The Matter of My Party Members Being Aware of My Desire to Be Banished - Chapter 20

Meanwhile…

Shion and Marn didn’t even glance at the food stalls, continuing their walk through the city.

“Shion-san, I’m… getting a little tired of walking.”

“Then we should take a break. But it’s crowded around here… Let’s head down an alley for now.”

“Okay~”

Shion took Marn’s hand, and the two of them entered an alley.

“Hey…”

“Heh heh…”

“Perfect timing…”

Watching them closely, three foolish adventurers — distinguishable at a glance by their beard, brawn, and scrawniness — followed suit.

And then…

“Hey there, pretty boy.”

“You’ve got yourself a fine elf lady there, haven’t you?”

“Let us have a good look at her too, will ya?”

The three men stepped into the alley, their mouths twisted, and began to…

“≪Earth Wall≫ ≪Ice Lance≫”

As the men tried to lay eyes on Shion again, she was unexpectedly on her knees, touching the ground. In an instant, the ground behind the men rose up, blocking the entrance to the alley with an earthen wall.

“What!?”

“The entrance is blocked!?”

“What’s going on!?”

Even the brutes couldn’t help but panic at this unexpected turn of events.

Looking back at the blocked entrance, they then hurriedly turned their attention back to Shion and Marn.

“So you did come after all.”

“That’s right. My prediction was spot on. Men really do prefer… larger breasts, don’t they…”

The way they spoke made the bearded man shudder as he spoke up.

“You… You knew we were following you?”

“It’s obvious you’d target the elf with the big chest. That’s why I chose this pairing.”

“Shion-san, you got it backward. Before that, Honoka-san’s detection skill had already sensed the malice and lewd stares~”

Shion looked exasperated, while Marn announced it with a smile.

“Did we… did we just mess with the wrong folks…?”

The scrawny man trembled.

“Come on, calm down, guys.”

The big man, who seemed to be the leader and had a greatsword on his back, stepped forward.

“If you understand, then that makes things easy… Hey, pretty boy! Hand over that elf woman to us.”

“She’s in high demand, Marn.”

“I absolutely refuse~”

“Absolutely refuse. Too bad.”

“Hmm, then it seems we’ll have to take her by force…”

The big man reached for his greatsword’s sheath. However, neither Shion nor Marn seemed the least bit fazed or surprised.

“Why do you resort to such barbaric methods?”

As Shion coolly inquired, the big man grinned.

“Why else? Because you’re getting cocky! That’s why we’re going to teach you a lesson. Right, guys?”

“We’ve never seen you at the royal capital’s Adventurer’s Guild before, and yet you strut around with a beautiful woman!”

“We need to teach these cocky newcomers the royal capital’s way of doing things!”

With the numerical advantage, the bearded and scrawny men regained their confidence.

“We’re a somewhat famous party at the royal capital’s Adventurer’s Guild. Bad luck for you to catch our attention…”

“Heh heh heh…”

“Kukuku…”

The three men slowly closed in with their vile smiles and reached for their proud weapons…

“What!? Can’t draw them out!?”

“Damn it, my sword won’t come out!”

“What’s happening!?”

Before they knew it, their scabbards had been frozen, preventing them from drawing their swords, and they showed clear signs of panic.

Shion had cast an ice spell simultaneously with creating the earth wall, sealing the men’s weapons.

Realizing this, the men looked back at Shion and felt a chill run down their spines.

“Now, what to do? Your weapons are sealed, and all that’s left is your body… If you throw a punch, I’ll cut off that arm. Then, you’ll never be able to hold a weapon again. If you throw a kick, I’ll cut off that leg. Then, as an adventurer, earning a living will be hopeless… Heh, it’s fun to imagine, isn’t it?”

Shion’s smile turned dark.

The men hadn’t been hurt yet, but they were sweating profusely, and their hearts were pounding loudly.

“Well, the fun ends here. Isn’t ‘might makes right’ the royal capital’s way of doing things? Ever since the hero party candidates came from the Adventurer’s Guild, some kind of unwritten rule was established. Now, I really like that rule.”

Shion drew her sword slowly…

“Because if the strong are always right, then whatever I do now will be justified. Even if I pierce this sword through your heart and take your life instantly.”

Shion spoke calmly, but her words were filled with pressure and terror.

Although Shion took a step forward, the men were unable to move, as if they were paralyzed. They couldn’t even open their mouths properly.

“Well… who shall I start with?”

Shion aimed her sword in a thrusting position…

“””We apologize, please forgive usssss!!!”””

The men… quickly knelt down, pressing their foreheads to the ground in a deep bow.

“Eh…”

“Ara ara…”

Shion and Marn were taken aback by the turn of events.

“We’ll do anything, just please spare our lives…!!”

“We will heed your every command!!”

“Please feel free to use us however you wish!!”

The men spoke in unison.

“Do all men… really act like this?”

Shion chuckled wryly, reminiscent of a certain someone.

A few minutes later.

Shion, who had lost all will to fight… or rather, to discipline them, was looking down at the men still bowing deeply.

“I thought these rough types would charge in blindly and get what’s coming to them. Wasn’t that the expected turn of events?”

“It seems they came to their senses at just the right moment. And that’s all thanks to you, Shion-san, for methodically cornering them.”

“Is that so? Methodically cornering people is just what an adventurer should do, isn’t it?”

“Normal adventurers don’t do that. It’s a feat of the strong. Especially your verbal assault, Shion-san, it’s truly frightening. I thought it was quite remarkable that they managed to apologize without wetting themselves~”

As Shion and Marn looked at the men, they appeared contrite and intimidated.

“So, it’s not like I’m happy to have them obeying our every command…”

“I agree. After all, we already have a precious gentleman to whom we will listen to anything~”

“Nobody but Rokuto can fulfill our wishes. To put it bluntly, men other than Rokuto are almost irrelevant to us.”

Honoka and Marn gushed, exchanging smiles.

“Uh… is that… about that inconspicuous dark-haired porter guy…?”

The big man asked tentatively, his large physique belying his timidity.

“Hm? Oh, yes, that’s right. And to correct an earlier statement, it’s not that he’s serving us; rather, he’s the one being served by the three of us.”

Shion’s words sent a shock through the three men.

“Him! That plain guy!”

“He’s got three people serving him… does that mean you’re a woman!?”

“So, the porter is the really dangerous one…”

“If you do anything to Rokuto, I’ll kill you without mercy.”

“Don’t even think you’ll make it back alive if you do something now.”

“””We have no intention of even approaching him!!!”””

The men quickly grasped the situation.

“Huh, they’re not as dumb as I thought. Ah.”

Suddenly, Shion seemed to have an idea.

“…You all said you’d do anything, right? Men don’t go back on their word, do they?”

“””As you command, Shion-sama!!!”””

The men responded in unison.

“Ufufu. They’re well trained, aren’t they~”

“I didn’t remember disciplining them… But Marn, you’re enjoying this situation way too much. I’m not pleased by the obedience of men other than Rokuto. However, if there’s an opportunity to use them, why not?”

Shion turned back to the men and instructed them.

“I’d like you to investigate all the adventurers who are currently being considered as hero party candidates at the royal capital’s Adventurer’s Guild.”

“Hero party candidates?”

“Why do you want to know about hero party candidates… Could it be that you two are also candidates!?”

“…Could you not answer a question with another question? I don’t like dogs that can’t follow orders.”

“””We apologize!!!”””

The men bowed their heads to the ground once more.

“What I’m saying is, I want you to thoroughly investigate all the adventurers who are currently considered hero party candidates at the royal capital’s Adventurer’s Guild. It would be helpful if you could also make a list. Can you do that?”

“””Yes, of course we can!!!”””

The men answered immediately, sweating under Shion’s cold gaze.

“You have… let’s see, three days including today. I’ll be going back to the Adventurer’s Guild after three days, so I’d like you to pass on the information then. Now that the explanation is over… you can go.”

“””Thank you! Excuse us!!!”””

The men bowed deeply and quickly left through the alley as the earth wall was released.

“This saves us trouble during our stay in the royal capital. And now, there’s no one to disturb Rokuto and Honoka’s date.”

“You truly are our leader~”

“Even though there were some surprises, it’s good that the trouble was smoothly taken care of. For both us and them.”

“And what does that mean?”

“They were really lucky. If they had gone after Honoka… a beating would have been guaranteed.”

◆◆

“Achoo!”

“Did Honoka catch a cold? Shall we get something warm to drink?”

“There’s no need to panic, Rokkun~. It’s just someone talking about me~”

Next to Rokuto, Honoka wore a relieved smile, as if all her worries had been lifted.

“Is that so?”

Of course, Rokuto was the only one who knew nothing.