Shop 41.1

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Chapter 41.1. Desperate Situation In The Wilderness

In the narrow alley of the beautiful harbor town, bathed in the glow of the evening sun, I found myself blocked by a dangerous group, and before I knew it, a knife was pressed against me.

I tried to distract them by scattering gold coins, but they paid no attention and lunged at me.

The dull blade gleamed as it pierced my abdomen.

"Gyaa!"

Hot blood splattered, staining my face red.

...Huh? Did I not scream?

I touched my stomach, but it didn't hurt. However, my body was covered in blood.

That's because the man in front of me was spurting blood from his chest.

I finally realized that I was bathed in the warm, foul-smelling blood.

"Wooaahhh?!"

I finally screamed and fell to the ground. My legs gave way.

Four people were surrounding me, but as I looked around, they all collapsed, spouting blood from their chests.

What happened?

"Akira, are you okay?"

I was addressed with a unique intonation.

"Y- Yaralai."

Swinging a massive estoc to flick blood away, Yaralai, an elf in Native American attire, came to my side.

I struggled to control my trembling legs.

"Robbery in the middle of the town, unusual."

People had died.

Yaralai, who had killed someone, remained unfazed. His tone lacked even the slightest emotion, akin to meeting someone at a convenience store by chance.

He gathered the scattered gold coins and offered them to me, but my mind couldn't comprehend it properly.

"Heart..."

I pointed at the corpses.

"Call the guards." 

Yaralai said without waiting for my words, swiftly disappearing onto the main street.

I was left alone with 4. No, 4 bodies in that space for a while.

I couldn't tell how much time had passed, but Yaralai returned with three soldiers.

"Akira, you got attacked."

One of the soldiers muttered after casually glancing at the bodies.

"Hmm. Unfamiliar faces. Slum residents, perhaps?"

"Who knows, but the weapons are surprisingly good for their attire."

"Indeed, the quality is quite high for thugs' weapons."

The two soldiers discussed while the 3rd carefully inspected the bodies.

"Hey, you there! Any idea why you were attacked?"

The soldier shouted at me.

"Eh... Ah... "

Words didn't come out smoothly. The blood clinging to my body felt disgusting.

"What's wrong? Or did you do this?"

"N-no... Ah... Probably... "

My throat was dry.

"Recently... I've been indebted to the Veliero Company... So... "

The two soldiers exchanged glances.

"Could it be that you're the rumored...?"

The soldier looked down at me seriously.

"I see. Plenty of reasons for them to resent you. But lucky you, surrounded by 4 and still alive."

Absolutely.

"The spirits told me."

"As expected of an elf. But impressive skill. One strike for all of them."

"I'm a warrior. Piece of cake."

The other soldier raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"We understand the situation now. You're Yaralai and Akira from the Whale's Inn, right? If something happens, we'll come to hear your story again. Cooperate then."

Yaralai nodded and extended his hand to me.

I tried to take his hand, but then I noticed my own hand got covered in blood. Yaralai, on the other hand, didn't have a drop of blood on him. Is this what it means to be a warrior?

As I hesitated, Yaralai took my hand without caring about the blood and helped me.

"Can you walk?"

Since he allowed me to stand, I should manage. My knees were still weak, though.

"I-I think... so."

"Hmm."

He lent me his shoulder and guided me to the inn.

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