101 - - Episode 99: Wow!

We go to the meat man's place to say hello and take a walk in the labyrinth city. The Labyrinth City is a city of many things, so it's fun just to look around.

"Sara, Kikka! Let's go in here.

Marco, who is now an adventurer and wants to go to the arms shop, pulls me into the store. The manager of the arms shop allows us to look around the store on the condition that we do not touch any weapons.

"Sara! Aren't swords cool?"

...... I don't know about you, but Marco is looking longingly at the sword hanging on the wall. I guess it's a boy thing, but I think I'm going to buy a sword if he keeps this up.

"Master said I can't teach you how to handle weapons, so you can't buy one. If you really want to do it, then train hard as a spiritist and talk to the master when you can afford it."

"......Yeah, okay. I'll train you well as a spiritualist and ask for your help when I'm older."

You seem to be very much hung up on the sword. Your eyes are glued to the sword, even if your mouth says otherwise. Master said that he wants to make us great spiritists and make us look back at those who made fun of spiritists, but will he allow us to train with swords?

......I have a feeling that if we ask seriously, he will forgive us, but at the very least, we should concentrate on training as a spiritist until we are recognized by the master as a spiritist.

"Yes, let's work hard on our training for now. Besides, the master is a little busy with guild affairs right now, so we should try not to be a nuisance.

"Yeah. "Yeah. I'm not much of a master."

I know. Master said so himself, but I was surprised to hear that he hates me more than I imagined. I can't imagine what could have made the guild hate him so much.

Just by entering the guild, the atmosphere changes and hostile stares come to the master. We get sympathetic looks and observant glances. I feel like they are checking to see if we are being treated badly, but I also feel like they would probably attack Master with glee if we were suffering.

"Big brother! Kikka, you're boring."

Kikka is getting tired of looking at the weapons and thinking about them. It's hard not to be interested in weapons.

"Okay. Okay, let's go to the next store.

Marco looks at the weapons some more, but chooses to give up and leave the store. He thanks the manager and leaves the arms shop.

"Sara! What's next?"

"Well, I guess so. I'm thirsty from all the walking. Let's get a drink and take a rest in the square."

It's extravagant, but I have to spend a little money or the master will be worried. It's wrong to waste money, but let's consider it okay to be extravagant.

"Kicka. I want to try the apple juice."　

"Okay. Okay, let's go back to the plaza.

Buy a drink and rest on a bench in the plaza. It's strange to buy a drink and take a rest in the square of a labyrinth city. As we were discussing which stores to visit next, the wind blew gently around us. That's a signal.

"Marco, Kikka. We're moving."

Marco and Kikka both noticed the movement of the wind and quickly stood up. Sylphy starts to move and we follow her.

If the wind blows around us, it means that something troublesome is approaching, so it is obvious that we are going to follow Mr. Sylphy. But what kind of troublesome event is it?

I feel a little uneasy at times like this, because Master is talking to Shilfi and the others normally, but we can't. We follow Shilfi's sign and enter a narrow alleyway, which is not popular. Heading to an unpopular place means .......

"Hey, Sara. This is what you were talking about, isn't it?"

"Yes, I think so. ...... If they target us, Sylphy said she would punish them for our safety in the future. We're heading to an out-of-the-way place, that's for sure."

They targeted us. Master said there might be adventurers involved, or it could be slum people who don't like the fact that we have a normal life. Which is it?

"I knew it. Kikka. Don't get away from me."

"Yeah. Hey, would you like to ask Mame to do the same for you?

"No. Master told us to leave everything to Mr. Sylphy if anything dangerous happens, so we'd better keep quiet."

"Okay."

Marco and Kikka are both very calm. At this rate, we shouldn't have any problems. We continue down the narrow path and turn right, and we come to a dead end. The dead end is a little wider and seems like a good place to lure them in.

The presence of Ms. Sylphy urged us to move toward the dead end, and we stopped to take a position on the side of the passage. After a short wait, five men approached us, looking puzzled. They looked like adventurers, so I wondered if they were related to the master.

"You guys noticed us?　You seem to have gone to a lot of trouble to lure us in, so what's your plan?"

We and the five adventurers face each other with Mr. Sylphy in between us. Well, since they can't hear what Mr. Sylphy says, am I supposed to answer?

"I noticed (Mr. Sylphy). Why are you following us?"

"If you were aware of it, you should have asked someone for help instead of luring them to a deserted place. Well, we're not trying to be rough. We just happened to see you and wondered if we should warn you, so we followed you here for a while."

"Advice?"

That's right. You're the con man's disciples. I'm not gonna say anything bad about it, so quit being his disciples. Okay? If you don't, he's gonna hate you and he's gonna hurt you.

...... Well, perhaps it's a well-meaning piece of advice?　Then why did Mr. Sylphy bring us to this secluded place?

"Thank you for your advice. But we are happy with our lives now, and we do not intend to quit our apprenticeship.

"Why not!　You saw how he was hated at the Adventurers' Guild. If you stay with him, you will be treated as his equals. If you are threatened, I can talk to the Adventurers' Guild. Under the circumstances, Gilmas will surely help you.

The surprised look on the adventurer's face, I wonder if he thought he would be refused?　Even if you say you will help us, we have already been helped by our master and we have enough means to survive if we want to go on alone. We don't need Gilmas' help, do we?

You don't seem to be moved at all by Marco and Kikka, so let's say again firmly that you don't.

"We are slum dwellers by nature, we are used to being hated. I've told you many times that I have no intention of leaving the master.

"But that's it, Mr. Karl, that's enough. Let's just take him.

The friend of the person who had been advising me interrupted.

"Kidnapped?　What are you talking about?"

"So we should kidnap these guys, and since they are said to have all the money and a good magic bag, we should take that away from them as well. He's been making a lot of money lately with all the commissions he's been getting. We can get revenge on him and get money too. It's a good thing, right?"

"Don't be silly!　If you do that, you'll lose your adventurer's license this time!"

"Kill him when you have the chance and he won't know. If we sell the kids off, they won't even look into it under the current circumstances, will they?　Besides, we've lost all our money and we're in debt. And it's all because of the fight you put up with him. We're on our asses. If you won't do it, I will.

There's a split in the community. Carl, is that you?　That one and the other one are confused. The other three have their hands on their weapons, so they must have been planning to do it from the beginning. They are the ones who punished Mr. Sylphy, aren't they?

But these are the ones who lost all their money to the master. What can I say? I feel a little sorry for them.　

"There's no way we can beat him. He wields a hammer that big. Wake up!"

"You've spread his bad reputation all over the place, what are you talking about now? That's why he takes hostages. All you have to do is stand by and watch. I'll give you a little something."

You've been bad-mouthing the master. I take back what I said about feeling sorry for you.

"Don't be silly. If you insist on it, I'll be your opponent. You think you can beat me?

"Ha, we're no match for you, but while you're giving advice and talking nonsense, we've managed to get a few people together. If we're really going to fight, we'll fight. But we've been on some adventures together. I'll help you if you stay quiet. Of course, you'll have to be my accomplice.　

As the man said this, four new men entered. They came in at a good ...... time, but I wonder if they were listening in the shadows and waiting for the right moment to enter.　And if you add more people to your group, your share will decrease.

"It was short notice, so there were only four of us, but that's still seven against two. You don't stand a chance. Stay down."

Five of them are holding weapons and two are aiming at Mr. Karl with bows. That's not good for Mr. Karl. What's going to happen?

I observe the battle in front of me as if I were somewhere else.

"d*mn. I'm sorry girls, I'll draw them away somehow, please run away.

Before we knew it, our position was us, Mr. Karl and his friends vs. the seven kidnapped men. Then, Mr. Karl's face tightened and he looked prepared for something.

"Eh, but ......".

I check for signs of Mr. Sylphy, but he doesn't seem to be moving.

"Don't worry about me. You just mind your own business. I'm sorry I got you into this mess.

"No, that's not what I meant. ......"

I can't get my point across. I didn't expect this situation, and I don't have any set cues, so I don't know how to .......

"Well then. Get out of here safe and sound. Ohh!

Karl and one of his other friends confront the people who are trying to kidnap us, swords at the ready.

"Heh. Idiots! You've got some kid on your back. Take 'em out!"

Just as the bow was about to be released and the battle was about to begin, "bang! There was a terrible noise, and everyone who was trying to fight was blown away. Somehow I followed Carl's eyes as he was blown away.

It must have been Mr. Sylphy, but why did he and Carl get blown away at the same time?