When I arrived at that place on the second basement floor, the boy who was holding the Short Spear 《Shortspear》 had just been blown away. The archer boy and the wizard girl had already fallen wounded. The swordsman girl and the spear boy managed to protect them.

You should not hurt yourself too much. It's a precious commodity.
I know what I'm doing. f*cking hell, I don't have to go through all this trouble just because you forgot the paralyzing poison.
Just hurry up! If a hexenbiest comes out, you'll be in even more trouble!

　He kicked the fat old man who was on guard in the face and blew him into the room. The guy jumped in with the force of a rubber ball and collapsed loudly in front of his friends.

''Wha, what's the matter with you?
'That's my line. What's up with you guys?

　Fat, skinny, long and thin. It's the most disgusting thing I've ever seen.
　The fat man who was kicked by me stood up, wiping up blood from his nose. Mu? That's pretty tough. The fat must have absorbed the damage.

Well, it looks like you made it in time.

　Leanne comes in with Paula. The faces of the three of us contorted in disgust when we saw this. Out of the three, Gallinopo approaches towards me and Lean with a sword in his hand. The other two also turned to face us, weapons in hand. They must have thought I only had a dagger (Brunhild). Unlike before, they turned their price-taking gazes to Lean, showing a sense of leeway.

It's not a bad idea. It's your lucky day, isn't it? You're a lucky guy. If you want to save your life, don't leave that girl behind.
...Huh?
'Didn't you hear me? I told you to give that girl to us and get out! You're going to get killed, ah!

　I silently approached the skinny-noddler who was fishing for his eyes and swung my own leg down and crushed the bone in the back of its leg.



　The skinny noggin lurches around, holding his feet down. He's rolling around on the ground in a rumble, tears and snot streaming down his face. It's annoying. I kick it further into the pigeon tail to make it docile.

'Ugoyehee!

　I don't know why I gotta hand Lean to you guys. You can talk in your sleep. You are a punk-ass adventurer. You're dead.

You b*tc*! What the hell are you doing?
'We're rank blue adventurers! Do you think you can win...!
'You're a big boy. It's a rank you raised by intercepting other people's prey anyway, right? How could a rank blue adventurer be this weak? ''Don't lick an adventurer.''

　I kicked the fatty's kneecap in the front. Unable to support his own weight, the fatty fell forward as it was and began to writhe in the same agony.

'Ggaaaaah! My knees, my knees!
Hi, hi!

　The thin bald man turned his back to run away, leaving the two of them behind. Towards his back, he pulled out Brunhild and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

''Guhaha!''

　The paralyzing bullet eats the paralyzing bullet and the battered and thin bald man falls over. He's a great adventurer, abandoning his friends and running away. Rank Blue is dismayed to hear this.

''.........You do some pretty extreme things. I was a bit surprised.''

　Leanne murmurs as she looks at the skinny nopps and fatties who are still sobbing and sobbing as they squirm.

''Oh.... I'm sorry. I lost my temper a bit when you said something about what to do with Lean.

　It's been a long time since I've been pissed off. I haven't been pissed off since Prince Linie's idiot. I thought I'd become a little more patient, but apparently I wasn't quite there yet.

'Hmm. I'm glad you're angry for me, though.

　Leanne smiles meaningfully. Crap. This is kind of embarrassing. I feel my face turning red, so I turn my back to Lean and turn to the new adventurers.

''Are you okay?''
'Oh, yes! I'm a little hurt, but I'm fine. But Klaus and Ion...

　The spear boy turns his attention to the two fallen men. I think they're just unconscious, but after a quick "Cure Heel" and "Refresh", they both regained consciousness.
　The four of them thanked me again, but I just let it slide and asked them how this happened.
　They said they were going to show you a safe hunting ground, so they went with you. Wasted.
　As a result, they were brought here and attacked. The two who were not the vanguard of the attack were apparently knocked down by the sudden attack and their consciousness was cut off in an instant.

I'm not sure I'm going to be able to say that I'm not the only one. Even if you go missing in the dungeon, if you drop a flashy bloodstain or guild card, it will be determined that you have been eaten by a magical beast and there will be no further search for you.
Yes. He said he's going to sell us to the slavers!

　The girl swordsman with the ponytail raises her hand with a bishoujo and speaks up. I'm fine.
　But a slaver? Perhaps..........
　She crouches down in front of the grunting Gallinoppo and places Brunhild's muzzle against her temple.

'Answer with a simple affirmative "yes" or negative "no". The adventurers who were thought to be dead until now were kidnapped by you guys, right?

　Gallinopo nodded vigorously, sweating fat. I knew it.
　Hearing that, Leanne tilts her head.

'But even if you kidnapped him, you couldn't take him through the transition gate, right? How on earth did you...
It's easy. They probably came here directly by boat. A slave ship. Am I right?

　Again, the skinny nodded vigorously. You see.
　These islands are located directly south of Sandra's kingdom. And Sandra's kingdom is a country where slavery is still entrenched.
　It's a country where the system of taking away a person's freedom with a magical tool called the "collar of servitude" and treating them as goods. So you want to sell them all together there.

So? Have you already sent all the adventurers you've kidnapped so far to Sandra?

　Gallipoli Noppo shakes his head this time. Does that mean you haven't sent them yet? Then there's still a chance to help.
　Probably the slave ship is hiding and anchored somewhere. These newcomers were also going to be kidnapped from here and then brought there to be lost in the dungeon and be assumed dead.
　A map search revealed a medium-sized ship moored on a small island further northeast of this island, where the Amaterasu dungeon is located. This one.
　I know what happened. You're no longer wanted. Even the two of you that were moaning at Paralyze are paralyzed.

'Well what are we going to do? If you want to contact the Guild or the Knights, I'll go to them, but...

　The girl swordsman asked timidly. The other three were also looking at us and wondering what was going on. They must have realized the gravity of the matter. They must have realized the seriousness of the situation, although they seem to be excited mixed in with the anxiety.

'I'll be in touch with you over here, so it'll be fine. Come to think of it, we haven't introduced ourselves yet. That girl over there is Lean and the little bear is Paula. And I'm Fuyao Mochizuki. I'm the king of this country.
""King?"

　The four of them stood up in unison with their eyes wide open and then hurriedly got down on their knees again in a crouch. 'Busy.

''Oh, stand up, stand up. I don't care about that. You know I'm a former adventurer, right? No, I'm still an adventurer.

　Saying that, he shows the four of them a golden guild card. These kids have been fooled once. I don't know if this will prove it.

''Gold.........''
Wow....
We're slaying dragons and golems and big demons and...
You'll be so proud of your father...

　Apparently, they believe me. These kids are basically a good-natured bunch. If you believe in anything, you will get hurt. I've already been hurt, huh?
　The four of them stiffly introduced themselves to me. All of them are from a village called Puton in Regulus, and they all seem to have come to this country together.
　The boy with the short spear 《Shortspear》 and the scale armor 《Scale Mail》 is Lop.
　The girl with the iron sword and leather armor is Fran.
　The boy who wears the short bow and leather armor is Klaus.
　The girl with the wand and the robe is Ion.
　The image of each of them is that Rop is the straightforward one, Fran is the spirited one, Klaus is the chairman, and Ion is the poofy one. It's a bit of a worrying party.

And what are you going to do with it? Of course, you're going to help those adventurers who are being held captive.
'Right. Now that we know where the slave ship is, let's go aboard and eradicate it.
Oh, um! Is there anything we can do to help?
Hey, hey, Fran!

　Fran, the girl swordsman, calls out to Klaus, who is in a hurry, beside him.
　Hmm, it's good that you're willing to do it. To be honest, I'm not sure if a newcomer to adventuring is useful.
　I'd like to give him some experience and train him, but now, what to do?

''The people you're dealing with are slave traders. "They're slave traders. Let me put it this way, but do you think your skills are going to be enough? On the other hand, you'll get caught and that's what will really make you a slave, right?
Ugh....

　Fran looks down in frustration. In terms of age, these kids are above Yumina and Lou, and below the Else Linze sisters, and even I'm not that far away from them.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this in the future. ........Most of it is my fault, though.

''Even these kids can't do combat, but they can do reconnaissance, can't they?
Scouting?

　He raised an eyebrow at the story Leanne had suggested. Scouting...that would be highly dangerous too. If they find you, that's when they might do something terrible to you.......

Scouting means getting caught on purpose and sneaking in. If you can infiltrate the slave ship by pretending to be captured by these guys, then you will know the situation of the other people who are being held, right?
I see. But do you think these guys will listen to me?

　I look at the three of them, limp and paralyzed and unmoving. If you threaten them, they're likely to comply, but I think it will be blatantly on their faces and they'll find out easily.

"Isn't it possible for you to change your appearance if you wear an illusion with Mirage?
Oh, okay.

　Surely that would allow me, disguised as these guys, to take everyone with me to the slave ship. If I can get to the captured adventurers, I might be able to ensure their safety.
　It would be troublesome if the captured adventurers were taken hostage, so it wouldn't be a bad strategy....
　To be honest, it would be quicker if I was the only one to disappear with the Invisible, sneak in, find the place of confinement and rescue them.
　I glance over at the four of them, and they're looking at me with a twinkle in their eyes with excitement. Hmmm. I don't know what to do. Is she at her age for adventure? As long as you're a slave, I don't think they'll treat you roughly because you're a commodity.

'Well, let's try...?'
""Yes!"

　The four energetic voices replied. I wonder if they are okay.