249 trouble




 After leaving the owner's store, the six of us went down the street.
 Depending on the time of the day, the streets that were a bit more empty when we arrived were crowded. We decided to stick together and watch out for pickpockets.
 If there are three of us, Helen and Deanna, we will be safe. Helen, for example, is discreetly holding her weapon while at the same time giving off a slight but deadly vibe.
 At this rate, no one would dare to approach us. In fact, there was a little space around our group. That's what I'd call a skilled mercenary.

"Did you notice?

 Helen says in a voice that I can barely hear.

"Yeah. The three of you?

 When I answered, Helen let out a small whistle.

That's great. I thought I knew two of them, but all three?

 Helen was referring to the number of people who were after us. No, "we" is not the right word. They're probably trying to take Liddy. There are a fair number of tiger beastmen, and dwarves are not so rare. Deanna is pretty too, but she's not currently dressed in a way that would make it worth the risk of approaching a skilled-looking human.
 But as for Liddy the elf, he looks like a get-rich-quick opportunity if he pulls it off.
 I brought her with me because she's family and I thought it would be a good idea not to bring her with me, but I'll have to make her wear a disguise in the future. I should have done that this time in the first place. I let my guard down because I thought they were fine in town, my fault.

 And there's three of them. Two stand out, one blends in nicely with the crowd. They're pretty good at it. I say "reasonably good" because I don't think they're good enough to take the risk, and they've already spotted us.
 I'm sure they're not just thugs, though, because they're probably looking to turn the elves into money.

What do we do now, Eizo?
Should we give chase?
...... is difficult. There's a lot of people here.

 It'd be best if we could, but we don't have a choice.

If we keep going, we'll end up in the middle of nowhere, right?

 I asked Deanna. Deanna nodded silently.

"That's where we'll set up.

 Helen nodded, this time.

 We continued our vigilance and headed for the store we had originally come for.
 The store you want to go to is a high class store in the outer city, but it is not as good as ...... the inner city.
 The reason why I didn't go to a store in the inner city is because it is geared towards the aristocracy, partly because the opulent designs for the aristocracy are a hassle to make, but also because I thought it would be a shame to wear something so expensive all the time.
 Rather than something that is easy to obtain, I would like to have something a little more exquisite, something a little better. Whether I can do it or not, I don't know.

 There are many stores that many people in the outer city cannot afford to buy, and many aristocrats in the inner city do not frequent, so there is relatively little traffic. There is still enough traffic that you can manage to get close enough to get lost in the crowd.
 As I walked towards it, the three of them gradually closed the distance. From the way they're moving, I'm guessing they're trying to keep their eyes on the two of us while one of them goes to .......
 Helen, I, and Deanna looked at each other and nodded, then quickly moved around the corner to a less crowded alley.
 The three of us hurriedly followed, so we stopped and called out to them.

We stopped and said, "Now that you know we're on to you, what do we do? If you run, I guarantee you won't do anything.

 If he walks away, we'll let him off the hook for now (I'm sure he's got plenty more to do, but that's beside the point), but if not, we'll just have to deal with him.
 If you're not, we'll just deal with it. If you're caught, you've failed, and we want you to get away if you can. .......

 There is tension in the room. The three of them seem to be hesitating. You get points for not being able to make a quick decision at a time like this. I reached for the knife in my pocket and looked to see what they would do.