5
The next day.
“That should do it. The camouflage is perfect. Hey, Six, I’m all done here. Hurry up and dig the next hole.”
Alice hums a song to herself as she sets the mines.
“…Hahhh… Hahhh… Hahhh…”
Exhausted from the work, I can’t even manage a coherent reply. I toss my shovel aside and slump onto the ground.
“Y-you…you need to remember…that I’m still human… There are limits to how much work I can do… L-lemme rest for a sec.”
We started a little past dawn, and now it’s currently around noon. I’ve been digging nonstop since we got here.
“We’re already in enemy territory. Given that it’s broad daylight, it’s only a matter of time before they see us. Suck it up. We’re almost done,” Alice says.
I drag my heavy limbs, pick up my shovel, and resume digging. “C-come to think of it…since you can’t get tired…why don’t we have you dig the holes…and I bury the mines…? It’d be…way more efficient.”
Alice sits with her knees to her chest, watching me gasping for breath as I dig.
“It’s a precaution. There are a lot of demons with sharp noses. If you touch the mines, you might leave your scent on them. So long as you’re just digging, even if they detect you, they won’t detect the mines. And if they want to make it to the kingdom, they have to come through here. There’s no way around it. Furthermore, can you remember where every mine is buried? Mine removal after a war is basic etiquette.”
“…This is slave labor…” An idea occurs to me, and I call out to Alice. “Hey, Alice, save a mine for me. I have an idea.”
As Alice looks over at me curiously, I take an object from my pocket and hold it out. It’s the sorcerer stone we took from Heine of the Flames.
“Let’s put this on top of the mine trigger. I figured we’d have to sell or destroy it, but this is way too good an opportunity to pass up.”
“Oh, come on. Surely she won’t fall for something so obvious. She’ll just send an underling to go fetch it. I mean, the probability that Heine’s the first one to find it is pretty low anyway. Considering the possibility the sorcerer stone ends up back in enemy hands, we’re probably better off destroying it right now.”
Alice looks closely at the stone, as if considering our options.
“It’s fine. If some other demon picks it up, that’s at least one less demon to worry about. And the blast should take out the stone, too. Besides, just imagine the look on Heine’s face when it blows up in her grasp. I get chills just thinking about it!”
“…You’ve definitely got the right personality for this line of work.”
By the time we finish our work and get back to the city, the mood of the place has changed completely. The people walking by all look a little pale, and everyone is gloomy. A good number of people walk with eyes downcast, avoiding eye contact.
“Something’s wrong. They weren’t this gloomy even when there was a mysterious pervert on the loose.”
“Hey, can you do me a favor and forget that ever happened…?”
Alice’s callback aside, there’s something wrong with the city’s mood. I approach a nearby woman.
“Um, excuse me, do you mind if I ask you something?”
“Yes… What is—? Eeep! Th-the Fly…”
………
The woman clams up and backs away as soon as she recognizes me.
“I’m sorry about the pervert accompanying me, ma’am. Also, everyone here looks really sad. Is something wrong?”
The woman is still staring at me and twitching in fear, but she eventually lowers her guard thanks to Alice’s innocent little girl act.
“Y-yes… There’s been an unsettling rumor surrounding the Chosen One… It seems he’s been missing in action ever since his encounter with Faustless of the Wind, one of the Demon Lord’s Elite Four… On top of that, the demons are taking advantage of the Chosen One’s absence and gathering their forces. And this town is their next target…”
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