even though she probably wasn't choking.
"I'm very sorry……――Hazuki"
"Lilia-san called my name!? This could be a really dangerous disease!?"
"――I'll never call your name again. After all, calling you a pervert woman is enough for you!"
Lilia slumped down on the counter in a huff.
Despite her difficult personality, Lilia seemed to be trying to get along with Hazuki in her own way these days.
Unfortunately, Hazuki, the person in question, was oblivious to her efforts.
Mars dares to remain silent. The awkward relationship looks cute.
Mars carries a tired-looking Lilia on his back as he and Hazuki leave the tavern.
Lilia is a higher priority than information.
The only way to eat is to order food from the inn. I'm sure Lilia doesn't have the slightest appetite right now, so he doesn't feel like going into a restaurant.
Perhaps she was so tired that she fell asleep on Mars' back as they walked back to the inn.
Now that he and Hazuki were alone, Mars asked Hazuki a question that had been bothering him for some time.
It was something he hadn't been able to ask Lilia herself.
It was a clear night, with the moon hidden in the clouds and the stars clearly visible.
"――Hey, Hazuki-chan, do you know why people don't like elves?"
"I think elves, or ...... different species, are generally disliked, you know? The beastmen are said to be vile animals, and the dwarves are said to be drunk, hairy, and ugly."
The first thing that popped into Mars' head was the inhabitants of the fantasy world.
I kind of understand what Hazuki is trying to say. It's just as I imagined.
"That's a terrible thing to say. ...... Don't you hate them, Hazuki-chan?"
"Hmmm... ...... I've never really cared much about it. I've never really liked the idea of being grouped together by race, and I've never had people from different races do anything to me. If it's simply a matter of the number of people I dislike, I think I dislike humans the most in terms of race!"
――She's so honest. ...... I don't know, she's cool in a strange place.
But.――。
"I'm glad to have you as a friend, Hazuki-chan. As you know, Lilia is a bit difficult, but I hope you'll continue to be good friends with her."
"Of course! I'm trying my best, though, you know?"
"Hmm!," Hazuki nodded her head.
"Lilia is doing her best, you know. She's been a slave for a long time, and she's unconsciously trying to avoid being treated like one. She's really kind and cute."
"Her breasts are big, too. ...... I touched them while she was sleeping, and they were so ...... fluffy! It's like my fingers were being swallowed up by the water!"
With a gesture like rubbing the air, Hazuki speaks happily.
It was an event that Mars did not know about. Mars decided that it must have happened while he was in the toilet or in the bath.
"I think she'll get mad at your for doing that. ......
"Well, I get slapped when I touch her boobs ...... At first she thought I was Mars-sama and let me touch her. I noticed that her attitude was completely different. That's discriminatory!"
"You wouldn't let just anyone touch you, would you, Hazuki-chan?"
"That's true, but ...... I'm sure my boobs will get bigger if I touch Lilia boobs."
Hazuki stroking her own flab is slightly pathetic.
"That's not gonna happen. ...... If it was, I'd already have big tits."
"Ha-ha-ha! Mars-sama has big tits! That's not gonna happen! It's purely disgusting!"
"――Isn't that an exaggeration? So, in the end, why do they hate the different races? Is it about looks or something?"
"That's right! We were talking about something serious, weren't we? You know...――"
Hazuki looks at Lilia on Mars' back.
She was checking to see if Lilia was awake.
"――I'll tell you."
From the direction of the neighboring, Hazuki and Mars turned towards the voice he heard from the front.
There was a man clad entirely in black knight's armor.
From underneath his helmet, he heard a familiar voice.
"T-that voice, no way, Noah-aniki ......!?"
"Mars-sama brother!?"
"Long time no see, Mars. Have you gotten any bigger? Well, I don't really remember. It's been about seven years."
The man in the jet-black armor took off his helmet.
What came out was a man with blue hair that didn't look like Mars.
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