Vol 1 Chapter 17 (1/2)

Chapter 17

Living Legend

”For an ambush, they ay too prepared”

Next to the pondering shi+on-san, I borrowed Uncle's cloak and wrapped it around my waist as a makeshi+ft pareo to compensate for the shortened skirt

”Didn't soet theested, but shi+on-san was not convinced Or so said her face

Still, don't say such scary things so easily, Uncle

”Doesn't feel right, but I'roup had a Mage”

shi+on-san looked at the bandit collapsed on the other side of the river

She tried getting a reaction out of him, but he didn't even twitch

It's probably too real to be playing dead

When he fell, his face ended up under water to begin with

That nailed it

””

shi+on-san turned toward the bandits she defeated

There's no way she used the back of her sword, is there

The traces of blood are obvious to see

It's just I'ht I would be

Although I don't want to see them up close

Still, I wonder if s are just numbed for the moment

”At any rate, it's fishy What do you think, shi+on? Go back to the relay point and report? Or should ait a bit and see?”

It's obvious how much Uncle trusts shi+on-san

Well, so do I

The bandits' hideout is a cave in a little cliff a bit into the forest

But the forest is dense, and as it's away froet close to

Being just outside the forest as we are, we have no idea of the situation of the assault parties

If ait here, the escaping bandits will come to us Maybe

Or they ht not

”Well, the operation should've just begun, so waiting and seeing is probably the correct decision, but”

While thinking, shi+on let her eyes cautiously roam over the forest and the opposite shore

Earlier I happened to find the eneuard down

”when things smell fishy——”

”Trust your gut Man, I've raised such a tomboy”

Uncle smiled wolfishly

”Yeah, yeah, I ahter, Pops”

”True, that”

As the two reached an agreeathered on me

”We are now going to check out the hideout Alice, you go home”

I'd thought they were going to say that

”Don't you think it's erous to return alone?”

”No, I don't think it'scloser to the hideout”

”How about returning together once? Nicholl-san isn't at his best”

”You've got me there”

Uncle grinned embarrassed and scratched his cheek

”But, Alice-chan We can't roup”

The town itself o on decline

You can't just ignore that

This request isn't fun and games

I felt like I'd been hit by cold water

””

”Hehe, don't h already”

I knowon my face

Or rather, I'm worried about the two

”Please, Alice-chan Reporting that the situation is fishy is a fine job, too, you know?”

”okay”

It's no good

No matter what tantrum I throw, I can't convince those two

”Alright, just as you said, we've got no idea what o alone in spite of that is because we trust you that much?”

”You're unfair, putting it like that”

I laughed, and shi+on petted my head

”You two be really careful, okay?”

”I know”

”Gotcha Can't keep showing you just my uncool sides, can I, Alice-chan”

I never particularly thought of Uncle as uncool, though

”See you later, then”

”Yeah”

”Gotcha”

After seeing the two off, I once more looked towards the bandits' corpses

Looking at them on my own, they are scarier than before after all

I forced s in a different direction, turned

When I arrived at the relay point, I thought bingo

The relay point was a simplistic hut built for travelers on the road to rest in

I call it a hut, but everything's co a roof over a group of logs for chairs, that's all

It's kinda of reminiscent of the open pavilions you can find in some parks

What was strange is that the guild employee as supposed to be on standby there was absent

Looking around, there was nobody nearby either

For the set relay point to be vacant is extre the importance of this plan

I checked the ht place

I properly followed the land to the map and came here

Following the road from here, the toouldn't be that far away

Thinking wouldn't change anything, so I could only go on all the way there and report directly in the guild