Chapter 392: At the shadow of a good omen is bad omen

“Hnnn!”

I confirmed from across my back that the door of the Merchant Guild closed, then wrapped my arms around each other and stretched them into the sky.

The other day when I gave the engine model that was on display to Rembrandt-san, he said something about paying money not being enough, so he set me up with a number of companies.

In my eyes, there’s no easy merchant in Tsige, moreover, if it is someone that Rembrandt-san introduced to me, they would obviously be even higher than your average Tsige merchant…

Even so, it is true that the Kuzunoha Company and I don’t have many acquaintances within the merchants, and connections with other merchants.

We had casual talks, light business discussions, and several days passed in the blink of an eye while doing all that.

It was tiring, but I think it was quite the beneficial experience.

We are a miscellaneous store, so it is at times like this that we can talk about the specialties of the other party no matter what they are and it can be brought into chances for business.

It might be a benefit of the few miscellaneous stores that managed to survive.

“Security, huh.” (Makoto)

This is one of the concerns that many of the company representatives I met had raised.

Tsige is exterminating the mamonos at the plains, hills, and forests outside the city at an incredible pace.

Even when knowing it is just a temporary bubble, this is one of the reasons why adventurers that don’t have the ability to challenge the wasteland have begun to flow into Tsige and stay in it as their base.

Of course, exterminating the mamonos and securing safe travel in those areas is for no other reason than to create roads and expand the city.

In other words, the chances of being attacked by mamonos when close to the ramparts outside of Tsige are low.

Just that…

“Instead of mamonos, it is now bandits.” (Makoto)

Even if the mamonos outside decrease, it doesn’t mean that it becomes safer, huh.

The robberies around the wide roads have apparently begun increasing.

The cases where their cargo is attacked have increased, and are shaping into numbers that can’t be ignored.

I don’t hear that from the Couple Company, so is it just that the big companies are avoiding that, or they have already predicted that and they take along skilled escorts.

Now that I think about it, I have not heard about the robbery countermeasures from Capli-san.

It would be a nice idea to ask her about it next time for future reference.

“Raidou-san!”

“? Aah, Toa.” (Makoto)

“Are you alone?” (Toa)

“Everyone is busy today. There’s times when I would be alone.” (Makoto)

Toa seems to be alone too.

The leader of Alpine that has been going to the wasteland and making a killing from there.

She has completely become the face of this city.

From what I have heard, when someone from their party shows up at the guild or enters a store, just that alone is enough to gather gazes of respect and admiration.

“It would be better not to walk out alone too much, you know? There have been robberies outside the city, but there’s also parts of the city that have gotten more dangerous when night comes.” (Toa)

“…I see.” (Makoto)

So it isn’t outside the city, but inside as well.

That’s…not good.

There’s no fear in the voice of Toa.

She is decently strong, and the lowered public order in the city isn’t much of a threat for her.

But there was clear displeasure in her voice.

Adventurers who fall into the bandit route are not few, but Toa and the members of Alpine have not chosen that path.

So they are not evil people at their core.

“You are going back to your company, Raidou-san?” (Toa)

“No, I was thinking about showing up at the Bronzeman Company for a bit.” (Makoto)

“…”

“Toa?” (Makoto)

“Well, I don’t think using the face of Raidou-san will resolve the problem completely, but…” (Toa)

“?”

“Do you mind if I accompany you for a bit? I will make sure not to get in your way.” (Toa)

“You said some ominous stuff just now, so I only have a bad feeling about this though.” (Makoto)

“I was just thinking about doing some cleaning up on my way back. Now now, as you can see…” (Toa)

Toa’s presence disappeared in an instant.

It felt incredibly off, but that feeling itself disappeared as well after a few seconds.

It was so thin that it felt as if she had become invisible in place.

Aah, so this is a Skill of a Tobikatou.

What impressive invisibility ability.

If I hadn’t seen Rokuya-san doing something similar, I might have gotten more impressed.

“I will be hidden, so please go to the Bronzeman Company on your own without any worries.” (Toa)

“…Okay. So I am bait.” (Makoto)

The Bronzeman Company has a workshop and store in the neighborhood where craftsmen gather.

If I remember correctly, if I go straight from the Merchant Guild to there, there’s a pretty unpopular street, and the district that the blacksmiths live in -the craftsman street- doesn’t have much in the terms of public order to begin with.

It is an area that you can’t live in unless you have the strength.

“If it is you, Raidou-san, it would be easy to ignore it, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to clean up the trash of the city since there’s the chance. Ehe.” (Toa)

“If I am to be protected by that famous Toa of Alpine, I have no complaints. I will be counting on you.” (Makoto)

How to say it, it is as if she has the surplus.

It is true that I was thinking about getting away if I were to be caught up by bandits.

The army of Tsige has not taken that great of a shape yet.

There’s close to no system that’s similar to the police.

Of course the public order would worsen.

I advance through the unpopular street together with Toa whose presence wouldn’t even be felt by the ordinary person.

Craftsmen began to mix with the people that look like merchants, and at the time when I began to stand out…

“…Uwah…” (Makoto)

A group of 3 stood in front of my path in an unbelievably brazen manner as if shouting out loud that they have targeted me.

It is true that the location is bad, but to think that I really would encounter them in the city.

They are clearly hoodlums that fell out from the adventurer path.

Did they forget their spiked shoulder pads at home? That’s how much they look like hoodlums.

They give off the air of being the kind of bunch that would say ‘ehehe’ and ‘you look like you’ve got some cash, bro’.

“Hehehe.”

“You’ve got some nice clothes there, bro.”

“Don’t you have cash to spare?”

Yeah, close enough.

“““?!”””

Before I could think about what to do…the three rolled their eyes back and collapsed.

When I looked closely, I could see that they were tied up with ropes.

Oi oi, this way of tying…

I won’t be retorting to everything, okay?

“You saved me there.” (Makoto)

The people on the street were beginning to get noisy, so I thanked her in a low voice.

It was clear that this was the work of Toa and her dexterity after all.

When I did so, a hand that’s making a V sign appeared in front of me.

So she can even do something like return the presence of parts of her body, huh.

A tobikatou has some really amusing techniques.

“Ah, excuse me.” (Makoto)

“Y-Yes?!”

“It seems like they were trying to rob me. Can you contact an Adventurer Guild station close by or a company affiliated to the Merchant Guild?” (Makoto)

“G-Got it!”

I caught a person in the vicinity, pointed at the three who were already unconscious, and asked this of them.

Just because I look like a merchant or a person with money, it ends up like this?

It really does seem like the worsening of the public order is quite the problem depending on the person.

The worst part about it is that, different from mamonos, people can hide even inside the city.

Seeing this, there’s the chance that even Tomoe, Mio, and Lime have experienced this.

I should confirm the situation with everyone tonight and the measures to take.

Also…it would be one thing if it were just robbing, but there might be the type of people that would mix with that kind of bunch to scheme things.

People are the scariest and most troublesome out of everything after all.

“?”

I suddenly felt a gaze.

I looked over at that place, and it was at a slightly tall chimney.

There was a ladder placed there and…a small person?!

I thought for a moment that my eyes had met theirs, and right after, it shone.

Sniper.

The target is…oh? Me?

There’s no sign of Toa reacting to it.

What was shot from the shadow of the chimney with only around half of their body peeking out was a short arrow.

Fortunately, there’s no one aside from me on the trajectory.

I shift my body slightly, and grab the arrow as it passes by.

A crossbow or a bowgun kind of weapon, huh.

It has quite the good range too.

The sniper must have frozen from the shock, they were still there without moving.

Too bad.

If you had hidden yourself, I wouldn’t have gone as far as destroying the chimney to finish you.

I threw the arrow back, gouging out the shoulder of the sniper that’s most likely a demi-human, and the arrow disappeared into the horizon.

“Is something the matter?”

“No, it is nothing. Well then, excuse the commotion.” (Makoto)

The person that was passing by looked at me with dubious eyes since I suddenly swung my hand.

I give them a half-assed response and we resume our walk.

“…Was it a robbery or was it an assault? Were the 3 just a distraction?” (Toa)

“Who knows. The abilities were way too far apart, so they might not be related.” (Makoto)

“Yeah. That sniper felt like an adventurer trained in the wasteland. I think it would have taken me my all to evade that attack.” (Toa)

“I fortunately noticed the sniper and somehow managed to deal with it.” (Makoto)

“…You blew up their shoulder and the arrow went so far it couldn’t even be seen. ‘Somehow managed’ is something that people like me say, Raidou-san.” (Toa)

“Hahaha.” (Makoto)

“Oi oi, bro, don’t go stepping on my shadow!”

“Shut up!” (Toa)

Toa for some reason seemed to be in a bad mood now, and the second encounter ended up with her finishing them in an instant.

“Hey, are you listening, Raidou-san?!” (Toa)

“Yeah, a bit.” (Makoto)

“A bit?! Even though someone might be aiming for your life, you are taking it so lightly?! Way too lightly!” (Toa)

“I did stand out quite a bit in the war of before, so I have been targeted pretty often recently before all this public order worsening business. I have somewhat gotten used to it.” (Makoto)

“You are in a heavier environment than your regular adventurer…” (Toa)

“Our circumstances are special after all. Even so, robberies in the city must be a problem for the delivery and transportation businesses. It will most definitely just escalate further and further if left be.” (Makoto)

“…We adventurers also need Tsige to be safe before being able to go to the wasteland. I think the Guilds will be making their move in this matter soon.” (Toa)

“Ah, then you will be staying home for a while?” (Makoto)

“Yeah. I am happy that the amount of people who think of us as the aces have increased, but there’s times when we have to move for the sake of the city because of it.” (Toa)

“That’s nice. Rinon is also livelier when you and your party are here.” (Makoto)

“Fufu, that does make me happy as her sister.” (Toa)

It is good that sisters get along.

Rinon is a girl with a good head on her shoulders, but she is a child that’s not even 12 yet.

“So, when is the harem marriage ceremony of Hazal and everyone?” (Makoto)

“Why are you throwing such an ill natured question in this good atmosphere?!” (Toa)

That Hazal.

Marrying a hyuman, elf, and dwarf is quite the main character move.

They are all Alpine party members, so thinking about their standing, it will definitely be a historical moment in Tsige.

With how the atmosphere of the city is currently, they can’t just make it simple just because they are adventurers. They won’t be allowed to.

I personally may or may not think that it is good that the jealousy and envy are gathering on Hazal and the attention is deviated from us.

Toa and her party have helped us out quite a lot until now, so I think it wouldn’t be bad to repay them here.

By the way, we were amusing ourselves with such conversation while heading to the Bronzeman Company, but because Toa had erased her presence completely, it ended up with this becoming an episode of the Kuzunoha Company’s representative of many mysteries talking to himself and bandits that get tied up on their own.

What’s even the right answer…