Chapter 15 - 015 : try to find a clue

Subaru try to think of an idea to prove he is not useless to rem and use his head that deem as useless by Rem

Seeing Subaru fall silent and looking troubled all of a sudden, Rem tilted her head and looked at him puzzled.

'Maybe i to harsh with my word?'

"Suba-"

"I have a few things that I want to check with you, is that okay?"

"Um…okay, yeah. Go right ahead."

"Thanks. I'm pretty sure I heard you mention it a few times, but this is the capital of whatever country we're in…right? So, basically it's the town that has the king's castle in it, and it's a really big place, is that correct?" Subaru asked, remembering bits of the conversation that he had had with Rem before.

While Subaru realized that his question must have sounded strange, Rem didn't interrupt and simply nodded a yes.

"So in this big city, there's a girl who appears to be making her living stealing things. By the look of her clothes, she definitely doesn't seem to be that well off… Now this may be obvious, but there's got to be a place where people like that live."

"…"

"Is there a place where crime is rampant, or something like a slum in the area…? I'm sure it's hard to exchange stolen goods for money without some connections, so I think there's a good chance she would have to go back to a place like that."

With the image of the thief burned in his memory, Subaru analyzed her from head to toe, and used all of the knowledge he had about fantasy settings to help form his hypothesis.

"So, I think rather than searching around aimlessly, we have a better chance

if we aim for that, but… What's wrong?"

"I was just surprised. You really do have a good head on your shoulders. I think that's just a cabbage that attach to your shoulders "

"Well, rather than a logical conclusion, it's more that it's a common theme in medieval fantasy, but…if this is all it takes for you to start thinking better of me I have a feeling that I've got a long way to go…"

Despite Subaru's response, he seemed to be taking the Rem's praise rather well and didn't bother with the last sentence.

"We'll go with your plan. Let's go back out to the main road and ask some people if they know of a place that's like what you described."

"We're already really behind as it is, after all. Let's hurry up and get going."

After Subaru and the girl looked at each other and nodded, they headed out of the alley and toward the main road.

But after wandering and asking here and there they still can't find a clue for where the thief girl

"isn't this town just too big to be searching around for something in?"

"Well, it's the capital of Lugunika. It's the largest city in the nation, and if i didn't wrong Emilia-sama in the past said there is 300 hundred thousand people who live in here and many people come and go, so the exact number is unknown "

"I see, I see. Three hundred thousand people, huh. That's quite a lot…

"

Subaru tried to use that new information to picture Lugunika's capital city in his mind. If it had a population of 300,000 people, then for a city in a medieval fantasy setting, it was quite large. Of course, that number only reflected the people who lived in the city, so after adding in traveling merchants and adventurers, the number of people at any given time would probably be greater than that.

As Subaru watched all of the people passing by from the side of the street, he was once again astonished by the concentration of such variety in a group of people. There were half-humans, half-beasts, and regular humans all mixed together, and it really was like a melting pot of different races.

The fact that they had gotten lost in the alleyways for almost an hour wasn't just something to laugh about, either.

"In other words, we don't have any more room for error. We have already given up a big advantage to the thief, and if we get stuck again it really will be too late. So let's choose our next move carefully."

"What do you mean?"

"If we run around without some sort of plan, we won't get any results. For instance, if we go back to the place where your badge was stolen, we might be able to get more information out of people. Was there anyone who saw what happened?"

"Actually…I think there may have been."

the easier it is to get lost in the crowd.

"Do you remember where it was stolen from you?"

"Yes, I think…it was this way."

Subaru followed Rem down the street. As they made their way through the confusion of the bustling crowd with its many different kinds of people,

Subaru felt his sense of distance and direction taken from him just as quickly as when they had made their way through the maze of alleyways before.

He felt as if he no longer had any idea of where he was walking. While the place they were in should have been one he had never seen before, Subaru felt a strange feeling that he had seen it before, and that feeling just wouldn't go away.

"Wait. No, I have definitely seen this place before."

Seeing the place that Rem had led him to, he scratched the side of his face and smiled a half smile.

The place where Rem had had her badge stolen from her was the same street corner to which Subaru had been summoned.

"This is where I was so confused I decided to go cool my head down in an empty alley, and then had my encounter with thugs A, B, and C…"

Remembering what had happened about two hours earlier, Subaru now mused to himself that amazing coincidences like this really did happen sometimes.

If so, he was in in luck. He had someone in mind that they could talk to.

"So that's the situation. I told her, 'Leave it to me!' and came over here to

see you, Mr. Fruit Salesman."

Subaru spun around and pointed at the owner of a fruit shop on the side of the main road. The fruit that lined his shop was fresh, and just looking at it made his mouth water.

"…What, it's you again? I was hoping for a customer, Mr. Broke," said the

shop owner with a cold glare that didn't seem fitting for one who dealt with customers on a daily basis.

The man wore a bandanna and was very muscular. He had a stern looking face and a deep, threatening voice.

To top it all off, he also had a white scar that ran down the left side of his face, probably left by some kind of blade. No matter how you looked at it, there was no way he was a respectable, law-abiding citizen.

That's why it was so surprising for him to be behind the counter of a fruit shop.

"Oh, don't be so cold, Pops. You were acting pretty nice to me not all that long ago."

"That's because I thought you were a customer. If I had known you had no money on you, I would have chased you out earlier, like I'm about to do now."

Subaru was trying to act like they were best friends, but the shop owner was having none of it. He waved his hand as if he was shooing away a bug.

"Oh, come on," Subaru sighed, relaxing his shoulders. "Are you sure you want to treat me like this? Haven't you noticed that I'm different from the last time I came here?"

"What's that?" said the shop owner, unsure of how to react as Subaru made a triumphant expression, nostrils flaring.

"Look at that! I brought someone with me! You may have chased me off once you learned I was penniless, but what do you think, now that I've brought in someone who just very well may become a new frequent customer of yours?!"

"Subaru i must said it, but My lord mansion is quite far from the capital so i can't be a frequent customer also i didn't bring any money with me because i didn't have a schedule for buying groceries for this day"

"Huh, what, really? You're telling me that we were walking around the capital without so much as a single coin between us?!"

The shop owner gave a sigh as he looked at the two paupers in his shop.

"So? What was it that you wanted to say, now that one beggar's become two?"

"Well, actually, we're looking for something, and I wanted to ask if you could at least hear us out?"

"That was just my way of saying I don't have the time to deal with you people! Take a hint!" the shop owner yelled.

Subaru felt himself take some intense eardrum damage.

"I'm very sorry to bother you but my name is Rem one of the maid who work for Margrave Roswaal L Mathers, if you can help me to find the theft and we success retrieving it than i will said to my lord you contribute a crucial information to us and he surely will reward you handsomely"

Rem step in front of Subaru and make a shop owner take a look to something inside her sleeve and after sometime he nod his head.

"Ask me whatever you want."