It was clear that something was bound to happen, so as soon as Alterra stepped outside, I followed her. Akashi joined in, amused at the prospect of some entertainment.
Her nature isn’t bad, but considering her high hostility towards humans she doesn’t trust, her limited vocabulary, and the seedy back alleys she frequents, it’s nothing short of a miracle that nothing happens more often.
“Where did she go…? Akashi, didn’t she turn into this alley?!?”
“How many alleys are there? But if you want an honest answer, yes, she did come in here. Now, ahead there’s a four-way split. What? You wanna split ourselves in half and check them all?”
This is bad. I grabbed a random passerby and asked if they’d seen a horned and tailed woman, but they only asked for money in return. There seemed to be no proper way to find her.
Where could she have gone? She must be nearby. However, I didn’t need to ponder long before realizing where she had gone.
From beyond the alley came a girl’s blood-curdling scream. It might not have been Alterra’s doing—perhaps some girl got caught up in a typical back-alley turf war.
But I could confidently say that Alterra had definitely caused some trouble. Back-alley disputes usually end with fistfights; reputation means everything in such tight spaces. But when it comes to Alterra…
I could easily picture her knocking down anything that irritated her. Monsters don’t stand a chance, and the poor civilians are like dust to her.
Heading toward the source of the sound, I found a ragged girl clinging to me, pleading for help.
“Please save me! Save me!”
The broken rope around her neck and the blood stains everywhere made it difficult to discern what had happened. She didn’t bear any slave marks, though it was possible she was an illegal slave being traded quietly in the backstreets. Slavery is technically legal but reserved for those who commit grave crimes, with official seals marking their status.
Branding requires payment, and only those under close Guild or government supervision can perform it. This meant the girl likely had no connection to either entity.
Just as I began to relax, Alterra appeared from around the corner, flanked by numerous slaves and drenched in blood. The sight sent the girl cowering further into my arms.
“…Alterra. Who are all these people?”
Now I understood why the girl was terrified—it must’ve been Alterra’s appearance. She may look pretty to me, but covered in blood, she’s undeniably intimidating.
“I don’t know. I just saw them locked up somewhere shady and decided to rescue them all. Are they slaves? You should ask.”
So, without thinking, she rescued everyone who looked suspicious.
“…Hold on, calm down. Can you tell me what happened?”
Dipping my brush tip in ink, I wrote “calm down” on her arm before asking her story.
As expected, she was indeed an illegally captured slave, taken by bandits along with others. Hearing her cry about losing her parents, like most of the captives, broke my heart, but I was relieved that Alterra hadn’t done anything truly out of line.
“Well, that’s tragic. Be that as it may… why is she covered in someone else’s blood?”
Akashi’s question was valid despite his unnecessary commentary. Whose blood was it? Surely not hers unless someone had deliberately attacked her.
“Alterra. These people are illegally captured slaves. Lucky us, we haven’t meddled with legal ones. But… whose blood is this?”
“Oh, this? Some of them were being troublesome while I was freeing them, so I dealt with them appropriately. Why are you looking at me like that? I didn’t kill them… probably.”
Ah, that explains it. Since they were criminals, this won’t heavily impact Alterra’s promotion. When asked if she had harmed any civilians, she assured me she hadn’t.
Then there’s no problem.
“Let’s head back to the Adventurers’ Guild and report what happened. We can’t drag all these people around with us, right? Surely you’re not planning to bring them along to deal with Akashi… right?”
Though I don’t know the way well, this place was far from where little Akashi was supposed to be—closer to the city walls than the tower.
His wrist remains unharmed, but…
Is he going to give up? It’s already tough, and the purpose isn’t pleasant. I hoped he would stop.
“That makes sense. Let’s go then.”
“What? All this fuss just to rescue slaves? I thought that brat was in trouble. Waste of time.”
Only Akashi harbored complaints, so by majority rule, we decided to hand over all the rescued slaves to the Guild.
Even if they return to their lives after reporting to the Guild, rebuilding their original lives will be difficult since they’ve been destroyed.
But there’s only so much we can do to help.
That’s all an outsider can offer. Any further involvement would make us less of one.
“Alterra, do you remember where we were heading?”
“Nope, not at all. I just followed mindlessly. Isn’t it the leader’s job to know where we’re going?”
For a moment, I foolishly hoped our return would be smooth.
Alright, which way did we come from again…
—
“Hmm, that’s good news. I thought Alterra had twisted little Akashi’s wrist. Oh, little Akashi… does he look cute?”
“He looks cute, sure… but his behavior? Not so much. His face is adorable, though. Anyway, that’s beside the point, right?”
All the slaves were handed over to the Guild. The receptionist was surprised upon hearing about the fights but still praised our actions and gave us some reward money. It wasn’t much since no one had placed a bounty, but money isn’t the main concern.
Delicious. Though this fish-like creature resembles a human face, it turned out surprisingly tasty. As I chewed, its appearance faded into irrelevance, leaving behind only a savory hunk of meat.
My attention shifted from deciphering snippets of conversation to enjoying the food that stimulated all five senses.
Though the ingredients looked like they crawled out of hell, their taste was impeccable, so who cares?
“Let’s set the departure date for the day after tomorrow. No reason to stay longer in Korbo, and the Demon Tribe might find the ruins first.”
While tearing off a piece of a bone-shaped plant, Myungho suggested we leave in two days.
“I don’t care. Nothing to see here anyway, and that kid…”
What should we do about the kid? Reflecting calmly now, I wondered if we really needed to bother him. He doesn’t know the way, and invisibility isn’t necessary either.
The anger dissipated after hitting those damp creatures, and the cloak turned out to be decent—sturdy and capable of making me invisible.
“…Whatever. Fine with me. You guys decide.”
“Two days isn’t bad. We can get everything we need.”
“…Two days, huh? Likely no one will contact us by then… alright, let’s leave in two days. Everything’s done.”
“Then let’s agree to leave in two days. By the way, Alterra, can you leave some food for us?”
“You can always order more. I’ll pay.”
If it’s insufficient, we can simply order more, right? We aren’t short on funds, and there’s nothing pressing to do anyway.
This is delicious. Despite its grotesque appearance, the seasoning bursts with every bite. I thought I’d tasted everything delicious, but clearly, I’ve only scratched the surface.
“You said you’d pay? Auntie!”
Everyone chimed in with orders, but the total wasn’t as much as expected—about 20 silver coins. I was prepared to spend 20 gold if necessary, but this feels anticlimactic.
After feeling overly full, everyone retired early, leaving Myungho and me to study together.
“
