Volume 2 Chapter 9 After The Celebration, A Sense Of Turmoil
I woke up because I couldn't breathe.
"Um, g-gasp, p-ugh."
I woke up and struggled to move my body to escape. It seemed like I had been crushed while still resting on Ice's lap. Looking around, Ice's chest, which was much bigger than I expected, rose and fell with each breath, just a few inches above my head.
"..."
Feeling indescribable emotions, I shook my head vigorously. Then, I quickly drank some nearby water to clear my head and checked the situation around me.
I noticed that there was a tense atmosphere brewing.
It seemed like it was just me and Ice who had been sleeping. Clay stood in front of some tough-looking adventurers, with Toxy tensely positioned behind him.
"...Toxy, what happened?"
I whispered, and Toxy replied in a frightened voice, "Ah, Wade..."
"Um, well..."
"Oh? You're finally awake, little guy who got squished by boobs. Are you missing your mommy that much, using your friends like that? Gyahaha!"
"..."
Anyway, I realized this guy is close to being an enemy. I shook off my drowsiness and took a deep breath.
"Clay. What's the situation?"
"There are some thugs causing trouble with Toxy-san. I don't know the details, but it doesn't seem like they have good intentions."
"What!? Shut up, you fatso! We were gonna tell you out of the kindness of our hearts! That woman is nothing but trouble!"
"..."
I looked at Toxy's face. It was pale, and she was looking down. Seems like there's still something she hasn't said.
But it's not like she's hiding it as a secret. She answered all my questions. Even I have a dark past I don't want to talk about if I don't have to, like leaving my family behind.
"Toxy."
I gently touched her as she flinched, and I spoke to her softly.
"It's okay, I won't abandon you now. Just wait here for me."
Toxy looked up suddenly. I patted her head and then stood beside Clay, staring intently at the thugs.
"H-hey, what's your problem, you bastard?"
"...Hey, wait a minute. I recognize you. Weren't you the guy who was mocked in the guild a few days ago, called Slow Magic or something?"
"Oh yeah! That's right! Haha! So, you're the one who accepted Toxy, the tainted magic user, into your party, Slow Magic's party! That's priceless!"
The thugs burst into laughter. I resisted the urge to crush them right then and there and just looked down at them.
"I don't know if losers like you have any valuable information, but... before you go messing with other people's parties, why don't you think about your own situation, huh?"
"What!? Are you mocking me!?"
"You're underestimating me. So what if I was? You wanna try messing with me? Come on, give it a shot."
"Huh? ...Boring. This guy's a drag."
"Hey, don't back down. He's just Slow Magician, after all. Probably bluffing."
"So, wanna test me?"
As I stepped forward and said this, the thugs hesitated, taking a step back. This doesn't feel like a torch; probably a Sword adventurer. Maybe copper, or iron.
"...Hah! Acting all tough, huh? Whatever. Even if Slow Magic acts tough, you're still Slow Magic. Anyway, let's talk about that girl over there."
The thugs pointed at Toxy. I didn't take my eyes off them.
"Taking that girl as a comrade? I can't believe your nerve! You probably don't know what she's done. Let me kindly inform you. That girl...!"
"Stop it!"
Toxy shouted. The thugs smirked.
"Well, even if you say that! We're just being kind here. Right, Toxy~~~! People like you shouldn't be forming parties~~~!"
The thugs laughed vulgarly, giggling away. Then, they got to the point.
"So, you get it now? It's about money, money! You guys are living it up, eating and drinking whatever you want. Share some of that happiness with us~~~!"
The thugs burst into laughter again. I understood the gist of it and sighed.
"We don't have any money to give you. You should leave now."
"Huh!? Hey, you don't understand anything! We're not after you, we're after Toxy!"
"It's the same thing. Toxy's enemies are our enemies."
I grabbed the thugs' hands. For a moment. "What are you doing?!" They tried to shake me off in surprise, but it was too late.
I had already cast [Weight Increase] and [Weight Reduce].
"Huh!? Wh-what's happening? Hey!"
"Whoa, I'm floating! What's going on?! Hey! Stop it!"
The thugs began to panic visibly as their feet started to lift off the ground. [Weight Reduce] at full power. Just as I was about to float too, I let go and returned to the ground.
Then, only the thugs continued to float helplessly. Before time ran out, I grabbed their legs, pushed with all my might, and they started spinning in mid-air.
And then, within a second, they plummeted.
"Ugh!" "Ahh!"
The spinning fall seemed to take its toll, as each of them landed hard on a part of their body. One held his head, while the other clutched his thigh in pain.
"Now... that's the Slow Magic you wanted. Now it's my turn."
I chuckled as I firmly grasped the curled-up bodies of the two thugs, who were trying to protect themselves.
"Right now, spill the beans on what you're threatening Toxy with. But if it turns out different from what I hear directly from Toxy later, I'll kill you. And of course, I'll kill you even if you don't talk."
"Eek! Wade!?"
"I won't tolerate dragging out this issue and causing trouble for Toxy. Later on, I'll even share my secrets in return. So let's wrap this up quickly."
With that said, Toxy nervously fell silent, biting her lower lip. It might be a bit forceful, but this should work. Turning my gaze back to the thugs, they looked at me with fear in their eyes.
"Um... well, you see..."
"Come on, spit it out. Exactly. If you're wrong, I'll kill you. Even if you don't talk, I'll kill you. Just hope your information is correct."
Now, speak up. As I emphasized this, the thugs trembled.
"T-That girl... she's in debt! A lot of it! It's like ten gold coins worth of debt!"
Toxy clenched her fist and looked down. It seemed like her reaction confirmed the truth.
"Ten gold coins, huh?"
That's roughly equivalent to 30 million yen. It's not an amount a newly minted adventurer without credibility could borrow. So it must be her parents' debt.
Without knowing my analysis, the thugs spouted nonsense.
"A person who shoulders such a huge debt isn't decent at all, right!? Even if you borrow money to make ends meet, it's at most ten silver coins! And that's silver, not gold! You get how messed up that girl is, right!?"
"Yeah, I get that Toxy's situation is tough... but your extra talk is just your selfish fantasy. So I'll kill you."
"Huh...?"
I shut up the thug who was spouting nonsense. They turned blue in the face. Struggling as hard as they could, their efforts were futile. Another thug then clung to me for dear life.
"I'm sorry! I'll tell the truth! Toxy's debt belongs to her parents! That idiot was just fooled by my lies! Please, forgive me! Please...!"
"...Fine, I'll go easy on you this time."
I grabbed the floating thug's leg and slammed them into another. They both flew and stretched out, seemingly knocked out. Serve them right.
"Hmph. Impressive work."
Clay seemed to decide that no more force was necessary when I stepped forward. We brought them to the receptionist and showed her the whole situation. Perhaps to show that the fault lay with the other party.
"...I understand the situation now. We'll handle this matter from our side."
"Thank you. Oh, this is just a token of appreciation."
As Clay said this, he discreetly slipped a silver coin into the receptionist's pocket. She jumped in surprise, but Clay gently stopped her from pulling it out right there, not letting her check the amount.
"Alright, I'll leave these two to you. Come on, everyone, let's head back."
Clay created a relaxed atmosphere for the dispersal. I watched his demeanor and pondered.
He slipped the bribe without letting the recipient check the amount, so she couldn't say, "I can't accept this much" right then and there.
And he gave a significant amount in silver coins, so later on, if the receptionist's service was lacking, he could ask, "After I gave you this much?"
Watching Clay, who could stir up Ice, I thought.
The power in this world isn't just about magic.
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