Act 5: Chapter 20: Kidnapping Case of Fear God (Side: Philia)


    The general store and magic tool shop, 《Fairy''s Wings》, was extremely busy. Following the suggestion of the female merchant Isabe, the trio of Kanata, Mel, and Rosemonde had gone to meet with an influential figure in Polorock. This left only Pomera and Philia to handle the shop.


    In short, Pomera had to manage the counter by herself.


    「… The money doesn’t add up. Did Pomera make a mistake somewhere?」


    Pomera anxiously recounted the money, looking dejected.


    「Pomera… Are you okay?」


    Philia asked Pomera.


    「It''s okay, Philia-chan. We might be really busy for a bit, but… it seems Isabe-san has arranged for a rotation. When that happens, it means our business in this city is done.」


    Initially, they were only helping Mel''s store to get back on its feet. By this point, the store had recovered. However, this happened so quickly that they ended up being short-staffed, especially since Kanata and the others were only temporary help.


    There was also the issue of ensuring that the naive Mel wouldn''t be taken advantage of by the Greed Company anymore. But now, that role had been taken over by Isabe, one of Greed Company''s bigwigs. Once Kanata confirmed that Isabe could be trusted, he nned to leave the care of 《Fairy''s Wings》 and Mel in her hands.Kanata''s reason for visiting the city in the first ce was to ask Rosemonde to apany him to Peach Dragon Vige to gather information about the 《Invisible Hand of God》 from the 《Ruler of the Sky》. Since they had achieved substantial results, Rosemonde had no choice but toply with Kanata''s request.


    「Pomera, Pomera! Philia wants to help too!」


    「This is a bit too difficult for you, Philia-chan…」


    Pomera said with a wry smile. Philia puffed out her cheeks at Pomera''s response.


    「Philia wants to help too!」


    「Sorry, Philia-chan. I’m really busy right now… Could you wait for a while? I’ll y with youter if you behave until I’m done.」


    「Muuu…」


    Just then, the number of customers lining up in front of Pomera increased—first one, then two, then three, and the count kept rising.


    「Wa-wawa! Now’s not the time for chatting!」


    Pomera refocused on the customers. Left alone, Philia wandered inside the store, puffing her cheeks.


    「Boring…」


    At that moment, a man and a woman approached Philia.


    「You must be Philia-chan, right?」


    The woman spoke to her.


    「Y-Yes? Philia is Philia…」


    「Things are getting a little dangerous, so we’ve been told to take you, Philia-chan. Can youe with us?」


    「D-Dangerous? What happened to Kanata?」


    The two exchanged a quick nce upon hearing Philia''s concern.


    「Yes, Kanata-kun seems to have gotten into big trouble. So, you need toe with us.」


    The woman forcefully grabbed Philia’s hand and began pulling her.


    「But, since something happened to Kanata, I need to tell Pomera…」


    Philia turned to run back to Pomera, who was still overwhelmed with handling customers. She couldn’t spare a moment to worry about Philia. Philia frowned.


    「Anyway, we need you to follow us quickly. C’mon, hurry up!」


    「Y-Yes… Is Philia… going to be called for alchemy?」


    Unaware of the situation, Philia left the 《Fairy''s Wings》 with them.


    They quickly left the main street, entering a deserted alleyway that led to a suspicious-looking ce. Philia nced around anxiously.


    「So… Where is Kanata?」


    The two men ignored Philia’s question.


    「Hey, is Kanata okay? Hey!」


    「Just shut up and follow us, you noisy brat!」


    One of them snapped at Philia, his demeanor taking a sharp turn.


    「U-Uhm… Sorry, big brother.」


    Philia muttered, bowing her head, bewildered.


    「You’re not supposed to see us, remember? Kidnapping a merchant''s kid so tantly is too much, even for the Dark Ward.」


    「No problem. You know who our client is this time, right?」


    The duo, who had kidnapped Philia, spoke in low voices.


    「Kukuku, they dared to let this brat out even after antagonizing Wontz-sama. They''re way too naive. It’s too easy without that troublesome A-rank adventurer from Manarak around.」


    The two belonged to the criminal organization operating in Polorock’s Dark Ward, known as the 《Bloody Gold Coin》. They were one of the most prominent groups running the Dark Ward from behind the scenes, often taking on dirty jobs for powerful clients.


    「That female adventurer… She’s known as 《Rosemonde of Extermination》 in Manarak. We’d be in big trouble if she raided our base, right?」


    「Hah, she won’t be able to do a thing. We have a hostage, remember?」


    The manughed scornfully at the woman’s concern.


    「Besides, have you forgotten about our leader? He’s an ex-A-rank adventurer who couldn’t live on the surface anymore and ended up in the Dark Ward… Mardas, the 《Laughing Guillotine》. Back in the day, he was on the verge of bing an S-rank adventurer. Even that Rosemonde is no match for him.」


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