Volume 5 Chapter 14 None
When you make the same mistake two days in a row, even I quickly recognize the situation.
In other words, the mechanism set up in the wooden box was similar to yesterday's legendary sword (laughs).
'Hahahaha! Look, partner! That guy's face! He's completely stunned because he can't keep up with understanding!'
Gram is laughing gleefully. He probably already had a good idea of what was going on.
Aina feels the same way.
"I can't believe pulling out a wooden box joined by magic along with the ground. Truly amazing, Yukina-san."
She seems a little surprised but is clapping to praise me.
"Sorry about that. I was asking Kyunei-san about yesterday's events, but I realized a bit late."
"Everything's fine... for now. More importantly, Aina."
"Yes, I understand."
As I nodded at Aina and gestured towards the man who owned the cart, she immediately raised her hand. The man, who had been stunned by the "tragedy" in front of him, was finally starting to come back to his senses, but before he could fully regain his composure, Aina's hand began to glow. A faint ring of light emerged in the air, entwining around the man's arms and legs. It seemed to be as effective as it looked, as the man became unable to move as if he were bound by ropes.
"Hey, what the heck are you doing!?"
"You should be able to figure it out just by looking. It would be troublesome if you could escape before the guards arrive."
Although I had let the scammer escape yesterday, I wouldn't make the same mistake today.
I casually placed the super heavy box down (laugh). The incredible weight from earlier felt as light as a feather. Actually, is there even anything inside this?
'Exactly as you suspected. Moreover, magic circles that activate under specific conditions are hidden on the back of the wooden box. Most likely, they were set to attach when it hit the ground.'
I see, I get it now.
As I removed the cover of the box with the tip of the spear, I twisted it into the lid of the wooden box.
"Hey, stop that! There are important items in there—"
"Yes, revealed."
Ignoring the man's warning, I levered open the box. With a satisfying crack, the wooden box opened and indeed, it was empty inside.
Upon closer inspection, as Gram had said, there were what seemed to be magic circles carved on the bottom of the box.
"No mistake. It seems to have the effect of connecting the target and the ground using earth attribute magic."
"This looks messy, right? He could have at least made up a reason if he wanted to put something in there."
'For using such elaborate magic, the execution of the trick is pretty cheap. However, it's unlikely he would expect to be caught using such a unconventional method.'
"No doubt about it," I chuckled at my unique insight and looked back at the man, now held in place by Aina's magic. His face had turned pale as his tricks were completely exposed, and he was now opening and closing his mouth in shock.
"So, what do you intend to do?"
"I...um...well..."
The man stammered, trying to speak, but only incomprehensible sounds escaped from his mouth.
"Aina, would what this man did be considered a crime?"
"If he had obtained official permission from the local authorities or the merchant guild, then it wouldn't be a problem. But messing with market stalls without permission is definitely against the rules."
Aina and I both turned our eyes to the owner of the market stall. He nervously nodded his head.
"O-of course I have permission! See, here's my permit!"
The stall owner pointed to a tag hanging from his neck. That was probably his permit.
"Oh, I'm not doubting that at all. Just making sure."
So, although the man who was restrained didn't admit it, it was clear that the purpose of the situation was to disrupt the street stall's business.
And just as we were dealing with that――
"What are you guys doing!"
Yelling angrily, men in armor pushed through the crowd and came towards us. They were probably guards responsible for maintaining the security of this town.
"Hey, over here."
I gestured towards the guards at the right moment.
"What's all the commotion about!"
"Yeah, that salty guy over there was causing trouble for that street stall. We just need a little help--"
"We'll hear the details later! Take the man with a spear on his back and the man who is restrained with you!"
"Huh?"
Before I could explain the situation, one of the guards abruptly cut me off. Not only that, but they started to move to take me away along with the man who was causing trouble for the stall.
"Wait, hold on! The man over there was trying to help me――"
"I'll ask you about that story later! But first, you're under arrest for causing this commotion!"
The store stall tried to back me up, but the guard wouldn't listen at all.
I get where the guard is coming from, though. After we intervened, the disturbance did get bigger. There are other street stalls around, and it must have been a hassle for them too.
I feel really bad for Aina, but we should probably just keep quiet for now.
'No, partner. That's jumping the gun a bit. Take a look at that troublemaker.'
I looked at the guy Gram pointed out. Following the guard's instructions, Aina reluctantly freed the man who was causing the business disruption.
Then, the man looked relieved in front of the guard, almost like he was waiting for someone to come to his rescue.
――Could it be, this guard is in cahoots with the troublemaker?
'Whether the guard is in on it or just pretending to be, I don't know. But if they take you away now, things are going to get really messy.'
I already feel like I'm in enough trouble as it is!
But Gram's right. If I just stay silent and follow the guard's (?) orders, it's going to put me in a really bad situation.
Still, causing a scene in the town is out of the question. Unless it's absolutely necessary, mercenaries causing violence in town is a big no-no. Starting trouble in town without clear justification is just asking for trouble.
But there's no solid evidence that the guard is connected to the troublemaker. It's just speculation from Gram and my impression. It's not enough. Unless there's evidence that the guard is fake, that changes things.
I can't think of a good plan on the spot this time. But as I'm pondering, the guard is getting closer, seemingly about to restrain me.
"Hey, I have a little objection to that!"
At that moment, someone shouted loudly.
With the sudden turn of events, the guards came to a stop.
When I looked in the direction of the voice, I recognized the person who had appeared.
"Hey, long time no see! How have you been?"
Standing there was Reed the Trampling, the 2nd ranking mercenary I had encountered the other day.
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