v2 Chapter 14: Out in the City

"Alright, let’s go into town!"

"Oh!"

Shou raised a hand energetically, and Haru mimicked her, raising one hand as well.

"Pfft."

"This is bad."

The two guards covered their mouths, turning away, clearly struggling to hold back their laughter.

Shou shot them a cold glare, while Haru simply blinked in wide-eyed confusion.

"Shou’s cold stare is great, but—"

"Miharu’s innocent little animal eyes are—"

"Perfect."

Their voices overlapped in unison, and Shou’s gaze dropped to subzero temperatures.

"Alright, let’s go shopping."

"Wait, what about Falco and Leon?"

"They’ll follow automatically."

"Huh?"

Behind them—

"Hey, do you know how hard I worked this morning to get Miharu to call me Leon? Meanwhile, she’s already calling you Falco like it’s nothing."

"It’s called charisma."

"That’s the one thing you absolutely don’t have."

And so, these two "adults" followed them automatically.

Walking side by side, the two children from the Plains stood out even without doing anything.

Although Shou’s hair was curly and Haru’s was straight, both had long black hair that contrasted beautifully against their honey-toned skin and made their bright brown eyes seem even larger.

Shou found the Lake Country’s violet eyes fascinating—some were deeper in color, others lighter, like alexandrite gemstones when paired with their green hair.

But to the people here, who saw those colors every day, there was nothing mysterious about them. Instead, the lively way Shou and Haru walked together drew the most attention.

Unlike the short, practical tunics of Deep Forest, Lake Country clothing was typically long and richly embroidered with vibrant thread on dark fabrics.

"I can’t afford to buy clothes as souvenirs, so let’s get handkerchiefs. The embroidery is so pretty."

"They really are."

Shou was seriously considering her choices, and Haru was enjoying the process. The shopkeeper watched them with a smile.

"Ah, here. Haru, this is your wallet. You should be able to buy small souvenirs with it."

Shou took a leather coin pouch from her bag and handed it to Haru with a plop.

"I think I’ll buy a fabric wallet instead. Deep Forest mostly uses leather."

"Wait, but—"

"Oh, this is an advance payment for slime hunting. Don’t worry, you’ll earn enough to pay it back before we return to Deep Forest."

"...Thank you."

Haru clutched the wallet tightly.

"Hey, you."

Hearing that voice, Haru instinctively stopped, but Shou grabbed her hand and kept walking without even glancing back.

"You, the abandoned kid from the Plains!"

Haru stiffened.

"Miharu, let’s go."

"If you have time to be wandering around town, why aren’t you out hunting?!"

The voice belonged to a young magician, maybe in his late teens or early twenties—probably just barely an adult.

"Miharu, do you know him?"

"I recognize his face. We were in hunts together."

"I see. He doesn’t matter anymore. Let’s go."

Shou tried to urge Haru forward, but the young magician stepped in their way.

"Because you’re not out hunting, Fia had to take your place! What do you have to say for yourself?!"

His voice was loud enough to stop people in the street.

Out of the corner of her eye, Shou saw Leon start to move forward, but Falco stopped him. Falco’s expression remained calm.

"Haru, who’s Fia?"

"She’s a magician close to adulthood. She has a lot of magic power and is really talented."

"I see. Now, let’s go."

"Wait!"

The magician pushed against Shou’s shoulder as she tried to lead Haru away.

She immediately let go of Haru’s hand, but the force knocked her backward.

"Shou!"

"What are you doing?! She’s a girl!"

The shopkeeper rushed out.

"Are you alright...?"

He helped Shou up and gently brushed the dust from her clothes. Her curls were now covered in dirt.

"Because she hasn’t been hunting for a month, Fia got hurt in her place!"

Haru turned pale.

She had thought that after she was gone, they had stopped using people as bait.

"Haru was injured in a hunt and needed time to recover. She doesn’t owe you anything."

Shou’s voice was cool and composed.

"But she’s fine enough to be out walking in town!"

"This is her first time stepping outside since getting hurt."

"If she can stand, she can hunt!"

Shou stepped forward, looking up at him. From this angle, he looked like a grown man bullying a child. The murmurs in the crowd grew louder.

"If standing is enough, then Fia should be fine to hunt too."

"Fia has a family. And me! She’s not some abandoned kid no one cares about!"

Haru lowered her head.

Shou took another step forward.

The magician instinctively stepped back.

"So, it’s fine for an abandoned child to get hurt, but not your girlfriend?"

"Y-Yeah!"

The magician finally noticed the shift in the crowd’s atmosphere.

"So, because you don’t want your adult girlfriend getting hurt, you think a thirteen-year-old like Haru should take her place instead?"

"W-Well... she’s nineteen..."

Nineteen.

Not quite an adult, but not a child either.

A difficult age.

"Unbelievable. You’re Terry, the blacksmith’s son, aren’t you? You’ve grown a lot, but do you even understand what you’re saying?"

The shopkeeper sighed in exasperation.

Nineteen was young, but old enough to know how to protect a thirteen-year-old.

"S-Shut up! We magicians are the ones protecting this town so you can live peacefully!"

The shopkeeper merely rubbed his temples.

"I appreciate what magicians do. But that’s not the issue here. Are you really saying that an apprentice—not even an adult—should be sent into dangerous hunts just to protect someone older?"

"So you’d rather Fia get hurt?!"

Terry snapped.

"No one wants her to get hurt. But Fia would never say that younger apprentices should take her place. And I doubt your parents would think that either."

"But that’s how it’s always been at the academy!"

"Always...?"

The shopkeeper’s face darkened.

"Are you saying you’ve been sending children even younger than this one into dangerous hunts?"

"She’s just an abandoned kid. That’s all she’s good for!"

The shopkeeper was speechless. He turned to Haru gently.

"Where’s your guardian?"

"I… don’t have one."

"That’s absurd. Even abandoned children should have people willing to take them in. Do you know who took you in?"

"The academy took care of me."

"Unbelievable..."

The townspeople murmured in shock.

"None of that matters! You, come with me!"

Terry reached for Haru, but Shou slapped his hand away.

"Haru is no longer under the academy’s care. She’s going to Deep Forest to find a guardian. If you lay a hand on her, I won’t forgive you."

"But—"

Falco stepped forward.

"The academy headmaster has already approved this. Handle your own affairs."

"The headmaster...? That’s why Fia was... Damn it!"

Without apologizing, Terry turned and ran.