I’m Not Good at Offensive Magic, but I’ll Do My Best With Support Magic! - CH 25

「That’s a problem」

「Un」

The girls were happy to be out in the sunshine. They must have spent at least a few days in the cave, and the inorganic light made them feel even more depressed. And, what’s the problem?

「You and Yuan-san… aren’t you coming with us?」

「That’s…」

We are headed to Tanza. However, the girls’ village is in a completely different place from Tanza. However, I couldn’t just let the 3 girls be left alone. The forest is dangerous because there are monsters such as Goblins and animals such as Wolves.

「If it’s all right with you, I’ll escort you back to the village…」

That has its own problems. For one, they decided to trust Kabai-san. However, the girls who were kidnapped by the bandits seem to have been traumatized by the men in no small way, and they look uneasy.

「I have no choice. Why don’t you both come to Talis for a visit? There’s a female adventurer there that I know. I’ll ask her to take them there」

「What should we do, Shea-san?」

「Can’t be helped」

In the end, we had to take the long way around, but we had to go to the village of Talis at one point. It’s not a problem, though, because I’m not in a hurry to travel.

「Everyone, please let me know if you get tired」

「We’re fine. We have some confidence in our physical strength」

The girls looked relatively healthy. They were well fed, as it seems that good health is important to sell as slaves. By the way, there was so much money and goods in the hideout that it could have been a fortune, not to mention food. I also blocked off the cave so that it could not be used again. It would be troublesome if bandits or monsters settled there. The money and goods belong to us, the finders, but I have no intention of accepting them. I was not paid for my work, and it was originally someone else’s property. I hope to find someone I can trust and return them to the original owners as much as possible, and also return them to the victims. It might be difficult, though.

After half a day of walking, we were finally able to get out of the forest at the time that the sun rose above our heads.

「Tanza is a two-day walk from here, but Talis is close enough that we should be able to reach it in the evening」

If it’s too close to the forest, it could be dangerous if monsters come out of the forest. After that, we had lunch at a place away from the forest, which was obtained from the hideout, and were able to reach the village by sunset, just as Kabai-san had said. The girls looked a little tired, but I was glad to see they were in good spirits. When they could see the village, their expressions brightened and they felt relieved.

「Stop」

There were guards in the village. Unlike the previous village, though, they have weapons, but they are villager-like people. And the size of the village is also smaller than the previous village. When we tried to enter the village, we were naturally stopped.

「It’s me」

「Kabai! You’re safe…」

「Yeah, things have changed a bit, and I’ve decided to come back. I’ll be leaving in a few days」

「Okay, so who are these girls?」

「I’ve asked them to help me take down bandits. The 3 on the other side are the ones we rescued at the bandits’ hideout」

When Kabai-san introduced us, we were able to enter the village easily. It seems that Kabai-san is trusted by the people.

「There’s no guild, but there’s a tavern where adventurers gather, and I think that’s where the one I mentioned is」

Kabai-san leads us to a tavern. I would really like to give the girls a break at the inn, though. When we entered the tavern we were led to, I was surprised to find that it was surprisingly crowded.

「Oi, is Marina here?」

Kabai-san entered the tavern and called out a name in a loud voice that could be heard throughout the place. Hmm, Marina? I’ve heard that name before.

「It’s Kabai-san. What’s going on?」

I recognized the adventurer who had been called by Kabai-san and was walking toward us.

「Ah, Marina-san」

「Hmm? Is that you, Yuan?」

Not long ago, she was attacked by Orcs, and afterwards, we worked together to escort people.

「So, why is Yuan with Kabai-san here who called me to come over? And who are these girls?」

「I’ll explain it to you. Marina, have you eaten?」

「No, not yet, because I was going to wait for Riku and have dinner with him」

「Oh, well, that’s just fine. Come join us for a bit」

「Eh, okay…」

Marina-san nodded, puzzled by Kabai-san’s words. Apparently, Kabai-san is quite well known in this village.

「So, what’s the story…」

「But first, let’s order some food for the girls. Don’t worry about the price, just eat」

The tavern seemed to double as a diner, and Kabai-san ordered as appropriate.

「Hmm, what’s going on? Yuan… ?」

「Ah, good evening, Riku-san」

As the meal was being served, Riku-san, who Marina-san was waiting for, showed up at the tavern.

「Riku, you’re just in time, sit down too」

「Ge, Kabai-san, you’re back!」

「The hell is “Ge”? No matter, sit down」

Prompted by Kabai-san, Riku-san sat down as well. At the same time, the food was laid out on the table.

「Just listen to me while we eat」

He explains what has happened so far to Riku-san and Marina-san, and informs them of what he will be asking them to do… deliver the girls to the village. Of course, he also mentions that the lord is behind it. There is a possibility that some suspicious intervention will be made, you know.

「What do you think?」

「I don’t know what to think…」

No immediate answer was given.

「Can’t Yuan come?」

「I’m planning to go to the city of Tanza」

「Can’t you change that schedule?」

「It’s just…」

It’s hard to say no because I don’t have any plans, right? When I was at a loss, Shea-san answered for me.

「It is possible that word has gotten out that we have defeated the bandits. We haven’t defeated all the bandits either, it’s a pity to put them in danger for revenge」

「That’s true. It’s not a diversion, but if you and Yuan can draw their attention, we might have a better chance of sending them to safety」

I am confident that we have killed all the bandits we came across, but there are still bandits who have left. Moreover, the bandits have received magical tools from their lord, and there may be some magical tools that can tell who has defeated the bandits. There are magical tools that allow Guild Masters to communicate with each other, and it would not be surprising if there were similar tools.

「I’m a little nervous, though」

「You don’t have to take the job if you’re not sure. It’ll take a while, but there are female adventurers in Tanza, so we can ask them for help」

「No, I think we’ll take it. I owe it to Kabai-san and to Yuan」

「All right. Of course, only if the girls there agree with me」

The two of them are willing to accept Kabai-san’s request.

「We’re fine with it. There is Marina-san, who is of the same gender, and we’re not sure if we can do it on our own. It’s just that the reward is…」

They’re penniless because they were kidnapped. Moreover, it seems that the village is neither rich nor the family, and they are unable to provide a decent compensation.

「Don’t worry, I’ll pay for it」

Kabai-san offers to do so.

「But you already helped us so much, we cannot asked for more」

「I don’t mind. There’s some reward I got from the bandits」

I have also given the reward to Kabai-san. He refused at first, but according to what I heard on the way here, Kabai-san is working with his friends to free enslaved women other than his daughter. Kabai-san said it was just a coincidence, but I managed to get him to accept it because I think it’s good to have funds for his operations. In addition to the goods, the bandits also had many gold coins and other items, so there was no way to return them, and I don’t think it would be a problem to use them. With some persuasion from Kabai-san and Marina-san, the girls finally agreed to accept the request for the escort. Normally, this would be done through a guild, but in villages where there is no guild, this seems to be the norm. It’s silly to go all the way to the guild nearest the village.

With the conversation settled and our stomachs full, we separated. The inn was empty. Thanks to Kabai-san’s help, we were able to stay here for free. And so were the 3 girls. The room was split up between me, Shea-san, and the girls. I was a little disappointed that there was no bath, but the room and bedding were kept clean, so I couldn’t say anything extravagant. In truth, staying at an inn is a luxury. Today it’s free, so I’d like to take advantage of the favor. I cast a cleaning spell on Shea-san and we went to rest. She hasn’t slept much because of the bandit incident. By the way, I also cast cleaning magic on the girls, so they are all clean. I’m glad they were happy.

「Good night, Shea-san」

「Un. Night」

I went to bed early because I planned to leave as soon as I woke up, and somehow I ended up sleeping with Shea-san the next morning, but I didn’t mind. I have a record of falling out of bed once, but I don’t remember falling out of bed after that… Am I a bad sleeper? I greeted the morning with these thoughts.

Author-san

It was a reunion, but not nearly as involved as it could have been.

Riku and Marina may appear in the future, so let them do their best then.

I don’t have any idea what they look like, so you’ll just have to imagine! (I might think about it next time around.)

As always, thank you for reading.