Chapter 20, Disturbance - 09
The maze-like underground canals of Galhassan's pride and joy are narrow at the entrance, but once you are inside, they are quite high. This is because the region is divided into dry and wet seasons, and the amount of water flowing during the rainy season before summer is quite large. It's as high as Satoru can normally stand, looking down at the girl with her feet frozen and her back bowed - maybe two meters high. But of course, it would be impossible to wield the Giant Slayer in such a waterway.
「Wait a minute!」
After Satoru's intrusion, the pickpocket girl finally spoke up, and the two monsters, Leia and Satoru, looked at the poor human. Snarling at their gazes, the girl shoots her voice at Satoru.
「Why are you trying to let me go?」
At first, she wondered if the money the young man was holding was dangerous money. That's what the girl thought.
Otherwise, it would have been too strange for such a young man with such a body to have such a large amount of gold coins in a small bag at his waist. When you put gold coins in a sachet, it's one or two at most. Usually, they are kept in a backpack.
If it was that kind of money, there was a possibility that he could escape by using his connections in the thieves' guild, but the pickpocket girl thought that was unlikely. But the pickpocket girl thought that was unlikely because the young man showed no signs of knowing the thieves' guild's code.
The fact that he overlooked a sign that any thief would know at the very least was proof that he was not a thief.
If the money is legitimate, the quickest way to get it is to turn it in to the authorities. If she threw away the sachet containing the young man's money before she was turned in, he would have no witnesses and there was a small chance of escaping, but she was already "fingerless" and there was no way the authorities would believe her, and considering the young man's physical ability, there was no way she could throw away the sachet.
She thought about it a lot, but there was no way the young man and the others would let the girl go.
The girl's question was answered by Satoru in a matter-of-fact manner.
「Well, you know, it's a pity that such a pretty girl has to go through so much misery.」
「My Lord. ......」
The pickpocket girl's eyes darted, and Leia put her hand to her forehead in dismay.
There was no evil in Satoru's eyes at all. The girl could tell that he was serious, and she was confused - but she didn't feel bad.
「If you learn from this, don't be so petty as to steal.」
The girl was instantly awakened by Satoru's somewhat arrogant advice.
「I can't do that.」
「Ah?」
「I'm tied up to the Thieves' Guild.」
The girl was given the task of pickpocketing. If she fails to do her job, various dangers will attack her and her surroundings. She will not be able to make a living.
There was no way for Satoru to know exactly what the Thieves' Guild was about. But of course, he could tell from the words that it was a dangerous organization.
「Let me ask you something. Are you doing this because you want to?」
「You jest. There aren't many people who would want to do such a dangerous job.」
「Indeed. Stealing is very dangerous if you get caught.」
Leia added to the girl's reply. The girl is only doing this job to live. As Leia pointed out, stealing is risky. If you ask me if it's worth it, it's probably not.
However, they say that there is no nobility in professions, but what about being a thief?
「If you don't want to do it, you can fight it.」
Satoru hated being a loser.
If you don't want to lose, fight. That's what he believed in all his life. No matter how hard it was, if he thought he was fighting, he could face it.
However, the girl shook her head left and right.
「My little brother. He's being used as the male concubine of the current leader. He is a good hostage.」
――"I see," he thought, but at the same time, Satoru wondered. The girl was quite good looking. She didn't have to cross the dangerous bridge of pickpocketing to make a living, but she can live as a prostitute. Just like his brother was doing, even if he didn't want to.
「The previous generation was good. I'm grateful to him for taking us in. He did a good job, but ......」
Satoru was reminded of the president of the security company when the girl muttered something to him as if she was chewing on something.
Ever since his parents died unexpectedly and he had to beg the boss to let him work, the boss had been like a parent to him. There were times when he was even harsher to Satoru than his own parents, but now that he is an adult, he understands that these words were said with Satoru's best interests in mind.
He wondered what it would be like if he was in the girl's position. What if the president is replaced by someone who takes Alice hostage and forces Satoru to work like a yakuza?
Satoru would probably fight. After rescuing Alice, he would fight. He would fight even if he knew he couldn't win. But the girl did not do so. There may be a difference between men and women, but...
「Aren't you frustrated?」
In response to Satoru's question, the girl glared at him sharply.
「How can you not be frustrated!? But what can I do when my brother is taken hostage!?」
Leia was the first to react to the girl's voice, which was full of emotion. However, she did not react to what the girl had said.
「Wait a minute, my Lord, that's dangerous.」
For Leia, the little thief girl passing by was of no concern. For her, the main thing is Satoru. She had warned him that they might get into trouble, but Satoru had brushed aside her advice.
「Then I'll crush them.」
The pickpocket's eyes rolled back in her head, and Leia groaned as she held her forehead.
「That'll make it all right, right?」
Satoru smirks and laughs.
And the timeline returns to present.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
The three of them (or two, at first glance) returned to the Honey Pot Pavilion. Of course, it was only after Leia's "healing" had healed the girl's leg. The innkeeper just glanced at them and didn't ask any questions.
He went back to his room and was briefed on the slaves - that was the current situation.
Satoru and the pickpocket girl sat down on the bed and the chair, respectively, while Leia stood. Leia is standing because of her small pride. In fact, the pickpocket girl is slightly taller than Leia, and she just doesn't want to be looked down upon - she's a bit small for that.
「The Thieves' Guild is, in a sense, a necessary evil.」
Leia's tone of voice as she explained to Satoru was filled with a great deal of dismay. "What kind of an idea is it to get yourself into trouble," she said.
Satoru shrugged his shoulders in silence.
「Of course, they can't operate openly. However, they make contracts with merchants and others to control theft and racketeering. If a stranger tries to steal from them, they'll find him or her at the roots of the grass, tear him or her to pieces, and cut off his or her fingers or hand him or her over to the authorities. In some places, they even know about stolen goods.」
Hoho, the Thieves' Guild seems to be an organization within Satoru's imagination. It's a mutual aid organization for thieves, similar to the Yakuza. He had only heard of it in games, but he suppose it's highly dangerous - usually.
Leia looked back at the pickpocket girl and sighed at Satoru, who didn't change his expression no matter what was said.
「Hey, little girl.」
「What it is, Immortal Queen?」
The girl who had been intimidated at first was not defeated now.
「With my Lord's power, a thieves' guild in a town like this would be no problem at all.」
A shiver ran down the girl's spine. She wonder how powerful the Lord of the Immortal King have, who is one of the most powerful Immortal King in the world, says that the Thieves' Guild here is no problem at all.
For that reason, she explained about the slaves and the thieves' guild, which should be common knowledge. To be honest, he doesn't understand the relationship between the two of them.
「Can't we just kill him and call it a day? Do you have a plan after you eliminate the current leader?」
The girl regained her composure at the question from the [Immortal King].
「That's no problem. There is a son of the previous generation. He's a smart guy, but he's also physically and mentally weak. When the predecessor passed away, he was overpowered by the strong-armed Zareth, Ah, that name of the current leader, all right?」
Leia breathed a small sigh of relief. It seems that they don't have to clean up after themselves.
「The merchants are tired of Zareth's tactics, so as long as we can get rid of him and his cronies, we'll be fine.」
「How many are there?」
「Fifteen, maybe six. The key is four people, including Zareth.」
Leia nodded and looked back at her Lord.
「My Lord, what do we do?」
「It's decided. We'll hit them head on.」
Leia couldn't help but smile at his overly bold statement. Well, that's just like Satoru.
It was the girl who panicked at Satoru's comment.
「Haah? I don't know how much confidence you have in your strength, but there's a limit to how reckless you can be.」
「Leia. You stay in the shadows. Come out if something happens.」
「Understood.」
The two ignored the girl's advice and continued their conversation, and the girl couldn't help but grumble.
「Listen to meeee!!」
The two of them acted as if they didn't hear her at all. They don't even seem to be paying attention. It's true that she may be an outsider in this situation, but this treatment is just too lonely. The girl found herself feeling a little sad. Being ignored was also quite sad.
「Oops, that's right.」
At the thoughful voice, the girl looked up as if it were her turn, but Satoru ignored her and gave Leia an earful. Leia nodded again and again.
「Hmm, that sounds like a good idea. Understood.」
「Also ...... as much as possible, don't kill him.」
「......?」
Leia responded to Satoru's serious expression with a strange look on her face. They're dealing with a bad guy. She can understand if he want her to kill him, but don't kill him is unexpected. Satoru raised the edge of his mouth as if troubled.
「I told you, right? That the world I was in was basically a peaceful world. Of course, I have no experience in killing people. I'm still hesitant to kill people, even if they're from another world.」
「Um......」
Leia gulped at Satoru's sincere expression. She had been worried about Satoru's naivete before. After all, he understood.
「If you've done too much and ended up dead, you may feel that it can't be helped. I can't do it with the intention of killing them from the start.」
Satoru is aware of it, but he doesn't think he can get rid of it. It can't be helped, Leia said, putting her hands on her hips.
「........We've lived in different worlds, you know, so it can't be helped. I'll do my best, but I can't promise anything.」
「That's fine.」
Satoru nodded.
She is aware that Satoru's power is too overwhelming for an ordinary person to take a chance on. On the other hand, Leia's power, though not as great as Satoru's, is also on a different level compared to the average person. Of course, since Satoru said that, he would take it easy, but with her power, there is a very good chance that she would still be able to snuff them out easily.
However, there is always the possibility of overdoing it and dying, but the implications are much different if you were willing to do it from the beginning and it turned out that way. It's a matter of consciousness, so just having a good plan will make a difference.
「Hey! Nii-san! Can you hear me!?」
「You're so noisy, I can hear you」
In response to the girl's appeal, Satoru finally replied with just his voice. The girl, whose existence had been ignored until now, finally took a breath. As she tried to continue, Satoru made the first move.
「Let me tell you something.」
Finally, Satoru turned to the girl. He was big and had a big face. His face itself was not bad, but the expression on his face was a little stern, which made him look intimidating. The girl sat back in her chair and stepped back a little.
「I'm just trying to give you a chance. I don't know anything more than that, and I have no intention of getting involved. I just want to make sure that Zales, or whatever he is, and his cronies are taken care of.」
「.........」
The girl threw a stunned and unimpressed look at the young man who had said it without any doubt. It's an absolute difference in power, or maybe it's an attitude that you don't even doubt. Unless you're an expert, you're done for if you're surrounded by a certain number of people. She's sure he knows the danger, but this is his attitude. She wonderer if this young man is at the level of an expert. Despite his large physique and well-traveled presence, he didn't seem to be all that impressive, but...
「I have no problem if my Lord doesn't bother to show up, I can do it alone」
Satoru shook his head left and right as Leia muttered uinterestingly.
「No, that's not good. You're a legendary monster, aren't you?」
Leia's shoulders slumped.
「It's true, but being treated as a monster is a bit depressing. ......」
Satoru laughed at Leia's serious depression and patted her on the head.
The girl was surprised again. The young man may be large, but he looks like a mere human. If an ordinary person were to touch the Immortal King, they would dry up and turn into a sullen pooch due to "life force absorption", but the young man was unconcerned. She even suspected that the girl might be lying about being the Immortal King. It's just a matter of make-up to fool the girl - But that's not possible. When she came to this inn, she witnessed the special ability of the "Immortal Family", "Shadow Diving".
「Saying that you, a legend, defeated them doesn't actually solve the problem. It's better to say that this woman did it, so that we can handle it without any regrets.」
"Ohhhh," Leia exclaimed in admiration.
A passing monster has defeated the head of the thieves' guild, which would cause some confusion. They have a point, they have a point, but.....
Hearing only their discussion, the girl became jaded.
「...... Hold on. So what, you want me to be there too?」
「Of course. We don't even know where the guild is, and we don't know who Zareth is and who his cronies are. Unless you want us to beat them all to a pulp.」
Satoru sighed exaggeratedly
The girl gulped.
He's absolutely right. This man doesn't know anything. If he is going to kill everything he sees, he will definitely involve the girl's brother. It was something that the girl had to avoid at all costs.
The girl had been somewhat preoccupied with the good fortune that chance had brought her, but now she could finally face reality - with some doubt.
「I'll clean it up for you. Cleanup is your job. If you want to shape the future, so be it.」
──Can the future really open up? Can I really trust everything to this eccentric man?
A sudden stroke of good fortune is about to bring things to a head. The development is so sudden that she can't help but have her doubts.
However, she was dead once. If she were to be turned in by the authorities here, she would probably become a comfort woman for the soldiers, as pointed out by the Immortal King. There is no freedom there. She would not be able to see her brother. Everything that she had protected up until now would be destroyed.
When I thought about it, I naturally decided to go for it.
「Tell me one thing.」
Satoru's eyes narrowed a little at the sound of her voice, which was a little different from the past, and he squared his chin to urge her on.
「Is there any advantage for you in doing so?」
Because there are benefits, the young man is willing to help. If she could understand his reason, she might be able to convince the young man of his good fortune.
「No? Of course not. If I had to guess, I'd say it's the satisfaction of knowing I've helped someone.」
He held up his hand to stop the girl who was about to open her mouth and say, "Then”.
「You don't need to say "why" anymore. I just happened to be passing by, and I just happened to save you. Isn't that enough?」
The girl was taken aback, but Satoru smiled at her. The girl's heart skip a beat at his unpretentious smile.
「I'm a foreigner, a traveler. I have no intention of staying in this land.......Yeah, well, when we're done with some of that, give me some information about the labyrinths around here. I'll let you off the hook for your help.」
Satoru smiled good-naturedly, "That way you won't have any regrets".
（.......I don't know what's going on, but my heart is pounding.)
The girl held her own chest.
It's like grasping at a cloud led by chance. Normally, a mere three people would not be willing to deal with an obstacle that would cost at least five times as much, or even a hundred if she made a mistake in guiding them. Not to mention, the reason why she met him was because she was a pickpocket. In spite of this, the girl found herself somehow attracted to this eccentric man, who seemed to have no regard for her.
For a moment, the thought of betraying this young man and selling him to Zareth crossed her mind, but it quickly disappeared. Regardless of which choice she made, if she failed, she would die or suffer a comparable fate. If that's the case, which one would she choose?
――That's obvious.
「...... Rico」
「Huh?」
The girl, Rico, smiled at Satoru's confused voice.
「That's my name. It's Rico. It's too lonely to call me "you" when we're about to do something, isn't it?」
Satoru raises his mouth with a grin.
「Satoru. And her, Leia.」
Leia shrugged her shoulders in silence.
Something stuck in Rico's head. The Immortal King Leia... She needed a little time to think about it.
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