Chapter 7

After tying up the surrendered thieves, Al and his companions rescued two men who were imprisoned in a cage made in the church's warehouse. One was in his fifties, the other in his twenties, both men had short, dark brown hair and their faces were strikingly similar, perhaps they were father and son.

They seemed to have been given only a little water, and when they were rescued, their bodies were emaciated and weak, and they could hardly stand.

"Thank you. You saved us."

After taking a breath and drinking some fresh water, the two men repeatedly thanked Al and his companions. They said they were a father and son who ran an inn and restaurant in the border city of Lester. The father introduced himself as Ras, and the son as Tally. About a week ago, while returning to Lester with a cart of ingredients they had purchased in Milton for their restaurant, they were attacked and kidnapped in the same area where Narish and his companions were attacked. It was unclear why, but they might have been taken for ransom because they were merchants.

"Our shop isn't very big, and we don't have the means to pay a ransom. We would have been killed within a few days. It's really lucky that you saved us."

Barbara, who seemed uninterested, stood up.

"Al, can you take care of these two? I'm going to do some investigating."

Al nodded, and she left the church and didn't return for a while. She was probably investigating whether there was something behind the attack on Narish by the thieves. Al made a porridge from the portable food and gave it to the two men, who ate it with tears in their eyes. When they finished, she finally returned.

"How are the two doing?"

She called Al to the back door and whispered. When he replied that they were quite weak but seemed to be okay, she nodded in relief.

"Sorry, but can you stay here and keep watch for the night? I'm going to hurry to the ferry and bring back the guards. We can't move with the captured thieves and the weak men. I plan to return with a carriage by noon tomorrow."

If it were just a matter of moving, he could have done it faster because he could see in the dark, but Barbara probably had connections with the guards. In the end, it would be faster that way. He replied that it was fine.

"Probably there won't be any barbarians or monsters around here, but be careful in case any surviving thieves come. The two men you rescued have probably been seen in Lester, so I don't think they're a trap. Also, do you need this?"

She handed him a scroll of parchment, which was likely a spell. Al's eyes widened when he saw it.

"Can I see it?"

"Of course. It was one of the dead thieves. It might have belonged to the leader you defeated. The spoils of the defeated thieves are generally the property of the victors unless there's a special reason, like if they belonged to a noble."

After defeating the thieves, the seized items would generally become the property of the victors, except for items with special circumstances, such as belonging to a noble. Misuse was not unheard of, but without it, there would be no one to help defeat the thieves. They hadn't decided how to divide the spoils, but Barbara seemed to be considerate of him. He took the parchment scroll carefully and read the title.

"This is a spell I haven't learned. But is it really okay?"

Barbara looked puzzled at his excitement.

"The reason is as I said. Is it something dangerous, like a spell that involves nobles?"

"No... it's not that..."

When she mentioned a spell involving nobles, she was referring to spells like teleportation, meteor, or golem-related spells, which could change the way wars were fought. These spells, which involved time, space, and servitude, were called 4th-tier spells and were monopolized by the royal family or nobles. When such spell books were found in ruins, it was a big deal.

Of course, the spell book in front of him was not one of those. However, it was a forbidden spell. Forbidden spells were not classified by tier but were generally banned and not sold by the Mage Guild because they were considered likely to be used in crimes. A typical example was the unlocking spell.

This spell could literally unlock a lock. While it was said that treasure in ruins was sometimes found in locked treasure chests, it was a popular spell among some mages as a kind of status symbol and was well known among adventurers.

"Hehe, is that your reaction to the unlocking spell? That's great. I won't say anything about it, so don't worry. You want to go to ruins in the future, right? It's better to have it. Take it."

"Y-Yeah. Thanks. I'll take it without hesitation."

Barbara, seeing Al's reaction, seemed to have guessed that it was a forbidden spell from the fact that it was in the possession of a thief. Indeed, it was correct. However, it was not a common unlocking spell but a concealment spell, which could temporarily make an object invisible and was used to hide contraband when passing through checkpoints. It was much harder to obtain than an unlocking spell. Al stroked the surface of the scroll without correcting her misunderstanding.

"Did you want it that much? Your smile is a bit creepy. Well, it's fine. I'm counting on you to keep watch."

Barbara said this, glanced at the two men who seemed relieved, and said goodbye before leaving again.

---

A little before noon, Al, who was on lookout in the church's bell tower, saw a squad of about twelve guards pulling two carts approaching. Barbara was at the head of the group. He quickly descended using a rope and called out to the father and son, who had regained some strength.

"The guards are here. As promised. Ras, Tally, it's good to see you."

"Ah, Al, we really appreciate it. Come to our shop. We'll properly thank you and introduce you to our family."

Ras bowed repeatedly, and his son Tally nodded beside him. Soon, Barbara and the guards approached and entered the village. They were well-trained and formed a line. Al came out of the dilapidated church to greet them. Barbara ran up to him with one of the guards.

"Barbara, right on schedule. There was no attack. The five are still tied up."

"That's good. I met an acquaintance in the ferry town, so we were able to leave as soon as it was light. Ives, this is Al. Al, this is Ives, the squad leader of the guards."

Al and Ives shook hands. Ives, who was called by that name, was about the same height as Barbara, had a muscular build, and silver hair. His deep blue eyes gave the impression of strong will.

"Al, good work. I heard from Barbara about your handy magic. I hope you'll help the guards too. There will probably be a reward for the defeat of the Blood Thieves and the rescue of Ras and Tally. The items seized that don't have a claim will be yours and Barbara's. You can receive them at the ferry station. The head of the guild, Revi, has also been informed about the defeat of the leader of the Blood Thieves. Good for you. You'll be rich overnight. Be careful not to get robbed. Where are the two and the thieves?"

Barbara and Al began to explain the location of the thieves' hideout to the guards. The emaciated Ras and Tally, as well as the items seized from the thieves, were loaded onto the carts. The surrendered thieves were made to help bury the bodies of their dead companions and then dragged along, still tied up. Barbara approached Al with a pleased look and whispered in his ear.

"Al, both Revi and Narish were in good moods. When you get to Lester, it would be good to visit the guild. You'll probably get a hefty reward. Your belongings are being held at the station. Let's move to the station with the guards. I'm looking forward to seeing how much we get. We'll drink together tonight, right? I want to hear more about your spell."

Thank you for reading. This concludes the first chapter. I will post a summary of the characters at 11:00, and the second chapter will start on Friday.

From the second chapter, I plan to post twice a week, on Monday and Friday. Thank you for your support.

Thank you for the corrections. I always appreciate your help.

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2023.4.14 - Added line breaks and formatted the text.