Chapter 103:
Kind of a Big Deal
THE CAPTAIN OF THE GUARD and the GM discussed what to do with the people who had been taken into custody. Since we apprehended so many more than expected, they didn’t have enough cells in which to keep them all. We’d already found way too many guards and civilians working with the organization, and there were plans to add more adventurers to that count. Just imagining the final total was terrifying. And anyway, why were thirty-four of their people so close to the base? Is there some reason for such a large number? Hmm…I wouldn’t know.
And there were nobles, too, right? Lord Foronda took them. Where did they go? I feel bad for making him work. I’ll have to thank him later…but can I even meet him? I watched the guards and adventurers bustle about as I put my feet up for a moment and drank some tea. The captain and the others had urged me to rest. I must’ve looked real tired.
But what’s going on here? I glanced at the guard and adventurers again. They all should’ve been dog-tired by now, too. Why did they all seem so…cheerful?
“Good work today.” While I absently watched the guard, Seizerk came up next to me.
Oops! My concentration is all messed up. It’s not over yet, so I need to stay alert.
“You, too,” I replied. “Is everything okay?” He’d been racing around since morning, so he must’ve been running on fumes, too.
“All good. Today, we beat the kidnappers. Everyone’s high on that victory, so they don’t feel tired at all.”
Is that it? Everyone looks carefree because they dealt a major blow to the organization that’s been troubling them for so long?
“How about you, Ivy? It must’ve been tough judging so many people, right?”
It was definitely harder than I’d expected…but all I did was sit there and pass on Sora’s judgments.
“It was more difficult than I thought, but I was sitting, so it wasn’t too hard on me. Sora’s doing fine, too.”
“Huh. Well, don’t push yourself, okay?”
“Yes, sir.”
Seizerk mussed my hair happily until someone called for him. He frowned in annoyance. “Ugh. Sorry to do this right after I told you not to push yourself, but we could use a little more help from you.”
“What’s wrong?”
“The remaining adventurers will be gathered here soon. Can we ask you to inspect them?”
I looked inside Sora’s bag in my lap. I’d put potions in there for it to eat not too long ago. Sora looked a little sleepy after its meal.
“Sorry, Sora. Can we ask you for a little more?” Sora quivered and began stretching. Is that like a warm-up stretch? Since it was trying to avoid falling out of my bag, it was stretching in a weird way. Once this trouble was all over, I’d let it stretch all it wanted out in the woods. I wouldn’t be stingy with the potions, either. “Sora says okay.”
“Oh? Wonderful.”
“Um, what will you do with the townsfolk you arrested?” I looked over at the culprits who had been gathered in front of the base. They had their hands tied behind their backs, and they were all tied to each other at the hip to ensure they couldn’t flee.
“This mansion has decently sized rooms, so the plan is to, uh, redecorate a bit and use them as cells. Former guards and the thugs from the forest will need more secure cells, but a simple locked door will do just fine for civilians.”
That made sense. Guardsmen and wanted criminals could probably escape simple cells, but civilians would be fine as long as they were monitored. From my vantage point, everyone looked resigned. Even those who’d resisted and claimed they had nothing to do with the organization gave up when we revealed Bolorda’s magical item. Every one of the conspirators had fallen silent by now.
Bolorda and Seizerk’s teams were veterans in this town. Their word was so ironclad that it could be used in sentencing. Thanks to that, nobody doubted Bolorda’s magical item. I’d thought all veterans were trusted like that, but apparently not. It depended on the town or village. In this town, that level of respect was reserved for veteran teams who were both exclusively loyal to this town and recognized by the GM. I’d heard they were veterans, of course, but I had no idea Bolorda and the others were such a big deal.
And so was the GM! It’d been hard for me to believe it when I saw how he reacted to the revelation that his adventurers were traitors or when he’d slumped over upon catching sight of the nobles. His face and his actions didn’t match others’ description of him, so my first impression of him was more that he was…pitiful? Either way, I’d suddenly found myself surrounded by really important people. That was what shocked me the most.
“Oh, looks like they’re here,” Seizerk said. “We called some adventurers here to watch the base. I’ll have the captain say their names individually, so can you have Sora inspect them?”
“Understood. Sora, let’s do our best,” I whispered to the slime in my bag. I felt it fidget a little. Comforted by Sora’s response, I walked with Seizerk to meet the adventurers.
The group summoned by the GM wasn’t very large. That was a relief—we could check them all pretty quickly.
“There you are,” Bolorda said when he saw me.
From my place between Bolorda and Seizerk, I could see the adventurers were all staring at them. They must’ve admired these two. I looked up at them. Yeah, they were pretty cool when they stood up tall like that. When the captain explained that this group would be keeping watch on civilians who’d aided kidnappers, the adventurers all started clamoring at once.
“Silence,” the GM commanded. The adventurers’ mouths snapped shut. He hadn’t even raised his voice… Was he just that important?
Adventurers were introduced one after another, and I had Sora inspect them. There were forty-one all together, from twelve teams. Each time Sora quivered, I tugged lightly on Bolorda’s shirt hem. By the end, I’d tugged three times—three of the forty-one were traitors. And they each belonged to different teams, which went to show how deeply-rooted the organization was. Bolorda went back to the GM and broke the news. The GM’s eyes drooped slightly. Seeing that downcast expression on someone who usually looked so scary made me sad. It was rare for him to look so vulnerable.
“The GM’s a pretty tender guy. He must be taking it hard,” Seizerk explained as I observed the GM.
I certainly couldn’t tell him I found it a little funny that his face had changed so much. Never, ever. …Maybe I was getting a little too tired.
“Yeah, maybe so,” I muttered.
Sora quivered in my bag. It seemed like the slime was laughing at me—like it had read my mind. I’m imagining it, right?
“That brings our strategy to a close, doesn’t it?” I asked Seizerk.
He looked down at me, amused. “It’s been one heck of a day, hasn’t it?”
I agreed. My strategy had required speed above all else. The guard and adventurers had been pretty incredible to execute it so quickly. Just then, I saw someone sprinting away from the group of adventurers.
“Ah!” I gasped. The next moment, I saw the GM chase after them incredibly fast…and nail them with a flying jump kick. “Ouch…that had to hurt.”
The target of the jump kick was out cold. He did have a lot of momentum there… That must’ve felt like a sledgehammer.
“Ha ha ha! The GM’s a frightening guy when he gets mad.”
I can see that. I’d better be careful…especially not to laugh when I see his face!
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login