Chapter 83

A strange group ran through the town with a seven-year-old boy. An old man jumped to the side of the road, startled, a young woman brought her hand to her mouth to suppress a scream, and a child cried.

Without any regard for the chaos, Sora ran with the Flame Squad. Chaf followed from behind, and a man with a burned face came from the opposite direction, waving his hand, and joined Sora's group. He was one of the Flame Squad members who had been sent ahead to scout the area around the storage warehouse.

"Sora-sama, things are getting even worse."

As the words were thrown at him while running, Sora grimaced.

"How can it get any worse?"

"The merchant has brought about seven guards to the storage warehouse. He says he wants to inspect the inside."

"Should I turn that bearded guy into a scrub brush?"

Sora cursed as he leaped over a puddle on the side of the road. At that moment, Chaf caught up to him.

"Let's save the scrub brush for later. Rather, what do you plan to do when we get to the scene?"

"It's decided that we'll turn him into a scrub brush..."

"The response depends on the difference in strength between both sides. It's a judgment call on the scene."

The Flame Squad member's mutterings were completely ignored by the two young nobles. The storage warehouse came into view at the end of the road. It was the largest of several warehouses in the town, built to be sturdy in case of fire. The imposing and oppressive atmosphere made it seem like a perfect place to hole up, giving it a strange sense of persuasiveness.

In front of the storage warehouse, about ten people were standing with machetes and spears, blocking the entrance. A few more could be seen inside. Facing them were seven men who looked experienced in rough work, armed with maces and axes, with the merchant hiding behind them, making a fuss. The atmosphere was tense, as if a single touch could set off an explosion.

Chaf involuntarily slowed down.

– Which side should I take...?

It wasn't that he was afraid, but he didn't know which side to support to resolve the situation. On one side were the residents, who were numerous but amateurs. Their actions were criminal, but he knew they had no choice. On the other side were the merchants, who were fewer in number but professionals. They had a contract, so their actions were not punishable, but they were threatening the residents' livelihoods. Both sides had valid points, and Chaf couldn't make a quick decision.

Ignoring Chaf, Sora increased his speed.

"– Flame Squad, I'm counting on you to cover the back."

"Understood."

The Flame Squad responded without any questions to Sora's brief command. Right in front of Chaf, who had completely stopped, Sora took the best action to intervene in the situation. Sora, leading the way, extended his arms to the sides. The Flame Squad, whose path was blocked, slowed down and ran behind Sora. Sora, glancing back over his shoulder to gauge the distance to the Flame Squad, turned his gaze back to the direction of movement and raised his voice.

"All units, draw your swords!"

Everyone at the storage warehouse, who had been glaring at each other, turned their eyes to Sora in surprise at the content of the out-of-place young boy's voice. As soon as they recognized the scene that rushed into their field of vision, they let out hoarse screams. Approaching the scene was a cute young boy and thirteen monsters. The men, who looked like evil spirits leaning out of raging flames, were terrifying. The thirteen monsters, all with the same timing, drew their wooden long swords in a well-ordered manner. The group of long swords held to the side of their faces resembled the faces of demons baring their teeth in a mocking laugh. The fear of the approaching Flame Squad was not ordinary. Still, no one fled. They couldn't tell if the group coming towards them was on their side or the other side. Sora and his group were running directly into the center between both sides.

Sora, who had entered the center of the confrontation, turned his body towards the residents without slowing down much. The residents, who had been facing Sora, the leader of the group, and the monsters, were unsettled, but were confused by the subsequent movements of the Flame Squad. Gorge and the others, who entered the confrontation a bit later, stood in a line facing Sora with a fierce and graceful movement, like a flame scorching its prey. The merchants, who were taken aback by this, were intimidated by the seamless coordination of the Flame Squad, which clearly showed the significant difference in skill compared to the guards hired by the merchants.

Sora, who had gathered everyone's attention with just two words, turned to the residents.

"All units, sheathe your swords!"

"Understood."

Gorge responded briefly to Sora's words, and the Flame Squad sheathed their wooden long swords in a perfectly synchronized movement. The action, which indicated that they were not hostile to either side, deepened the confusion of both the residents and the merchants, who couldn't keep up with the rapidly changing situation. Without paying attention to this, Sora took a step forward and addressed the residents.

"It's fine to keep your weapons drawn. I, Sora Kleinserdt, allow it. I want to speak with one of your representatives. Show your face from the warehouse window."

The residents were in an uproar upon hearing Sora's words. The newly appointed lord had said it was fine to keep their weapons drawn on his first day in office. The impact of his statement was immeasurable. Moreover, he was making a significant concession by saying it was fine to show their faces from the warehouse window, showing consideration for the residents. The residents, who had endured the tyranny of the Kleinserdt family, didn't know what was happening.

"If you need to prepare, I'll wait until you're ready. I have something to take care of here as well."

After saying this to the residents, who couldn't respond to the situation, Sora turned to the merchants. The merchants, who had been immobilized by the overwhelming pressure from the Flame Squad, took out a contract from their pocket and held it up as soon as they met Sora's eyes.

"We have a formal contract. This treatment is unfair!"

"Hmm, isn't it unfair to inspect goods before they are handed over and without the presence of the other party in the transaction?"

As Sora pointed out with a cold gaze, the merchant was speechless. Sora, sighing in a bored manner, continued without giving the merchant a chance to make excuses.

"Since you probably couldn't stand it after hearing that the storage warehouse was occupied, I'll let it slide this time. For now, just get out of here."

Sora urged the merchant with a dismissive gesture. The merchant reluctantly complied. It seemed he couldn't feel safe with the Flame Squad members watching him. The merchant kept looking back with a frightened face.

"…We barely avoided a conflict."

After watching the merchant's figure disappear down the alley, Sora finally let out a sigh of relief.