Chapter 414
Chapter 414: The Kindhearted Party
An old man and his supposed bodyguards were surrounded by a group of thugs.
Although the latter outnumbered the former significantly, it seemed they were hesitant in the face of the intimidating presence of the two sturdy bodyguards.
“What’s this, are you giving up the first strike? In that case, I won’t hold back!”
From my perspective, the man on the right side among the two robust bodyguards, brandishing a curved sword, stepped forward with a cocky grin.
So fast! The way he wielded the sword was as graceful as a dance, cutting through the thugs effortlessly.
“Gyaah!”
“My leg—!”
“Owwwww!”
In an instant, the thugs had their limbs sliced, screaming as they writhed on the ground—but upon closer inspection, while their injuries looked dramatic, it appeared they were struck in non-vital areas like arteries or tendons.
Of course, the curved sword wielder was holding back. This guy is pretty impressive…!
“Hmm!”
Next, the man on the left, with a square jaw, charged in as well. In contrast to the curved sword, he used a heavy sword, deflecting the thugs’ dull blades and knocking one out with a single punch.
“Haah!”
He struck another thug on the head, knocking him out cold, and then picked up the club that had fallen from the unconscious thug’s hand, starting to use it instead of his sword.
“Gyaah!”
“Guwaah!”
“Agh, hyaha, hyahaa!”
Wow, he’s brutal! The thugs were getting pummeled with that club… the last one getting hit in the jaw with the club had his front teeth shattered. He would have been better off being struck by the curved sword…
“W-What the hell, we can’t fight these guys!”
Seeing his comrades fall one by one, a thug in the back who was awkwardly brandishing a sword lost his nerve and threw down his weapon, fleeing.
“Not so fast!”
However, upon seeing this, a rugged beastman charged after him. In an instant, he closed the distance and grabbed the fleeing thug’s shoulder, executing a perfect trip that sent him tumbling.
“Gukyu!”
The thug slammed into the ground and lay flat, while the beastman, with orange fur and black stripes, also had some white mixed in—
He looked just like a tiger.
“A feline beastman, huh?”
Antendeixis remarked with keen interest.
Ah, that’s quite rare. But, there are feline beastmen in the alliance too.
I mean, originally, both canine and feline beastmen used to live all over the continent. The west had more feline types, while the east had more canine types.
The Demon Lord Kingdom emerged at the far western edge of the continent, expanding by bringing in feline beastmen under its banner. During that process, they became adversaries to the canine beastmen and aggressively made the feline ones into their citizens—but it’s not like all the feline beastmen living in the eastern part of the continent rushed to serve the Demon Lord Kingdom. Just like we humans, there are conflicts among the same kin, whether canine or feline.
Moreover, the folks living at the far eastern end have it hard as mobility is physically challenging. So, to this day, there are certainly fewer feline beastmen than canine ones living in the alliance, but they do exist.
Unlike the Demon Lord Kingdom, they don’t annihilate rebellious beastmen in their own country—
…Not yet.
It’s true that due to the Demon Lord Army, feline beastmen are starting to be viewed as enemies of humanity, and I’ve heard the feline beastmen in the alliance feel rather marginalized.
Even if they want to redeem their honor through battle, there’s a fear of being mistaken for foes or spies, so they can’t easily approach the front lines. I mean, even if they got too close to the agitated alliance army, nothing good would come of it. It’s all pretty tough…
“…”
The tiger beastman that subdued the thugs noticed my complicated expression, grimaced slightly, and turned away.
“Hmm, a new adversary?”
With a blood-soaked club in hand, the square-faced bodyguard glared at me.
No way, that’s scary.
“I am Hero Alexander from the Holy Church. …Although, I’m not affiliated with the local branch.”
I quickly lit up my fingertip with a shining silver glow.
“I sensed a disturbance in the air and hurried here.”
“Hmm… as expected of a hero,”
The laid-back curved sword wielder commented, sheathing his weapon with an impressed tone.
“I didn’t comprehend the situation, so I stayed back. I suspect these thugs are at fault eight or nine times out of ten, but…”
The fact they’re hiding their faces with cloth speaks volumes of their guilt.
“What’s going on here anyway?”
“We are not so different from you, Hero,”
The aforementioned old man stroked his beard and spoke.
“I am Gortam Milt, just a simple retired old man.”
The bodyguards referred to him as “Old Man,” which indicates he held a considerable status, and his protectors were quite skilled. He seemed to be well-off too.
“I used to trade fabrics, but I’ve left that to my successor and have been traveling the countries.”
Oh, so that’s why his clothing is so well-tailored.
“I happened to stop by this Saveri during my travels and heard a young lady’s scream while strolling through the night streets. When I rushed over, well, here we are.”
“I see… my apologies.”
I nodded respectfully toward the square-faced man, apologizing for my earlier doubts. They were pretty much in the same boat as us, just a step ahead.
“No, no, your composure and the way you strive to keep things fair, I truly admire that.”
The old man Milt chuckled warmly.
“Um, if it’s over, shouldn’t we call the guards now?”
From behind him came a young voice. A slender youth peeked out.
I hadn’t noticed him at all; I didn’t expect someone like him to be here. He was gripping a sword, but he didn’t look too intimidating. Was he guarding the old man’s back, or was he hiding behind him…?
“Yeah, Hans, before things get more troublesome, it’s better to leave it to the pros. Alright, I’ll run and call them,”
The laid-back curved sword wielder snapped his fingers in agreement, and without another word, dashed into the streets.
Meanwhile, the beautiful woman who had been standing by Old Man Milt put away her dagger and then started binding up the unconscious thugs.
She’s really efficient…
Wait, she’s carrying rope? That’s some serious preparation.
This woman, she’s not just a novice…?
“Miss, can you stand?”
“Yes… thank you,”
The young woman, presumably a victim, took the old man’s hand and, wiping her tears, stood up shakily.
“With this many people… it doesn’t seem like just a simple robbery. What on earth happened?”
The calm inquiry from the old man caused the young woman’s face to crumple.
Oh, based on that reaction…
“…Do you have any idea?”
“…Yes. These guys are…”
The girl gasped out.
“Hired thugs from the Ark Deacon Trading Company…”
There certainly seems to be some circumstances involved, but I felt something nagging in the back of my mind.
Ark Deacon Trading Company.
–I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere before.
