Chapter 29

"Maybe I should just kill you," I heard, and for a moment, I didn't understand what was going on.

However, when the shopkeeper pulled out a knife from under the counter... I knew this was bad.

The knife the shopkeeper pulled out was thrown at me.

I dodged it in a panic, and then, suddenly, a sharp, gleaming object thrust out from the right edge of my vision. I dodged this almost reflexively.

I dodged, lost my balance, but managed to turn around... and the shopkeeper was about to thrust another sharp, gleaming object at me.

That sharp, gleaming object was probably a knife. The second one had come.

And the person aiming the second knife at me... was another customer in the shop. No, not a customer, but someone involved, I guess. He seemed to know the shopkeeper.

"You've got bad luck, kid!"

I rolled on the floor to avoid the knife aimed at me. I must be lucky. The knife aimed at me embedded itself in the floor.

"Don't miss this time!"

"Whatever, you can't escape anyway. Let's take our time."

"Huh. Don't miss next time."

I silently prayed, "Please miss next time," but I knew they would probably aim at me again... and I somehow managed to stand up and brace myself.

I had no idea what was happening. I just walked into a shop that looked like a pawn shop, and suddenly I was about to be killed.

And then...

"Still, I'm surprised that our sworn enemies or their associates would come here with a lot of money to be killed."

The shopkeeper and the others laughed.

...What is going on here?

First, one of the reasons they were trying to kill me was probably the money.

Yeah, I was still holding the bag of money. Maybe I was careless.

But more than the money... it seemed that I was about to be killed because I came to buy that sword.

The shopkeeper's reaction changed when he realized I was there to buy the sword. So, that must be it.

...These people called me "our sworn enemies or their associates." So, does that mean "the person who came to buy the sword" is "the sworn enemy"? Then, Laocles, who was looking at the sword...

I didn't have time to think further. The next knife came immediately. I lowered my posture and ran, dodging the knife the shopkeeper threw and heading for the door. But before I reached the door, another customer blocked my way. I had to dodge the axe-like thing he swung, and I couldn't get close to the door.

Meanwhile, another customer locked the door from the inside and approached with a knife. More knives flew from somewhere, breaking a nearby pot. The sound of pottery breaking was deafening.

An axe was swung down, and I dodged it in a panic. A shelf in the shop broke, making a huge noise.

...In this way, I was cornered.

The shop wasn't very large, and there was no place to run.

...This might be bad.

"...It doesn't seem like you're just killing me for the money."

When I said this, the shopkeeper and the customers laughed.

"Money? We want money, sure. How much do you have? If you have that much, it's a considerable amount, right?"

After saying that... the shopkeeper continued.

"But, if it was just for the money, we wouldn't have tried to kill you."

I see. I thought so.

"Then, if I say I just wanted the sword because it was beautiful?"

"It's too late for that. By saying that, you're admitting you have an idea."

I was at a loss. I did have an idea, but I knew nothing about the details.

Maybe Laocles was just nostalgic because he used to use swords before he became a slave.

...But something didn't feel right.

What if... that sword had something to do with Laocles? What could have happened? What could have led these people to think, "Anyone who shows interest in that sword must be killed"?

...Why did Laocles become a slave in the first place?

"Did that sword kill someone?"

That's why I asked.

...The shopkeeper grinned and answered.

"Yeah, that's right. The sword you wanted killed our very important master!"

Then, knives and axes came at me...

...At that moment.

The shop door rattled.

The shopkeeper and the others flinched at the sound. ...Immediately after.

There was a loud bang, and the door was... kicked in.

The door flew off, along with pieces of the door and part of the wall.

...Scattering these, and then, who came in... was Laocles.

Laocles and I made eye contact for a moment, and then, immediately, Laocles was already moving.

First, he threw his bag. A large chunk of cheese and a loaf of bread, still in the bag.

...The chunk of cheese hit one of the customers hard, knocking him down.

"Damn, you didn't...!"

Then, Laocles swung the shopping bag in his hand and hit the side of the head of a surprised shopkeeper. He then threw the shopping bag away, freeing his hand.

Laocles then faced a customer with an axe and one with a ham.

...Wow. The ham looked like a club. I remember there was a statue of Hercules with a club like this...

Laocles with the ham club was amazing. He blocked the axe with the ham, grabbed the customer's collar with his left hand, and headbutted him.

Seeing the shopkeeper getting up, he hit him with the ham.

...Wow. Really amazing. Laocles is very strong.

Strong and... very, very beautiful.

Is moving muscle this beautiful? The bulge of his arm muscles when he raised his arm. The movement of his body when he dodged a flying knife. The tension in his muscles, the dynamism that no mere sculpture could capture.

...No, I know I shouldn't be mesmerized. But Laocles' fighting was so one-sided... the battle was over just by watching.

Looking down at the three people lying on the floor, Laocles sighed.

Then he looked at me... and with a slightly awkward face, turned away... and while still turned away, he reached out his hand to me.

I flinched, but there was no shock as my body anticipated, just a light tap on my head from Laocles' hand.

Then, awkwardly and clumsily, his hand moved. Pat, pat.

"...I caused trouble."

"Huh?"

Laocles said something I didn't understand, then picked up the shopping bag, cheese, and bread he had thrown and tried to leave the shop.

Trouble... to the shop? Well, the door was broken, the shelf was broken, and the merchandise was damaged. But I think what Laocles meant was something else...

"...Do you think you caused trouble for me?"

When I asked hesitantly, Laocles stopped and said, "Yeah," in a small voice.

"I'm the one who caused trouble. I went out on my own and got into trouble. I'm sorry."

I quickly chased after Laocles and apologized properly.

I caused him trouble. I found a fragment of his thoughts and went after it without confirming if he wanted it. ...I'm reflecting on it.

When I apologized, Laocles made an awkward face again, as if he didn't know what to say or how to say it.

"You... saw me looking at that sword, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"That's why you acted. I understand. If so, you were involved because of me."

"No... I should have asked you properly if it was okay to buy the sword. I shouldn't have been afraid to ask."

I somehow felt I shouldn't ask. Laocles seemed to want to say something, but I felt he wouldn't tell me. Still, I wanted to fulfill his wishes even if he didn't say them.

It was probably presumptuous. That's all it was.

"...Let's go back. The nobleman is probably lost."

Oh, right. I caused trouble for Fay too. He's probably lost...

...Yeah.

As I was about to chase after Laocles, who was leaving the shop... I remembered.

The reason I came to this shop in the first place.

"Hey, Laocles."

This time, I would ask properly. His will. Not my own judgment. Not my own fear.

...But I couldn't say anything more.

I heard a strange, hissing sound... and in a corner of the shop, where a shopkeeper was lying, something black was writhing in his hand.

I thought, "What is that?"

A tremendous sound echoed. The ground shook. The sound of something heavy breaking resounded many times.

...And then.

"This is... bad."

A shapeless, ghost-like figure, as if made of the darkness of night, broke through the ceiling and loomed over us with its large body.