Arisugawa saw Argna being treated horribly after infiltrating the town.
I couldn’t bear it and left the spot immediately. My empty stomach ached sharply. I wanted to scream then, to say “I’m not like them,” “I came to help.” But that would have been a waste of all my previous efforts.
Sharin looked at me with concern, sensing my distress.
“Hey, Arisugawa, are you okay? Let’s rest somewhere. There’s still time before sunset,” she said.
As Sharin urged me, I entered a nearby coffee shop and drank a cup of coffee. Sharin tentatively sipped her hot tea.
“Haa, I’m sorry to worry you like this,” I said.
At my words, she raised her face from her tea.
“You’re just a little tired. You should rest. The real battle is yet to come. Besides, we mustn’t be seen as suspicious now.”
With that, she began to lick the sugar cube she had been given with her tongue. It was true, as she said. I took a deep breath once more. Shifting my gaze out the shop window, I saw several buildings resembling two-story apartments.
Most of the people passing by were merchants or immigrants, with the occasional adventurer carrying a weapon mixed in. This town wasn’t only inhabited by humans; demi-humans like Sharin and beastmen were also present. I still couldn’t understand why humans couldn’t get along with centaurs or kinnara.
We decided to kill time by surveying the town. Stalls lined the streets, displaying tempting food, beautiful decorations, clothes, books, and various other items. But to me, everything looked gray at the moment.
Thinking of Argna and his companions suffering while we were here made my stomach ache again.
Also, Karubene hadn’t been seen for some time. Of course, I didn’t feel the need to look for him.
“Arisugawa, hey… hey.”
“Huh? Ah, what is it?”
Sharin’s voice pulled me back to reality. She held a small wooden cat carving in her hand.
“Hey, you like cats, right? I didn’t steal this, I bought it properly. Here, for you.”
I took the cat toy from her. It made me feel a strange mix of happy and amused, realizing it was her way of showing concern.
“Thank you. I should give you something in return, too.”
As I replied and looked back at the stalls, the town suddenly became noisy. A shrill bell rang out, and in response, the people simultaneously fled in the opposite direction of the gate.
“It seems it’s finally here. It’s a little early, but they must have spotted the surveillance.”
“Alright, let’s pretend to be adventurers and approach the gate.”
I put the wooden cat into my pocket and headed for the gate with the other adventurers.
