GalaxyTL
“Well well well, to think all the bigwigs of Ortus would gather here, what a grand occasion!”
The man said this in a deliberately provocative tone. There are people like this everywhere. Don’t they just make you sick?
“Return Meg.”
“What are you talking about? I found this lost child, so she’s mine now.”
The air crackled with tension, but Epink, whoever he was, said this in a tone that reminded me of a playground bully. His choice of words, “found,” revealed how he usually viewed people. I couldn’t help but picture myself in a cardboard box with “Please take me home” written on it. Abandoned Meg!
…It seemed like I was the only one who wasn’t tense. I’m sorry, I’ll be quiet now. But if I may make an excuse, it was because I had nothing to do, and I had to think about something silly or I’d be terrified! Ugh, scary. I want to cry! No, hang in there! I won’t cry!
“Juma, what’s going on?”
“I sensed his presence as I was heading back to the guild after a request. So, I chased after him.”
“Couldn’t you have been a little more discreet, being in town? You always have to be so flashy.”
“There’s no point sneaking around and hiding.”
Kei-san asked, keeping their eyes fixed on Epink, and Juma-kun replied without averting his gaze. Epink then let out an exaggerated sigh of exasperation.
“Wow. Just what kind of presence detection skills do oni have? They’re so troublesome! It’s been ages since anyone’s managed to find me! Huh? Could this be a super rare experience?!”
Epink laughed, “Hya, hya,” as if amused. Is this guy okay? I figured people like this were either high on drugs or psychopaths. Either way, the type of people I’d rather not be involved with.
I was floating through the air in a soap bubble. He took me out of his pouch, still in the bubble, and started juggling me with one hand. It wasn’t that rough, but if he kept doing this, I’d get motion sick…
“Meg!!”
“And her hair and eye color changed. Did I pick up something incredible? I bet I can get a high price for this one, maybe even a bonus.”
“…You bastard.”
The tension escalated. Gil-san, Kei-san, and Juma-kun looked like they were about to attack. So this guy was involved in human trafficking? The way he worded it, leaving room for deniability, was cunning. Ugh, am I going to be sold?
But I wasn’t feeling tense at all. Because there was no way Gil-san and the others, the core members of Ortus, would lose so easily. Yeah, I believed in them.
“Whoa, don’t move! It wouldn’t do for this child, this global treasure of an elf, to pop because of me, would it? I might accidentally let the air out. I don’t want her to die such a cruel death! As the kind soul who rescued this lost child, I’d prefer not to kill her! But my life is more important to me, so…”
Wow, what a horrible thing to say! And what a talkative guy. As he continued juggling me, seemingly amused, I took the opportunity to observe him.
He had pitch-black eyes. Gil-san’s eyes were also black, but this guy’s eyes seemed… lifeless. The corners of his lips were curled upwards in a smirk that added to his unsettling aura. His messy brown hair was long, reaching his hips, giving him a wild look. He was wearing a hoodie with a large pocket and shorts. He’d stashed me in that pocket. It really was like a kangaroo pouch. Maybe he’s a kangaroo demi-human?
“Don’t think you can get away with this. Try running, and Nemo will be considered to have picked a fight with Ortus.”
Gil-san said this in a low voice. Nemo? Wait, where have I heard that before…? Ah! One of the Special-grade guilds! And they had a bad reputation, didn’t they? So, this guy was a member of a Special-grade guild. So that’s why he was so confident. But this was Ortus’s base. He was at a disadvantage. And wouldn’t a fight between Special-grade guilds basically start a war…!
“Uwaa, scary! I’m not picking a fight or anything! Don’t accuse me of something I didn’t do! But you know, Ortus is scary, so maybe I should run away?”
“As if we’d let you!”
Juma-kun swung his greatsword, creating a tornado that sent everything around flying. Epink dodged it effortlessly and then leaped to the roof of a nearby building. I was starting to think he really was a kangaroo.
And it all happened in an instant, a split second, I think. That’s all I could register, so there might have been other exchanges that I missed.
“Juma! What if you hurt Meg?!”
“As if I’d make such a blunder! Aren’t you being a bit too overprotective, Gil?”
“Both of you! We need to focus on getting Meg-chan back!”
It seemed like they were holding back because I was their hostage. I was not only useless, but a burden!
“Whoa, whoa, you guys are desperate! You want this commodity that badly? Well, since I rescued her, I’m the lucky one!”
“““Stop calling her a commodity!!!”””
Their murderous aura intensified. I knew it wasn’t directed at me, but it was still terrifying. I trembled.
“Whoa, even I know when to back off. I’m outta here!”
Epink stuffed me, still in the bubble, back into his pouch and then clenched his fist, winding up for a punch. And then, with blinding speed, he threw a right straight (probably.) And then, more bubbles appeared, just like before. So, that’s how he was creating them.
That was all I could see with the naked eye. The next moment, everything went dark. I thought I heard everyone calling my name.
And then, Epink was gone. To escape with so many people surrounding him… This guy was a force to be reckoned with.
But this town was basically Ortus. He’d be wrong to think he’d gotten away!
I prayed that I’d be found safely, clinging to my faith in Gil-san and the others. I could do nothing else.
I was powerless. Swept away by the flow of events. There was nothing a little thing like me could do. And there were no “isekai protagonist” powers either, where a little girl possesses some hidden strength. I was just a former office worker, and my knowledge was useless here. Or rather, I was basically ignorant when it came to this world.
And physically, I was a helpless little girl. Ugh, how pathetic.
…A single tear rolled down my cheek as the weight of my powerlessness sunk in.