Chapter 44

"Every stall has quite a line..."

"There are so many people, after all."

"It's that popular a tourist spot."

But even so, I feel like Fred is a bit late.

"Maybe the drink stall is really crowded?"

"No... Perhaps he's being hit on again."

Hearing that, I found myself agreeing, "That's possible..." In Lindemen, Fred was surrounded by acquaintances, so it wasn't noticeable, but Fred is incredibly popular. It's almost as if he has some kind of charm that draws women to him, to the point where it's almost magical.

We've seen this happen many times on our journey. I could tell he was used to turning them down, and I was impressed by how often he said it was a common occurrence.

"Liana-sama also attracted a lot of male attention on the way, but it was more like admiring a high and distant flower. Not many people were rude enough to approach her. Fred, on the other hand, seems to have a way of making it easy for people to talk to him."

"I don't think that applies to me at all... But for Fred, he's probably just very approachable."

Even when we were three, Fred was often the one being asked for directions. Fred is a good person, so he wouldn't just say, "I don't know, I'm just a traveler," and leave it at that. He would go out of his way to help, like checking tickets and asking station staff which magic train to take to get to our destination.

During that time, we were with an elderly couple, but unlike Fred, our conversation didn't flow well. I could speak the language, but I couldn't make small talk, and Anna couldn't understand the elderly couple at all.

In the end, Anna provided topics like, "Where are you from?" and "Oh, you're going to see your new grandchild? That must be exciting." I mostly acted as an interpreter.

Fred's ability to quickly put people at ease and his friendly demeanor are definitely his strengths. He's so approachable that he often gets approached by women. I've seen this happen a few times on our way to Lindemen, but it was so frequent that it felt abnormal. At the time, I was so focused on running away and wanting to go even further that I didn't really notice.

I mostly only know noble young ladies, so maybe the actions of common women seem too proactive to me. But since others around us also found it strange, I don't think it's just me being naive.

This time, I suspected Fred might be caught up with a woman again, so I told Anna, "I'll go check," and got up from my seat. Usually, he manages to get away, but I thought he might be stuck in the queue while trying to buy drinks.

"Right... If Liana-sama goes to get him, he'll probably give up right away."

"Give up? Give up what?"

"Never mind. Liana-sama, please stay as innocent as you are."

I was also worried that Anna might get approached by strange people, so I decided to go and come back quickly. I walked around, looking for the direction Fred went to buy drinks, and saw...

"Whoa?!"

A man was flying through the air, and Fred, who had shielded a mother and child from the impact, was now lying underneath them.

"Ow... That hurts..."

"Hand over the amber gold coins now!"

A small figure darted from the corner of my vision and pounced on the man who had been blown away. It was probably the same person who had blown him away. If this continued, Fred would definitely get hurt.

I understood that there might be a reason, but I couldn't let this person continue their attack, so I intervened.

"You thief... What?!"

The person was about to kick, but I grabbed their leg and used my body to redirect the momentum, throwing them to the side. However, it didn't seem to be much of a threat, as the small figure spun in mid-air and landed gracefully.

...I thought they were small, but this is actually... a child...? I think they're a beastkin, with animal ears and a tail, but their fur was so dirty I couldn't tell what species they were. From the shape of the ears, they seemed to be a canine.

The beastkin child glared at me from under their dirty hair. Those eyes... They had a rare color. Golden... I had a bad feeling.

"Who are you?"

"I'm just a passerby... I couldn't let you kick my friend, so I intervened. I have no ill intentions."

I intervened to protect Fred, not to start a fight. I didn't know the situation between the man who was blown away and this child, and it looked like trouble, so I didn't want to get involved.

Could I just leave? It didn't seem likely.

"Settle your disputes between yourselves. Don't cause a commotion in the street and involve others."

"It's not a fight! He stole the amber gold coins!"

"He didn't steal them!! That's ridiculous. He just made the prey less valuable, so my share of the reward was smaller!"

Hearing the word "stole," I looked at the man who had been blown away, and he vehemently denied it. He explained that he could have earned 10 gold coins if things had gone well, but it only ended up being 4, and he had already given 1 to the child, even though they weren't part of the party.

...I see. If that's true, the fault lies with this "Amber" child... or girl?

"There seems to be a misunderstanding. Why don't you talk it out?"

"You're trying to trick me. ...I see, so you're one of the thieves, huh?"

"Why would you think that?"

I was just confused by this person's incomprehensible logic. I was more bewildered than threatened. Why did this turn into "theft"?

"If that's the case, I won't hold back...! Hehehe! The auntie said it's okay to retaliate if you're attacked..."

Now wasn't the time to be pondering this. The child, saying they would retaliate, started to summon flames around them. It seemed like an overreaction for a 1 gold coin dispute, and it was clearly a false accusation. Moreover, if left unchecked, it would definitely involve bystanders.

I had seen Fred make eye contact with me and then go into the guild, thinking he had gone inside, but he was now directing the crowd to safety. If he had alerted the guild, a high-ranking adventurer would surely come to help soon. I just needed to hold out until then.

I didn't want to fight in a place where civilians could be involved, but it seemed the child wouldn't listen if I suggested moving. I wasn't wearing armor since I was on vacation, but my magic bag contained most of the equipment I used as an adventurer, including weapons. I could manage for a short while... hopefully.

It wasn't about winning or losing; I just needed to avoid collateral damage and redirect the magic towards the sky until a strong, high-ranking adventurer arrived. Alright.

"Divine punishment!"

"..."

However, I gritted my teeth at the heavier resistance than expected. I managed to redirect the magic-imbued rapier upwards, but... something was off. I had used water magic to counter the flames, but it barely canceled out.

The power should have been enough, but as I was about to back off, I remembered the bad feeling. While beastkin can vary, they are rarely mages. And those golden eyes... Could it be that this isn't a beastkin at all...?

"Not bad for a human... How about this!"

"O Divine water of life... No, that's not it..."

The child, raising their hand in sync with the flickering flames, made a distinctive gesture with their fingers, mimicking an animal's face.

I realized what it was and quickly aborted the powerful water magic I was casting, starting a different spell. But... I was too late? Just as Wilfred said, I'm not very useful in actual combat against strong opponents.

"Come, holy purifying flames!!"

"What... The amber foxfire is losing... Nya, nyaahh!!"

A white flame enveloped the rapier and consumed the flickering flames produced by the beastkin child.

Caught off guard by the loss of their attack, I took the opportunity to throw the contents of a bottle from my magic bag at the child's face. The sticky substance adhered to their nose and mouth as intended.

"Nyaahh! It stinks! It stinks, it stinks, it stinks!"

"I know it looks cruel, but I need to restrain you for safety."

The substance was a failed batch of the magical circuit paint I made at the quarry. It wasn't toxic, but it would be very unpleasant for a fox-like creature to have it on their nose and mouth.

I quickly subdued the child, who was now focused on the smell. I know it might look like I'm abusing a small, ragged child, but the safety of the area is more important than my reputation in this unfamiliar place.

I tied the child's hands and feet with a consecrated rope used for subduing monsters. They started to whine, "Why? I can't use my power~" but I didn't let up, remembering that they had been about to cast a powerful spell in the middle of the city.

No, it wasn't magic... It was a shamanistic technique, I think. It's a technology similar to magic, found in some parts of the East, based on the "Five Elements." I recognized it too late, and it almost caused harm. If I had been any later...

Thinking about my mistake, I shuddered, and cold sweat trickled down my back.

If my father, an expert in magic, had been here, he would have recognized it immediately... I'm just not good enough to do anything properly. I need to try harder. This time, I was lucky, and it turned out well...