Chapter 97

"Min! You, who are you!?"

Hildegarde glared at the man, on guard.

The man twisted his mouth into a grotesque smile.

"Shall I say I'm a man who's going to become the ruler of this town?"

"---So you're the leader of a band of bandits?"

"Call me a righteous thief. ...Hey, are you an elf? Oh, I've never seen one before. I've decided, I'll sell you to some perverted noble who's a connoisseur."

"Scum... Let go of Min."

Hildegarde, who had drawn her bow, had no intention of shooting.

If by some chance she hit Min, it would be a disaster.

There was also a non-zero chance that the man wouldn't use her as a shield.

"Don't think I'll let go. This one is apparently Reta's daughter. Then, I'll use her effectively as a hostage."

"What do you have a grudge against Papa for?"

"I have a huge grudge! That guy, after I took such good care of him, he got to have it all to himself!"

"Ridiculous, just jealousy."

"That's not it! While I'm in this situation, he's apparently treated as a hero in this town!"

As the man spat, Hildegarde and the others began to realize the true identity of this bandit.

"I see, you were Reta's former companion?"

"Companion!? Don't joke around, I let him join my party as a lackey! Not a companion!"

The man—former leader of the adventuring party "Black Wolf," Geel—glared at the girls with a furious expression.

"I took care of that useless guy for years! I wouldn't be exaggerating to call myself his benefactor! And yet, that guy!"

"What does this benefactor want with Reta? What do you want to do to his daughter?"

Riggs stepped between the girls and Geel to calm the emotionally charged girls and to protect them, as strong as they were, without Reta.

"It's none of your business, but fine, I'll tell you for entertainment. I want to make him despair."

"What a ridiculous man."

"Hah, say what you will. Anyway, if I kill his daughter right in front of him, he'll despair to death, right?"

"---Ah!"

"Stop being so scared, it's annoying!"

Geel, irritated by Min's reaction to the word "kill," raised his arm to strike the girl.

"Stop it, your opponent is a child!"

"Shut up, dwarf. You seem to know Reta too, and you look more familiar than the others. Then, you're also my enemy. Just die."

Without hesitation, Geel thrust his sword into Riggs' abdomen.

"Ugh, ah... damn..."

Riggs, bleeding from his stomach, fell to his knees.

"NOOOOO, DADDDDD!"

Maylin screamed and rushed to her father, but he collapsed weakly to the floor.

"Uncle!"

"Shut up, you!"

Min, held in Geel's arms, cried out in distress but was forced to be silent as her hair was pulled hard.

"Damn, kids are so noisy and annoying. You must have a lot of patience to take care of three kids. I respect Reta for that. Oh, no, is that your kind of thing? Hahaha, then you're a perverted guy!"

Luna couldn't stand Geel's baseless imagination and mockery of Reta.

"Don't make fun of Papa! Do you think Papa accepted us without any effort?"

Luna couldn't stay silent after her beloved man was mocked. She was already stressed from her sister being taken hostage. She couldn't tolerate any more of Geel's actions.

"Hey, don't be so defiant. I won't stop you, but if this kid dies before Reta comes, it's on you."

With her sister held in Geel's arms, Luna couldn't do anything.

"Calm down, Luna. Calm down."

"How can I calm down in this situation!"

"If you get emotional, anything could happen to Min. It's best not to engage with this kind of person."

"Hey, you're saying that? You're so calm it's pissing me off."

"…I've lived for three hundred years. I don't get flustered by a child's tantrum."

"Huh, you're saying that? Then, I'll play with you out of respect for your age."

"Play?"

"The game is simple. If you resist, I'll kill this kid. You'll just get kicked by me. Sounds fun, right?"

In other words, Hildegarde, who had a hostage, would just be kicked without resistance.

"If that's what you find entertaining, go ahead."

"---Tch. You're not a very interesting kid. Fine, I'll let off some steam until Reta comes!"

Geel then kicked Hildegarde in the stomach.

The unresisting girl fell to the floor, coughing heavily.

The fallen adventurer seemed to enjoy the sight.

"Game start!"

With Min taken hostage and Riggs stabbed, the people around could only watch.

Luna, in particular, was so angry and frustrated that she bit her lip until it bled.

Hildegarde would continue to be kicked until Reta appeared.