/
Reunion
「What do you want old man-!」
「This ain’t your business old man-!」
「Go away old man-!」
The city’s delinquents got cocky because they have greater number even after looking at the big man who seemed obviously strong. They showed off their iron knives.
……This is Feld right? One years has pssed so I can’t be absolutely certain but, even so I never forgot him. That person who seemed to be Feld formed a brutal smile that is clear to see even with the backlight behind him after hearing the young men’s words.
「I’m not an old man-!!」
……Aa, he is undoubtedly Feld.
Feld threw his punch at the young men. The combat strength of the young men is around 40 to 50, so perhaps they have Martial Art skill level 1 at least but, for Feld whose combat strength is more than 1700, it doesn’t matter whether he has weapon or not.
The self proclaimed 20 years old……is he 21 right now? Anyway Feld is Feld regardless of how he look, so he doesn’t need to be that bothered about age or appearance doesn’t he?
Without anything special happening, the delinquents are beaten up with bare hands. Perhaps that made him felt refreshed, Feld finally noticed me who was watching the scene silently and raised one hand with a nice smile.
「You there, you alright?」
「Yes……」
I should leave this place before getting dragged into anything troublesome. Even so this reunion with him who acted kindly to a street urchin who he met for the first time and taught me my first skill in order to live made me felt a bit reluctant to leave.
My flat reaction might make him felt something from me. He let out a smile that bared his fangs.
「As I thought, you look really skilled despite being so young. I thought that you would have no problem even with this bunch picking a fight with you, but they told me to help you out.」
「…………」
……As I thought, he doesn’t remember a street urchin who he accompanied only for a day huh.
Besides my appearance right now has changed drastically from the thin seven years old kid before. Although my appearance has only grown for around three years older due to my magic power, because I have grown a lot taller than average, I should look like a twelve years old if it’s just from appearance.
My clothes that consisted of largish shirt and short pant that made it difficult to differentiate whether I’m male or female must also played a part. But……if he doesn’t remember me then there is no need for me to go out of my way to remind him.
It’s enough with him simply saying that kid who couldn’t do anything in the past is now strong. It’s fine with just me alone remembering of my debt to him. There isn’t any need for me to show it in my attitude.
「Them?」
「Those boys.」
When I turned my gaze toward the direction that Feld is looking at, I found two boys looking toward here at the back alley’s entrance. They seemed to be at the first half of their teenage with extremely well ordered features. Behind them there is also someone who seemed to be a woman wearing a hood, but looking at their appearance, I guessed that person is like the two boys’ bodyguard.
They are dressed like commoners who are children of wealthy family but, for them to need guards……their good upbringing that made me felt the necessity of them bringing guards is palpable. I don’t know what kind of people they are, but they are still giving off such presence even while dressed in the style to blend into the city, so it’ll be better if I don’t get involved with them too much.
「Yaa, you there. Are you alright?」
One of the boys, a boy with glossy blond hair that is tinged red came nearby with a sickly sweet smile.
「……I’m fine.」
「Can you thank him if possible? After all he was really worried.」
When I turned my gaze due to those words, I saw the other boy also approaching with a gentle smile that must be making him popular with many people, so for now I should say my thanks.
「……Thank you.」
「It’s fine, no need for thanks. It’s my duty to protect the people.」
As I thought they are noble children huh……. I remained her due to my reunion with Feld but, as expected I should just leave.
「No, I’m really thankful.」
I said my thanks once more with inoffensive words and tried to leave there right away, but the first boy with reddish blonde hair secretly whispered to me as I passed him.
「You……you are dressed like that but, you’re a girl right?」
「…………」
I unconsciously stopped just for a moment due to the unexpected words. Then he moved in front of me to block my way and peered at my face that is hidden by the shawl.
「You see, I’m interested with strong girl.」
The boy with reddish blond hair grinned.
「The one who saved you directly said that you’re apparently strong enough to not need to be saved. I wonder, what is the reason for someone like that to dress like a boy and enter this kind of back alley?」
It looked like the blonde haired boy genuinely wanted to help me, but this boy interacted with me because he found me suspicious.
「What’s wrong, Mihail?」
「It’s nothing, Er. For some reason this kid doesn’t feel like a stranger to me.」
「Hee……now that you mention it, I don’t know what’s his hair color but, somehow, it feels like he has similar atmosphere with you Mihail.」
Perhaps those words that were said by the blond haired boy──Er drew interest. Feld and the indifferent hooded woman also approached.
「…………」
Troublesome……. It will become a hindrance to my work after this if I tried to forcefully break through them.
And then if I got suspicion placed on me, not to mention Feld, the hooded woman behind her will also surely make it really difficult for me to escape. The strength that I’m sensing from them convinced me of that.
I’m indebted to Feld. I don’t plan to be Feld’s enemy but, I’m also not feeling like opening up myself to all the people around him. While I’m looking if there is a way to get away from here peacefully if possible, Feld talked to me casually again without even knowing my feeling.
「You are still young, but you’re an adventurer right? Your clothes and also your equipment are worn out. Won’t it be better if you fix them?」
「……Yes. I’m looking for a dwarf armorer in the capital.」
Not only my adventurer tag, the equipments I’m wearing are the items that master used a hundred year ago without any modification, so putting aside the leather and metal parts, the parts that are made from cloth are at their limit.
It’s not to the degree that has to be fixed right away but, Feld is bringing up a topic that is just right in nice timing, so I’m making use of it. Either way I’m planning to go to the shop of Galbas’s brother if I have time, so I’m not lying.
But, I was only told that his brother has equipment shop in the capital and don’t know about any further detail. I said that I’m looking for this armorer because the blacksmith where I bought my weapon before introduced me before trying to leave, but then the hooded woman who hasn’t said a single word until now suddenly spoke up.
「I know the location if you’re talking about a dwarf armorer.」
That person said that while pulling down her hood and showed her face. She has soft looking brown hair and the ears of wood elf that is said to have bad relationship with dwarf.
.
From what I inferred based on their conversation, Feld and the wood elf woman are serving as bodyguards for the noble boys who are secretly visiting the city.
Well, that was what I thought the moment I saw them, but for some reason those two boys together with Feld and the elf woman all ended up heading to the dwarf’s shop too.
I really don’t understand how things ended up like this. I thought that I would find some suitable reason and separated from them midway but, that boy with reddish blonde hair──Mihail strangely won’t let me get away.
Because of that the other boy, Er also got interested with me and now I’m walking through the street with the two boys at my sides. What a bind.
Both their attire and their look were good. I don’t want to stand out for standing between such two people, and yet I’m completely standing out.
「You’re really untalkative. Why are you so on guard like that?」
「……There are this many “people” around us.」
「Hee……so you noticed?」
The reason I can’t take the risk to run away from them because other than them, there are also several other people blending among the crowd protecting them.
If they are noble, I thought that the people guarding them might be the people from Sera’s organization and I was on my guard, but their bodyguards can’t even erase the sound of their footsteps. These two are being followed by people who fought by wearing heavy armor and weapon.
Most likely these bodyguards are knight or soldier. I don’t understand why these two aren’t accompanied by people from the proper organization for this kind of job, but perhaps that’s why they are putting people like Feld to act as the bodyguard on the surface.
Anyway, the act of running away from these boys forcefully is like announcing by myself that I’m suspicious.
「Mihail, what are you talking with him? It’s rare for you to be that interested with other people.」
「I already said it just now right? He just doesn’t feel like a stranger for me.」
「…………」
I don’t know what is Mihail thinking but, Er said that he and me are similar.
Something like impression can change depending on the time so it can’t be counted on, but the reason Mihail said that I don’t feel like a stranger is actually something that I too can understand a little.
It seemed that Mihail and Er are friends, but I’m feeling a 'sense of distance” from him where he is drawing a line in his relationship with other people. I got the feeling that the way he put a distance with other people like that is somewhat similar with me.
It seems that Er doesn’t notice that I’m a girl, but Mihail who noticed that felt like he is wary toward me and probing for my true identity. The two who are following right behind us too, Feld is surely not paying it any attention at all but, with the way the elf woman are watching me scrutinizingly, she might have noticed that I’m a girl.
「Hey, what kind of work a young adventurer like you do?」
Er paid no mind to the awkward atmosphere and talked to me with a smile. It’s not like I have any duty to answer him but, Mihail’s amused gaze weighed my mind, so I helplessly opened my mouth.
「Goblin hunting and collecting medicine ingredient.」
「Goblin huh……I also want to try fighting it though, I wonder if it’ll be possible for me?」
Most likely he isn’t talking about his strength but about if he is allowed to fight with his standing or not. But I pretended to not realize that and simply concluded the talk with the fighting aspect.
「It doesn’t matter who. Anyone should be able to kill if they have the willingness for it.」
Something like a fight in the end simply boiled down to the matter of whether you could kill your opponent without hesitation or not.
No matter how strong you are, no matter how overwhelming your strength is, if you don’t have the resolve to kill your opponent, that will become “weakness”. Not killing your opponent where your life is at stake is just “arrogance” if I have to say.
「Hee……」
I heard Mihail’s amused voice and turned my gaze to him. There I saw not just him and Er, but even Feld and the elf woman are staring still at me in puzzlement.
Perhaps……I spoke a bit too much.
.
After that the atmosphere turned awkward again, but fortunately we arrived at our destination, the dwarf’s armor shop before long.
That shop is away from the main street. It’s a street where there are also other shops like outfit shop for commoner and general store. The building is a normal private house made from white stone and mortar. There is only a plank attached on the door to show that it’s a shop, so I might not notice that it’s a shop if I passed through here without knowing.
Although I said about a dwarf’s armor shop, there must be more than one person who fit such description in this capital. There is no guarantee that the owner of this shop is Galbas’s little brother, but if it’s a dwarf doing the same kind of work then it’s also possible the person here will know about the eccentric armorer.
「Hee……」
It might be their first time coming to this kind of shop. The young masters Er and Mihail are staring at the outer appearance of the small shop with curiosity. In contrast the wood elf has a faraway look for some reason, which really left an impression.
She who seems to be familiar with this shop opened the door. I followed behind her and entered and saw that the inside of the store is filled with a lot of light clothing……equipments intended for female are lined up. where there are equipments that only looked like a dancer outfit.
But they aren’t just clothes……they are, 『armor』.
There are a lot of metal armor, leather armor, even items that contained magic power perhaps because they are made from rare metal or monster leather. Although it’s not my business, seeing this made me worried if it’s alright for such precious items to be left in the open unguarded like this.
「Gelf, are you here?」
The elf woman called out to the back of the shop. Then several seconds later, a powerful and thick male voice that seemed to belong to a middle-aged dwarf came from the back.
「Oh my~, isn’t this Mira-chan. You are bringing such cute children with you, just what is the occasion I wonder?」