CH 53

Souya left the adventurer’s inn and headed for the square in the center of the city. From behind Souya, who was walking fast, someone was following him. It was probably the owner of the gaze he had sensed in front of the adventurer’s inn. The tailing was not very good, and Souya guessed that it was an amateur or an inexperienced thief who did not know how to track.

When they reached the central square, Souya sat down on a bench in front of the fountain. Then the tracker stopped and seemed to be watching Souya from the shadows. He didn’t seem to realize that his tracking was already found out.

(Well, it’s easy to scatter them at random. What should I do?)

It’s highly likely that scattering this tracker here will not lead to a fundamental solution. I don’t feel good about being pursued in the same way again later. According to the conversation with Merylou earlier, Souya was going to have a night out. I wonder if I should act like that.

(Pretending to have a night out? If so, I know where to go in this city.)

After taking a break in front of the fountain for about five minutes, Souya pulled down the hood of his cloak and started walking again. He arrived at the red light district in a corner of the old town, about ten minutes from the central square. The area around this area is unsafe, and there is a concentration of shady establishments that are not open to the general public and whose purpose is to do something shady.

“Mister in the glasses, is it your first time around here? Why don’t you try my place? We have young girls here.”

“I’m sorry, but I’ve already decided.”

Souya brushed off the middle-aged tout, who looked like he had a bad temper, and walked into the red light district. The pursuers are still following him from the central square.

In order to guide the pursuers, he entered the back alley between the stores, and when he confirmed that the front was a dead end, Souya quickly began to chant magic. 

“My body is colored by magic power and turns into a landscape. [Conceal]”

When the chanting ended, Souya’s figure blended into the surrounding landscape. The conceal is similar to the invisibility used by Merylou, but it is different in that it is mimicry, so if they can strongly recognize that he’s there, they can see that he’s there. 

A little later, the pursuer entered the alleyway. The pursuer wore a hooded cloak similar to Souya’s, but the hood did not cover his face. He is a short, brown-haired young man with a single sword scar on his cheek. He didn’t seem to be a familiar face. The man began to panic when he noticed that Souya was nowhere to be found in the dead end.

“…… That’s weird, I thought he was coming this way. Did he know I was tracking him …… He didn’t go over this wall, did he?”

The man in pursuit was looking up at the wall of the building in the dead end. The wall is about six meters high vertically, and it would be extremely difficult to climb it using only physical strength, without using tools or magic. The man in pursuit looked lost, clucked his tongue, pulled out a clawed rope from his tool bag, and began to prepare for the climb.

“I wonder if you’re looking for me.”

“…… Ah!”

When Souya released his conceal and appeared in a position to trap the pursuer in the alleyway, a shout leaked out from the pursuer. If he doesn’t realize that he’s been led this far, he doesn’t seem to be much of a handful.

“I have a question for you.”

“…… Kuh!”

In response to Souya’s question, the man who was tracking him put on his hood to hide his face and started to run to slip by Souya’s side. After seeing him off, Souya focused his gaze on the back of the fleeing person tracking him and began chanting magic.

“–Project in my eyes, and all things to my hands. [Material Transfer Aport]”

The pursuer, who was just one step away from reaching the main street of the red light district, was pulled back in front of Souya’s eyes by the material transfer Aport. When Souya smiled, he was suddenly transported and put his hand on the shoulder of the tracker, who was taken aback.

“You’ve been chasing me around, and now you want to run away. You’re really busy. Why don’t we take a break?”

“Uwahhh! Ugh ……”

Souya squinted and smiled lightly, stopping the man from screaming by closing his mouth.

“Quiet …… It’s not like I’m going to eat you. As long as you’re honest with me, I won’t try to rough you up.”

“Ohhhh …….”

“Quiet. I said. Don’t make me say it a third time. Let’s hear your name.”

“…… Rat.”

“Rat? Is that an alias? …… I guess you’re a thief. And an adventurer, I see.”

Souya put his arm around his shoulders and the rat gave a small nod to the question, shaking slightly.

“So let’s take a look at your adventurer’s card.”

“Wait a minute …… w-why do you think I’m an adventurer?”

“If you were a city thief, you wouldn’t be in this situation. You don’t seem to be very good at following people, and you don’t seem to know much about the city’s geography.”

When Rat took out his adventurer’s card with a shiver, Souya took it from him and looked at it as if to hold it out. 

“Rat ……. It looks like you’re not lying. Bronze-class, huh.”

After confirming his name and rank, he handed the adventurer’s card back to Rat, and Souya continued with his questions.

“Why were you spying on me?”

“…… You’re the demon slayer rookie, right? …… There are many people who want to know your information. and it sells quite well.”

In response to Rat’s answer, Souya let out a sigh. You can say that it is the price of increasing your status and fame that I was worried about. In the world that Souya was in before, it was common for famous people to be sniffed around and their information sold. In this world, it is no different.

“What kind of information did you get?”

“No, most of it came from …… the adventurer’s tavern you were at earlier. I only found out that you have two female companions.”

I’m sure he’s referring to Mia and Merylou as my female companions. When Souya heard this, his expression turned grim.

“I see. Swear to me that you won’t follow me in the future. And of course, the girls.”

“…… Okay. I won’t be snoop around you guys anymore.”

“Good. I’ll let you go when I’m done with this questioning. One last thing …… Did Jackal ask you to do this?”

Souya mentioned the name of a red-haired thief with an eye patch who had caused a stir in their previous request. I believe he was a silver-class adventurer and the leader of the thieves’ guild. I’m sure he’s in a position to have him work for him.

“…… Wha!”

Rat was shaken. I tried to trick him, but it seems that I was right.

“I guess I’m correct …… No, It’s just the name of the animal that stuck out to me. Hahaha, don’t tell me that the Thieves’ Guild is a zoo?”

Souya narrowed his eyes and smiled, then took a gold coin out of his business suit pocket and handed it to Rat.

“I’m done asking questions. At this rate, you’re going to have trouble making ends meet, so I might as well help you with your living expenses.  –Rat-kun. Don’t forget your vows.”

Souya put on a business smile that he had often used in his work. When Rat saw this, he became unusually shaken and ran away from the alleyway in a flash with unsteady steps.

“Now then …… I thought I was being friendly, but I must have scared him somehow.”

Souya was a little shocked and took out a hand mirror to check his business smile. It was supposed to be a normal smile, but from the point of view of a demon slayer threatening him, it might not have seemed like a friendly smile. 

(However, Jackal, huh. It’s a bit of a hassle if it’s the leader of the thieves’ guild.)

Souya thought back to the red-haired thief with the vile smile who had made fun of the Hero Randy. He was a man with a very unpleasant personality, but if he doesn’t want to be involved in the future after this one incident, that’s fine with me. 

However, if he continued to snoop around in the future, I would have to think of something. I can’t deny the possibility that the thief’s stalking will extend to Mia and Merylou as well.

However, it was not something that could be solved with simple violence. In the future, Souya and the others might also use the thieves’ guild in Ilstadt through their adventures. I don’t want to antagonize the thieves’ guild itself.

(Well, I’ll think about this later. I need to find a friendly thief in my free time and who has some influence in the thieves’ guild.)

With this in mind, Souya left the alleyway and slowly walked towards the adventurer’s inn where he had been.

——————–

If you think it was interesting or you’re interested in reading the rest of the story, I’d appreciate it if you could support me with a star below the ad.