296 - - Episode 294 I called in the end.

Arriving in the Kingdom of Beryl, I arrived at the fishmonger's shop while enjoying the subtly disconcerting situation of walking alone in the royal capital. I bought several kinds of fish, but unfortunately could not get the eel I wanted. Apparently, eels are a poor man's food. The question is whether to play the knowledge cheat or to care about the people in the slum. Well, let's see how things go in the slum.

I walk towards the slum that the fishmonger told me about. I'd like to summon Sylphy, since I've heard that it's not safe there. But I'm a bit embarrassed to summon Sylphy so quickly after I've told him that I prefer to travel alone.

At any rate, I'm sure I'll be licked if I'm dressed like this, so I should change into my adventurer's gear in the shadows. If I carry a hammer of a certain size on my back, I can't be easily attacked by them. I'm afraid of surprise attacks because of the lack of a wind wall, but I should be able to defend myself to some extent, so I should be able to handle it.

One problem is that they might notice my presence because of the huge hammer, but it is a far away country and I believe that they will be fine only in the slum. Now it's just a matter of getting into the slum and seeing where it comes from.

I'm sure I'll be fine, but I'm sure I'll be fine only in the slum.

The slum is located at the back from here. ...... The buildings are old and the atmosphere is rough but not filthy, probably because of the spread of magic in daily life. The slums in the labyrinth city were also clean to some extent, and the benefits of the life magic are quite amazing. Carrying a magic hammer, I step into the slum, keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings.

Well, first of all, I need to ask someone to tell me who is fishing for eels. Let's find someone who seems easy to talk to and ask him.

........................ can't find anyone to talk to. I can see a figure in the distance, but it slips away from me as I approach. I knock on the door of a nearby house, but no one answers. I have heard noises coming from the house, so there is a high possibility that the person is using his/her answering machine.

...... Are you on alert even if you don't have to be?　...... I see, yeah, I get it. I'm carrying a magic hammer that I've enlarged for precaution. But to the people in the slum, it's a stranger carrying a big hammer and invading the slum with impunity. It's scary, isn't it?

In a place like a slum, there will always be someone who is the face of the place. Considering how quickly the people in the slum avoid me, it's likely that the information will be passed on quickly.

In my imaginary image of a slum, if a normal person blends in, a few hoodlums will beat him up. Then, what would you do if a suspicious person carrying a big hammer of unknown meaning comes into the slum?

Answer. A large group of people would surround him and beat him up.

I've come to a conclusion!　Mr. Sylphy help me. I summon Sylphy as fast as I can, without shame or shame. I don't think I'll lose easily in a fight, but if I fight a large group of humans, I'll lose my grip on them and my hammer will be used to make mincemeat of them. I don't care about zombies, but I don't want to be minced by humans.

"Yuta, what's wrong?"

（Sorry to barge in here like this, but I need a windshield. And find out what's going on around you.)

I'm tempted to ask about the state of paradise, but I don't think that's the case right now. I'm sure the Great Spirits are fine, but I'm slightly worried about Belle and Gina and the others.

Oh, there are armed people gathered around Yuta. About thirty of them..."

My fantasy is about to come true. We can't just go in there like that. You can't go in well-equipped. Slums are hard. Maybe the safest thing would be to get an introduction from someone who has a connection to the slum, but I don't know anyone like that. What am I supposed to do?

(Are they going to attack us soon?)

"No, because Yuta is standing still, some big guy is sending instructions and deploying men with bows. Yuta, what's going on here?"

Sylphy asked me in a dazed manner, so I explained in detail.

I explained in detail. "So you just went inside and found yourself in this situation. Should I have made the hammer half as big?"

(That's not a good bluff, and I'm afraid I'll get tangled up in it as it is.)

"That's true."

Sylphy agreed with me. Well, I think it would have been less harmful if we had just entered the slum as usual.

"Yuta, he's coming! They are not going to attack us out of the blue, don't worry. And there are people with bows on the rooftop of the house diagonally to the right and left of Yuta, so don't be surprised if they suddenly hit you with a bow.

(Copy that.)

I replied to Sylphy, and scary-looking people came out from the alley blocking my front and back. If I failed to negotiate, I would have to fight with these people. I don't want to feel bad about this trip I'm looking forward to, so I'll try my best to negotiate.

Hey brother, are you an adventurer carrying such a dangerous thing?　Are you here to pick a fight, by any chance?"　

A goofy-looking man smiles at me and starts talking to me. His mood is loose but kind of scary.

"No, I'm here on business, but I was told it was a dangerous place, so I've been packing my gear. I'm not trying to pick a fight. I would appreciate it if you could pass it off as self-defense."

"Well, I'd love to tell you that, but I can't. I'm not sure I can do that. As an uncle, I'd like you to leave the money and go home quietly, but what do you think?"

I guess you have to leave your money behind. If I get serious and leave the money, it'll be a big deal. I'll pull out all the stuff in my magic bag and scare the shit out of you. ...... I can only see them coming at me with glee.

I might scare them if I bring out a fire dragon or something, but I don't want to scare them because I'm afraid I'll be able to identify myself too easily. We'll get the eels through gentle negotiation.

"I'd rather not leave without something of value. I won't hurt you.

Ohhhh, I replied, and the cussing started coming from back and forth. I guess they intentionally rattled their weapons to intimidate me. When the smug old man raised his right hand, the clamor died down. It seems that he has a great leadership ability.

"Big brother, you seem to be comfortable in this situation.　I don't think I'm weak because I carry a hammer like that, but I'm outnumbered, you know?"

I would have been shaking my legs if I had been in Japan. But compared to the power of the fire dragons and the demons in the labyrinth, it's not that intimidating. Well, I guess I'm a pretty scaredy-cat when I'm in a situation with Sylphy's wind-wall.

"Well, it's strong enough to break through easily even in the current situation. By the way, I know there are people with bows on the rooftops of that house and that house over there. That's why I was wondering if you would listen to me."

He smugly presents the information he has been given by Sylphy. It's kind of nice to see the surprised people. I feel like a great detective. I hope they'll let me off the hook for this.

"That's scary. But now that we're surrounded like this, we can't just back out. It's your uncle's honor, don't you understand?"

Menzoku" is something that is very important to the "kyokudo" crowd. If you destroy their honor, a war will break out.

I don't want to leave something that is worth money, even if it is called "menzoku". But I also don't feel good about making mincemeat out of people, so I'd appreciate it if you could offer me a solution. Oh, if you need to charge a toll, I'll pay it as long as it's within reason.

I would be willing to pay around 10,000 elt, which I think is a bit high.

If you can come up with something that the guys can agree on, that's fine with us."

The way you put it, it won't be enough to settle the 10,000 elts. No, maybe it will. Shall we give it a try?

"Yuta, just do it already. They're beeping at me!　If you don't get back soon, you're going to run out of booze."

Sylphy, who had been listening silently, shouted angrily. It seemed that the spirits had already been drinking from the cask I had left behind. It was true that once they started drinking, they wouldn't wait for Dine and the others to drink just because Sylphy wasn't around. Sylphy is going to lose her temper if I keep on taking it easy.

Even if we organize it quickly, we need eels regularly, so it is not good to agitate them like we did with the Adventurers' Guild and finally force them down.

Paying a lot of money is out of the question, but I think it's a good way to ingratiate yourself with the people in the slums and build a good relationship with them. ......　Come to think of it, some of the rickety guys surrounding me are pretty hurt. ...... I might have an idea.

"Okay. I'd like to come here regularly, so paying money under threat is out of the question for me. I'll treat the sick and injured instead, how about that?"

It's a bit troublesome, but there are people injured in front of me, and in a slum there are likely to be many sick and injured people. If we treat the sick and injured, we can sell our favors and build a good relationship with them.

"Hmmm, that's a very interesting exchange for an uncle. You don't seem to be a member of the church, but do you belong to a guild of apothecaries?　To what extent can you treat them?"

The gleeful uncle's awesomeness increased. It looks like someone in his family is sick or injured. This goofy old man is going to have a good face in the slums, and if we can ingratiate ourselves with him, the eels will be in safe hands. He gives Sylphy a look.

"Vita can handle it, as long as she's not dead."

Sylphy answers my question, as if she knows what I want to ask. I want to say, "That's Vita," but it would cause a huge commotion if I told her that I could handle it if I wasn't dead.

"Well, I can handle most things. We don't have much time, so if you could gather all the sick and injured in one place, that would be great.

"Well, as an uncle, I'm excited about the prospect, but if you get my hopes up and nothing much happens, we'll never get out of here alive, will we?"

"Oh, no need to threaten me like that. To be honest, I'm getting close to the limit of what I can do with you guys, so you can either accept it or not.

The guys around me start yelling at me for my cocky words, calling me cocky or something. I'm in a hurry for you guys. Sylphy's expression hasn't changed, but the mood is still irritating. If you take any longer, you're gonna get your asses kicked. Sylphie's a big girl, you know that?

"Well, I accept ....... But I have to tell you that treating diseases is a sensitive topic for you guys. I won't joke about it."

The air of a jovial man has gone quiet, and he asks me a question with a straight face. Normally I would be scared of him, but now I'm more afraid of Sylphy.

"I told you that kind of thing is fine. You seem to have an idea who the patient is, so please show him out as soon as possible. Also, I don't want to take up too much of your time, so please keep the patients who can be moved together."　

"You sound so confident, Uncle, my heart is bursting with anticipation. Shall we go?"

We walk surrounded by a smirking old man and a bunch of gruff-looking men. Sylphy is taking shelter in the sky, as if she doesn't want to be in the disgusting space. I envy her so much.