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89. Town, Entrance to the Old Mine Shaft

「Oh, if it isn’t Geli-chan. Yo yo!」

「Bakery sis, yo yo.」

Angelina raised her right hand and returned the same greeting. That blonde woman who looked to be around 30 years old was the owner of a bakery two streets away from the mansion. It seems that she has known Angelina since she was a child.

「Oh stop it, Geli-chan, you know I’m not young enough to be called a sis anymore.」

「Auntie it is then, yo yo.」

「Do you want to be shoved into the bread oven?」

「Listen well, you two. This is the meaning of “irrational” that is listed in the dictionary. Even if you give “lip service”, you will end up in this situation all the same.」

「Let’s avoid attracting attention, Angelina…」

「Humans are strange.」

Three days have passed since Azula was rescued. I wanted to give Azura some time to recover her strength, but she recovered within a day just by eating meat. I wondered if the dwarves were that kind of race, or if Azula was the outlier… I don’t know yet, but we’re in the middle of preparing for dungeon capture.

However, there was almost no food at Angelina’s mansion, so we disguised ourselves as her parents and came to buy food at this shop. I guess it is fortunate that there isn’t a wanted poster circulating. The Knights Order probably doesn’t want to spread the word that there are disturbing elements in the city.

「So, when did you come back? If you had told me, I would have baked you mochaca tea bread.」

「Geli had something urgent to do. We’re going to go save the world, so please give us some bread.」

「Hahaha, I guess you’ll need lots then.」

Save the world, huh. The troublesome part is that if what Azula said about the super S-class difficulty dungeon was true, it can’t even be called a joke.

「Super S-class, huh?」

The Knights Order’s attacks slowed down from the second day onwards. And now that five days had passed, only hired thugs appeared every now and then. There is no doubt that they are also focusing on dungeon exploration preparation.

This situation also indicated that the “fake Sodom and Gomora” strategy I laid down was still in effect.

「But Master, why would the Knights Order conquer the dungeon? They are supposed to be an organization whose purpose is to hunt demi-humans.」

「I think it’s a matter of location.」

「The location?」

「If what Azula says is true, the dungeon is deep inside the mine dug by the dwarves. If the guild or army is placed there, the Knights Order’s rights will be cut down.」

「So they want to deal with it privately and take control of it, including the dungeon?」

「Probably.」

While we were talking about this, Angelina and the others returned carrying a bundle of bread. I’m relieved that they were able to purchase it without any problems.

「The aunty– the sis packed enough to last for a long while.」

「That’s great. No matter how many skills you have, you can’t conquer a dungeon without food.」

「I would like some rice, but they are not selling it here. Alright, let’s go home quickly.」

「……Hmm?」

Just as we had finished our errands and were about to head home, I suddenly felt a tap on my shoulder. When I turned around, I saw the woman from the bakery from earlier watching me from the shop.

「Sorry guys, please go home first. I found my favorite bread, so I’ll buy it quickly.」

Koe-san remained back with me but seeing that it wasn’t a problem, I addressed the woman. She offered a formal apology for stopping me, and then continued in a hushed voice:

「You shouldn’t come here anymore.」

「…Koe-san, pretend to choose bread and buy me some time.」

「Yes, master.」

This is risky. The baker lady does not seem calm at all. I’m guessing she saw a wanted poster or something…

「That’s not it. Can you see those two over there and there?」

「[Mind’s Eye Drive] [Scout’s Intuition], activate.」

When I looked outside of my field of vision with my mind’s eye, I saw two dwarves with shaved beards and wearing city-style clothes. One was sitting on a bench reading a book, while the other was working as a loader.

However, their eyes were glancing at me from time to time.

「Recently, dwarves like that have been appearing around the town. It’s good that they’re quiet and gentlemanly, but I don’t know what they’re thinking.」

「Yes, I talked to a few of them too.」

「I suddenly started seeing those two after you guys entered the mansion. They’re watching you all the time. You’d better be careful.」

「I understand, I won’t come again. You should be careful too.」

「I don’t know the circumstances, but I can’t help but feel like something strange is happening in this town. You be careful too.」

「…Are you helping me because of Angelina?」

「Well, it’s like an inseparable relationship. That kid also came from a difficult family, so she often eats alone. It was just my luck that I called out to her on a whim.」

The lady then told me to take care of Angelina and gave me a very hard bread as a farewell gift. Apparently, it is a preserved food of this region that can last for years. I then left the shop

「Master, is it over?」

「Yeah, it’s done. Let’s hurry.」

If we stay here any longer, it will only cause trouble for those around Angelina. Just having learned that was a huge gain. If Kirmiji were to begin the attack, many dwarves would be undoubtedly be discarded as pawns. I have no intention of taking it slow.

「We need to hurry up on the capture.」

◆◆◆

–The next day.

「We will be entering the mine shaft from here onwards.」Azula.

We had planned to wait for Azula to recover her physical strength first, but we decided to head in much earlier and were guided by Azula to the entrance of the mine shaft. The official entrance cannot be used as it is of course monitored by the Knights Order. According to her, this is the entrance and exit from when the mine was first opened, before they started living with humans.

「Only dwarves know about this place.」

Even Kirmiji didn’t bother to ask about all the entrances and exits. With that in mind, we all step inside.

The temperature was high, a complete change from the cold wind blowing on the ground. As Azula led the way through the tunnel, which she said to be an iron mine while Shizuku continued to be wary of the surroundings.

「There’s no point in being vague, so I’ll be straight. I doubt what you say, Azula.」

「The “Golden Land of Crimson Luxury” does exist…」

「I want to trust you, but I can’t.」

It was certain that she was still under Kirmiji’s suggestion.

She might be lying without realizing it, or she herself might be being led into a trap. Azula, in her current state, is a dangerous individual regardless of if she’s an enemy or an ally.

Azula herself must be aware of that fact, as she depressedly looked down. Angelina stroked her head kindly.

「Geli can’t say for sure until we see it, but the dungeon is probably real. It’s also an extra-large one.」