Chapter 9

The day after moving to the town by the ferry, around noon, the sky, which had been rainy until yesterday, cleared up beautifully, making for a pleasant day. The temperature was so warm that it felt almost like summer, more hot than just warm.

From the ferry, Al walked leisurely alongside a small cart pulled by a donkey, which carried the father and son, Ras and Tally, whom he had saved. Barbara, who had been conducting investigations with Al, had left early in the morning and was surely already in the frontier city of Lester.

The frontier city of Lester, where Al was heading, was built on a small hill, utilizing the terrain. Although there were no walls surrounding the city, there were many earthen ramparts constructed to take advantage of the elevation, and watchtowers were placed at key points to constantly guard against approaching barbarians or monsters.

It was said to be the smallest of the six cities in the Lester Frontier, but it still had a population of about 6,000 and was a major base for frontier development. The road from the ferry, which had been rocky and difficult to cross before, was now well-maintained.

"Sorry, Mr. Al. I'm really in your debt again. Thank you so much."

Ras had been muttering this several times, looking apologetic. His son, Tally, was smiling wryly while leisurely enjoying the scenery. Although they were still unsteady on their feet, they seemed to be recovering somewhat thanks to the rest they had taken at the inn.

"You're much younger than me, so please stop calling me 'Mr.' Just call me by my name."

"Well, even so... you saved our lives, and you arranged for the cart and everything."

"I couldn't move for a week while being held captive and only got rotten water to drink. It's only natural that I couldn't move. Besides, in Lester, you can stay at an inn for a very reasonable price, so this isn't a big deal."

Tally, listening to this exchange, felt that Al was a pleasant and reassuring person.

Since being rescued, Ras had been continuously thanking Al. When he heard that Al was a first-time visitor to the frontier city of Lester and intended to work as an adventurer, he insisted on letting him stay at their inn for free. However, Al refused, suggesting that they should offer a slight discount within a reasonable profit margin. He also offered to go to the inn with them since they were still not fully recovered and had to use the cart.

Soon, the earthen rampart and gate guarding the city's entrance, along with the watchtower next to it, came into view. Beyond the gate was a square with rows of shops. The inn where they stayed was not far from there. As the cart approached, two women standing near the gate noticed them. One appeared to be in her early 40s, and the other in her mid-teens. When they saw Ras and Tally on the cart, they rushed over.

"You! Tally!" "Dad, Brother!"

With Al's help, Ras and Tally managed to get off the cart. They then embraced the two women tightly. From their demeanor and conversation, they seemed to be Ras's wife and daughter. The wife, who had black hair, and the daughter, who had the same dark brown hair as her father, were both quite beautiful, though they appeared to have lost weight due to worry.

"I'm sorry for worrying you."

"I'm so glad you're safe. I was shocked when I received that strange letter saying you had been kidnapped."

"Damn thieves, to do such a thing. I'm sorry for worrying you..."

"The letter said they would kill Dad or Brother if we contacted the guards..."

The four of them comforted each other and celebrated their safety. Overhearing their conversation, Al learned that Ras's wife was named Laureen and his daughter, Tally's sister, was named Iris.

A few days earlier, a ransom letter had arrived, and the two women had spent days in anguish. As Al listened to their conversation, he noticed two men lurking in the shadows, watching the scene. Both were about 170 cm tall and slender, with disheveled clothing. They were whispering to each other while glancing at the four people.

"Mr. Ras, Mr. Tally, I have some urgent business. Can you go ahead?"

"Huh? What? Wait a—"

"I'll explain later. I'll come to the inn after I'm done..."

The two men started to leave. Al gently stopped Tally, who was about to say something, and handed him his backpack before starting to follow them. He suspected they might be the ones who had been monitoring Ras's family and sending the extortion letters.

The Bloodied Bandits gang was already destroyed, so they might not be a threat anymore, but it was still unsettling to leave them unchecked. However, he couldn't act on mere suspicion in the city. He should find their hideout and report it to the guards.

While thinking this, he continued to follow them. Suddenly, the two men turned a narrow corner. Tail-chasing in an unfamiliar area was difficult. Worried that he had been noticed, he followed them around the corner. The two men were waiting for him.

"..."

He sighed and looked around. In his pursuit, he had not noticed that there was no one else around. The alley was littered with garbage, and parts of the walls were crumbling.

"Never seen you around here, kid. What do you want?"

The man in the black shirt asked. The other man, in a brown shirt, was on guard, and both had their hands on the hilts of their short swords.

"Uh, I got lost. I thought if I followed someone, I might get back to the main street... Sorry for following you—"

Before he could finish, the man in the black shirt lunged at him.

*Flash*

Al jumped back and thrust out his palm. A blinding light was released, and the men shielded their eyes. Al took the opportunity to run to the wall.

*Illusion* - Wall

When the men's vision cleared and they looked around, Al was nowhere to be seen. He had pressed himself against the crumbling wall and used an illusion to camouflage himself. Unaware of this, the two men searched the area.

"Where did he go? Not there, right?" "No, not there, maybe over there?"

They searched for him, thinking he might be hiding somewhere. But they couldn't find him and were puzzled.

"Damn, he used magic. That means he probably used a spell to hide like the boss did?"

"Without any contact, and with the two of us back, he must have made a mistake."

They continued to curse for a while but eventually concluded that there was nothing they could do.

"There's nothing we can do..."

"Yeah, that's right..."

They looked at each other and left the area.

Thank you for reading.

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2023.4.14 Added line breaks and formatted the text.