Volume 9 Chapter 14 Sandra's City
I'm alone, gazing at the cityscape on the main street.
The store we infiltrated was completely sealed off due to the Demon King's army's simultaneous search. With minimal resistance, they crushed with their numbers and military power, and the store owner and employees were all caught.
This might become a habit, I thought, and with that in mind, I headed to the antique shop where I used to work, Barcow's, on foot.
The shop was still in the same state as it was after the previous attack. Barcow was nowhere to be found. When I asked the Demons around, no one knew anything.
I also searched for the 3 Klainatzirks, but they were nowhere to be found. Those 3 are strong, so I think we'll meet again...
Is this what Nilfheim is like? The footing is always unstable and dangerous, and things can easily disappear. Getting used to this might be the real deal...
"...I'm going back."
I walked through the snowy city, feeling sentimental, and returned to the inn. I opened the door.
In the first-floor tavern, everyone I had called out to was already gathered, including my party members, the masters, Sur, Renril, and Rollo's siblings.
"Ah! Wade's late! Everyone's already here!"
"Sorry, sorry. Is everyone here?"
I smiled wryly at Toxy's words and brushed off the snow on my shoulders and head. Then, Clay responded.
"Everyone's here, Wade-kun. We're all gathered."
"Alright. Then let's get started right away."
I nodded, and stood in front of everyone. In the dimly lit Nilfheim, the warm light of the fireplace illuminated everyone's faces.
"Thanks for gathering, everyone. I called you all here today to hear about your current situations and to come up with a solid plan."
"Finally. I thought we'd die of boredom."
"We don't know any other way but to fight with all our might! Hahaha! But it's nice to have a change of pace, isn't it?"
Mudi and Philia's 2 masters cracked jokes. I shrugged and said, "That's how it is."
For now, I want to hear about everyone's recent situation. By organizing that, I think we can consider what to do next.
As I called out, Sandra raised her voice.
"Who's going to start?"
"Let's follow the 'tart with the loudest' rule, so Sandra will go first."
"Got it."
Sandra began to talk about her recent experiences.
Recently, Sandra had been active in the slums.
Sandra couldn't do any decent work. Back in her adventurer days, she did a few high-ranking jobs with her friends, and that's when she realized it.
So, when Sandra looked for work, she always searched for rough jobs with a hint of danger. As a result, she kept getting drawn into more and more dangerous situations―――
Before she knew it, Sandra had stumbled upon the Slum's Assassin Guild.
"You, you're pretty skilled. Why don't you try working at the Assassin Guild?"
"Okay, I'll do it."
After drifting into the slums, she was attacked by thieves and fought them off. Then, a passerby approached her with a similar offer, and before she knew it, Sandra had become an assassin.
Originally strong and unfazed by killing, Sandra was naturally suited for the rough life. The Slum's atmosphere matched her demon-like personality perfectly.
Although she knew information gathering was the main objective, Sandra wasn't good at actively striking up conversations.
So, she thought, "Whatever, I'll just take on various requests and see what happens," and continued to take on jobs one after another.
Anyway, on one of those days...
"One Kill."
After swiftly completing a request to kill a performer in a circus in front of the audience, Sandra returned to the Assassin Guild.
She didn't even bother to glance at the people lying around, almost dead, and walked alone through the slums. Occasionally, she'd get attacked, but Sandra would easily fend them off.
Then, a group led by a giant wolf-like humanoid appeared before her.
"...?"
Sandra was bothered by their intimidating atmosphere, but she didn't care, thinking she'd just ignore them.
However, when they approached her, the situation changed.
"You, aren't you that person who's been rumored lately? The one they call the Golden Thunderbolt? Is that not you?"
The giant wolf demon at the front said something to Sandra, and she replied:
"Thunderbolt."
It was something she learned in the slums. It meant that anyone who talked to her was a thief, and she should kill them.
"Whoa, you're gonna do it! Hahahahaha!"
However, the great wolf dodged it. Sandra opened her eyes wide, feeling a bit bad, and turned around.
"Thunder Speed."
Sandra transformed into a speed of lightning and took off. She was not someone who would recklessly attack, but she wouldn't hold back either.
The great wolf chased after her.
"Hey, hey! You're not gonna get away with just one hit and run, are you?! Eh?!"
"..."
Sandra checked behind her, making sure no one else was following except the great wolf.
Then, she ran a bit further and suddenly stopped. She faced the great wolf, crackling with electricity in her limbs.
The great wolf seemed to be ready to fight, but instead shook its head and held out its palm, signaling Sandra to stop.
"Ah, I was about to get on. Let's stop here. I don't intend to fight you to the death."
"...Then why did you call out to me?"
The great wolf replied to Sandra's puzzled expression.
"No, I was just curious. I heard there was a strong woman who could stroll through the slums like it was her backyard, and I got interested."
"...I see."
Sandra thought to herself, then looked at her opponent.
Strong. The wolf in front of her was incredibly strong. It had dodged her Thunderbolt and caught up with her Thunder Speed, still having energy to spare.
Sandra was no longer the same as when she was beaten by Fist of the Dragon Sieg. She had gained real power and had even defeated Sieg once.
Considering Sandra's abilities, she thought she had power that wasn't worth looking down on. If she was lucky, she might even be platinum-level.
So Sandra held out her hand.
"I'm not a thief. I'm Sandra."
"Hahah You're quite the bold one, I like that And you don't know me? That's even bolder. I like you more and more!"
The Great Wolf grasped Sandra's hand and said so.
"I'm Fen, the leader of 'Ede Wolf', the largest clan in the Dark Guild. They call me Don Fen."
The Great Wolf spoke thus. Sandra just said "Got it" and left the scene with a light step.
I was holding my head in my hands after hearing Sandra's story.
"...I've heard of 'Ede Wolf's name too. It's the strongest dark guild in the Slums. I've seen strong guys avoid them, not wanting to get involved."
"He was strong. We got along well."
Sandra gave a thumbs-up with a smug face. I think she's serious, but then again, that's just Sandra.
"That's... well, it's just like Sandra, I suppose."
This feeling of turning disaster into good fortune is really something Sandra would do. Originally, Sandra was an enemy, but now she's my wife. I can't help but think that our fate is quite strange.
"By the way, Mudi and Renril are also active in the Slums, doing their thing."
"Yeah, that's perfect. I can do whatever I want and cause a ruckus."
"I'm not good at selling myself, so I'll leave that."
Sandra pointed that out, and Mudi and Renril nodded. I guess that's what those 3 are like.
I think it's better to organize the information, so I looked for some paper, but Ice had already started writing with a pen as a substitute. I thought, "Reliable as always," and decided to leave it to them.
"Next, I'll talk," someone said.
The one who raised their hand was Clay. I let out a "Oh!" in surprise.
"Alright, Clay, you're up. How did you move during this information gathering mission?"
As I poured water, Clay spoke smoothly.
"I did what I could, one thing at a time. Now, I've become famous in the Merchant Guild and even opened a shop."
"What have you done in these few days, Clay?"
Clay began to tell a story that sounded like he had worked hard for years, but it was just a report of his activities over the past few days.
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