*

After they had all finished their breakfast, we came to the location of the slum that Lena had told me.

As a gray area in the royal capital, the slums are a good hiding place.

"Captain, is this the case?"

"Well, I guess that's right here."

Looking at the area, which was significantly different from the style of the royal capital's buildings, I nodded.

If I were the killer, I would definitely choose this place as my hideout.

"Sophia, do you feel the breath of the prisoner from before?"

"Well, I can smell him, right in front of here."

"Great, I'll bother you to lead the way."

With Sophia here, it's only a matter of time before the killer is caught.

But as soon as we entered the slum, we were stopped.

"Little girls over there, what are you doing here?"

A few vicious-looking, tattered-clad men blocked our way.

"A friend of mine is sick and I want to visit him."

"Friends? How can our people here have anything to do with you aristocrats? ”

"No, we're not nobles, we're just ordinary commoners."

Maybe our clothes look a lot like the eldest lady and they misunderstood, but how do I look at it, it's also an adventurer's outfit, right?

"That's right...... Hmph, then you guys go and go back quickly. ”

"Thank you very much!"

I bowed to the uncles.

"Keep up and don't get too scattered."

I always feel that this place is not as simple as it seems, and it can only be said to be very suspicious.

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but speed up my pace.

"Miss Suzuki, that ......"

"What's wrong, Harina?"

But as soon as I turned around, I noticed that several men had knives on Hauna's neck, smiling at us.

"Prepare for battle!"

I patted the few people who were still walking forward and reminded.

"What's wrong, Captain? Eh!! How did Harina-chan get caught? ”

"Not good, Suzuki, they're all thieves and have the skill of hiding their breath."

Thief?

That means there may be other enemies around.

"Damn! Careless...... Be careful, there may be enemies around. ”

"Little girls, what are you doing here?"

The leading thief came over and accosted us.

"What to do, Captain, his smile is disgusting!"

Although Suzuki's smile is sometimes more disgusting than his...... Can I just eliminate him? ”

"It has nothing to do with you, let go of my companion!"

Ignoring the complaints of the two, I yelled at the thief.

"Yo, don't be so cold...... Wouldn't we be able to communicate well? ”

"What a communication! Don't come and waste my time! Hinako, on! ”

"Understood! FireBall！ ”

The fireball that appeared out of thin air immediately smashed into the thief.

"Hey, hey, are you mistaken? I have your hostages in my hands, huh? ”

"Harina, are you alright?"

"Well, I'm fine."

"Damn! When was it rescued? ”

When I was talking to the thief, I motioned with my hand for Nana to save Harina.

Of course, I didn't forget to use a magic that could reduce her breath, and Nana took the opportunity to get around and defeat several thieves who trapped Haruna without any effort.

"Accept your fate!"

"......Shh You're in luck this time! ”

Bang –

Something like a smoke bomb exploded, and the white smoke that filled the air obscured our view.

"Ahem......"

"Ahem...... Don't fall apart, let's hold a little tighter! ”

By the time the smoke cleared, the thieves had run away without a trace.

"Let them run away ......"

"It doesn't matter, they're not our main target. Let's get out of here, I always feel like there's something strange here. ”

"Well, that's exactly what I said."

"Human, I can feel the breath of that person in the front room."

Sophia stopped in front of a dilapidated thatched house.

"Good, ready to fight! Hinako and Harina go to investigate the situation. ”

"Yes!"

"Understood."

Hinako and Harina leaned side by side towards the thatched house.

"Nana is always ready to help, and so is Sophia."

"Yes, Suzuki-san."

"......Shh What a hassle. ”

Hinako tiptoed against the door.

(No sound)

I read this from Hinako's mouth shape and gestures.

No sound?

Isn't he here? No, Sophia said she was here.

(Go inside and have a look)

I made a forward gesture to Hinako.

At my command, she gently pushed the door open and cautiously poked her head in.

"Always ready to cover!"

In the end, Hinako walked in all of herself.

"Huh?! How come there is nothing? ”

Hinako's grumbling was heard inside the house.

"Let's go! Check it out! ”

I rushed into the house first.

Just like what Hinako and Harina saw, there was nothing in the house, and it was like an abandoned empty house.

"How so?"

"Sophia, can you be sure he's here?"

"Well, I can still smell him."

"But there's nothing here."

"Wait...... There is one more possibility! ”

A lot of experience has taught me that there is only one solution now, and that is the existence of secret doors.

I'm sure there's going to be some mechanism here, like some bricks on the wall...... But it seems to be a thatched house.

Then it must be on the ground.

"Everyone, kick the weeds on the ground a little, there may be a secret door or mechanism on the ground."

"Huh...... Organs? It's a possibility. ”

"Then I'll help too."

"Nana is here too!"

So all of us lay on the ground and found the mechanism and the secret door.

"It hurts."

"Suzuki, you ......"

"Ahh That, that, I didn't mean to! ”

Sou was so involved that he accidentally bumped into Hoshino's ass.

She turned her head to glare at me with a flushed face.

"Stay away from me, pervert!"

"Sorry! I'll get out! ”

I immediately took two steps back.

"Huh? What is it? ”

Thundered.

There was a slightly different touch in my hand, and as soon as I pushed a little harder, there was a loud noise in the room.

A dark tunnel appeared before our eyes.

There really is a mechanism, and it seems that the previous efforts have not been in vain.

"That's amazing!"

"Sister Suzuki is amazing!"

"Hey, hey, I'm lucky, too. Let's go down and have a look. ”

"Hmm!"

Our formation was still the same as before, with Nana and Harina in front, Sofia and Nana close behind, and finally me and Hoshino.

Wait, are we missing someone?

Speaking of which, I don't seem to have seen her in the first place?!

It can't be in danger, right?

……