262: Noja-san Poro Poro: 1/31/2059 (Fri) 10:29 PM ID: Noja3prprelf
"Noja-san: A young girl who ends her sentences with 'noja.'
Most commonly, she has the appearance of a child but is wise like an old person, which is a common trope in online novels. In this case, there are many Noja-sans because elves age slowly and have long lifespans.
Source: Noja-san Dictionary
263: Anonymous Adventurer: 1/31/2059 (Fri) 10:31 PM ID: 2ChN6erM07r
"Oh, there she is! The Noja-san!
She comes over saying 'noja' with a cute appearance!
I couldn't help but bow down on the spot, lol."
264: Makiha Mari Ikasudori Asu: 1/31/2059 (Fri) 10:32 PM ID: EVA2014Forth
"Bowing down, lol.
Well, Noja-san is definitely cute!"
265: Noja-san Poro Poro: 1/31/2059 (Fri) 10:35 PM ID: Noja3prprelf
"Noja-san is justice!"
266: Makiha Mari Ikasudori Asu: 1/31/2059 (Fri) 10:36 PM ID: EVA2014Forth
"Ah, my bad. You're not an elf enthusiast, you're a 'no ja' enthusiast, right? You want to lick them, don't you?"
"There's a creep... Please, spare me."
As I dodged a punch thrown by a towering, rough elf by twisting my head, I retaliated with a palm strike that sent his jaw flying upward. The big man took the blow head-on, collapsing to the ground in an instant.
"What!? You took down Robus in one hit!? Robus is a C-rank adventurer, you know!? And you did it in one blow..."
Robus's partner, a sly little guy, stared at me in shock.
Wait, is this really a C-rank adventurer? His footwork is terrible, and his attacks are so obvious. Is Robus just weak, or is being a C-rank adventurer not that impressive?
Having fought A-rank dragons and tackled angel quests, the average C-rank adventurer seems hardly noteworthy. Plus, wasn't Robus supposed to be a merchant?
Maybe he was just a merchant's bodyguard? Though, he could also be a merchant-cum-bodyguard.
"So what about you? If you're still trying to pass the buck and make the kids take responsibility, then it's your turn to hit the floor this time."
"Yikes!?"
I thrust my fist out in front of the thin man, and he collapsed in shock, scrambling to the floor. I glanced at him briefly before walking over to the turtle-like child. Given the scene, it seemed he wouldn't be bothering the kids for a while. I might as well ensure their safety just in case.
"How are the children?" I asked.
"They have some serious bruises, but luckily no fractures," replied a beautiful elf with black hair who had been comforting them.
"Let's take them to my room for now. I apologize, but could you bring something warm to drink?" I said to the innkeeper.
With that, I led the children upstairs to the room I had rented. Of course, Ava and Trinity accompanied us, as did the beautiful elf.
◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
"I'll heal you right away," I said as I seated the children on the bed and raised my sword, Unicorn, to cast a spell. This time, Unicorn responded, enabling me to use healing magic.
"Wow, that sword is amazing. It radiates immense magical power. Its performance is exceptional, both as a weapon and a healing artifact," the elf remarked.
"Can you tell?" I asked. To the casual observer, it might have seemed like I was solely using magic to heal the children, and few would suspect that the sword itself was a healing artifact.
"Yes, believe it or not, I'm particularly sensitive to magical energy," she replied. Ava's magic detection could sense power, but it couldn't evaluate the capabilities of a magical artifact like Ava's.
It seems that there's a significant difference between magical detection and magical sensing.
"Oh, I apologize for the delay. My name is Laura Illa. Please call me Laura."
"Ah, I'm Suzanne. This is Ava and Trinity."
"But is it really okay? Given the atmosphere in this town, it seems risky to so openly oppose the merchants."
Ava had no qualms about helping the children, but she worried about Laura's outright hostility as an elf towards the merchants.
"Don't worry. The merchants in this town, who try to shift their responsibilities onto children, won't last long. Especially if they're only focused on their own losses.
This will certainly reach Drake Castle, so they might even sever ties with us after this incident."
That's true. The merchants here are so self-absorbed that they don't care at all about the two turtle children whose parents are missing.
You'd think they'd realize the repercussions if this information got back to their trading partners at Drake Castle.
It seems they've become so fixated on their losses that they've lost sight of the bigger picture.
After healing the children's injuries, the shopkeeper brought over warm cocoa milk.
The children nervously thanked him as they sipped the drink.
"Thank you, big brother."
As I was just now defending my younger brother, I thought about how dependable the turtle person, who seemed to be their older sister, was. My brother quickly expressed his thanks.
"Thanks, big brother!"
"Don't mention it. I did it because I wanted to," I replied.
"Um, may I also thank you? Thank you very much. I didn't think deeply about letting these children in and feeding them... Considering the current situation in town, I should have known better," the shopkeeper said, bowing his head apologetically.
Well, in light of the current circumstances, the shopkeeper's actions might indeed have lacked some foresight. If they had fed them in a private room instead of the dining area, there might not have been trouble with the customers.
"At first, I resented these kids just like everyone else in town. With the Drake Castle's ingredients no longer available, the quality of our meals began to decline, and word of our declining reputation spread among guests who came to stay... But when I saw these children rummaging through scraps at the back door, I was ashamed of myself."
Rumors had circulated that the disappearance of the couriers from Drake Castle was due to them fleeing. The two remaining children apparently faced harsh treatment, though not outright abuse, from the townsfolk. As a result, the two of them had ended up foraging through the leftovers of inns and eateries, struggling to survive day by day.
Upon seeing such young children scavenging for scraps, the shopkeeper realized how misguided his resentment had been and led them to the inn's dining area to provide them with proper meals.
"Well, recognizing that is already commendable," he said.
"Oh, it's quite embarrassing, really. Everyone in town has been blinded by the wealth brought in from the Drake Castle... Perhaps it would have been better if we had never traded with them in the first place."
The shopkeeper chuckled self-deprecatingly, but it seems that once a person—an elf, in this case—tastes luxury, returning to how things were before is a daunting challenge.
"Around five days ago, the envoy from Drake Castle went missing. Do you know anything about that time? Any rumors, perhaps?"
Ava seemed curious and asked the shopkeeper about the incident.
Come to think of it, Trinity had also been concerned about that when she went to investigate.
"Well, there's nothing particularly different from now. However, the guide guild received complaints from clients that the envoy from Drake Castle never arrived. Shortly after, Miltos—these children's parent, the envoy from Drake Castle—was said to have run off with a loot of treasures," he recounted.
"Wait a minute! Did the rumors about him running off spread that quickly?!"
Here, the unease I'd felt during Ava and Trinity's earlier investigations crystallized into a clear realization.
The rumors spread too quickly. Normally, when someone goes missing, people first think of accidents or crimes. This is especially true for a prominent figure like Drake's envoy. Yet, just after their disappearance, rumors of a treasure heist emerge? When I pointed this out, everyone began to understand how odd the situation was. Ava seemed to have an inkling of it.
"Now that you mention it, the spread of these rumors is alarmingly fast. It's only been five days since they went missing, yet the town is already filled with malice," she said.
Trinity, though still new to this, felt frustrated that she hadn't noticed the manipulation at play, muttering with annoyance. "So, that means there's someone behind this situation. And it's connected to the disappearance of Miltois, Drake's envoy."
"Right. The reason the envoy went missing is likely tied to this as well. They spread these rumors to paint Drake's envoy as a villain and distract from the truth," I explained.
Laura quickly grasped the motive behind the rumor's surge. Given how the rumors had spread, it's clear that the Thieves' Guild is involved. This means that Trinity needs to return to the Thieves' Guild to gather more information on the rumors surrounding Drake's envoy.
"Trinity, go to the Thieves' Guild again and find out the source of that rumor. Ava, I'm sorry, but could you lend Trinity some money? Actually, it's better if you go with her."
The information we're after likely comes with a hefty price due to its sensitive nature. The last time Trinity went to gather intel, she didn't have enough money, which probably resulted in useless information.
Now that I think about it, could the Thieves' Guild be involved in this situation? There's no way the Guild, which specializes in information, wouldn't know about the whereabouts of the messenger from Drake Palace.
Given that, sending Trinity alone to the Thieves' Guild seems too risky. That's why I want Ava to accompany her.
"Hmm? Well, having you along might alleviate any concerns about the cost of information," Trinity replied, seemingly unaware of the potential danger.
I silently urged Ava to be cautious with my gaze.
"Um, excuse me. Are you looking for Lord Miltose?" a voice interrupted.
"Oh? Right, I forgot to mention that. We're trying to reach Drake Palace for an Angel Quest, and we need to know the location of the messenger from Drake."
"That's not all, though. We need to find their parents too," Laura said, catching on to the purpose of our conversation.
While it's true that one of our goals is to discover the whereabouts of Drake's envoy, right now, we're also focused on locating the children's parents. Additionally, we need to dispel any rumors that might affect our future in this town. Given our involvement, it wouldn't be right to walk away now.
"Um, if that's the case, I would like to ask for your assistance in tracking down Miltos. You see, I'm not actually an elf from this town. I came here to search for Miltos for a reason. Initially, I considered approaching the Adventurers' Guild for help, but since we've crossed paths here, it feels like fate. If you're willing, I'd like to make my request directly to you."
Wait, Laura isn't from this town? That explains her different attitude towards the other elves and the children.
Laura offered ten high-purity pearls along with five pieces of coral that had been cut into gemstones as an advance payment for the request. This is an excellent reward for a missing person search. However, she mentioned that we would negotiate the success reward separately later.
Typically, leaving the success reward vague could lead to trouble, but given our circumstances, we won't need to be overly concerned about the compensation.
"Hey, can I ask why you're searching for the envoy from Drake Palace?" Trinity questioned Laura, her curiosity piqued by the hefty reward on offer. It's only natural to suspect there must be some hidden agenda behind such a lucrative offer.
"I can't explain the details right now. However, I'm worried about the whereabouts of Lord Miltos, who serves as a bridge of friendship between us—no, between all of us—and Drake Palace."
"I see... a bridge of friendship, huh?" Trinity seemed suspicious, yet she accepted it for now. At the very least, Laura didn't seem like a bad person; she showed genuine concern for the children involved. Still, when she mentioned "us," it hinted at some sort of organization behind her, suggesting she was indeed serious about her concern for the envoy.