Chapter 470: Giving Chase

"Well, whatever. See ya!"

With those words, the spy punk left through the entrance. Just because I’ve marked him doesn’t mean I want to let him get too far. Bill still hasn’t come back. Or rather, is he still in the middle of the struggle? I can’t wait!

"Dee, let’s go after that guy!"

"But what about Bill?"

"Can’t wait! Kira, sorry, but use this to settle the payment. No need for change. If it’s not enough, get the rest from the man who’s still here!"

Saying that, I hand over one gold coin. There should be change.

Kira, seeing the gold coin, widens her eyes and panics,

"No way, I can’t accept this much, um, that, awawaah..."

She’s fumbling over her words, but I ignore her and go outside. Taking Dee with me, I head in the direction the man went. There’s a faint presence.

"Marie-sama, what kind of magic are you using..."

"Shh!"

If he starts talking to me, my concentration breaks.

We advance through the complicated alleys of the lower town. Tracking like this reminds me of the time when Her Majesty the Queen was abducted on the way to the Eisleben lands. However, the night is still young and not yet fully dark. There are still people on the main streets.

The punk ahead suddenly stops and turns around.

"You guys, what the hell are you! Do you have some business with me?"

He asks, scowling as hard as he can. He’s probably trying to make a scary face.

"Hehehe, you guys, there’s no escape left!"

He says it as if he’s already won. Indeed, two similar punks are standing behind us. They’re already holding drawn swords. In this case, legitimate self-defense should hold for us.

"Well, it just so happened our destinations were the same."

I think this line stinks, but I said it anyway. Children walking through alleys like this in the middle of the night is suspicious in itself. The excuse that a guardian brought them won’t work.

"You think an excuse like that will work!"

That’s right, I think so myself.

"That’s right!"

"Don’t say such obvious things!"

The other punks are also full of spirit, probably because they think they have the advantage in numbers.

"Big bro, is this one a man? With a face this pretty, the ones who like that will gather!"

Mu, they’re talking about me. Don’t say such disgusting things. I won’t be able to hold back!

"That’s right, let’s rough him up and take him away!"

"Yeah, let’s sell him to the old hags who’ll buy him for a high price!"

They’re saying some outrageous things. Good thing I’m not an old man.

"You bastard!"

"Prepare yourself!!"

They make the standard shout and come at us from behind. Both Dee and I easily dodge and land strong blows on their stomachs and backs. When I look, both show as "Punk," but not as "Spy." So only the one in front is the Empire’s pawn?

Dee skillfully binds the wrists of the ones who went down. As expected of a veteran’s skill.

"Damn it!?"

The Empire’s pawn dashes away.

"Wait!"

Dee chases, so I follow as well, having no choice. I can still track him even if we get a bit separated, but I don’t want to throw cold water on Dee’s efforts.

The Empire’s pawn, perhaps due to lack of daily exercise, only runs about 50 meters before his legs tangle and he falls. Ahead, in the dark surroundings, only one house is brightly lit. This is a scenery I’ve seen before. It’s the Empire’s hideout that Her Majesty the Queen ordered me to head to in the past.

Dee presses the fallen man to the ground and binds his hands behind his back.

"Come on, stand up! You’re going to accompany us for a bit."

Dee, with practiced hands, forces the man to stand and tries to escort him. At that moment, the captured man,

"Help meeeee!! Someone, help meeeee!!"

He shouts so that it echoes around. Surely some rough older brothers will come out from that house, I think as I wait, and as expected, about ten people come pouring out.

"What the hell, you guys! What are you doing to our young ones?"

An older brother says the set phrase in a low, threatening voice. When I look,

"Kai, 27 years old, Empire spy"

It comes out! Checking if there are others, there’s one more,

"Nguyen, 28 years old, Empire spy"

Properly there.

"Dee, they’re here, the dogs. That one and that one. The others are clean."

I tell Dee in a low voice.

"Yes, understood. The others are just ordinary punks."

Dee stands up with a grin. He’s stepping on the bound guy.

"Right. We’ll capture those two, and it’s fine to kill the others, right?"

I ask just in case.

"Marie-sama, that’s not the case! If we do that, we’ll only look like murderers. In the first place, as things are, it only looks like we’re fighting with punks!"

What is he saying! That someone like me, an innocent child, is fighting?

"Is that so?"

"Besides, guys like these are also in other parts of the town, and they properly balance territories and influence with each other. If only one side remains, the world will be in serious trouble!"

I feel like I’m being spoken of as a dangerous person. When I said kill, it was just a figure of speech.

While Dee and I are talking, the punks surrounding us get irritated and start talking to us.

"Hey hey hey, you guys, in front of us, what are you doing acting all composed! Aahn, you guys, I’ll make it so you can’t see the sun anymore!"

They try to intimidate us like that.

"Dee, it’s fine now, right? Even if guys like this disappear from the world, no one will be troubled or cry, right?"

I ask just in case, but,

"That may be so, but at least wait for the town’s security force or something to come."

In a situation like this, Dee is speaking common sense.

"Dee, did you call? That security force thing."

"No, I didn’t call. There was no time for that. Marie-sama? Of course not, right?"

Isn’t it common sense for the person who says it to call? So,

"There was no time to call, you saw, right?"

What a hopeless situation.

However,

"If it’s the security force, they’re right here."

A voice comes from among the punks. In short, there’s someone hanging out with the punks. We can’t fight something like this! Let’s run!

"Dee! Let’s run!"

"Eh!?"

Ignoring the surprised Dee, I start running. Dee’s legs tangle as he tries to chase me and he falls,

"M-Marie-sama, w-we were appointed by the Prime Minister, haa haa, and, that, we also received a written order,"

Dee says, so I stop,

"What, then even if something happens, you can just show that, right?"

I say to Dee, and Dee, hands on his knees,

"Haa haa haa, that’s true, but, that, I don’t have it, haa haa haa"

"Why?"

"Why? There’s no way I’d bring something like that when going to buy a woman!"

That makes sense. But even if I’m convinced, the situation doesn’t improve. In the end,

"Run!"

It becomes that.

From behind,

"Wait up!"

"Don’t run!"

"Kill them!"

"Surround them!"

They chase us while raising such dangerous voices. As if in response, people come out from the houses on both sides ahead and block the road.