======[ Hilde ]======
Oh man, I almost got screwed over!
I sighed deeply inside and sneakily glanced at my reason and goal for coming this far.
“Hah, hah… Ugh…!”
Against the wall of a dilapidated building, panting like a filthy mutt, was Ashel Kazaar.
She was about the size between Friede and me.
With her rough gray bob cut, pointy wolf ears sticking out, fierce-looking eyes, and blue pupils, she looked just like the description of Ashel from the original work.
Well, the outfit was a bit different.
A tattered scarf fluttered around her neck.
The leather armor covering her upper body was incredibly short, exposing her shoulders, armpits, and abdomen completely, and her leather pants barely covered half of her thighs.
You could say it was like a tank top and hot pants combo back on Earth, right?
On top of that, she wore multiple leather belts filled with pockets and dagger sheaths, but their contents were all empty, proving the recent fierce battle she’d been through.
She also had mismatched leather boots, old cloth wrapped like bandages around her forearms, and ragged leather gloves.
Overall, she looked like a mix of a thief, a martial artist, and a beastfolk.
It might be because they all shared a commonality of not being human, but they blended together so harmoniously that it looked like they were meant to be.
Of course, right now, she was in shambles, with her clothes torn and burned, covered in dirt and blood.
But it’s not just about the mess!
The state of her body underneath was quite serious, even from a distance.
Her right arm was clearly broken. Her left arm and foot looked like they had been struck by lightning, and her body was riddled with bruises and scrapes.
If she weren’t a beastfolk, I’d have to carry her to a priest right now, or force-feed her a high-quality potion to barely avoid permanent disability.
Perhaps that’s why her gaunt face staring at me was as pale as a critically ill patient on the verge of fainting.
And with her expression like her soul had left her body, she almost looked like a corpse.
…When she first appeared in the original work, she wasn’t even that bad!
In the original, Ashel was knocked down and sold into slavery after being backstabbed by the Abandon she decided to turn her back on.
That’s why I came to this city to prepare to buy Ashel before she could be sold off somewhere else.
‘…The preparations have really gone awry.’
But now, this Ashel was gasping for breath in an alley of the slums, in a state of serious injury without being a slave.
Did I arrive too early, or did my involvement mess up the story and cause this disaster?
Perhaps this moment is when the original Ashel was betrayed, but still, the situation is totally different from the original work.
At least in the original, the Bagest’s beastfolk didn’t attack the slums and create this chaos.
These kidnappers in front of me seemed a bit off to be from the same Abandon as in the original, too.
After experiencing various things, I had a hunch—these guys felt more akin to thieves disguised as adventurers than lower-class slum dwellers.
If you asked me if I had concrete evidence, I’d struggle to answer, but something in their posture, speech, and gaze gave off that vibe.
“John took them down in one blow… could barely see….”
“Damn it, what the hell is this! I didn’t hear it would be this tough…!”
…Oh man, this isn’t the time to be thinking such thoughts! I’m losing precious moments I should be slashing my sword!
First things first, I need to finish what I must do.
– KWAANG!
I lightly shook my wrist to fling off the blood from Edelmut, then kicked the ground and rushed at the riffraff with the short sword.
“Ugh?!”
The guy jolted in surprise and reached behind to pull out a shield hidden under his cloak.
A square shield reinforced entirely with steel—equipment adventurers would typically use to defend against stronger monsters.
So these guys are adventurers, huh?
I made that assumption and swung my sword with all my might, adding my left hand to the hilt.
BAM!
The clanging sound of sword meeting shield was unbelievable. With a bang that sounded like cannon fire, the riffraff trying to block my sword went flying, crashing into the wall.
The wall shook, crumbling with a kaccordion sound as the body, splattered like a thrown tomato, was embedded in the poorly constructed rock grave.
“Damn… What are you, a troll…?”
One of the riffraff muttered in fear upon seeing the state of his buddy.
The sight of a human being smashed against the wall after parrying a sword with a shield was almost indistinguishable from being clubbed by a troll.
“Have you seen a troll? Where would a slum dweller like you have seen one…?”
Unless one was an adventurer or a knight, trolls weren’t the kind of monster you just bumped into.
Of course, in this city with a large coliseum, if you wanted to, you could see one there…
‘Is it possible these guys went to the Bagest zone, paid to watch that?’
What are the odds of that? Pretty much zero. If you were caught being affiliated with Abandon in the Bagest zone, you’d likely disappear without a trace.
At this point, it’s undeniable—they are guild members.
Adventurers sent to disguise themselves as beggars from the Pesengwigel Adventurers’ Guild.
Their goal was probably… to kidnap Ashel and create chaos in the slums? The guild leader Haval would have no reason to send his subordinates as spies for any other purpose.
In other words, the culprit responsible for blowing this situation out of proportion instead of it being manageable is Haval himself.
It might be half a conjecture, but… the more I think about it, Haval is the most likely suspect, since he stands to gain the most from this situation.
“John’s here, and now Ted too…! Damn, Arnold! We messed up! Let’s split!”
Anyway, after I took out the two fake riffraff, the remaining two gritted their teeth, trembling at their fingertips, quickly turning to escape.
Did they lose all fighting spirit after witnessing powers beyond human capability? It was a wise decision, but way too slow.
“Gonna run away? Now of all times?”
If you wanted to live like that, you should have listened when I advised you to step back.
There’s no way I would let you escape after being so greedy over the kidnapping!
“It’s too late.”
I lunged toward the burly guy called Arnold, pulling back my right shoulder as if drawing a bowstring.
“Ugh, aaaaah!”
Arnold let out a scream that sounded like a mix of fear and a yell as he swung a great sword at me.
WHOOSH!
The blade, slightly longer and wider than my sword, sliced through the air with a heavy sound.
A simple and honest cutting motion that prioritized power and speed. While it was powerful, it had so many openings, it seemed more suitable against monsters than humans.
Unfortunately for him, I wasn’t a monster.
CLANG!
The clear sound of metal echoed. I grasped the sword blade with my left hand, using it like a shield, deflecting Arnold’s great sword with a shower of sparks.
I twisted my body, forcing the great sword aside.
As its trajectory altered, Arnold’s blade struck the ground uselessly, and my sword’s hilt smashed into his face like a hammer.
CRUNCH!
Arnold’s temple caved in deeply, almost as if a finger could fit in it.
“Gwaah…”
Unable to withstand the pressure, his eyeballs popped out and dangled, while fluids poured from his nose and mouth. Even if a saint helped, he wouldn’t live through this.
There was only one enemy left.
A young riffraff who had used Arnold as bait was running toward the alley exit, not daring to look back.
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
I grabbed Arnold’s great sword and aimed it at him before throwing it.
SWOOSH! WHAM!
The sound of the sword slicing through the air was terrifying. The great sword spun like a boomerang and embedded itself in the shoulder of the riffraff who glanced back in panic.
“AAAAAH!”
The blade crudely shattered his clavicle and ribs, driving deep almost to his sternum. He staggered, letting out a desperate scream, before falling over.
“Phew…”
I let out a light sigh and wiped the blood from Edelmut’s blade before sheathing it.
Thanks to them being scared and running away, it ended quite quickly. If they had all rushed at me together, it would have been a bit more troublesome.
As the saying goes, hesitation is defeat.
By hesitating and being indecisive about whether to retreat or fight, they showed only half their capability and got wiped out.
Well, even if they had fought properly, the outcome would have been the same.
‘Now then, what’s left….’
I kicked Arnold aside lightly and approached Ashel, who was still leaning against the wall.
“Hah…! Hah…!”
Her breathing was ragged. Her complexion was so pale that it was almost remarkable she could be any paler than before.
Was her injury worse than I thought? It was a good thing I got potions before leaving after handing the girl I saved to Friede.
“Are you okay? Your injuries look pretty severe… Want some medicine?”
“Medicine…?!”
Ashel’s pupils shook like the tide.
What is she so surprised about? Did she never think someone would come to help her?
Well, for someone in such a dire state in the slums, just trying to keep their own body together, relying on others would only be a fantasy.
I kept moving closer to her, reaching into the pocket at my waist to find a potion bottle.
A small glass vial filled with an incredibly painful potion, traded for excellent performance and reasonable pricing.
Though a child could tolerate the pain, surely a seventeen-year-old beastfolk wouldn’t be unable to handle it…
But just in case, maybe I should give her a bit of a warning?
“It has some downsides, but… It’s not a big problem. Your little sister endured it, after all.”
“LITTLE SISTER…?! What the hell are you saying…?”
Ashel’s eyes went wide in disbelief. Oh, she probably didn’t know. That we had saved her blood-related little sister and were keeping her safe. Perfect timing! This could help ease her suspicions, right?
“A ten-year-old girl with red tied-up hair. That’s your sister, right? We’ve got her with us.”
Maybe this will boost my likability? Turning from a suspicious human into a benefactor who saved her and her sister’s lives.
“She lost a bit too much blood, and due to the medicine, she’s fainted from exhaustion…but, she’s not in danger, so don’t worry too much.”
Just as I was about to end my speech with a smile of reassurance,
“This…! You worthless BITCH!!”
“Huh…?”
Ashel suddenly erupted in anger, screaming at me as if her throat would tear. Then, her eyes rolled back, and she swayed dangerously before teetering to the side.
In a panic, I rushed to catch her as she was about to collapse.
Upon catching her, I checked and realized she had already fainted. The intense rage she unleashed right after her injuries must have overwhelmed her to that extent.
‘What the hell…?’
Seriously, what is going on?
I just told her that her little sister was safe, but she goes off cursing and then faints?
I was completely taken aback, not understanding at all why this was happening.
‘They said she was a mad dog, but is her personality really that weird? Is it really okay to take her as an ally…?’
I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh as I was so dumbfounded.
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