INCURRING AN OUTLAW’S DEBT
“Why don’t you start by tellin’ us everythin’ you know?”
“If you don’t like it, maybe you shouldn’t have attacked us in the first place, yeah?”
“Don’t think for a moment you have any friends around here.”
“Shoulda done this a long time ago. Woulda made things a lot easier.”
Thuggish adventurers appear before me in droves, itching to start some trouble. It’s the night of the Xenos rescue operation, and it hasn’t been long since I entered Daedalus Street, but I’m already surrounded.
There’s no time to lose if I want to draw Loki Familia’s attention away from the Xenos successfully, so these adventurers picked a really unfortunate time to get their hands dirty. Or perhaps they were always waiting for a chance to get back at me. If so, this would be the perfect place to do it—Daedalus Street is a rough part of town, and a lot goes down here that the ordinary people of the city never learn about.
“Even a Level Three like you doesn’t stand a chance against an attack from all of us upper-class adventurers at once.”
There are about thirty of them, so they have a point. They know my strength, but what they don’t know is the magic item I’m holding on to. But just as I make my mind up to use it…
“I’m gonna throw my lot in with Little Rookie here!”
“Wha…?! Mord?! You traitor!”
One adventurer steps forth, much to the surprise of his peers. What’s more, about half of the crowd follows him over to my side.
“I-it’s you, Mord!” I cry. “B-but why are you helping me?”
“Ain’t that obvious? You owe me one now, so when you get your hands on that reward, you make sure you share it with me, yeah?”
That wasn’t the answer I was expecting to hear. Not by a long shot.
“I ran into a lizardman in the sewers once and got my ass handed to me. There’s no way in hell I’m goin’ up against a whole bunch of ’em. So here’s the deal, Little Rookie. I won’t ask any questions. In return, you beat those monsters up and bring me the money, you hear?”
Mord wraps a thick arm around my neck, showing me a money-crazed grin. I hear his associates Scott and Gyle mutter things like, “What a sly bugger,” under their breath.
But I suddenly realize something. I recognize these people. It’s not just Mord—these guys were all there for our duel on the eighteenth floor.
They were trying to show me the darker side of society. Now they’re saving me from it. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything more ironic. Still, it makes me so happy my heart quivers.
“…I’m sorry! Thank you!”
“Yeah, get outta here! Give those monsters a good whipping!”
I take off running, wiping my eyes and smiling, with Mord’s voice at my back.
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