CH 65

Chapter 65 : After Defeating The Bandits

The one-night and two-days trip is now over, and from today, I’m back to my usual daily life.

I woke up early, got out of the children’s room quietly so as not to wake up Nicola, greeted Mom and Dad in the kitchen, ate white bread, picked up a broom, and cleaned the front of the store as usual.

When I was cleaning the front of the store, I saw a macho man walking here from the main street.

It was Delica’s dad, Gauche oji-san.

「Gauche oji-san, good morning!」(Mark)

「Ou, good morning, Mark!」(Gauche)

「You came to get your Tentacles meat, right?」(Mark)

「Yes, but before that, can I meet your parents?」(Gauche)

Ah, that reminds me, yesterday he said that he would come to get his Tentacles meat and meet my parents.

He probably wants to talk about Delica’s part-time job with my parents.

「Okay, wait a minute.」(Mark)

I went to the kitchen and told Mom and Dad that Gauche oji-san wanted to talk with them, and they asked me to tell Gauche oji-san to wait in the dining hall.

After Gauche oji-san and I waited for a moment; Mom, Dad, and also Nicola who had just woken up, came to the dining hall, and we sat together at the same table.

「ーーI’m very sorry that I got both of your children in danger even though you entrusted them to me!」(Gauche)

Gauche oji-san bowed strongly that I thought he would hit his head against the table.

Looking at Gauche oji-san bowing, we were surprised a little.

Apparently, he came to apologize.

But I don’t think he should worry about that.

Because… who in the world would have thought we would be attacked by bandits?

If we worry about such things, we will never be able to get out of town, right?

Well, I can say that because I can deal with bandits, but there are still many people who are scared of bandits.

Still, I don’t think Gauche oji-san should take responsibility.

「Gauche-san, please raise your head! You don’t have to worry about that. Our children aren’t weak. You know that, didn’t you?」(Mom)

As Mom calmed Gauche oji-san down, Dad nodded many times next to Mom.

Dad… Gauche oji-san is bowing, so I don’t think he can see you nodding…

「Yes, but! The fact that I put your children in danger doesn’t change! Moreover, they saved me and my daughter! As and adult, I feel so miserableー」(Gauche)

While still bowing, Gauche oji-san continued apologizing.

「Don’t worry. Rather, I think it’s been a good social study for them to learn about the world. Right?」(Mom)

As she said that, Mom looked at me and Nicola with a smile.

We then nodded several times.

There’s a saying, “Parents should be strict enough with their children to kick them down into the abyss of a ravine as lions are.”

But recently, I thought that Mom didn’t raise us that way, instead, she let us fall into the abyss ourselves.

After Mom persuaded Gauche oji-san to not to worry about it, Gauche oji-san finally raised his head.

And then, Mom clapped her hands once and saidー

「Alright, the conversation about this matter is over!」(Mom)

「U, Understood… Ah, and as for those banditsーー」(Gauche)

The conversation about us being attacked by bandits has now changed into the fate of those bandits.

After dropping me and Nicola at the South Gate yesterday, Gauche oji-san immediately contacted the town guards and told them about the bandits.

After that, he sent Delica home, and then returned to the place where we were attacked by the bandits with the town guards.

When they arrived at that place, two of the three bandits were unconscious.

The other one was trying to escape, but because one of his legs was broken, he couldn’t run fast and got arrested easily.

Apparently, those bandits were members of the bandit group that often attacked people on the road that connected this town to the capital.

However, most of them have already been arrested by the feudal lord’s army, and it seems that the three bandits that attacked us were members of that bandit group who managed to escape.

This fact was revealed after the town guards found tattoos, which is the symbol of that bandit group, on the three bandits’ bodies.

After being interrogated by the town guards, the three bandits confessed that they were trying to revive the group by attacking people on the road where not so many people pass because the risk is low.

And yesterday, they happened to attack us and got beaten by us.

I’m glad that they have been arrested, but there’s one thing that bugs me.

「Oji-san, what are the guards going to do with the bandits?」(Mark)

「The guards will hang the bandits. They can’t be slaves because they are criminals.」(Gauche)

Gauche oji-san answered me without hesitation.

Apparently in this world, bandits and thieves will get death penalty.

And apparently, there are slaves in this world.

But I’ve never seen them in this town.

Gauche oji-san looked at Mom and continued talking.

「Now, those bandits are under the feudal lord’s army’s surveillance, and it seems that we will get a reward for defeating the bandits. I could have received the reward in your stead yesterday, but Mark, Nicola, I thought you two should get it yourselves since you two are the one who defeated the bandits. Therefore, I have something for you.」(Gauche)

Gauche oji-san took out a folded letter from his pocket and handed it to me while grinning.

「If you bring this letter to the Adventurer Guild, you’ll get the reward.」(Gauche)

On the letter was written my and Nicola’s names and appearances, the details of the situation when we were attacked by the bandits, and a statement that Nicola and I were eligible to receive the reward.

And also, there was a stamp with a complicated pattern on the letter.

I felt a faint mana from the pattern, so it was probably a magical pattern that prevents counterfeiting.

At first, I wondered why Gauche oji-san didn’t go to get the reward for us, but then I thought that he must be thinking that I would be happy to go to the Adventurer Guild to receive a reward because it was a dream of many children in this world.

If that’s really the case, I think I’ll take it as his kindness.

「Thank you! I will go with Nicola later.」(Mark)

As I thanked him, Gauche oji-san nodded in satisfaction.

Apparently, Gauche oji-san’s main business for coming here was to hand us the letter.

Now that his business is over, it’s time for me to give him his Tentacles meat.

I took out two wrapped packages from my item box and gave them to Gauche oji-san.

One was his Tentacles meat, and the other one was okonomiyaki I asked Dad to make yesterday because I wanted Gauche oji-san to try it.

「This is our new menu, Tentacles okonomiyaki. If you like it, please come to eat next time!」(Mom)

「Hoo! This looks good! Thank you, Landlady!」(Gauche)

Gauche oji-san bowed at Mom.

It was Dad who made it, though.

Dad only nodded once, while Mom was just smiling without saying anything.

After that, Gauche oji-san returned to his home with light steps.

At the same time, the guests started coming to the dining hall for breakfast, so we got back to work.

「Nicola, let’s go to the Adventurer Guild after this.」(Mark)

「Okay.」(Nicola)

Although we still have some work to do, we decided to go to the Adventurer Guild later.

The last time we went there was when we subjugated goblins with Celine two years ago.

I wonder if the beautiful black-haired receptionist onee-san is still there.