GalaxyTL
“Meg! …Those guys?”
“Gil-san!”
Gil-san smoothly appeared from the shadow and then glanced at the three unconscious men bound by vines, his gaze as cold as ice. Wow, what presence!
“Did they do anything?”
But he immediately turned to me and asked if I was okay, so I quickly told him I was fine. It’s hard to tell because he’s wearing his usual hood and mask, but it seemed like his eyes softened slightly when I said that.
“You’ve become reliable as well, Meg.”
“Ehehe, I’m also a member of Ortus, after all!”
I puffed up my chest proudly when he said that, patting my head. And I was happy that he agreed. Of course, I know I’m still naive. One of the rules for Ortus members is to always strive to improve!
“People from the station will be here soon. They’ll collect these guys.”
“I see… do I need to talk to them…?”
Basically, it’s the country’s guards who maintain public order in the city. This country really is being helped by Ortus. The Lilthorley Kingdom’s small, after all. And this city’s said to be the safest on the Demon Continent. I’ve heard it’s rare for something like this to happen. But actually, this is my eighth time experiencing something like this… It makes me scared to think how dangerous the other countries must be.
“I’ll leave a shadow bird here. There’s no need for you to explain.”
“Ah, then me too. Shou-chan!”
I’d vaguely predicted that the overprotective Gil-san would want to go back to the guild immediately. But it’s not really right to not have my testimony, even though I’m also a victim. And that’s where Shou-chan, my first contract spirit, comes in!
『Yes, Master!』
When I called out, the pink, human-shaped spirit immediately appeared. Shou-chan’s a voice spirit, so it can relay what happened here.
“People from the station will be here soon, so I want you to tell them what happened. Through the shadow bird, at the same time as Gil-san reports. Can you do that?”
『That’s no problem at all!』
Shou-chan always twirls around happily when I ask it to do something. It loves being relied upon, it’s a dance of joy. So cute.
We then left the shadow bird and Shou-chan there, and started walking back to the guild. The feeling of security is incredible, being next to Gil-san. It’s not like I can’t walk on my own, but I feel especially reassured after something like that happens!
On the way back, it seems like the people from the station arrived at the scene, because Gil-san started talking through the shadow bird.
『Gil-san, thanks as always! According to the report, Meg-san from Ortus was attacked here… are you injured?』
“Yeah, she fought back on her own. And Meg’s also the one who captured those men.”
『Eh!?』
It seems like he didn’t expect me to be strong enough to repel creeps. I’m used to this reaction. It’s not always the same people who come to the scene. It’s probably the first time these people have handled one of my cases. Well, I look like this, so I understand how they’d be surprised.
“The spirit I’ve left there will recreate the scene.”
『Eh, a spirit? …But we can’t see spirits.』
“It’s fine.”
I could tell, just from his voice, that he was bewildered. I’m sorry. It would have been easy to explain if we’d stayed there, but I had no choice but to obey when I sensed Gil-san’s unwavering desire to leave….
Gil-san gave me a signal with his eyes, so I gave Shou-chan instructions, through the shadow bird.
“Shou-chan, tell them what happened.”
『Okay, Master!』
I was surprised at first that I could hear Shou-chan’s voice through the shadow bird. Hearing a spirit’s voice is more like… feeling it, not hearing it with your ears.
Shou-chan, having received the instruction, started perfectly recreating the scene. Even though it’s just audio, it also recreates the tones of voice, so it’s incredibly believable. Well, the fact that it’s a spirit is proof enough that it’s not lying. It’s common knowledge in this world that spirits won’t listen to you if you’re not honest!
“…I guess I should have just crushed them after all.”
The temperature around Gil-san seemed to drop by a few degrees when he heard the perverts’ voices, trying to lure me. C-Calm down!
『Th-That’s amazing… well, we understand now. Thank you for your cooperation. And be extra careful, okay? I hear Meg-san’s an easy target.』
“Eh, me?”
The station officer, having heard Shou-chan’s report, said this to me. I wonder if it’s because I’m a child and an elf.
『Yes. This city itself is incredibly peaceful. It’s a small country on the edge of the Demon Continent, and we have all of you from Ortus. But the number of those who are coming from afar, specifically targeting Meg-san, has increased. Her information has finally spread throughout the Demon Continent, and people are coming all this way.』
“Hyehh”
Why are they coming all the way from afar!? Why not put that energy into something else!? So that’s why this has been happening so often recently, even though this city’s so peaceful? I couldn’t help but to gasp, hearing how eager those perverts are.
“…How irritating.”
The temperature around Gil-san dropped even further. So please, calm down!
『We are being careful, but I apologize that we aren’t able to watch over everyone.』
“No, it can’t be helped. We’ll also be on guard. And the guards are the only ones who can detain them. We’re counting on you.”
『Y-Yes, sir!』
That’s right, Ortus also captures perverts and criminals. We even get requests for it. But deciding what to do with them after that is the country’s jurisdiction. Ortus’ only job is to complete the request. If we took it upon ourselves to go beyond that, the power balance would be disrupted. Division of roles is important. Even if Ortus has more capable members, even if everyone knows that.
And one of Dad’s policies is to not antagonize the country. It’s mostly because the leader of the country has a decent personality. It seems like that kind of balance is important, to smoothly live in this world. Even Dad, who has a tendency for doing things his own way, properly understands that.
So that concludes this pervert incident. We handed them over to the guards and explained what happened, so there’s no need for us to be involved anymore. Unless there’s a good reason. I have issues with the perverts, but there was no actual harm. Or rather, I’m the one who knocked them unconscious. It was self-defense!
“Maybe… I should rethink letting you walk alone…”
I heard Gil-san mutter this next to me. Th-This is bad! I immediately turned to him and exclaimed,
“It’s okay! I properly dealt with it, didn’t I? I wasn’t injured, and I didn’t hurt them. I want to be able to protect myself, and I think this also serves as good training!”
I said what was on my mind in one go. Gil-san, surprised, widened his eyes slightly. Seeing that, I came back to my senses. Um, um, I’m not trying to say you don’t have to worry about me!
“If I ever think I’m in danger, I’ll call for help. Because I know you’ll come right away. You came right away just now. I believe in you, Gil-san. I know you’re just worried. B-But, um, what I’m trying to say is…”
I feel like my vocabulary is decreasing with each word. I sound like a child making excuses. Well, I am a child. But he understands me.
“…If I worry too much, I’ll be crushing Meg’s potential. I understand.”
Gil-san stopped walking and knelt down before me, so our eyes met. He’s looking me in the eye, respecting my decision.
“I got carried away with my worry. I’m sorry. You trust me, Meg. I also need to trust you, just as much.”
“Gil-san…”
My heart tightened seeing him apologize, his eyes downcast. I gently took his hands in mine.
“I also think it’s my fault for being unreliable. I’ll do my best so you can think, ‘Meg will be fine’, okay? So even though it might be frustrating…”
I wanted to properly convey my feelings, since he properly apologized. So I looked him in the eye and said that. Gil-san then naturally continued,
“Yeah. I’ll trust you and watch over you. And if you’re ever truly in danger, I’ll come right away.”
He said that.
Watching over someone actually takes a lot of courage, I think. I haven’t experienced being a parent, and I’ve never interacted with small children, but I’ve had experience with training juniors, so I kind of get it. The day will come when you have to let them do it on their own. And that you need to do what you can to prepare them, but when that time comes, you have no choice but to let them do their best.
It’s easy to just take over. It might be something you can finish in an instant if you did it yourself, but there’s no point if they don’t do it themselves. Even if they fail.
It’s only natural to worry and want to help when it’s a child. And in my case, there’s also the risk of danger.
But I have to do it. In order to become independent. For my own sake.
“Thank you, Gil-san!”
I’m sure I really do seem unreliable. Especially since the people in Ortus are all so capable, they must be on edge watching me. But they’re watching over me, and they’ll help me if I’m ever in danger. I’m so grateful to Gil-san and the others.
I hugged him, and as I was being gently embraced, I reaffirmed that happiness.