Chapter 2

"Where are we heading again?"

"Huh?"

When asked by his companion, with whom he had taken on a job, the man couldn't help but sigh.

This guy came without even knowing that...?

"How can you take a job without knowing anything?"

"Well, I've been short on cash lately."

"Huh? Didn't you say you made a lot of money recently?"

"That was until I bought a slave and it was all gone."

The man felt nauseous as he glared at his companion, who stuck out his tongue in a disgusting manner.

If a beautiful woman did it, it might have looked graceful, but when a man who commits countless crimes does it, it just looks revolting.

"Don't go around talking about slaves so openly. We're not the only ones on this job."

"Oh..."

Seemingly remembering the man's warning, his companion looked around to see if anyone had heard.

In this country, owning slaves is 'technically' prohibited.

'Technically' means that owning slaves is tacitly accepted.

For example, nobles and soldiers, who are indispensable to the country, and members of 'gray' guilds like the men, who don't think much of crimes.

"That's right. If you say such things in front of us, we have no choice but to take action. Please be more careful in the future."

It seems they had been overheard.

A man in knight's armor addressed the men.

However, that was all he said. It seemed the knight was also a person similar to the members of the gray guild.

"Well, I'm sorry. I don't own any slaves, you see."

"Too late for that."

His companion seemed to have figured out the knight's character and was grinning.

This kind of scene would never be shown to ordinary people.

Men like them, from a 'gray' guild, and the kingdom's knights, who are supposed to protect the country and its people, working together on a job.

Moreover, the knight shows no intention of prosecuting someone who owns slaves, which is not allowed.

To the men, it's a relief, but to the citizens, it's unbelievable.

"So, what are we supposed to do now?"

"What we are about to do is to eliminate a dark guild."

"Really...?!"

The man's companion, who had been trying to brush off the knight's words, quickly latched onto them.

Well, if you hear about a dark guild, that's what you'd expect.

Even guilds like the men, who commit crimes, are considered 'gray'.

A guild that the kingdom recognizes as 'dark' is almost nonexistent.

"Oh, that's why the reward was so high, huh?"

"Pay attention."

Since it was a good opportunity, the man decided to listen a bit.

"But, is it really okay to go up against a dark guild with such a small group? We have some confidence in our skills, but..."

"Haha. You are working with a guild experienced in rough jobs and the kingdom's knights. There's no need to worry. Furthermore, we are not the only ones going after the dark guild. Several mixed teams of guilds and knights are approaching from other routes."

The knight answered confidently, giving a sense of how serious the kingdom and the guilds are about this mission.

While the man was thinking about this, he was suddenly startled.

"――Uncles, what are you doing?"

"Whoa!?"

The man shuddered at the high, soft voice of a child.

They were deep in the forest, far from any town or village where ordinary people would never venture.

It was strange enough to hear another person's voice, but even more so to hear a child's voice.

The man's companion and the knight were also surprised, their eyes wide.

The man, despite his skepticism, looked in the direction of the voice...

"Really, it's a child."

A child with long, fluffy green hair was looking up curiously at the quiet forest.

The large flower decorations attached to the child's hair were eye-catching and impressive.

"Why are you here?"

"That's mutual. Lala lives with someone important nearby."

When the man looked down at the child, the child responded in a formal tone that seemed forced.

He sighed as if looking at a fool, and when he mentioned 'someone important,' he made an unusually seductive face.

The man, who had no interest in children, felt a slight thrill.

However, he was confused by the child's response.

There shouldn't be any villages or communities nearby. Does this child live alone with their 'important person'?

The man looked at the knight, who seemed more knowledgeable about the area, for an answer.

"Probably a stray who has settled nearby. There are countless people who, for some reason, find it difficult to live in a village."

The man nodded at the knight's explanation, which seemed the most plausible.

"Wow, you're a cute kid, aren't you?"

The man's companion approached the child with a lecherous smile and a creepy, insincere tone.

The man, thinking the worst, asked his companion.

"Hey, you're not thinking of...?"

"No, no! Not like that. Just, this kid has a pretty face and could fetch a good price."

The man was relieved that his companion didn't have that kind of taste, but he chuckled at the outrageous suggestion.

His companion intended to sell the child as a slave.

Indeed, the child was very cute and could fetch a high price.

"I would have made her mine if she were a bit older, but I'm not a pedophile."

If a decent person saw this, they would think the man had no conscience for selling such a small child as a slave. However, in a gray guild where crimes are considered acceptable, no one would have such noble thoughts.

The man, though he felt a bit sorry for the child, didn't try to stop his companion.

"Please don't do that in front of me."

Even the kingdom's knights, who are supposed to protect the people, reacted this way.

The knights, who worked with the gray guild on the mission to eliminate the dark guild, were not normal.

"Uncles, why did you come here?"

"We are the good uncles who came to eliminate the bad, bad guild in this forest. It's dangerous, so stay with us."

The man's companion answered the girl's question with a suspicious smile.

It was clearly a pick-up line for kidnapping, but the child didn't show any signs of running away.

Is this child naturally unguarded?

The man thought the child would be sold as a slave by his companion.

If sold to nobles with such tastes, the child would fetch a high price.

He was thinking of getting a drink or two from the proceeds.

"Heheh"

The man's companion was probably fantasizing about the large sum of money he would get from selling the child, with a lecherous grin on his face.

"What? Are you here to pick a fight with Lala and her important person?"

"..."

The smile froze on his face immediately after.