The equipment of the thieves lined up before me. Among them, there is a bandana.
No.
The equipment the leader wore on his head is not this.
The bandana the Level 41 thief wore was not just a bandana, but a Thief's Bandana.
Just a bandana and a Thief's Bandana.
If you put a bandana on your head, it becomes a Thief's Bandana or something.
That can't be right.
It's probably a different piece of equipment.
Then, what is this bandana...
"What is this bandana?"
"I think it was something the thief wore."
The merchant doesn't seem to understand.
Perhaps the whole village isn't in on it.
If that's the case, maybe I can be more assertive here.
There were no thieves wearing just a bandana.
The Thief's Bandana worn by the Level 41 thief is not here.
Therefore, it's reasonable to assume it was switched.
In modern Japan, I might just let it go.
I don't particularly want to stand out, and I hate trouble.
But this isn't modern Japan.
In this world, if you let yourself be taken advantage of, it's over.
I came to this world, protected the village, and killed the thieves (though I didn't do it to protect the village).
If this is how I'm treated, it's too much.
Or maybe it's a misunderstanding.
No. The leader definitely wore a Thief's Bandana.
"That man wore a Thief's Bandana."
"That, that is..."
The merchant's face twists in shock.
He seems innocent. Unless he's a very good actor.
"××××××××××"
"××××××××××"
The village chief returns.
From his reaction, he doesn't seem to be in on it either.
"Unbelievable... I'll have it investigated immediately. Please wait a moment."
The village chief hurries away.
Well, what will happen?
Honestly, I'm just a Level 2 villager.
I don't want things to get too big.
Can stolen equipment be found so easily?
If the village chief is in on it, the whole village might attack me.
If the whole village attacks, I won't stand a chance.
Maybe I acted too hastily.
Still, it's frustrating to be stolen from and do nothing.
In this world, it's better not to endure things unnecessarily.
At least, I should prepare Durandal.
As I check my surroundings, I see a woman standing there with three swords.
Probably the former adventurer's sword.
"Those swords..."
I ask the merchant.
"Yes, they are."
"Can I see them?"
"××××××××××"
"××××××××××"
The merchant says something, and the woman hands over the swords.
Tirhi, Female, 31 years old
Villager Level 12
Equipment: Homura's Rapier
She's probably a widow of a former adventurer.
She looks like a blonde woman from a rural area in Eastern Europe.
To me, a high school student, she's just an old lady, a dirty rural aunt, but she's not bad.
Foreigners' ages are hard to tell.
If I were asked to take care of her for life, I'd say no, but spending one night with her would be a big welcome.
Looking at the other villagers, it seems not everyone in this world is a beauty.
If this isn't a game, it can't be helped.
This aunt is still in the category of beautiful.
Honestly, I'm a bit interested.
I'd like to spend one night with her.
She's a widow, so it's possible.
My imagination explodes.
I'm the hero who saved the village.
Maybe she'll come to me and suggest a one-night stand as a thank you.
At least, I should be kind to her.
I take the sword in my hand.
Homura's Rapier, One-handed Sword
Skill: Flame Sword
"This is a pretty good sword."
"Is that so?"
I wield the Homura's Rapier.
"Flame Sword!"
I swing the rapier.
...
Nothing happened.
The sword was just swung.
I did it again.
Tirhi and the merchant look at me suspiciously.
The flag is broken.
However, by swinging it, a spell came to mind.
Do I need to chant this?
This sword definitely has the Flame Sword skill.
From the skill name, it probably adds a fire effect when you slash.
"Calling forth the will of the sword, the flow of flame, Flame Sword!"
I chant the spell and swing the rapier.
Flames envelop the rapier.
Wow.
That's impressive.
"Ha..."
Tirhi looks surprised.
Isn't this your husband's sword?
Well, if she knew, she wouldn't have had me appraise it.
At the edge of my vision, the village chief is talking to a villager.
The villager seems to have seen what just happened and is looking at me with a shocked expression.
A good demonstration of what happens when you steal.
I also stole someone's sandals.
"××××××××××"
"××××××××××"
The merchant and Tirhi are talking about something.
Hmm.
But I feel heavy.
Not physically, but mentally.
I feel suddenly exhausted and don't want to do anything.
Is that it?
Did I use a skill and consume MP?
Probably a lack of magical energy.
At Level 2, it's hard to use it repeatedly.
"Will it sell for a high price?"
The merchant asks.
"I don't know. I'm not very familiar with the market. I have no idea how much it's worth."
"Could you buy it, Sir Michio?"
"I really don't know the market. It's better to show it to a weapon shop and ask for a price. If the weapon shop doesn't know the value, I can buy it at a high price."
I don't even know the currency units.
"××××××××××"
"××××××××××"
The merchant says something, and Tirhi bows to me.
Okay, okay.
In return, tonight, take it easy.
I can't stand it.
I hand the Homura's Rapier back to Tirhi and look at the next sword.
Scimitar, One-handed Sword
Skills: Empty, Empty
It has two empty skill slots.
It's probably a very good sword.
"This sword doesn't have any skills, but it's still a good sword."
"It was something the deceased former adventurer cherished."
Did she know about the empty skill slots?
Maybe it's an adventurer's intuition, or just a coincidence.
"Since I don't know the market, it's better to show it to a weapon shop. If the weapon shop is hesitant to buy it, I can buy it at a high price with a little persuasion."
"××××××××××"
"××××××××××"
I hand the scimitar to Tirhi, who bows.
Dagger, One-handed Sword
The last one seems to be just a regular sword.
Just a dagger.
It probably won't fetch much money.
"This is a regular dagger. It's not a bad sword, but it won't sell for much. This sword could be used by women. As a memento of the former adventurer, it would be nice to use it carefully."
I hand the dagger to Tirhi.
"××××××××××"
Tirhi's eyes turn red as she listens to the merchant.
Oh.
This is bad.
Did I respond incorrectly?
Tirhi holds back her tears and takes the swords home.
I feel like I brought back memories of her husband and broke the flag.
Tirhi, I'll be waiting for you tonight.
As Tirhi leaves, the village chief and a few men come in.
"Sir Michio, I apologize. This man switched the bandana."
The man behind the village chief, with wooden handcuffs on, is looking down.
Is he a lone criminal? Or a scapegoat?
"××××××××××"
"××××××××××"
"This is the correct item."
The village chief prompts, and the man next to him hands over the bandana.
Thief's Bandana, Head Equipment
It doesn't seem to have any skills.
"Indeed. This is the correct one."
"Then, about the punishment for this man..."
The village chief asks, looking at my expression.
Yeah. I get what you're saying.
You want me to go easy on him.
If it's handled internally in the village, it won't become a big issue.
"The village has its own rules. I don't intend to object to your punishment."
This is perfect.
I'm a man who reads the room.
"Y-Yes, that's right."
I can see a hint of disappointment in the village chief's eyes.
Huh?
Did I respond incorrectly again?
"××××××××××"
"××××××××××"
The village chief says something to the criminal.
He holds the criminal's handcuffs and brings him to the front.
"The will of the flowing spirit, the pulse of knowledge, Intelligence Card, Open."
As the village chief chants, a card flies out from the back of the criminal's left hand.
Wow.
What's that?
That's impressive.
It's the same Intelligence Card I received from the thieves.
What's going on?
The village chief is muttering something to the criminal's card.
"What did you do?"
"I wrote that this man is a slave on his Intelligence Card. Now, unless he is released or bought back, he will remain a slave."
"I see."
I don't really understand, but...
Apparently, the Intelligence Card contains important information about the person.
That's why it can be used as identification for the wanted thieves.
"According to village rules, when a theft occurs and the culprit is a family breadwinner, the culprit is made a slave and sold. Half of the sale price goes to the family, and the other half is paid to the victim as compensation."
That's harsh.
There are slaves in this world.
I understand now.
The village chief probably wanted me to say it wasn't a big deal at first.
If I, the victim, said it was fine, it could have been ignored.
It's too late for that now.
"This might not be his first offense. Being lenient won't help the village."
"You are right. I apologize. The villagers have caused you a lot of trouble."
"The culprit has been caught. There's no need for you to apologize."
"Thank you. Have you finished inspecting the equipment?"
"Yeah."
"Then please come to my house. Breakfast should be ready by now."