Seeker 175

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Chapter 175. Thief

It had been another day and a half since we left the city of Luxberry. 

Eslyn-san's group, and we continued down the road.

We reached the next town. 

Passing through the city gate, we were greeted by a lively commotion.

The atmosphere of the town, called Randleburg, was not much different from the two cities we had seen before. 

Various races mingled among the people, carriages strolled by, and the voices of street vendors calling out and customers haggling with them intermingled—just the usual scene.

Arriving in the town in the late afternoon, just like in Luxberry, Eslyn-san had already arranged accommodations for us.

"Well then, good work today. You're free to do as you please for the rest of the day. Just make sure to meet in the morning for departure."

With that, permission for free time was granted by the client, and so Kazane-san and I, along with Yuzuki, decided to stroll around the town until dinner time. 

We bought various street foods like skewers and soup from stalls as we walked along the town's central street.

As I thought we were about to get full before dinner, we unexpectedly encountered a small incident.

"Hey, you there, stop that kid! Hey, it's a thief! Someone catch him!"

We heard a voice and saw a young boy running toward us through the crowd.

He looked to be under 10 years old.

Despite being in a bustling crowd, he moved with agility, skillfully avoiding bumping into people. 

From the bag he clutched against his stomach, red apples peeked out.

The bag, wrapped in cloth like a furoshiki, contains about 5 or 6 apples.

The one shouting appeared to be the owner of a fruit vendor's stall, but his large physique was hindering him from catching up with the boy amidst the bustling crowd.

"Haha, you fool! You think you can catch me?"

The boy looked back, confirmed that the vendor couldn't catch up, and taunted him.

At this rate, he might manage to escape.

"Well, shoplifting, huh? It's not good just because he's a child. Hold onto this, Daichi-kun."

"Huh? Okay—mff!"

Kazane-san stuffed the remainder of the skewer I was eating into my mouth.

I couldn't help but feel a little nervous about this unexpected indirect kiss. My uncool, unpopular soul still lingered.

"Kazane-san, you can be quite cunning at times."

"Mff mff... gulp... Well, yeah. Sometimes, I think Kazane-san might be a real femme fatale."

"In that case, I'd like senpai to feed me your skewer instead. Aaah~♪"

"What's all this about? Well, whatever. Here."

"Munch munch... Mm, it tastes like Senpai.♪"

"Don't say creepy things. Well, as long as you're happy."

While Yuzuki and I had such an exchange, Kazane-san approached the boy step by step.

And just as the boy was about to reach us, Kazane-san spread her arms like a barrier.

"Stop! You can't pass here. Return what you stole to the shop owner."

"What...?! Hey, get out of my way, you ugly hag! Why do you dress so weirdly?!"

"Huh...? Ugly hag? Weirdly dressed?!"

Kazane-san seemed deeply shocked by his words.

Taking advantage of that moment, the boy slipped past Kazane-san.

However, there was someone who got even angrier about the boy's words than Kazane-san herself.

That someone was me.

"Hey, you little brat!"

"What...?! Let go!"

I used my skills as a seeker to quickly catch the boy, who was trying to escape.

I grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, and he struggled while still clutching the bag protectively.

"What the hell are you doing?! Let go!"

"Be quiet. Apologize for making a false statement. Otherwise, I'll cut your head off right here."

"Huh...?!"

"Senpai, your language is so vulgar. Plus, your actions are completely villainous."

"There's no helping it, Yuzuki. This guy's in the wrong."

Yuzuki scolded me as he approached, but I won't let him up.

Eventually, Kazane-san, who seemed to have recovered from her shock, also rushed over.

"Daichi-kun, it's fine. I'm not bothered by it. I was a bit shocked, but he's just a child."

"Kazane-san, even if he's a child, there are right and wrong things to say."

"Anyway, Daichi-kun, stop, stop."

Perhaps because I seemed dangerously close to killing the boy, Kazane-san and Yuzuki managed to pull him away from me.

Kazane-san held me in a headlock while Yumitsuki restrained the boy. 

The boy clung to Yuuki, trembling with fear.

"Hey, you little brat, Yuzuki is mine. Did you want to be killed after all?" Ugly possessiveness and murderous intent welled inside me.

But being in Kazane-san's headlock helped me calm down a bit. 

I guess the warmth of human contact could even soften an angry heart, or so I thought, fancifully.

While all this was happening, the stall owner finally caught up. 

The boy had tried to escape, but Yuzuki had him firmly in her grasp.

"You guys saved me. Thank you. This damn kid... Come on, return what you stole."

The stall owner forcefully took the bag that the boy was clutching dearly. The boy, on the verge of tears, started to struggle again.

"Give it back! Those apples are for my teacher!"

"Huh? What's a little thief like you talking about? Wait, haven't I seen you somewhere before? You're from the orphanage, aren't you? I was going to punch you and hand you over to the knights. But I see what's happened now. Still, I can't just give apples to a thief. What a predicament."

The stall owner scratched his head in frustration. 

Stolen fruit, the teacher, orphanage—though I couldn't fully grasp the situation, I had gathered enough fragments of words to get a vague idea of what was happening.

I took out my wallet and asked the stall owner. 

"How much for the apples?"

"Hmm? For these apples, it's 2 copper coins per piece."

"Alright, here's a silver coin. Give me 5."

"Oh... Brother, are you perhaps unreasonably kind-hearted?"

"No, it's just a momentary act of hypocrisy."

"Hahaha, I like you, Brother. You'll get 6 for that. Thanks as always."

The stall owner took one silver coin from my hand and handed me the bag he had forcibly taken from the boy. 

It contained 6 apples. 

Then, the stall owner approached the boy, whom Yuzuki was restraining, and gave him a light flick on the head.

"Hey, kid. If you do this again, I won't let you off so easily next time. Don't steal from other stores either."

"................... But, then..."

The boy seemed dissatisfied, tears welling in his eyes as he clenched his teeth.

Seeing this, the stall owner frowned.

"Geez, this brat might do it again. What should I do? Maybe I should hand him over to the knights after all..."

As the stall owner muttered this, he scratched his head again.

"Hey, what's going on? Is there some incident?"

A young man dressed in leather armor and armed with a staff pushed through the crowd and approached us. 

He looked like a knight.