A Merchant With Zero Combat Power Who Was A Baggage Handler In A Hero Party (Me), Was Finally Banished And Wants To Be A Steady Merchant. - Chapter 116

Posted on June 28, 2022 by Kangmin

“Amaranthia.”

The moment I realized what I had noticed.

Amaranthia gave a small smile and disappeared out of the hall.

“Wait…”

Why are you running away?

I owe Amaranthia a lifetime’s worth of thanks for this.

Thanks to Amaranthia’s song, I was able to buy what I came for.

If the Grill Series had sold for 2.52 million mana, I would have lost the bidding even to Jimmy Radiak.

Well, in that case.

I guess the mansion would have ended up being bought back by Gilbert Warren and not in Jimmy’s hands…

The dimly lit hallway where I followed Amaranthia out.

I saw Amaranthia running further ahead.

“Hey… wait!”

Is she trying to lure me somewhere?

I followed her further.

Amaranthia had gone outside the auction hall.

Amaranthia’s feet. If she wanted to, she could leave me in an instant.

But Amaranthia kept her distance from me, glancing back several times as she ran.

It was as if she was completely inviting me to join her.

No, I’m sure she was.

The guard soldier glanced at us disinterestedly.

He probably thought that a dancer and a merchant were meeting.

Unlike in the West District, the main streets of the central district of Quilket are lit here and there at short intervals even at night.

Amaranthia entered a slightly dimly lit side street from the front street, which was illuminated by such lights.

“Amaranthia!”

I called out to her many times, but there was no answer.

And when I was anxious and started thinking about turning back.

Suddenly Amarancia disappeared.

“Amaranthia…where are you?”

And as I looked around.

A woman appeared from the shadows in the back.

“It’s a beautiful moonlit night tonight, isn’t it?”

“You…”

The woman in white robes.

It was the elf I had met one day.

She had purchased an expensive relic with skills from me and helped me in the battle against the Black Wings. It was that elf.

“No, the moon is not out.”

I replied, scurrying around more.

Where did Amaranthia go?

Or rather, who is this woman?

How did she get inside the inner gate?

These questions came and went.

Was this elf a ***** of some nobleman, after all?

“Yes, the moon is not shining. But for people like us, the night of the new moon, when darkness falls, is the night of the good moon.”

“For those like us ……?”

“Did not a bardess come here just now?”

“Well I didn’t see her…”

The elf woman fell silent.

And then I noticed that it was not only the elf woman.

Many figures were beginning to appear on the roofs of the surrounding buildings.

“What..?”

Before I knew it, I was surrounded.

The people surrounding me were all dressed in white hooded robes similar to the elven woman’s and had their hoods pulled down deep.

Each of them seemed to be holding a weapon of some kind.

The bandits?

It was Amaranthia who lured me here.

I don’t think so… Amaranthia… she set me up?

“Don’t be so alarmed. I just wanted to say a few words to Albus-sama before I leave this town.”

“You’re Black Wings too?”

This elf woman.

Was it all a ruse?

And does it mean that Amaranthia was also in touch with this band of thieves?

“Do not associate us with that lowly Black Wings. We are the White Fang. We are simply taking back the people who were taken from us. We are not happy to be called bandits.”

Behind the elf who said this, a figure descending from the roof approached.

“Chief. We have released four men from Lord Citrine’s mansion and three from Lord Nicole’s mansion. The remainder are from the residences of Lord Ammar and Lord Kudrin, though they seem to be having a bit of trouble. Fourie and Zion are already on their way to join them.”

The elf nodded and the figure moved away.

As he put his hood back on, I caught a glimpse of the figure’s outline, which had long ears.

Elf….

Don’t tell me they are all elves!

“You guys are freeing elven slaves…?”

Hearing this, the woman smiled.

“Yes. We have been working hard to free our people who were sold into slavery by infiltrating the house as slaves or servants and exploring the inside of the mansion.”

Sneaking in as an elf-slave.

It may indeed be the quickest way to infiltrate the central district of Kilket, which is the domain of the nobility.

“And this day, after enduring all the torture. Today, when all the wealth and security are concentrated in the auction house, we thus took action in the mansions of the various nobles.”

And there I realized something.

In order to explore the inside of the mansions, they send elves as slaves…?

“Do you know an elf named Shinri?”

The elf gave a small laugh.

“As you can imagine. I sent her to explore Sir Gilbert Warren’s detached house.”

Damn!

The bad feeling that had crossed my mind for a moment was instantly confirmed.

I knew it. The fact that a ***** with warehouse skills and the ability to remove shackles at any time would come walking alone was, when you think about it now, a strange thing.

“The man of the mansion…”

“Of course, I have no intention of harming them.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

It was not something that could be believed, even if she had said so.

The other party is a band of thieves, after all.

I have to inform Mitra and the others right away.

……

But it was impossible for me to cross the inner gate of Kilket in the middle of the night.

Besides, the bandits are already on the move now. If Shinri was one of them, she would have already made her move.

It’s too late, no matter how you look at it.

However, Shinri who was always screwing up, is one of the bandit group?

“We would never do anything to harm Mitra.”

I was called the name of Mitra, the only one among those present in the house who was not capable of fighting. I was beginning to feel incredibly anxious.

“Why…that name?”

But my tone was calm.

Maybe they don’t know that I have zero fighting ability.

If that’s the case, it would be better to act more or less like a strongman.

“Can’t you trust me?”

“Of course not. Who would believe the word of a bandit?”

“Well, then. I will show you one of my secrets, Mr. Albus. I hope you will believe me.”

Saying so, the elf invoked with both hands, fire in her right hand and water magic in her left.

In response, I reflexively braced myself.

However, since I have zero combat power, I can’t do anything about it even if I brace myself.

If she were to fire it now, I would be helplessly killed by the direct hit.

Even if I try to act like a strong man. Of course, it doesn’t make me really strong.

The rule set by the nobility that “merchants are not allowed to enter the central district with guards” was working against me in the worst possible way.

It should not be an easy place for bandits to enter, either.

But that elf did not unleash those two magic spells.

“I am about to show you an ancient composite magic. It is a magic of the attribute of smoke and haze, mixing the attributes of water and fire. It is a magic of mist and illusion that covers up the truth.”

With these words, he mixed the two magic attributes in the palms of her hands together in the center.

A cloud of steam begins to rise from the combined palms of the elf’s hands.

“Smoke magic Fosmora change micelle.”

The vapor enveloped the elf’s form.

Soon it completely covered her.

And the next time the mist cleared.

The elf’s translucent white skin turned sallow black, and her silver hair turned black.

The color of her eyes, illuminated by a small light, had also changed from that of an elf to that of a human.

“You say you turned into a human?”

I had never heard of such magic.

I had never heard of such magic.

“Still don’t you understand?”

The elf removes the white cloth covering her mouth.

“Well…welll.”

It was a familiar face.

It was a familiar face, a business partner.

“Amaran… thia…?”

The elf was…

It was Amaranthia.

No…

Amaranthia was that elf.

“Nonsense…”

I couldn’t come up with any more words.

My head was in a complete mess.

Amaranthia the Bardess…

Amaranthia the Bardess… was she just a bandit elf in disguise?

“Chied, the black wing! It seems that those who were hiding inside are heading to open the inner gate. If a battle starts at the gate, the security will be strengthened at once!”

Amaranthia continued to speak, holding her hand to control her subordinate who was a little flustered.

“I would never do anything to harm Mitra.”

“……”

“Can you believe that?”

“I understand.”

In any case, under the circumstances, I had no choice but to believe her.

I don’t see how my protests are going to make things better.

“But tell me one thing. Why did you lure me here and tell me who you really are?”

“It’s a prelude to a favor I’m going to ask you later.”

“A business?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

I’ve been deceived by hiding her true identity until now.

I’m not sure if it is correct to say that she has no intention of antagonizing me in the future, at least not immediately.

“Also…I must thank Albus-sama.”

“What is it?”

“Actually, it was all well and good until I sent my minions dressed as slaves to the central district. I myself could not find a way to enter here on that day. I had assumed that the worst that could happen would be a forceful push, but thanks to Albus-sama, I found a safe way to enter.”

“Amaranthia…”

As a result of my theater plan, she was invited to be a part of the auctioneer’s entertainment.

That means…

“Does that mean that I helped… the bandits… into the inner gates of Kilket?”

“Please be assured. As long as you keep quiet, no one will know that the bard Amaranthia is the head of the White Fang.”

If I say such a thing, I will be punished as a matter of course.

The connection with the bandit group once suspected by Gandra had turned out to be true in an unexpected way.

It was obvious to everyone that Amaranthia and I were connected, including the support at the auction and the lecture at the Mistria Theater.

“That’s why. Master Albus wouldn’t tell anyone, would he?”

Saying this, Amaranthia, who had reverted to her elf form again along with the mist, smiled mischievously at me.

It is usually so beautiful that it makes me nervous, but the content of what she is saying is just a threat.

Then she hands me a permit to pass through the inner gate.

She wanted me to return it on Amaranthia’s behalf and help her camouflage the fact that ‘Amaranthia the Bardess went out the inner gate by the regular route’.

How could I possibly say that?

I replied as I accepted Amaranthia’s pass.

She is quite a scary woman.

I was afraid that she might be a different person from the Amaranthia I knew.

“I’ll see you later.”

After revealing your true identity, do you really want to see me again?

“Yes. As I said before, I have a favor to ask of Albus-sama later.”

Amaranthia turned toward the west gate after saying so.

“By the way, Albus-sama, do you remember the incident of the emancipation of the slaves in the West Conquest City of Carabina eleven years ago?”

“Oh…yes.”

It was.

Ryan, who was only an adventurer at the time, was hailed as a hero for “defeating the demon dragon that suddenly appeared in town and protecting the town.

“The three of us over there and I are former slaves who escaped from the arena at that time. We owe a great debt of gratitude to the hero and to Albus, who was a member of that party. I am glad to be able to repay that debt here, even if only a little.”

“Owe…?”

I didn’t do anything special at that time.

But Amaranthia and the others felt indebted to me for it, and they were returning the favor by cooperating in various ways with my auction.

The sale of relics to the elves, which gave impetus to the sale of expensive relics.

Helping in the battle against the Black Wings.

Assistance in theater performances.

And, as I mentioned earlier, support in the best possible way at the auction site.

During the battle with the Black Wings. She noticed Silklet and hos wives following me, who were meeting with Amaranthia until just before the battle, and followed them, ultimately saving us from a crisis.

Also, at the auction site I mentioned earlier. Because it is Amaranthia who unites the bandits of the elves. So she was able to collude with her subordinates, who were dressed as lighting crew, to interrupt the sideshow performance in the middle of the auction….

“We’ll see you soon, then…”

With that, Amaranthia and the bandits under her command drove off.

Inside the formation, I saw a number of slow-moving figures, probably slaves who had been freed this time.

The inner gate of the Kilket would be less difficult to get out from the inside than it would be to get in from the outside.

Basically, it is built to prevent entry from the outside, because there are stairs and ladders all over the back side for the guards to climb to the top of the walls.

If they could only jump down, it should not be that difficult to escape.

Perhaps those elves would be able to escape to the outside of the wall.

“Amaranthia…”

I couldn’t help but mutter that name as I looked into the darkness where the elves had disappeared.

I was so surprised that I had failed to thank her.