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Chapter 382 Part 1

A street of food stalls in the central square of the royal capital on a calm spring afternoon. I was sitting at one of the tables with a parasol there, sipping a cup of coffee while looking at a magazine about the red-light district.

「Hmm… there’s no store that made me feel “This is the one” here.」

The one who nodded his robust chin at my words was a slightly unattractive young man with muscles sitting opposite me. It’s my best friend, Corneal, who is the number three person in the Kingdom knight order and is famous in the red-light district by the nickname 『Skewering Whirlwind』.
Since our vacations coincide with each other, today is our first brothel review in a while. It’s a part of our club activity which we call 『Adult Gourmet Club』.

「My eyes may have become more discerning now as I’ve accumulated more experience.」

Corneal replied while flipping through the information magazine and I think that might be true.
When I first started playing in the red-light district, everything seemed so dazzling, and I was so happy and excited at every store I went to. But now, not so much.

(It can be said that I’ve leveled up.)

It would be similar to reading.
It was a time when I started going to the library and exploring the bookshelves in the novel section. I would borrow whatever book I could find and stay up late reading it at home.

(But at one point, something within me changed.)

We unintentionally accumulate more knowledge as we read, and unknowingly push our viewpoints higher and higher.
As a result, our expanded view reveals the rough edges that were previously unnoticed, and in some cases, makes it difficult for us to continue reading.

(I guess this means our brothel activities have to step up to the next level.)

Then we should focus more on the development of new businesses. There’s a possibility that there is a hidden treasure buried in the store that was shunned because of the store name and rumors.
Excited by the spirit of adventure, I lifted my eyes from the magazine and opened my mouth.

「Now that it has come to this, what do you think we just go to a store that doesn’t sound appealing to us?」

However, Corneal raised his eyebrows at my suggestion. The next words he said were, 『In my experience, the decision we make in the spur of the moment when we are stuck is usually the wrong one』.

(I thought it was a good idea though.)

Apparently, it sounded like I lost track of our purpose in the first place.
No, actually, he might be right. So I took a deep breath and decided to change my approach.

(Hm? What’s with that girl?)

As I was looking at the crowd of food stalls and outdoor tables, I noticed a petite girl. She doesn’t seem to realize it, but she stands out, and not in a good way.

『A thick dark green cloak and a bulging backpack on her back.』

At a glance, you can tell that she is carrying all her fortune, but this is normal for travelers, so that’s not it. She’s leaning forward and moving like 『a cat sneaking up on a small animal』.
The fact that she is staring intently at the burly man paying at the stir-fry stall suggests that she might be aiming for his wallet.

「It looks like she’s trying to steal from him. She’s probably checking to see which pocket he put his wallet in.」

Corneal, who seemed to have followed my gaze after seeing the look on my face and noticed her, said.

「The timing would be right after he got his hands full after receiving his food and drinks, I guess.」

The macho man continued. However, he seems to have judged that it’s not that big of a deal from both his tone and his expression.
Looking at me, who looks puzzled wondering why, Corneal told me the answer. When I move my gaze to the other side of the table, I see another burly man who looks like him, probably his brother, staring at the girl from the table.

(If someone like me can tell what she’s up to, she’s as good as busted.)

I tried to think about it, but she seems too lousy for someone in the pickpocket line of work.
When I look at the girl with this in mind, her cloak and shoes are very worn out, and there is a glint of hunger in her eyes.

(She probably ran out of money and has no choice but to resort to pickpocketing.)

But that doesn’t justify what she’s doing right now.

『Coming to the royal capital to make a name for herself, but ended up getting her dream crushed and falling to her knees on the ground.』

Looks like no matter which world it is, there are always young people who are like that. That being said, I have one question in mind.

「Why would she go out of her way to choose such a strong-looking guy to steal from?」

He had a larger-than-average build with muscles and a scar on his face that looked as if he had been slapped by a bear.
When I asked him for his opinion, Corneal didn’t seem to be able to give an immediate answer, and it was only after thinking for a few moments that he opened his mouth.

「Maybe because he has a bad guy-like face?」

Her logic probably goes like, 『since it’s probably money obtained through wrongdoing anyway, it shouldn’t be a problem for me to steal it』.
It’s true that it’s better than targeting the innocent and the weak. However, is the burly man with scars on his face a bad guy as the girl thinks?

(Hmmm… Hm?)

I looked at his face that has a number of claw marks crossing diagonally for a few moments. And noticed the rugged boots he was wearing.

「Those boots are ones they wear for farming. Maybe they’re here to sell vegetables or fruits.」

A necessary but controversial boot that causes athlete’s foot disease instead of being waterproof.
I’ve been using it since I moved to the outskirts of the city and started imitating a farmer, but I’ve never had to deal with foot disease because I’m using cure disease magic.

「If so, then the scar might have been caused by a magic beast. His partner who sits at the table doesn’t look like a violent person, so it’s highly likely that her assumption that they’re a bad guy is false.」

The slightly unattractive macho man sighed deeply at my words.

『The impression you get from someone majority comes from their outside appearance.』

I can’t say that I am blessed with good looks, so I guess I have been disadvantaged by the harsh specifications that exist in real world. I can sympathize with his sigh because it’s the same for me.

「What are you doing!?」

The silence was broken by the loud voice of the burly man with scars on his face. I looked over to see the girl about to run off with a purse in her hand.

「That’s too bad for her.」

However, she was immediately blocked by the other burly man with no scars on his face, and she was easily captured. The other burly man was called 『Big bro』 by the burly man with scars, so it seems I’m right about them being siblings.
The burly man with scars put the food and drinks for two on the table and asked his brother what was going on, to which the brother replied, 『the food will get cold, but I guess I’ll enjoy this one first』.

「It looks like they are taking her somewhere. Will they not call the guards?」

To my question, Corneal answered “They probably won’t”, as if he knows what was going to happen next.

「They will probably mess her up in an inn around here. Since she’s dealing with two people, it will be four, or five times going inside her, but I think they will let her free after they are done with her.」

She just reaped what she sowed since she took a risk but failed as a result.
But I wonder how it is in the eye of 『Law and Order』 and I ask, 『Wouldn’t it be better to turn her over to the guards?』.