Return of the Former Hero

Chapter 71: Former hero* Judging the thugs

I hit him without thinking.

Was that a bad idea?

Ossan A, who I punched, rolled around 5m and is twitching.

It seems like he’s not going to get up, so he’s probably unconscious or something.

[Th- this brat! What do you think you doing!?]

The remaining two ossans draw the swords on their waists and walk over while trying to intimidate us.

Hey, although I was the first one to attack, you’re actually going to draw your sword in the middle of town?

Really, I should be the one asking what you’re doing.

[It was you guys that picked a fight first, right?

So I’d like it if you don’t complain when I turn the tables on you.]

[Don’t joke around with us! SHITTY BRAT]

One of the ossans comes slashing at me.

Dangerous.

I don’t know which part is the joke.

Although I’ve fought against thieves several times before, normally these kinds of people just won’t listen to a person when they’re talking to them.

Even though they were the ones who started messing around, when the tables are turned they immediately get angry.

From my experience of those kinds of situations, rather than trying to persuade them, it’s much quicker to just beat them up.

……And so, I still have enough composure to leisurely think of this while being slashed at with a sword.

Of course there is a fundamental gap in our abilities, but it’s mainly because I’ve recently been doing a lot of sparring with Sharon and Laurier.

With these brainless slashes being the best these thugs can do, I can’t come to feel even the least bit in danger.

Or rather, before I dodged or anything I’d already brushed away the sword that the thug was carrying by hitting the hilt.

[Guga-]

With just that, ossan B drops his sword.

In that opening, I go around to ossan B’s back.

[Slow]

It’s that, a move I used to see a lot of in manga.

From this point, with a single sharp chop to the nape of the neck, it’s possible to act really cool and knock out the enemy, but if you were to actually do that and do a poor job of it, I’ve heard that people can die to it so I’ll hold off on it.

I mean it’s not like I actually want to kill them.

So, instead of that I’ll just kick his groin from behind.

Gosu-!

With a dull sound, my foot burrows into ossan B’s nether regions.

Ossan B lets out some gibberish voice, and crumples in place to the ground.

Fu… I felt relieved.

I held back enough so you won’t end up retiring with no hope of recovery.

Now, just one person left.

……Is what I thought, but the remaining Ossan, C, has his hands twisted behind his back by Mina, already prostrating on the ground.

Oou.

I thought that Mina couldn’t fight, but she is still the Royal Palace’s, and on top of that, the princess’ designated maid, so it seems like it should be expected that she should be able to at least handle a thug’s ability.

But, hey, it’s awesome.

Ano…… Mina-san.

Although I’m not really one to say it, if you twist it so much, it will break, you know?

Mina twists the nape of ossan C while pinning him to the ground, and he is put in a neck lock.

Shortly after, ossan C faints while foaming at the mouth.

Uun, she doesn’t have any mercy.

Ossan C is probably the one who went through the most severe method of being put to sleep out of the three.

It’s only been a few minutes.

In no time at all, the three unconscious ossan lay in the alley.

[Haruto-sama, I sincerely apologise for my carelessness.]

Mina stands up as if nothing happened, and apologises.

[N, no, I don’t think that you did anything that you need to apologise for.]

[I am sorry. Thank you very much.

So then, what should we do with these people? Should we leave them be?]

L, leaving them alone would be bad, wouldn’t it?

[Ahh……no, since we have the chance, there’s something I want to ask them.

Could you heal them in that back alley over there?]

After I said that, we picked up the fainted old man and carried them to the back alley.

[To even go so far as to use healing magic?

Haruto-sama is a very kind person.]

To something I don’t really understand, Mina seems deeply moved.

Nono, I only hit them relatively hard because you, who can use healing magic, is here, you know?

Even though I don’t have intent to healing them, I only hit them hard enough to knock them out.

Or rather, well, other worlds tend to turn out to be like that unexpectedly.

Even back on Earth, it’s said that samurai had the right to kill commoners for a perceived affront back in the Edo period, I’ve also heard there were people killing in a single stroke, and it was supposed to be something to be grateful for if you rudely picked a fight and were not killed for it, those kinds of dreadful things were allowed.

Although Mina was half-treated as a slave, since she received work at the royal palace from her parents, she might be pretty harsh about these kinds of things.

Since ossan A, who had recovered his consciousness for now by Mina’s healing magic seemed like he was about to shout something out after seeing me, I shut him up by grabbing his cheek.

Of course, both his hands and feet are being restrained by my magic.

[Do you understand what’s happening right now?]

I say as threateningly as I can while squatting in front of him.

His immobile hands and feet.

His companions who have been healed by Mina’s healing magic laying still next to him.

And me, right in front of him.

[Fugufugu]

In this kind of situation there’s no way that he would be able to keep up that cocky act.

Ossan A nods in assent.

I confirm his intent, and release my hand for him.

[Etto……Well……I’m sorry. Let us off the hook now……please.]

It seems like he’s an ossan who can read the situation.

He’s got quite the laudable tongue too.

[Alright, if you don’t pick up a fight with us any further, we will let you off later.]

[I, I understand! Of course!]

Ossan A exhales in relief after hearing what I said.

[But first, there’s something I want to ask.]

[Something you want to ask?]

There’s something I want to ask all three thugs about.

Of course, it’s about the golems.

Although I was planning on asking around about it myself later, this might be a good chance.

In big towns, there tends to be something like an underground information network exclusive to thugs like these.

That’s why I plan on asking them if they’ve gotten any information on it yet.

[A super suspicious guy without a left arm who completely cloaks their body, huh?

We haven’t heard anythin’ like that, right?]

Along with the now conscious ossan B and C, the three ossan sit in seiza in front of me and answer my query.

So they don’t know.

Well, it’s not like I’ll suddenly get a ‘We’ve heard of ‘im sir!’, I guess.

[Then do you know anyone who would be well informed about things like that? Like an

underground information broker.]

[Dunno?]

Ku.

’In times like these, if it’s about this town then if you ask that guy then he can tell you everythin’.

From the Eliza of 4-chome’s last night’s count to dinner at Bobby’s house! Hii, hii, hiih…….’ I thought people like those were par for the course. (ED note:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_addressing_system#Address_parts)

Surprisingly, those kinds of manga-like characters aren’t actually that common. I’m shocked.

Then that’s it, I guess. Don’t cause so much trouble for other people from now on.]

I release the restraints of the three and shoo them away.

[Hehe… Thanks]

The ossan thugs stand up and leave together in hurry.

[Ah, oh yeah.

Just ahead of here there’s an odd jobs shop.]

Before they leave, one of the ossan seems to remember something and tells us.

Odd jobs, huh?

Hohou.

Moreover ahead of us would mean that it would be in the dead centre of the red-light district.

The red-light district’s odd jobs.

It’s a shop that draws various wild images from your imagination.

[Since it’s not an information broker I don’t know whether you’ll have any anticipation for it, but it should be fine to check it out, right?]

Leaving that phrase, the ossan leave for real this time.

[Haruto-sama, what do you plan on doing?

About the aforementioned odd jobs shop? Shall we take a look?]

Seeing the ossan off, Mina asks me.

Fumu.

What should we do…?

If I go with Mina it should probably be fine.

However, I’d prefer to go to shady shops by myself.

No, it’s not like it’s certain that the shop will be a shady one though.

Mina, who twisted the ossan into a lock.

Even if she gets in a bit of a quarrel, she can handle herself, huh.

Then, I guess we can……go……together…….

When I finish putting together my thoughts, that which is in my line of sight piques my interest.

『A great place to rest! Only 5,000 Colt!』

Although I’m nowhere near close to mastering this world’s language, I can still read it.

However, that’s only because I predominantly focused on memorising this part of the language.

After Sharon’s study session, I continue to study by myself.

Resting.

I love the sound of it.

In human life, there are some things that, if you continue to strain yourself doing them, they will definitely become impossible to do.

That’s why you should slowly and steadily proceed, one step at a time, while taking continuous rests.

Because, after you work hard, you get that reward, you’ll come to think ‘Okay, let’s work hard next time too!’.

To be more specific, Mina and I, who punished the thugs, now need the reward known as ‘rest’ I feel. Yeah.

… Gulp.

[…. Haruto-sama, ano….]

Ha.

I come to my senses after hearing Mina’s voice.

When I turn around to Mina, her face is red and she’s fidgeting around.

She might understand what I thought.

That kind of signboard, it’s so eyes catching.

[A, ano…… When you helped me from the situation with those ruffians a while ago, you looked very cool……

Th, that’s why…… I also want to, um, give you……some kind of reward……]

As she says that, her cat ears twitch restlessly.

That’s what she does when she’s expecting something.

Although I can’t see it because of her long skirt, but I’m sure her tail is also swaying around under her skirt.

Mina has already said it.

What do I have to hesitate about? No, I don’t have anything.

It’s now or never for the Former Hero.

[Then, how about we take a quick rest.]

After all this time together, it’s not like there’s any need to be embarrassed over this, but it’s always embarrassing to actually say something like that, huh.

I hold Mina’s shoulder, and we set foot toward that pink building.