Chapter 466: Rica Rescue Operation 6
We walked from one small mud-walled house to the next, using the passageways and kitchen doorways to get from one to the other, until we finally arrived at a slightly larger house. At the house, I was greeted by a dark-skinned old man with pure white hair and a shaggy beard.
“Oh, you’re Oscar, aren’t you? It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”
“It’s only been five years, hasn’t it?”
“The long-lived species say that five or ten years is 『Only』a long time, but for us humans, it has been long enough. Well, you can go up. I have just received some delicious bananas”
“Bananas?”
Maia nodded her head. Sahul, who was standing next to Maia, looked a little proud.
“We have such fruits around here. They grow on trees like chandeliers and look like knives, but they are soft and sweet”
“Hee”
I groaned, not Maia. I’ve never heard of this fruit up north.
“Anyway, let’s go up”
We all follow Oskar up. We had taken all the back roads, so it was only natural that we entered through the back door.
“I’m a doctor, as I’m sure you’ve heard. I was just stitching up men who were injured in a fight. Fights around here are not good, as they are quick to bring out the blades”
“Blades……”
“Have you ever seen a gangster with such a large weapon hanging from his waist?”
“I’m sorry, doctor. They’ve just been let in from Lady Swallow’s domain by me and I haven’t had a chance to explain it to them”
“Oh, I see. Well, let me introduce myself again”
He introduced himself as he led us upstairs, his posture strangely good for an old man.
“My name is Dr. Owl. My real name is a secret. I have a few scars on my shins. As you saw, I’m a bush doctor”
“Bush?”
“Well, I can do a fair job of grafting bones and dressing wounds, but when it comes to illnesses, I have no idea what to do with a cold or even a stomach bug. I’m self-taught”
“……So can you be a good doctor?”
“Fortunately, we have dark elf magic and medicine for diseases. Don’t worry. Even someone like me can’t afford to eat”
“…………”
Once again, I realized that Celesta has an extremely dangerous town.
“Here, this is it. Until a few minutes ago, I was having a good time with all the women”
When I opened the door to the back room on the second floor, I found Dianne, Hilda, Laila, Anzeros and the others in a windowless room.
“Andy!”
“Oh, you were surprisingly quick. Did you manage to convince them?”
Dianne looks a little surprised and Hilda doesn’t seem too surprised.
“Oskar-san and the other district leader arranged it for us. I think it would have been better if I had let Maia and Laila talk directly to them instead of forcing them to come here”
“It would have been safer not to do that. Sound spreads in all directions and can be easily heard. There is plenty of magic for that. It’s best not to do it without a sign when people are on the lookout”
Laila nodded. I knew it. And Dianne nodded and extended her hand.
“Owl-dono is an acquaintance of Jose. He is helping me”
“Jose’s?”
“Its just a familiar face. Well, you can’t talk about him here”
Doctor Owl said disgustedly and sat down on a bench by the wall.
“I heard that Sharon and the others were captured”
“Ah, that’s……”
Dianne shrugs her shoulders. And a sign appeared behind me.
“It’s our plan♪”
“Uwa”
Tetes hugged me from behind.
“What’s your plan?”
“Well, it’s part of a multi-faceted strategy. First of all, Jose-san and Nord-san are going out together to a bar, but that’s about it”
“Ah, yeah”
I thought they had come with them, but I couldn’t see them.
“I told the old man about the situation, but he said, well, they’re definitely not in town anymore. I asked him about torturing some of the riffraff in the area, but the odds of getting any information from them seemed slim”
“A well-organized criminal organization doesn’t let the people at the end of the line have important information”
Dianne adds. Well, is that at the level of basic knowledge?
“At this time, there was a plan to go directly to hit the boss’s house with Laila-san, but there were so many candidates that I couldn’t narrow it down”
“Y, You’ve suddenly jumped to a plan that lacks subtlety”
“If you think about the risk of losing control of a single dragon, you can handle one or two merchants. But it is dangerous to play the trump card from the beginning. If the enemy gets wind of our idea before we do, they may even try to use it to trick Sahul after they get past us. They already have their trump card in their hand. We don’t know what they will use Sahul for”
“……Right”
If Rika-san proves to be of use, they can use her as a shield or bait. Even though he is a child, the dragon’s aerial attacks are not to be underestimated. It would not be enough to capture a country yet, but it would be useful enough to expand local control. In that case, Rika-san would be brainwashed with drugs and magic so that Sahul would not be able to resist the organization and she might also be physically torn to pieces as a precaution against Sahul’s rebellion. It’s called a living hell.
“I think it’s one of the selling points, but it’s probably being punished a little, but the beauty is the majority of an elf’s worth. 『Parent Bird』mustn’t do anything to diminish its value”
Dr. Owl assures us.
“Damn it……how did this happen, Rika?”
“I’m still a little fuzzy on that one, but I have some idea of what happened. It seems that she was following a group of people who had fled from the east and drifted here”
“East?”
“I don’t know where or what they did. It is said that killing each other on the sea is frowned upon by the goddess of the sea and that ships are eaten up by storms. As long as they are at sea, they are safe. And if you go to another kingdom, such as Lapal, no one will know you are there. If you get on a ship and leave from here, your previous history can be concealed. Not a few people come here for that reason”
“In fact, it’s a superstition that boats get eaten. Mermen will laugh at you”
“Captain, you are tactless. It is one of the few grounds for order in this city”
Dr. Owl looks bitter at Dianne’s denial.
“Anyway, is it likely that Rika was dragged here by that guy?”
“Well, let’s see. Anyway, it was a very good sign”
“Wait a minute, Sahul. Even if you know that, it won’t help you. The question is where to go from here. What is Tetes’ plan……?”
“Well, of course, if they want the elves so badly, they’re going to put them all together and throw them into the enemy’s bosom. They look delicious, don’t they? And I’m sure they’ll try to sell them through the same channels. The setting was a rambling Miss Sharon, her valet Al-chan, Aurora and her escort Naris”
Why would you put Naris in the role of escort……?”
Isn’t it the most subtle in terms of ability and atmosphere?
“Tsk tsk tsk. Naris-chan actually has the fighting power of a Red Arm. Isn’t it enough to be an 『Excellent escort stronger than it looks』 for those thugs?And it makes the other three less of a mark in terms of their strength. However, it’s just that 『The appearance is unreliable』, so they won’t be overly vigilant. If the guards went on a rampage and were caught and stared at me with eyes like Al-chan’s, I’d make them snort a dangerous medicine just to be safe. The kind that would break you down mentally”
“……So, you wanted them to be in the best position to move after the four of them were caught together, right?”
“That’s right. The other three are to be caught without any resistance. Naris-chan is the one who gets hit the most”
Poor Naris.
“I, I think we succeeded in getting in. But, well, four people at once was a little too many and I’m worried that they might get one of them before the shipment and use her as a public lavatory for the lower level workers”
“That ain’t good”
I don’t know if Tetes thinks about it a lot or not.
“If that happens, I’ve told them it’s olay to fight back just in time. I don’t think the other three would be able to defeat a thug with their hands tied”
“Well……yeah”
Needless to say, Sharon’s abilities, includes earth drive. With Almeida’s leg strength, even if her legs were tied, it seemed like she would be able to hop around and kick out the men around her. If she also has one of the daggers, she also has the deadly slashing wave.
“I rather said that we half-elves should just jump in, without any such strange settings. I’m not saying it myself, but I think my face is good enough to be marketable”
“I’d be up for that kind of role too……”
Anzeros and Neia insist, though.
“The most important thing to remember is that the price of a half-blood is not as high as the price of a full-blood. If they are half-bloods, they might be bought at a lower price and there is also the possibility that they will be sold to a different party than Rika’s group”
“Aren’t all of those possibilities just possibilities……?”
“No, that girl’s reading is correct. I’ve heard that people who buy people are really picky”
Tetes was pleased to have Dr. Owl’s support.
“I hope they’ll do well now that I’ve arranged everything”
“But with that lineup……”
“I can’t help but feel a little uneasy. They seem to be not good at lying”
Tetes also sighed.
“Ho. Shall we go and take a peek then, owner?”
“……Isn’t it impossible?”
“Hoho. The town has a lot of voice barriers, but it seems that the people in charge of kidnapping don’t seem to care much about them. I can hear everything they are saying and where they are taking them. They don’t even have a guard”
“……Really?”
The city has made it so easy to commit crimes that the criminals seem to be getting more and more concerned about it.
“The town’s people are certainly making sure that they don’t mind and don’t approach them. I don’t know what they would do to me if I got involved, so there’s no way I’m going to get involved with them”
“……I, I see”
Certainly, with that kind of system, wouldn’t the abductor need to be sneaky and vigilant in vain?
————————————————–
Hiding in Laila’s illusion just in case (I trust her because she’s naturally more skilled than Maia), I approach the hut where Naris and the others are being held. Imposing but not on the main street, the crude wooden hut was in a deserted corner near the harbor.
『Don’t raise your voice, owner』
Laila, the Chibi Laila, speaks in my ear. I nodded. Chibi Laila is an illusion and the voices I hear are actually just thoughts that Laila is sending directly to me. That’s the way it is with Chibi Laila, not just this time. She just happened to be using it so that everyone could see and hear me and it is not difficult to limit the people who can sense it.
“Grow up for goodness sake, older sister. I can only say that you were unlucky. I don’t want to hurt you too much”
“N, No! Dont be stupid! I’m not going to be a slave!”
The thugs and Naris were arguing. Gently peeking through a gap in the wall, Almeida is still tied up and close to Sharon, while Aurora is sitting with her hands behind her and her eyes are closed. She didn’t look like she was all being obscenely imitated.
“Even so. These guys are already wearing slave collars”
“You messed up. Did you perhaps mess with the slaves brought in by the guests?”
“Andy Smithson……who the hell is that? Hey, go check the books. I don’t remember a client by that name”
…….That. Is there some kind of unnecessary confusion? I mean, why don’t all three of them take them off?
“I’d like to ask you to explain that to me. You’re one of them, aren’t you, you beauties over here?”
“I, I can’t explain that!”
Naris, surrounded on three sides by men and wrapped in rope, resists desperately. ……She is resisting to give information, isn’t she? It’s not like you’re just saying that there’s no way to explain it, right?
“The blonde keeps fainting and the shortcut over there keeps looking at me like……I can’t talk to her. What about the redhead over there?”
“If you don’t mind hitting you, then open your mouth……but this woman looks like someone I’ve seen before”
“It’s not such a distant elf, is it? It wouldn’t be strange to see a relative of a forest elf”
“No……but……well, that’s not enough to say this, but she’s really classy or the atmosphere is hard to get close to. This woman must be an elf of some rank”
“But she’s wearing a collar”
“……Right. No, wait a minute. Maybe it’s popular around Arcas or something like that……”
“Putting a man’s name on a collar? You’re a fool, she’s an elf. That prideful, super proud Arcas elf? And all three of them have the same name on their collars”
“I’m starting to lose faith”
“……I guess. This is going to hold off on shipping for a while……. I don’t like it if it’s a game that one of the clients put out”
“Eh, what’s that?”
“No, they enjoy making them panic. One of our clients once had a slave girl walk around naked by herself and play with her”
“What is that”
“It was twenty years ago. And then, of course, he kidnapped her and then he decided to have a taste of her, so he put his hands on her……we found her floating in the harbor the next day cut in half”
‘Don’t talk about something scary!”
“I don’t like it because there are things like that! Older sister, talk to me! I’ll let one of you go, if you want”
“Is that really possible?”
Naris asks back without thinking. The man who kidnapped her (probably a dark elf, although it was too dark to see) nodded his head.
“It’s no big deal to send one of you home. Our back is so bad that no one can touch it, not even a few rich people. If it makes it clear where this collar came from, that’s good enough for me”
“Hey, but to be clear, if the punch line was actually a client’s play, then in the end, we’d be cut into slices……”
“A, As long as you don’t touch them, I’m sure it will be fine. I’m just protecting them a little bit”
The goons are all very human and I can’t help but feel sorry for them as they are caught between the organization and the field. However, Naris couldn’t just leave there. After thinking about it for a while, she said.
“I, I can’t tell you! I’m a professional!”
“Kuu……”
“Hey, I knew it was a make-believe threat. They must have heard us talking and came up with the idea to buy some time”
“But if they’re enjoying our reaction, they won’t give us the answer so easily”
“You’re a bad guy……why would you let a woman play such a game with her chastity? And this is Sitar”
“It’s not our place to say……”
The conversation at the end is full of sadness.
『The kidnappers are getting more and more pitiful…….』
Laila shrugged. I suggested with a hand signal to Laila that we pull out. It can’t be helped that we’re watching from such a close distance. If things are going to move, Laila or Maia will notice even if we leave things as they are and we should stay away until that time.
『Hmm』
Laila nodded and slowly withdrew to Dr. Owl’s house.
“……It was in such a state”
“What’s that……?”
Dianne-san put her hand on her forehead to endure her headache.
“I mean, did those three go without removing their collars?”
“It seems so……”
“Tetes. How did you miss that?”
“I, I’m just drafting the cast”
Tetes fled after being poked and prodded by Anzeros.
“Emm……?”
Oskar-san looked at me and Dianne with a face that he couldn’t swallow. The first time I saw him, I thought he was going to be a good friend of mine. Sahul tapped him on the back of his shoulder and shook his head.
“That man, including the ones here, are all female slaves”
“E……Eh, a, emm……what……?”
“It’s a long story. It’s very long. And Dianne is not a female slave. Either are Naris and Neia”
“We have a very intense physical relationship, though☆”
“……Yes?”
Ah, come to think of it, I didn’t tell Oskar-san at all……yeah.
“I’ll ask him”
And it was Dr. Owl who leaned forward with a straight face.
“……It’s complicated by the fact that we each met in a different way and not so much a single way of relating, but the truth is I have a little over 20 female slaves. I know that’s not realistic enough. But it’s a fact. First, about 15, no, 16 years ago, I befriended a half-elf named Apple, no Selenium…….”
The explanation took more than an hour, with additional help from the girls present. ……But it seems that Naris and the others are still in a stalemate because Lyra was grinning and silent.