013. The Man With The Stubble
When I awoke from sleep and saw the scene around me, I let out a huge sigh of disgust at my own stupidity.
「I never thought I would fall for a badger game!」
Remembering my actions with Yume, I slumped my shoulders in disappointment.
I realized that I was now tied behind my back, my hands, and feet bound with some kind of string and that I was also wearing a collar.
Even if I am a total moron, I can understand the general situation.
I'm not sure of the details, but I was definitely involved in some kind of crime ― even though I had told myself that although the world was a "game-like world" but "not a game itself"...
It was my own fault for getting carried away, which is even worse.
I am so pathetic that I can't even feel anger.
「Though, I'm probably lucky to be alive――」
Where the hell am I?
The stone floor and walls ―」 there is only one window, a very small one, and it is carefully covered with a fine mesh.
It appears to be a storeroom or something, but I am not sure.
There were many dirty clothes, ropes, and other things thrown about, as well as barrels, tubs, and crates, and it didn't seem very spacious.
There was no one in the room but me, and no sign of anyone outside.
There was a little light shining in, probably due to the time of day, so I had no problem looking around, but I didn't really care about that.
All I care about now is.
「Why they didn't kill me right away and took the risk of kidnapping me ......」
I don't know if it was simply "because I looked like an easy target" or "because I'm from another world", but there's nothing I can do about it, and sooner or later someone will show up who wants me.
「Ooh?」
I thought I heard a sudden noise outside, and suddenly the door was opened with a loud bang. And then...
「Stay here and be quiet for a while!」
(!?)
A large, stubbly, bearded man was thrown in haphazardly.
I was surprised at that, but what caught my attention even more was that,
(A dark elf!?)
Dark skin and silver hair. A race with pointed ears ― a familiar presence in games, but this was the first time I had seen them in Elfaria.
「H-Hey!」
I shouted, but the dark elf man immediately closed the door, locked it, and went away without a glance.
(He's in a hurry.)
Maybe something happened, but...
「But more importantly, Ossan(old man). You all――Ugh!」
I tried to call out to him, but the smell of alcohol made me frown.
He was around 40 years old―No. I'd say he was in his early 50.
He had short-cropped black hair and brown eyes like a cat.
For a moment I thought, "Is he a beast?" But he seemed to be a normal human being.
「Ouch. Damn, I drank too much last night. ......Gaahhh! My head hurts!」
He seemed to be enduring a headache, but it seemed that he was taken away like me.
「Seriously. Good old man, don't let your drinking get to you.」
「Ha! What's with you? From the looks of it, it seems you were caught by them――did a woman or something trick you?」
I grunted when he said that.
「Heh ―― I knew it. I could smell the scent of a woman on your clothes, so she tried to trick you. ...... You can't talk about other people, can you? You little shit.」
「What did you say!?」
I'm not buying his word(?), but I was provoked, and I was pissed off.
「If you can be seduced by a woman at your age, you've got a long way to go♪ Ordinary guy――rich guy? No. Maybe you're a fixer?」
「If so, what's with your problem?」
When I complained, the old man said, "I knew it!" and he started to laugh loudly.
「Hyahahaha! For real! There's a limit to how lame you can be!? You must be a rookie, right?」
*Grrrr* I bit my back teeth in a fit of emotions as I was told one after another,...
(Who the hell is this old man ......?)
The slight "calmness" left in the corner of my mind raises a question.
He looks like a drunken old man ― strangely perceptive, and if he had been kidnapped like me, he would have shown more grief, anxiety, and the like.
But in fact, he doesn't seem bothered at all,......in fact, he seems to be accustomed to this kind of situation. In other words,
「......I see. Oldman is also a fixer?」
I said, but Oldman said vaguely, "Not exactly, but it's similar".
「My name is 'Iru-Danaf". For various reasons, I've been researching an organization that's been active both inside and outside of Hanaria recently.」
「Organization?」
「Yeah. It seems that the Guild has no idea what's really going on at the moment. And if they don't seem to have anything to do with the underworld, I have no choice but to look into them, right?」
「What do you mean?」
「Who knows. You'll have to figure it out for yourself, you pervert brat.」
「Kuhh.」
I've been blatantly mocked, but I can't say anything back.
「But more importantly, what are you going to do now? You're not going to stay here forever, are you?」
「Well, yeah. Though I've made some miscalculations. I'm considering it. In addition, that silver ring around your neck――A tool called "Agria" started to appear on the market a while ago, but I didn't think they even had something like this available. After all, if you do something wrong, on the spot you'll go Boom! Get a big bang on the spot! Because that thing it's such a scary thing」
「Eeekkkk!?」
I cowered when I realized that it was too dangerous.
「Well, it would be wise to keep quiet for now. I don't know what they want, but I'm sure they will make a move in the not-too-distant future. In fact, I'm told that the fixers are already working on a solution.」
「............」
I think the old man is right, although his words were a little worrisome.
「Anyway, if there's something wrong, just wake me up.」
As soon as he said that, after letting out a loud "Yaawwwnn~~," the Oldman who called himself Iru laid his body down and started to snore.
「What in the world is this old man?」
I know this is unusual in many ways ― but since I couldn't do anything about it, I tried to rest my body and mind as much as possible.
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