CH 19

“You! What are you doing to Shilka!”

Nina looks at Ark with an angry expression on her face. Ark, however, seems to think of it as nothing more than a gentle breeze, snickers and releases the girl called Shilka.

“What did I do? I didn’t do anything, I was just asking where you were.”

The girl called Shilka runs up to Nina.

“Shilka! Were you all right..?”

“Umm, yes. But that man scares me..”

“Right, go back to the hideout quickly. I’ll take care of him.”

Shilka looked anxious, but she must have trusted Nina, because she nodded her head and disappeared into the side of the rubbish heap. She probably entered the hideout through a secret entrance or somewhere else.

“Hey, hey, what’s this ‘I’ll take care of it’ to me? That’s pretty harsh, isn’t it?”

“Shut up. Who are you?

“I am a hero. Hero Ark Wilhelm Mirage. You can call me Master Ark, Nina.”

Niña stuck her tongue out at him with a look of sincere disapproval.

“Who’s going to call you. So? What does this hero or whatever he’s called want with me?”

“Oh, I’ll be straight with you. Nina, from today onwards you will be under my command. Prepare for your journey.”

“What?”

At Niña’s stunned reaction, however, Ark continues speaking without paying any attention to her.

“I’m going on a journey to defeat the Demon King, but I’ll need a skilled thief along the way. As for you, you’re going to join the party of the heroes, isn’t it an honour?”

“Are you kidding me? What makes you think I’ll nod? I’m not going to do it. You’ll have to find someone else.”

“No, no, no, you don’t have veto power, Nina.”

Ark grinned a wicked grin.

“I’ll tell you something good, Nina. This area that you and the kids you’re protecting are using as a stronghold is essentially the property of the kingdom, you know? You’re the criminals who are illegally occupying it.”

“… What are you trying to say?”

“I mean, what would happen if I, a hero, in the name of justice, arrested you?”

“What?”

Nina’s eyes widened.

“No, you’re lying! Even the guardians make frequent patrols around here, and they know that there are people living here! But they never once said anything about illegal occupation!”

“It’s just tacit consent. If I report this to the guardians as a problem, they’ll have no choice but to remove you – hey, Agranis?

“-That’s right, Master Ark.”

Out of nowhere, a woman in a black hooded dressing gown appeared and nodded at Ark’s words.

“Hey, who the hell are you?”

“I haven’t seen you before, Nina-san. I am Agranis. I’m a sorceress who serves this kingdom and is entrusted with supporting the hero Ark-sama on his journey.”

“A sorcerer..?”

“I have all the laws of this kingdom in my head. What Master Ark says is correct. If you are caught, you and all the children you want to protect will lose your home.”

“Oh, no..!”

At Nina’s despairing expression, Agranis’ lips, glimpsed through the deep hood, form a twisted smile.

“But don’t worry. If you become under Ark-sama’s command, not only will you not be exposed, but you will be honoured as one of the party of heroes, and the safety and livelihood of these children will be guaranteed.”

“What? …”

“Don’t you want to get away from living in this filthy dump now? Don’t you want to give these children a normal, human way of life? All you have to do is nod your head to Master Ark’s invitation and the children will be saved.”

“….!”

“Let’s face it, you’re not going to be happy for the rest of your life, are you? If this continues, the children will never be happy. Your existence is keeping the children bound to this bottom world. Now, free them and you yourself too from the children. You no longer have to steal for someone else.”

With a grinding sound, Nina grits her teeth. She can feel a complex mixture of frustration and anger.

I unintentionally put my hand on Nina’s shoulder and stepped forward.

“Ah? Who the hell are you, you fucker?”

“Don’t you remember me, hero Ark?”

“……?”

Apparently Ark really didn’t remember me. He tilted his head. I guess he didn’t even think about me, well, that’s fine. Until I said my name.

“I’m Gustav. I am the Princess Leia’s Personal Guard Captain.”

“Princess Leia Guard Captain, –Oh, you’re!”

Ark’s eyes widen and he points a finger at me.

“Aren’t you the fucking guard who interfered with me and Leia that time!”

“Leia [sama], address her as such.”

“Don’t tell me what to do, What do you want with me, you fucking guard? You don’t have a princess to serve here, do you?”

“Yes, there is no princess. But I have the privilege of being Guard Captain.”

“What? Privileges?

“Yeah, that’s right.”

I didn’t think I’d be using it just now, when Princess Leia had appointed me ‘Guard Captain’, but if I didn’t use it now, when would I use it? I took out the SS Guard Captain’s badge I had in my pocket and held it out to Ark and Agranis.

“The SS Guard Captain has the same power as the chief guardian of this castle town. If you have all the laws in your head, then of course you know that, don’t you, you female sorceress there!”

“… Yeah, that’s well.”

Agranis held her tongue, but conceded.

“That me, who has the same power as the chief guardian, is here to pass judgment. I will never accept that Nina and her children are illegally occupying this place! In the first place, this land is a pile of illegally dumped rubbish, not an illegally built dwelling. As long as the illegal dumping rubbish heap is tacitly accepted, it does not make sense to charge Nina and her family with being illegal occupiers!”

“Oi oi oi, that’s just a load of rubbish!”

“I don’t give a shit. Facts are facts.”

“Tsk..!”

Ark glared at me, but then smiled wryly again.

“But hey, that’s only until I take more direct measures. If she won’t join me, I’ll turn Nina over to the guardians. Now, do you know what this means? Gustav, the SS captain, my ass.”

“…Nina is a wanted criminal with a bounty on her head by the guardians for common thievery. So you want to send her to prison for that crime?”

“That’s right. What do you think? This will not only leave Nina crippled herself, but she won’t even be able to protect the children’s current lives.”

“.. you piece of shit.”

“Han! Are you a sore loser, eh, Gustav?”

Deep down, I despised this hero. I thought he was a terrible guy when I was playing the game, but I never thought he would try such outrageous measures. But I won’t let him do what he wants.

“That’s not necessary. Because I’ve already caught Nina, you know.”

Both Ark and Nina rolled their eyes at my words. Both Ark and Nina rolled their eyes at my words.