An Old Man from the Countryside Becomes a Swords Saint: I Was Just a Rural Sword Teacher, But My Successful Students Won’t Leave Me Alone! - Chapter 48

“Are, are you serious right now?” I asked.

“Yes, I am,” Lucy answers.

Of course, it is generally better to get things done as soon as possible. But, it’s also certainly too early to judge. This isn’t a matter of quick decisions.

Well, of course, it’s not a matter that you can put aside and gain an advantage later, I understand you should pull out roots of evil early.

But, I think it’s going to be difficult going there now. This won’t be a picnic.

“I think this is too much of a hurry, too,” Alexia said. “Shouldn’t we take time to prepare and gather information?”

“You’re still so adamant, Alexia,” Lucy said.

While I was thinking about all that, there was another voice of opposition. Unlike me, Alexia gives good reasons for her counterargument.

But, Lucy cuts off and tosses aside our words in an annoying way. “There’s a good reason for this, you know,” she starts.

However, from that expression, I can’t help but feel the disdain. I was surprised at the suddenness of it all, and after supporting Alexia’s argument that we should prepare, I was now going to see the points that supported an immediate raid.

“First of all, their features,” Lucy said, beginning to count with her fingers.

“Honestly, I’m not sure about this either. However, Alexia and I have both heard their names but they’re still at large. I think that would make them more than a little cunning.”

“In that case, shouldn’t we prepare more?” I asked.

I don’t know what the Knights and the Magic Division do to maintain security. Well, at least, the opponents are a must-kill threat. No matter how much power an organization exercises, it cannot just do whatever they want.

But to put it another way,it also means that we shouldn’t leave evil unattended.

In that sense, that they’ve committed such a trail of misdeeds, or rather, it’s frustrating that they haven’t caught them even though their infamy is so widespread. You could say they’re good at running away.

That’s why I think we should carefully prepare and set up measures to ensure they won’t get away.

“On the contrary,” Lucy said. “This is mainly the territory of the Knights, and if you do such a large-scale operation, they’ll just flee again. The information advantage that Miu has given us will be lost.”

“… I see,” I said.

I think I understand what she means.

Whether you use the Knights or strengthen the patrols on the streets, after taking some action, a wary opponent will surely detect it.

To those who are aware that they’re doing crimes, escape should be quick if they think they’re being hunted after. We couldn’t catch them because they were already moving so fast.

So, Lucy is eager to do everything at once without leaking the information that we’re searching for them.

Normally, you’d have to start exploring to find the thief’s hideout but right now, we have a trump card in Miu. Because she knows the location, we can go straight to it.

“If put in preparation time, what will Miu do then? Even if you can protect her, they’ll be suspicious if she doesn’t return.”

“… I can handle myself just fine.”

“Don’t you mean by stealing?”

“… Tch.”

Well, it wouldn’t be possible.

Miu has only been stealing from people, but unfortunately, no one here will tolerate it. Even if her only choice is to go to Magician’s Academy, her paperwork isn’t filed and processed yet.

However, Miu’s spirit recovers faster than I expected. I was wondering if she would be down a little longer, and although she’s a bit disappointed, she’s showing the same spirit as when we met.

I’m sure she’s still got a grudge. However, she may have noticed that she couldn’t help it at her age.

Her dead sister will never come back.

Maybe it was a bit of a hunch. However, it seems she didn’t want to admit that was reality, and she’s been avoiding it.

In order to settle this burning grudge, it’s necessary to serve a tough sentence to this Twilight. It’s not like I’m about to go beat the living daylights out of them, because a private citizen delivering a punishment is illegal.

“Okay, speed is good. Let’s go, Miu, Beryl,” Lucy said.

“Wait, me?” I asked.

She’s taking me?

I thought she’d be taking Alexia.

In the first place, I’m basically unarmed. My favorite sword broke and the only thing I have on me is a wooden sword.

“Alexia stands out,” Lucy said. “If the Knight-Captain is wandering around, if we’re not careful, they’ll escape.”

I think Lucy stands out just by being Lucy.

She may look like a little girl from a distance, but not after you got close.

“Ah, well, that’s a good point, but… I’m basically unarmed right now?”

“You have a wooden sword,” Lucy said. “Are you seriously going to wield a lethal weapon against mere thieves?”

“Yeah…” I mumbled.

I don’t want to kill people but I don’t know what they’re armed with. I wonder if it’ll be a danger to me.

“What’s the issue with your power, Beryl?” Lucy asked. “I’ll protect you in case of an emergency.”

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“Haah… I understand,” I said.

I can’t get rid of my anxiety but I think it’s better if Lucy, a massive force of nature, goes with me. In the worst case, it’s alright if I can only protect Miu and withdraw with her.

They don’t know Lucy. I don’t think a magician at this level will lag behind a thief, and she says she’ll protect me.

“Is that alright with you, Miu?” Lucy asked.

“… Yeah. I get it. I’ll show you around,” Miu said.

“If you’re with Lucy and Master, there shouldn’t be a problem, but be careful,” Alexia said.

“Mm,” I said.

“Yes, thanks,” Lucy said.

With Alexia sending us off, I, Lucy, and Miu leave the Knight Order’s HQ.

It’s time for the sun to set in the west, the scorching heat of the day will soon disappear.

It’s going to have to be a swift assault, I want to finish everything before the sun goes down.

“By the way, Miu: how much magic can you use?”

We were walking in the Central District with Miu as a guide, without anything better to do, Lucy asked that.

“… I can only shoot flames,” Miu said.

“Hmm. And who taught you the basics of magic?” Lucy asked.

“No one,” Miu said. “I could use it before I realized it.”

“I see. Quite impressive.”

The short exchange continues.

However, judging by only their appearances, it doesn’t seem that different from two girls chatting. The combination of two young girls and one old man is really unbalanced. It’ll be difficult to make excuses if someone calls me out. No, I think it’ll be fine since Lucy is here.

However, when I learned that Miu just realized she could use magic one day, I now know I had no idea about how the magician’s talent manifests. The whole country would be in a rush to secure her. It’s like a roadside stone suddenly turning into gold. You don’t want to miss it.

“By the way, how did you learn about all this, lucy?” I asked.

It’s aside from the point, but I was curious.

I could predict that Alexia probably sent the news when she left the room for a while, but I don’t know how she did it.

“I used a magical device for communication,” Lucy said. “It’s installed in major facilities like the Knight Order’s Headquarters and the Magician’s Academy. On a related note, there’s also one in my home. However, it’s a little large for a magical device.”

“Huh… how convenient,” I said.

Was there such a magical device? Their range of uses is incredibly wide.

I think it’s unnecessary, but I don’t have to keep in touch with an unspecified number of people. If anything, I just visit Alexia and the problem is solved.

Besides, no one needs to call me. If I got to the Knight’s HQ, that would usually take care of the problem.

I’m only worried about my parent’s house, but my Old Man and Landrid are probably doing well.

Hmm. With all that being said, my number of friendships is surprisingly small.

I’m originally from the countryside, so I didn’t get to know a wide and shallow range of contacts, and I can’t imagine my needing a magical device for communication. This is normal for me, so I don’t feel any inconvenience.

“Hey. We’re arriving soon,” Miu whispers quietly while I’m lost in my thoughts.

I’ve got some worries about Miu, who’s betraying the home she’s had till now. She wouldn’t be 100% convinced of this operation.

Even though the days she’s spent so far have been unpleasant in the eyes of the world, they’ve definitely been a part of Miu’s life. In terms of her age, you could say it was a huge part of her life.

However, for better or worse, she met me, Alexia, and Lucy. That strange connection is about to shatter her everyday life.

Hopefully, this new life of hers won’t be a tragedy for her.

Well, I think it’s better to repent for your crimes and enter the Magician’s Academy than to continue being a thief. That’s why I’m helping Lucy.

“There’s no lookout.”

“It’s in the middle of the Central District, they’d stand out if they did.”

We arrived at a place across the Central District’s main boulevard.

The sun hasn’t set yet, so the people out in the city are going about their business. The location is just like a single-family home, it’s at the level where you wouldn’t have looked twice at it without Miu’s guidance.

“Miu. Are you sure you don’t have the wrong house?” Lucy asked.

“… Yeah. No doubt,” Miu said.

Now then, how should we attack?

I don’t know what the floor plan is and I don’t know how many people are inside. I don’t think it’s packed with people but I don’t think this is convenient, either.

It’s a good location if you look at it from a thief’s perspective. There are a lot of people and a lot of shops. Even bandits wouldn’t want to abandon it as much as possible. Even if there is no lookout, there should be enough people to immediately move when something happens.

Think of it as a dungeon raid.

Always assume the worst and move with the intention of mitigating it.

“Okay, now let’s go,” Lucy said, approaching the house a step at a time.

“Huh?” I asked.

Is she just going to let loose with her magic? We’re in the middle of a city, in the middle of the Central Ward, in the capital of Baltrain. There’s another house next to it, so it’s not worth assaulting it from outside.

“OPEN UP!”

Bang…!

Lucy shouts and busts down the door.

Oh, that’s how we’re doing it. It’s a frontal assault. I felt like all my planning had gone to waste. Well, that’s exactly like Lucy, but:

“…?! Who are you?!”

It’s a sudden visit.

As if in response, a rude, angry voice echoed from behind the now-open door.