Seeker 114

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Chapter 114. Elf Girl And Thugs

Around midday, we left the dwarf village and took the mountain path on our way back to the city. 

We had covered about eighty percent of the journey. 

It was just a little longer until we reached the city. 

The surroundings were gradually getting darker, and I walked to the front with a lantern in hand.

"It's about time, huh... Kazane-san, what time is it now?"

"Let's see... It's 18:52."

"The curfew in the city is at 20:00. We should probably make it in time, but..."

"We might be cutting it a bit close. We should hurry."

"But even if we're late, we can bribe the night guards and get in."

"Don't call it a bribe. Call it a fee for services rendered."

"Or we could use our charm to get in. Ufufu~"

"Hey, none of that seductive stuff. I don't recall raising Yuzuki to be like that."

"...Daichi-kun, your possessiveness towards Hotaru-chan is evident in your words and actions."

"Huh...? No, it's not like that..."

"If you want to monopolize me, you better take responsibility."

"Yeah, that's right. Take responsibility!"

"Responsibility! Responsibility!"

"Um, well, that's not what I meant...?"

We continued walking on our way back to the city, engaging in such trivial conversation. 

The flow of the conversation felt a bit off, but since it was nothing out of the ordinary, I decided not to worry about it.

And so, as we merged from the mountain path onto the main road and continued for a little while, something unexpected happened.

"H-Help...!"

A young girl emerged from the forest's depths beside the main road running towards us. She had blonde hair, green eyes, and a slim figure, but her clothes were tattered, and her face and limbs were covered in dirt.

But the most distinctive feature was her ears.

They were elongated and pointed.

That's the characteristic ears of an elf.

Elves, like dwarfs, were one of the different species that coexisted with humans in this world.

And...

"Get back here!"

"Don't you dare run, you brat! You wanna die?!"

Two human men, appearing as rough thugs, chased after the elf girl from the depths of the forest.

However, I sensed they didn't possess the kind of 'power' that adventurers typically had.

When the thugs caught sight of us, they exclaimed.

"What?! Adventurers?!" 

And they become flustered.

Meanwhile, the elf girl clung to us, desperately pleading for help.

"Please, help me! They're kidnappers, and I barely managed to escape with my life!"

Now, we were faced with this sudden turn of events.

What should we do?

We didn't have enough information to assess the situation. 

We couldn't be certain if the elf girl telling the truth.

When I looked at Kazane-san and Yuzuki, they were leaving it up to me as usual. 

The thugs, with a slightly intimidated expression, gave us a forced smile.

"H-hehe... Adventurers, this is none of your business."

"Y-yeah. This is between us and that elf girl. Stay out of it."

Saying that the two slowly approached us. 

On the other hand, the elf girl took refuge behind me, trembling in fear.

"P-please, help me... I don't want to be enslaved by those wicked humans!"

"Shut up! I told you to come over here, you damn brat! I'll kill you!"

The thug-like men threatened the elf girl. She let out a small cry and clung tightly to me.

Well, while it's not precisely clear where justice lies, at least for now, I think impressions matter.

Quietly, I addressed the thug-like men.

"I don't know the details of the situation, but 'kill' is not a calm choice of words. Even if we are unrelated, we can't overlook what's happening right in front of us."

"Yeah, that's right."

"I figured you'd say that, Senpai."

In addition to me, Kazane-san and Yumitsuki stood in front, protecting the elf girl and intimidating the thugs.

The thugs became timid. It was only natural. 

If they were just ordinary people and not adventurers, it would be ridiculous to compare our strengths.

One of the men reached for the dagger at his waist but stopped halfway.

"D-damn it! No good! We can't win against adventurers!"

"R-remember this!"

Then the two thugs left some parting words and hurriedly fled into the forest's depths.

Well, well. That should do it. It's good that it didn't escalate into violence.

The elf girl bowed her head to us.

"T-thank you. You saved me. But, even though I'm being presumptuous, I have one more favor to ask. Please help my friend! Those guys captured my friends!"

Hmm... I looked at Kazane-san and Yuzuki, and we exchanged glances.