Arisugawa and the others succeeded in reclaiming the wine from the bandits.
The next morning, I was woken by a noisy commotion from outside. At the same time, the hut door burst open.
“Brother, how long are you going to sleep? Come on, wake up!”
Karubene, unable to grasp the situation, pulled me and led me out of the hut. Even though the sun hadn’t fully risen yet, people from all over the village had gathered and were making a big fuss.
Several empty bottles were already scattered on the ground.
“W-what’s all the commotion…?”
Karubene replied loudly to me, whose eyes were still half-closed.
“What do you mean? Did you forget about yesterday? The stolen wine has been returned, so everyone is celebrating!”
Whatever, I wanted to keep sleeping, and first, I wanted to wash my face. Just then, the man I met yesterday, Seilenos, approached me holding a wine bottle.
“Hey, it was bad of me to suspect you guys yesterday. Uh, well, Aris… something. I’m Crowzley.”
“Arisugawa.”
Then, as if noticing I had left, Philiana appeared from behind.
“Oh, is there a festival today?”
She looked around curiously. Seeing her, men started gathering around her. Crowzley, who I had been talking to earlier, was no longer there.
“Hey, big sister, what’s your name?”
Perhaps because she had been sleeping earlier, she wasn’t wearing her usual armor, and her soft shirt made her body line stand out more than usual. Coupled with that, the men’s eyes were glued to her.
“Want to drink with me alone? I’ll get you high-quality wine.”
“Don’t mess with me, get lost!”
She was instantly surrounded. Seeing the sight, she averted her gaze with a fed-up expression.
“Isn’t there someone else you should be inviting, even if it’s not me?”
“What are you talking about? There’s no woman as good as you. The women in this village are all as bitter as grape dregs, and even if I talk to them, they won’t even look my way.”
Everyone agreed with his words.
“Then I’m the same.”
With that single word, she pushed through the swarm of men and went somewhere.
“Well, it’s not going to be that easy, is it?”
Among the disappointed men, Crowzley shrugged his shoulders with a sigh. Then, he returned to me.
“That’s right, I had something to tell you. The bandit we caught yesterday, he’s a Dark Elf.”
Was that a Dark Elf? The fact sent a jolt of tension through me.
“He seems to have come from a nearby village. Do you know it? It’s near the kingdom.”
That must be the village we were heading towards. According to Crowzley’s story, the bandit was just a subordinate who was merely following orders, and the wine was stolen for money.
“We are heading there. There have already been other victims besides here.”
“I see. Be careful, they are terrifying. Even Light Elves hesitate to approach them.”
Just then, Karubene arrived.
“Brother, are you going? Then take me with you. I won’t rest until I make them pay.”
