Chapter 78
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Wh──!? You guys, get into battle formation!”
””Wh──!””
Seeing his subordinates flailing in the air, the man in charge shouted orders to them.
It seems he’s not just called the captain for nothing.
At his command, the men tried to grab their weapons, but…
”Huh?”
”Wait?”
”I-I can’t pull it out!”
The weapons at the men’s waists were fixed in place by Magic Armor, and the long weapons nearby were also secured.
The men struggled to equip themselves, but then all their bodies floated into the air.
*Whoosh*
”Ah!?”
”Damn it!”
”Me too!?”
The surprised voices came not only from the subordinates but also from the man in charge, who shouted in shock.
*Whoosh*
”Tch! What the heck is going on!?”
Lifting this many people and their weight consumes a lot of my magic power.
Well, compared to when I dealt with Ferris, it’s not that big of a deal.
Now then… since all the men have let go of the women, it’s time to lift the women next.
”Aaah!?”
”Whoa!?”
”Ahh~♡.”
*Swoosh…*
Ignoring the strange sounds coming from some of them, I moved the women to the back of the store.
…Both men and women were just lifted as if a rope was passed under their arms.
Once the women were taken into the kitchen, the captain in charge looked around and shouted angrily.
”Who did this!? Show yourself!”
In response to his voice, I went back up the stairs for a moment and came down in “a certain form.”
*Thud, thud, thud… thud*
’…’
”…So it was you. I haven’t seen your face around here.”
The man in charge glared at me and spoke, even though I remained silent.
The reason he doesn’t see many people like me around here is probably due to racial differences.
Right now, I’m in my previous life’s form as a Japanese person.
I’ve practiced enough to overcome the expression issue, so any form would have been fine, but now that I don’t have to hide my face, there’s a chance I might resemble someone, so I chose this appearance.
This way, I’m less likely to resemble anyone else, and I won’t cause any trouble.
The first thing that came to mind was the suit I was wearing last, but… due to that outfit, the captain-like man doesn’t seem to think I came alone, and he’s suspicious that I have companions. He continues to be on guard as he asks,
”Who are you with? Do you know we’re the ‘Gem Snake’? Are you doing this on purpose?”
’Yes, I’m doing this on purpose. And I’m alone, not from anywhere.’
Using my transparent voice changer, I replicate my previous life’s voice and answer him. The captain-like man immediately gives an order.
”Daz! Do it!”
”Huh!”
*Swish!*
A man responds to the order, pulling a knife from his pocket and quickly throwing it at me.
He must have been the one designated for this task, given his expertise… but of course, I had a Magic Armor wall in front of me.
I had made the surface of the wall like a pincushion or a toothbrush, so the knife got stuck in the bristles and stopped in mid-air.
I grab the knife and throw it away towards the stairs.
*Clink*
”What… Grr!”
The man who threw the knife is surprised, but at the same time, I put something to his neck.
There’s a thin line around his neck, clearly showing that something is strangling him.
Of course, it’s my magic thread doing the job… but I loosen the thread for a moment, allowing the man to catch his breath.
”Cough! Cough! Huh, huh…”
The captain-like man looked back at me.
”I heard some new guys got attacked a few days ago by a woman using a similar trick at the entrance of the city. They said they were going to ambush her in the dungeon with their friends, but I heard they’ve been missing since then.”
Hearing that means… this captain-like man wasn’t in the city at that time and just recently came back from the dungeon, huh?
’…’
Since I wasn’t asked a question, I stayed silent, but it seemed the captain-like man picked up on my attitude.
”…So it’s you.”
’Yeah, that’s right.’
The crowd stirred.
They were surprised, but some seemed worried that they might end up in the same situation.
In the midst of this, the captain-like man looked at me and calmly started negotiating.
”What’s your goal? Did you come here for your favorite girl or something?”
’Nope. This is my first time here.’
”Then why did you stick your nose in? And you came down from above, right? If you’ve never been here, why were you up there?”
’All the inns were fully booked. I was just going to ask if there was at least a room available when I heard voices arguing inside. I thought if I helped out, I might get a room as a thank you, so I peeked in from the second-floor window to see what was going on.’
”Tch, you’re saying it was just a coincidence? If I come out quietly, will you let me go?”
’…’
I glanced.
At those words, I looked at the man’s subordinates, but he continued speaking.
”I won’t let these guys complain. Killing them will just pass the problem from you to me.”
’…’
He’s quick to judge; he realized this situation was bad and chose to retreat immediately.
But of course, I couldn’t just leave him quietly, knowing retaliation was expected.
’That’s not enough. Can we make sure that “Gem Snake” won’t mess with this shop and its people in the future?’
”I can’t promise that much from my position. I can say this place is my favorite, and I can treat people of equal or lower status as regular customers.”
The fact that he can do something like today with that level of influence probably means that the issue of neutralizing Ferris has a big impact.
So, I decided to dig deeper.
’That’s not enough to be sure. Then… can you tell me more about what you talked about earlier?’
”Earlier?”
’Yeah. You mentioned that “Murder Princess” would just become a tool, right? Tell me how that happens.’
”Huh? Why do you want to know that?”
’Ah… I’ve heard she’s really strong, and I thought if I could do it too. If she’s obedient, I could use her as a pawn, right?’
I didn’t say it was to inform Ferris; I just mentioned I wanted to use her too, but the guy shook his head in disagreement.
”Hmm… well, that’s impossible. I can’t tell you.”
’You’d rather die, huh?’
”That’s not it. I said I can’t say it, not that I won’t. I don’t know how, okay?”
’Huh? Then where did that story come from?’
”Well, it’s from the higher-ups in my group. They said something about using something they got from somewhere to make ‘Murder Princess’ obedient. So, they’re saying we can go after the women in the city without worrying about “Silver Orchid” or rather, they’re instructing us to go after them actively.”
’…What does that mean? If that story wasn’t true, you could have been killed by “Murder Princess.” What proof did you have to follow those orders?’
”Of course, it’s normal to follow the orders above. Well, I can’t be sure from my position, but it seems like the higher-ups have seen it for themselves and are certain about it. Plus, a lot of guys are frustrated because they can’t make a move on the girls they have their eyes on because of that woman, so they’re all happy to follow orders if it means that can change.”
I can somewhat understand the guy’s response, but the order to actively approach women in the city is concerning.
…Are they hoping for Ferris to show up?
If they have a way to neutralize her, I can see why “Gem Snake” would want to take action.
Just to be sure, I ask again.
’From the perspective of the target, this is a selfish request… Do you really not know how to do it?’
”I don’t know. Besides, it’s something that our backing family got, so even if you know, you probably can’t get it, right?”
’Hmm…’
I’ve heard that the backing of “Gem Snake” is some noble family, but considering their influence, they must be a pretty high-ranking noble.
It must be something that can’t be obtained without that level of power… maybe a magic item or a curse?
Either way, if I don’t know how to execute it, there’s no way to deal with it.
As I ponder this, the captain-like guy seems to think he won’t be let go, so he adds more conditions for his release.
”Hey, hey. If I find out how to do it, I’ll tell you, and I won’t report you to the higher-ups. At least we won’t make a move on this shop or its people, so can you let me go?”
Not reporting me to the organization is a pretty big advantage, and it seems like the captain-like guy is hopeful for his release, but… I shake my head.
’No way.’
”Why not!? The people in the shop would be grateful, and you could get not just a room but also food and a few girls, right?”
I shake my head again at the man who replied like that.
’No. You must report to “Gem Snake” about me.’
”Huh!? Is that really okay?”
’It’s fine. You’ve seen my power firsthand, right? Make sure to convey that clearly. If you do, they won’t blame you too much for backing down so easily.’
”W-Why…?”
’I’m confident I can handle any pursuers sent after me. The promise not to touch this place was made only by you, so others might attack here…’
””Ugh.””
I lightly tighten my grip around the necks of all the men and declare.
’From now on, I will hunt down the “Gem Snake” that harms people. Just like those I happened to take care of in the dungeon.’
Of course, this is limited to what I can observe and only if “Gem Snake” is at fault.
With this, Iris won’t be suspected regarding the guys who attacked her, and since I’m saying it was a coincidence, they shouldn’t think Iris is connected to me in this form.
Of course, some might still come after Iris considering she’s an acquaintance… but when that happens, I’ll just ‘deal’ with it.
If it gets known that I came out of the dungeon with Iris as “Koji,” I’ll just say it was forced on me by this form of the man.
While I was thinking this, the captain-like man asked suspiciously.
”You… are you trying to pick a fight with “Gem Snake”?”
’I’m not trying to pick a fight. I’m just taking what “Gem Snake” is selling to others.’
Heh.
”Whoa!”
”Uwah!”
”Ugh!”
As I answered, I released the men and pointed to the entrance of the store.
It seemed my intention was understood without issue, as the captain-like man gave orders to his subordinates.
”…You guys, just pay normally at another store and have fun. I’m going to report.”
””Y-Yes!””
After responding to the man’s order, his subordinates grabbed their things and left the store.
Among them, the captain-like man stayed until the end.
”They might target this place under the pretext of attacking you, you know?”
’As I said earlier, I’m hunting the “Gem Snake” that harms people. If you say it’s here, that’s fine, but if they’re going to aim for me in a crowded place…’
*Boom!*
”!?”
’At that point, I’ll make the entire “Gem Snake” my target.’
As I answered, I used a red stone that seemed to be a catalyst for fire magic and created a flame-covered Magic Armor to show Yamata no Orochi.
The shape was pretty rough, but… an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a snake for a snake, that’s the meaning behind it.
Whether he understood that or not, I don’t know.
With this, the element of being able to use magic increased, and he might become more obedient to avoid being targeted by me.
It seemed to have worked on the man in front of me, as he lightly shook his head and sighed.
”…Hah. I’ll report that too.”
Saying that, the captain-like man also left, and a brief silence fell over the store.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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