The shopkeeper of the Beckett Trading Company, who was Pauline's enemy, came out of the store with what seemed to be guards, having been informed of the situation at the front of the store. What met his eyes was the crowd surrounding the store and the four girls standing in front of them.
"Po, Pauline!"
Indeed, there she was, Pauline, who had used magic to decompose the dye and return her hair to its original brown color, and had removed the bandages, revealing her true face.
"You came back on your own! So, what's all this about?"
The shopkeeper, looking around at the crowd, questioned Pauline.
"It's for the audience. They've come to witness you being captured and punished..."
"What, what do you mean!"
The shopkeeper, bewildered by the unexpected words from Pauline, who had been obedient, let out a confused voice.
"Two and a half years ago, you hired a thief to kill my father, forged documents to take over the store, and I won't let you deny it! And this time, your attempt to kill the residents of the capital, which is under the direct jurisdiction of His Majesty, is clear. This is an act that harms His Majesty's property and is an act of treason!"
The crowd began to rise in anger at the outrageous content of the accusations.
"I, I don't know anything! What evidence do you have..."
The shopkeeper, flustered by the outrageous accusations in front of the crowd, tried to defend himself.
"Evidence? Didn't you find it strange that the people you ordered to kill my companions were nowhere to be seen, and that I appeared with my companions?
Yes, they have all been captured and are being interrogated by the palace torturers. Or rather, they have already been interrogated. They have already confessed everything, and by now, the capital's guards are probably on their way here..."
"Wha..."
The crowd understood from his reaction. Ah, the accusations are all true, they realized.
Pauline had deliberately spoken about the past and the present in succession, and only revealed that there were witnesses to the present, creating the illusion that the past had also been proven. By the time the crowd realized that the shopkeeper's speechlessness was tantamount to an admission, it was already too late. The recognition that the accusations were true had already spread among the crowd. Now, the only option left was to crush them by force. As long as the instigator of the unrest was eliminated, the rest could be handled with pressure. That was the purpose of the connections and the bribes.
"Arrest these people for spreading malicious rumors!"
The shopkeeper signaled to his guards with his hand and retreated to the back. It was a signal to kill, which he had used several times before. The five guards nodded and stepped forward. Four of them drew their swords, and the last one stopped a little behind and raised his staff.
"Oh, you intend to kill us to silence us! That's tantamount to an admission of guilt! If you draw your swords to kill us, we have no choice but to fight in self-defense! This is justifiable self-defense!"
Mile shouted a long explanation and drew her sword. The other three also readied their swords and staffs. Reina and Pauline had already begun their incantations.
The male guards attacked without any unnecessary words like "Die!" or "Prepare yourself!" Of course, talking unnecessarily was a sign of a third-rate or lower. These guards seemed to be of a second-rate level. According to Reina's inquiries, they did not have hunter qualifications, but it seemed that this was due to some other reason, not a lack of skill.
Reina and Pauline focused on the enemy mages. Without knowing their skill level, it was best to take safety measures. This was only possible because they had absolute trust that Mile and Mavis would completely defend against the four enemy front-line fighters. If they were attacked by the enemy front-line fighters while focusing on another target, they would surely be killed.
Reina and Pauline had already finished their incantations and were holding the trigger words to activate their spells. The enemy front-line fighters attacked, each targeting one of Mile, Mavis, Reina, and Pauline. They intended to incapacitate all of Mile's group at once and use the mages' magic as a backup. It seemed they had underestimated the girls' sword skills, the power of their magic, and the speed of their incantations.
However, Mile and Mavis each took on two attackers, including the one attacking from the rear. They deflected the attacks aimed at them and knocked down the swords of those heading for the rear two, stopping their movements. They had trained together for more than half a year, so this level of coordination was easy.
Seeing this, the enemy mage, in a panic, activated the held spell and launched it at Mavis. It was an Ice Javelin. In a melee, it was necessary to choose a spell that would not affect others, and this spell was suitable. Moreover, an ice javelin with physical form and kinetic energy had superior penetration against magical defenses.
However, it was a bad move. By targeting the front-line fighters instead of the mages, the enemy mages were left completely free. If this had been against ordinary novice hunters, it might not have been a problem. For a mage with enough skill to take on guard duties involving a lot of combat against people, it was not difficult to defend against a novice's attack after the enemy's spell had been activated. However, Reina and Pauline, while indeed "novices," were "novices" who were "somewhat unconventional."
"Earth Shield!"
"Ice Javelin!"
The two spells were activated, and the ice javelin aimed at Mavis was blocked by a wall of earth that rose from the ground, and an ice javelin with a blunt tip flew towards the enemy mage.
The ice javelin, or rather, the ice rod, pierced the mage's abdomen, and by the time he fell, the four front-line fighters were also on the ground. The crowd cheered, and the shopkeeper turned pale. Just as Pauline was about to question him again, a voice came from behind.
"Hey, what's all this commotion about?"
When Mile and the others turned around, they saw a man who looked to be in his mid-thirties, presumably a hunter, with a sword at his waist, indicating he was a front-line swordsman.
Seeing the man, the shopkeeper's eyes seemed to say, "Saved!"
Ah, this is the "Teacher, please!" situation, Mile realized.
"Teacher, please!"
Sure enough...
"So, you guys are hunters, what's going on?"
The man, called "Teacher," seemed unwilling to do as his employer said and asked Mile and the others to confirm the situation. It seemed he had no intention of asking his employer. Perhaps he did not trust him, or perhaps he thought it would be faster to ask the people he was fighting directly...
"It's the arrest of a criminal."
"A criminal?"
"Yes. He hired a thief to kill that girl, Pauline's father, and took his property with forged documents. He also hired illegal hunters to kill us, residents of the capital. It's a serious crime."
"Is that true?"
The man, hearing Reina's story, turned his head and asked the shopkeeper.
"Lies! Nonsense!"
"Well, a carriage from the capital should arrive within a few days, so it will be clear soon.
So, what do you intend to do?"
Reina, brushing off the shopkeeper's desperate denials, asked the hunter.
"I am a guard hired through the guild, unlike those guys lying on the ground. So, if you are officials, soldiers, or have been hired by the country or a lord, I won't do anything. But if not, I have to guard him according to the contract. You understand, right?"
"...I see. But it's four against one, and there's always the option to surrender, isn't there?"
"I can't do that. I'm B-rank, and I can't accept the dishonor of surrendering to four newbies. Besides, I don't think I'll lose."
"Hmm... Then, let's do it..."
As Reina was about to ready her staff, Mile interjected.
"Reina, this should be a one-on-one duel!"
"“Huh?”"
The three were taken aback by Mile's odd suggestion.
"This isn't a team battle story. Even for the sake of justice, it's not commendable to gang up on a weaker opponent. Besides, the audience won't enjoy it!"
The three, seeing the crowd nod in agreement, realized she had a point.
"...I see. Then..."
"Wait! Hold on, hold on, hold on! What's with that 'for the sake of justice' and 'gang up on a weaker opponent'! What? Am I the 'villain'? Am I the 'weaker opponent'?"
"Huh? Aren't you?"
The hunter shouted in response to Mile's seemingly genuine surprise.
"No! I just said! I'm a guard hired through the guild! If you guys are in an official position, I'll hand him over without a fight. But you're just attackers acting on personal grudges, right? Then I have to guard him according to the contract! And, I'm doing this job alone as a way to pass the time because my other companions are out of town, but I'm the leader of a B-rank party. I'm almost A-rank as an individual, you know? I'm strong, I'm not lying!"
"Well, the more you insist, the more suspicious it sounds..."
"It's not a lie!"
Mile, suspicious of the hunter's words, saw the B-rank hunter's face turn red as he desperately shouted.
"Since the atmosphere is warming up, let's get started..."
"Are you doing this on purpose!"
"Your opponent will be this ordinary beautiful girl magic swordsman, Mile..."
"...Where is she?"
"Huh?"
Mile, trying to move the conversation forward, was taken aback by the unexpected question.
"I mean, where is the 'beautiful girl' who said she would be my opponent?"
The hunter looked around dramatically and smiled thinly.
(Th, this guy...)
Well, she knew it was her fault for getting carried away and calling herself a "beautiful girl."
But there are plenty of people in the world who call themselves "beautiful girl warriors" or "genius beautiful girl mages." There are even titles like "Headless Beauty Murder Case," which make you wonder how they know the victim is beautiful without a head. They're all "adjectives" and "conventions"! You're not supposed to point them out! It was just a little payback!
Mile, grinding her teeth in frustration, decided to channel her anger into the fight.