Chapter 330 - 330. Thief Extermination and Imprisonment
I chase after Fam's back.
The sound from underfoot had changed from the creaking of the raft to the sound of shoes striking hard cobblestones. The dry echo bounced in my ears, and my breathing grew rough.
In front of the tavern where the shouting had come from, a bearded man in an apron like a cook glared in the direction Mizuki and the others had run. He held a cleaver-like knife in his hand and was swinging it around as he shouted.
The winding alleys, the flow of people increased, and those who heard the cry of "Thief!" gathered like gawkers, blocking the way. After the thieves had dashed through, scattered fruit and barrels rolling to block the path were left behind.
Fam slipped through those gaps, running smoothly. Ahead of her, I could see Mizuki's figure, and beyond her, the backs of a pair running further ahead.
Apparently they were the thieves. But with so many crowds of people and obstacles, it didn't seem like we could catch up.
"Mizuki, it's impossible to pursue. Stop!"
At the same time as my shout, Mizuki leaped. Jumping over people's heads, kicking off the wall, she closed in on the pair's backs in an instant. At that superhuman movement, I was so surprised I almost bit my tongue.
Just as Mizuki reached out a hand to one of their backs, the opponent turned around and released a fist-sized stone. An earth magic rock ball. The momentum pulled back his hood, revealing him to be a man. His short-cropped hair and deeply chiseled face were not young.
"Mizuki!"
Even though it wasn't aimed at me, a cold chill ran down my spine. But, ignoring my worry, Mizuki twisted her body with superhuman reflexes. The rock grazed her hair, veered off, and destroyed a plaster wall. Without a moment's pause, the man drew a shortsword and slashed, but Mizuki also drew her sword and knocked the shortsword upward.
The shortsword left the man's hand, spun through the air, and hit the ground with a high-pitched metallic sound.
As the man trembled his hands, having lost his weapon, Mizuki swung her sword down.
"Gwah!"
The man's scream rang out. Leaving him behind, Mizuki pressed forward. The other man, perhaps abandoning escape, turned back toward her, gripping his sword tightly.
"You wanna die?!"
The man shouted, using the tip of his sword to probe Mizuki's movements. In response, Mizuki raised her sword. Fam caught up beside her and drew her blade as well.
I finally reached the fallen man. Looking, it seemed Mizuki hadn't cut him—she had struck with the flat of her blade. Still, naturally, his forehead was split and blood was flowing. The man seemed conscious; lying there, he stretched out his fingertips and tried to fire an earth magic rock ball at Mizuki's back. I stepped on his back and placed the tip of my sword at his nape.
"Move and I'll cut you."
At my words, the man's fingertips wilted.
I didn't know what they had stolen, but I wondered if it was worth going this far. It had turned into a huge scene. A ring of onlookers had formed around us, and the thieves probably couldn't escape any further.
While I was thinking that, Fam and the others knocked the remaining man's sword away and thrust their blade tips at his throat. The strength of the man I had stepped on suddenly faded, and his head dropped to the cobblestones. He seemed to have lost consciousness. I removed my foot and returned my sword to its sheath.
"I'm glad we could subdue them..."
Mizuki turned to me with a smile. A faint sheen of sweat was visible on her forehead.
"Glad?! What if these guys were strong, or if they weren't thieves?!"
My voice involuntarily grew rough. Mizuki puffed out her cheeks.
"Mmph! If someone's in trouble, you help them, right?!"
"No, at least assess the situation first! What if it was a misunderstanding, or if you got injured?!"
On the cobblestones, strands of her blue hair lay scattered. Thanks to her special skill, she had the ability to dodge lethal blows. But imagining if that rock had been a few centimeters off and hit her face made the palms of my hands feel damp with sweat.
"While I'm doing that, they might escape!"
"That's not our job to go that far!"
As Mizuki pursed her lips to retort, the crowd parted. It was the man with the cleaver I'd seen earlier. And behind him were armed knights. They efficiently bound the men. As I watched that sight, the knights surrounded me and began binding me as well.
"W-Wait, please! That person is my master."
Fam tried to stop them. But even her arms were grabbed.
"You're their accomplice, huh. Then you're coming too!"
Together with the two thieves, I and Fam were taken away.
I thought someone would come for us soon, but no matter how long we waited, the time for our release never came. The dim cell had no window to the outside, and the damp, unpleasant humidity threw off my senses, perhaps making me feel like time had passed when it hadn't. Our weapons had been taken away, and in the cell we couldn't use magic either; the only thing marking the passage of time was the smell of the tallow candle.
"I'm sorry. I never thought anyone would mistake my master for a thief..."
Fam lowered her dog ears slightly apologetically. I gently stroked her head. And I confirmed the sensation of the soft fur of her ear. We were alone in the cell. Without any particular interrogation, we had been thrown in here. The real thieves seemed to be in a different room. There was no food, only a water pitcher set down, but I didn't feel like drinking it.
"It's fine, Fam. But I won't forgive Mizuki. When we're released, I'll get revenge on her first."
At my words, Fam slightly furrowed her brows and hugged her knees. Then she let her gaze wander, as if looking around the cell.
"I was put in a cell until my master saved me, but I don't have many good memories of it."
"Well, that's natural. There's probably no one with good memories of a cell, right?"
As I said that, I recalled Cecily when she was imprisoned by the Earth Dragon Clan, and the time I spent with Melianne in the jail in the town of Migul. Noticing Fam staring at me intently, I gave a hurried cough to hide the smirk.
"Anyway, Fam is a victim too. Let's mess with Mizuki together!"
When I twisted my mouth, Fam pouted.
"Saying things like that—you're just going to enjoy it!"
"Hmm, does Fam want to enjoy messing with Mizuki too?"
"I didn't say that!" She turned her face away. "I only have my master..."
Fam leaned her back against me. Feeling her warmth, I stared at the cell door. I didn't know what the thieves had stolen. But I didn't think it was something that important. The only thing I could think of was cash. And the thieves wouldn't have had time to hide what they stole. If that's the case, the stolen goods were likely returned to the man with the cleaver. The crime probably wasn't severe. In the first place, we were innocent. If the cause was causing a disturbance in the town, Mizuki should have been captured too, but only the thieves and us were caught. It didn't sit right with me.
As I was thinking that, I heard footsteps from down the hallway, and they stopped in front of our door. Then an unpleasant metallic sound echoed, and the door creaked open.
"Get out. You're released."
A low, slightly hoarse voice reverberated through the dim space.
Outside, it was completely dark. I couldn't tell if night had just begun or was deepening, but from the lack of people, it was likely late at night. The cold air brushed against my neck. My hope that Mizuki and the others would come for us was misplaced, and in front of me there were only the two thieves, stretching after their release.
"What's going on?"
I exchanged glances with Fam. She seemed to understand it just as little, and directed her gaze at the pair. The men twisted their mouths meaningfully.
"See? Catching us was pointless. Well, it's unexpected that you got released too due to some mistake, but thank our boss."
Bloodstains still remained on the face of the one Mizuki had hit.
"In the end, what did you steal?"
At my words, the man twitched his eyebrow.
"What? You chased us without even knowing what we stole?"
The man made a circle with his fingers and gave a lewd grin.
"Hehe. We skimmed the day's takings, and then they started shouting 'thief.'"
I didn't know the amount, but was it worth risking a forehead wound and being detained for over half a day? As I thought that, the man's face turned serious and he leaned in.
"I won't sugarcoat it. Don't get involved with us lightly, you mere adventurers."
"Did you say 'boss'? You guys are a band of thieves?"
The thought that the Crimson Brigade might be trying to raise funds in this town crossed my mind, but the man shook his head.
"On the water."
"I see. Pirates, then."
That explained some things. Pirates—though the country doesn't acknowledge them, they are allowed to attack ships from enemy camps. In this area, they're almost certainly connected to the Demon Kingdom. Sailing upstream from here, they attack commercial and passenger ships belonging to the Empire in the towns of Flucht and Heilong, stealing valuables. With guys like that, it made sense that the town guard would overlook minor crimes.
Still, pirates wouldn't need to bother earning pocket change in a town like this. What came to mind was that for some reason, they couldn't engage in raiding. Come to think of it, I knew well the name of the Demon Kingdom's pirates who had recently lost five privateer ships.
"By any chance, are you underlings of a guy named Barbaros?"
At my words, the two thieves' shoulders shook. Then, with a gaze that changed the very air, they glared at me with murderous intent. Fam, standing beside me, placed her hand on the sheath at her waist. I stepped in front of her to hide that gesture.
"If you know that, then forget about us and live as adventurers."
"Don't snarl like that. Can you let me meet your boss? You've lost your ships and have time to kill, right?"
"You bastard, you picking a fight?"
As the two reached for their weapons, I thrust a magic seed right in front of their noses. The men blinked rapidly, as if caught off guard.
"I have no intention of starting a quarrel. I just want to talk."
When one man reached for the magic seed, I placed it in his hand.
"It's settled, then."
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