Chapter 41

In the morning in the capital city.

Lilicia and I were walking down a back alley paved with cobblestones.

We had learned from a witch about a cheap way to rejuvenate and were asked by the beautiful elf Cheryl to rescue the elf girl Tety. The problem was that we had no leads on either.

“Lilicia, what should we do?”

“I don’t know where to start… I’m sorry.”

“It’s like trying to catch a cloud. Maybe we should go to the library… Oh?”

Receiving the sunlight from the high sky, I returned to the front of the shop. There, Edgar, a tall, lanky man, was standing hidden by the side of the shop. His messy black hair was exploding like a bird's nest, as if he had rushed over right after waking up.

He bowed his head when he noticed me.

“Mr. Alec, Miss Lilicia, thank you for the medicine! It worked right away! Amazing!”

“I’m glad it worked. It can be used as a medicine, right?”

“What!? You didn’t test it? I was the guinea pig! The first test subject, I’m honored!”

Edgar bowed his head again.

—Wait, is that something to be happy about?

As I was confused, Lilicia smiled.

“Haha, just kidding. Both my master and I have used it once.”

“That’s right, as expected of Mr. Alec!”

…For some reason, Edgar was praising us excessively.

Was he always like this?

Actually, he seemed to be acting overly casual.

Then Edgar bowed his head again, so deeply that his waist bent.

“I also heard from the children. Thank you for saving their lives.”

—Ah, so it’s because we saved their lives?

Just as I was about to nod, Edgar slowly raised his face. His black eyes, hidden by his bangs, looked at me and Lilicia as if gauging the situation.

“So, I have a favor to ask… Is it okay…?”

“You too, huh. —Alright, let’s talk in the shop.”

“Thank you.”

We opened the shop door and went inside. Edgar came in and closed the door.

He immediately stood up straight.

Perhaps because he usually had a hunchback, he seemed even taller.

“I used to be an assassin in a far eastern country, Yamata.”

““What!?””

We were taken aback by his sudden confession. Edgar, with his eyes hidden by his bangs, looked at the floor and continued speaking without hesitation.

“But I left the country without permission and am now a fugitive. If I’m caught, I’ll be executed. If I say I’m a adventurer named Edgar in this country, they’ll come to kill me tomorrow. I’m a wanted man. If I say my real name is Azuma, you’ll understand.”

“…Why are you suddenly revealing such a heavy secret?”

“I’m confused, Mr. Edgar.”

We answered, puzzled.

Then, Edgar said, lowering his waist.

“I’m sorry. As a professional, I’m good at hiding my own secrets and exposing others’ secrets, but I’m not good at revealing my own…”

“Did something happen?”

In response to my question, Edgar lowered his waist even further and extended his right hand, which was clenched.

“I spoke first because I learned a fatal secret about you, Mr. Alec, and I wanted you to trust me.”

Saying that, Edgar opened his right hand.

A white feather was pinched between his fingers.

“Ugh!” “Ah!”

Lilicia and I gasped.

A white feather, one we had seen many times.

It looked like a bird’s feather, but the bluish-white phosphorescence it emitted left no room for denial.

“I have a bad habit… No matter what situation I’m in, even on the brink of death, I never give up on my last move… I’ll say it—Miss Lilicia, you’re an angel, right?”

Saying that, Edgar flicked the white feather towards Lilicia.

Lilicia, in her white habit, waved her hands frantically.

She tried to swat away the flying feather, but it was absorbed into her soft palm.

“Aah…”

Lilicia’s face contorted as if she was about to cry.

—There’s no denying it now.

Actually, I remembered.

When we rescued Edgar in the deepest level of the dungeon, Lilicia was still in her angel form!

Edgar, who was clearly on the brink of death, managed to grab and steal a feather.

This guy must be more than an A-rank adventurer, right?

Lilicia and I looked at each other, puzzled, but we had no answer.

There was nothing left to do but give up and admit it.

“Yeah, that’s right. Lilicia is an angel. To be precise, a fallen angel.”

“Sure enough, that’s right. Thank you for telling me.”

Edgar’s voice was filled with joy as he knelt on the floor.

““What!?””

—His actions and words were so unexpected that we could only be surprised.

In front of us, Edgar put his hands on the floor and bowed his head.

“I have a request. I left my country, prepared to die, to bring back a deceased princess. I’ve saved money for eight years. But during my escape, I lost my soul… Only angels can find wandering souls that haven’t ascended. Please, find the princess’s soul! —I’ll do anything!”

Edgar, who had always spoken in a calm voice, pleaded with a voice that was on the verge of tears.

—If he’s this determined, I want to help him… But it’s not my field, so I looked at Lilicia.

She nodded, her violet eyes moist. It seemed she was in favor.

“Alright, if there’s anything we can do, we’ll help.”

At my words, Edgar’s face shot up.

His bird’s nest-like black hair shook.

“Thank you! I’ll spend my whole life repaying you! To prove I’m not lying, I’ll pay in advance! Tell me anything, as many times as you want!”

Edgar bowed his head repeatedly.

But it was confusing to be asked so suddenly.

“Anything… What should we ask for?”

“Then, how about finding this?”

“Ah, that one.”

Lilicia and I nodded in agreement.

Edgar, still in a prostrate position, moved forward.

“What is it? I’m good at finding things! Tell me anything!”

“We’re looking for the legendary items: the Philosopher’s Stone, the Jewel of Light, and the Idol of the Evil God… Do you know anything about them?”

Edgar gasped.

“I only know the name of the stone… Moreover, it’s uncertain whether the Philosopher’s Stone even exists; it’s a mythical item. I’ve never heard of the other two. Without any leads, even I…”

—Well, that’s to be expected.

Since Edgar seemed troubled, I made another suggestion.

“Then how about this? There’s a bad guy in this country who’s buying unconditional slaves and mistreating them. He even bought a slave worth 7 million goats, so he must be quite wealthy or a noble. —Can you investigate this?”

The tall Edgar stood up and said in a bright voice.

“That’s easy! I’ll be back!”

As soon as he finished speaking, he opened the shop door and went out.

He was quick.

I looked at Lilicia.

We were probably both smiling wryly.

“I thought he seemed lackadaisical, but he actually has a passionate heart.”

“It was surprising… But with this, we might be able to get unconditional slaves soon. Edgar seems capable, so he’ll probably succeed.”

“Yes, that’s good. We can help the mistreated slaves… Then, we’ll prepare a world map and use magic to investigate the soul of the princess Edgar mentioned…”

Suddenly, the shop door opened with a click.

Edgar, with his messy hair, came back.

“Huh? What’s up? Did you forget something?”

“No, I already investigated it—It’s confirmed that he’s mistreating and killing slaves. Here’s the address, here’s the location of the vacation home, this is the list of slaves and their locations. This is where the disposed slaves are buried, and this is the list of names and addresses of his accomplices.”

He handed over papers and documents.

We took them, surprised.

“Wow! It hasn’t even been a minute! Are you kidding?”

“No, I used to do this kind of work in my country. Plus, in this country, they’re not at all cautious about the techniques I use. It’s easier than tearing up paper.”

Edgar scratched his head as he spoke.

Lilicia and I examined the documents and notes.

The evidence was so complete that we could take it to the court and get a conviction.

We could only be amazed and impressed.

“How talented are you… You could do other jobs, you know.”

“That would expose me and bring pursuers. —But I wanted Mr. Alec to know my seriousness. I’ll do my best for anything you ask from now on.”

Edgar looked at us with serious black eyes from under his bangs.

I thought he seemed trustworthy.

But maybe it’s dangerous for me, who lacks common sense, to make such a judgment.

Then I read through the documents in my hand.

I suddenly noticed something.

“There’s a party today, it seems?”

“Yes, it’s a party to admire slaves, but it’s actually a torture party.”

At his words, an indescribable emotion welled up inside me.

I clenched the documents and roughly stuffed them into my backpack.

“Let’s go…”

“Yes, Master!”

Lilicia, with her well-shaped eyebrows furrowed, readied her flail.

Edgar, understanding our resolve, turned and said:

“I’ll guide you.”

We left the shop.

In the middle of the day in the capital city.

The three of us walked down a back alley with few people.

A breeze blew from nowhere, rolling a wooden bucket.

Naturally, all three of us had stern expressions.

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The next chapter will be updated tomorrow. I’m struggling with the writing, so it might be in the evening or at night.

→ Chapter 42: Slave Liberation