BXBX NOVEL Chapter 30
Morning.
Just as I was preparing to open shop, the door was opened violently and the doorbell rang loudly.
“Re-Red!”
“Red-san!”
The Carpenter Gonz and Tanta’s mother Nao flew into the shop.
The Half-Elf pair were trembling with pale complexions.
“Gonz and Nao, what’s wrong?”
“Ta-Tanta was taken away by the guards!”
“What?”
Tanta was!?
“What should we do ... our people went to the guard station but they won’t even let us see him.”
Even Nao with her nerves of steel was feeling uneasy knowing that her son was taken.
“Please calm down first, why was Tanta taken away?”
Summarizing the story I connected together through their shaky words and my occasional questions, I found that the two of them did not see Tanta get taken in the first place.
Since morning, Tanta was helping Grandma Alma, a dwarf Half-human, or in other words, a Half-Dwarf, weed the garden at her house in Downtown.
About seven in the morning, the guards stormed into Alma’s home. They pushed aside the surprised Alma and dragged Tanta, who was in the garden, away without saying any reason or seeking his consent.
The Mido couple Gonz and Nao heard the story from Alma.
“Did they actually not explain their reason?”
“Grandma Alma said that ...”
” ... I also wish to hear the story from Grandma Alma.”
“Bu-but, in that time, something might happen to Tanta ...!”
In the first place, torturing a person is for the sake of getting them to confess something.
I don’t believe Tanta have anything to hide and there shouldn’t be a reason to torture him.
Nevertheless, I must do something as soon as possible.
At that moment, I heard footsteps behind me.
“I heard that Tanta was taken by the guards?”
” ... Al.”
His tone was calm but the look in the young man’s eyes was extremely tough.
His training use Shotel was fastened to his waist.
☆☆
A ‘Closed’ plate was hung on the shop door while Lit, Al and I walked in the streets of Downtown.
Rumors had spread like wildfire in Downtown.
All families were not doing any work at all as they worriedly talked about Tanta.
Alma was a rare Half-Dwarf in Zoltan.
Dwarves were a race that originated from the Dark Continent but a portion of them had migrated to the mountains of icy wilderness in the Northern area of the Avalon Continent and created a Kingdom to live in.
To the West of where we lived was a Dwarf city, constructed on Sir Beard Mountain (Knight Beard Mountain), governed by generations of Dwarf Earls, after a Dwarf saved a young Princess who was kidnapped by an Ash Dragon and received the Earl peerage and land as a reward from the King.
Alma was the daughter born from a female Peddler from Sir Beard Mountain who eloped with a Dwarf man.
Currently, she lives alone without any family but perhaps because her height similar to those of children endeared her to most Downtown children, there would always be some family’s children at her house.
Alma always complained that they were too noisy but she always made baked sweets with a look that she was enjoying it and taught the children games like horseshoe toss.
“Ah, Red-chan! It’s terrible!”
“Calm down, I’ll go talk to the guards after this. For now, could you tell me what happened?”
Grandma Alma’s small body was trembling as tears floated in her round black eyes.
“Tanta was taken away by the guards! Such a good child ... even though I should have protected him! I’m so ashamed of myself!”
I’ll have to let Alma calm down first.
In that case,
“O Light Spirits who dispels the darkness of frenzy”
Lit cast a spell from behind me. It was a Spirit Magic meant for mental ailments like Confusion, Panic, and Berserk.
A ball that emanated faint light appeared and softly floated around Alma.
That was a Light Spirit.
“A-ah ...”
After watching the light appear, Alma finally calmed down and started recounting the incident.
☆☆
“I’m here to visit Tanta.”
I said to the guard standing at the entrance to the guard military station.
“Who are you guys? Tanta? That Elf kid? He’s under investigation today so come back tomorrow. Take that man sitting there as well and go back.”
Turning to where he was pointing, I saw Tanta’s father, the Carpenter Mido, sitting there with an indignant expression.
I took out a document from my shirt.
“This is an official request made through the Adventurers Guild. It is an investigation request for the assault case in South Marsh. I heard from Alma that Tanta has been detained for that case. We have the right to be present in the Guard’s investigation. I wish that we can settle the case together.”
“What?”
The guard skeptically took the document from me to confirm it.
His half smile expression from the beginning immediately disappeared and subsequently paled when he saw the undersigned name.
“Party member Lit ... the Hero Lit!? The requester is Executive Garadin from the Adventurers Guild!?”
Garadin was the tall adventurer who got into a dispute with Lit in front of my shop in the past.
He was from Downtown so he was acquainted with Alma.
Even if he currently lived in Congress Street, that man was still brought up in Downtown. Even though Zoltan was only made up of hopelessly lazy people, whenever their comrades were in danger, they would prioritize it over all other issues and would become a force to reckon.
After Garadin heard the story from Alma and Lit, he immediately prepared the documents and gave us the right to participate in Tanta’s inquiry.
Although he might have an ulterior motive by including the Hero Lit, who can resolve any issue that shakes the town, inside the request.
However, he stopped me when we were leaving the Adventurers Guild.
“Please do not let Grandma Alma feel sad. I’ll be relying on you.”
I was convinced that there was no falsehood in those words.
The guard glanced at our faces.
He gave an amiable smile but neither of us showed a glimmer of a smile.
“I-I’ll call my superior over so please wait for a while!”
The entrance guard hurriedly dashed into the military station.
“This is a good town.”
Lit said. I also nodded.
“Yup.”
The whole Downtown was worried about a single Half-Elf child who lived in Downtown.
It was a good town.
☆☆
“Tanta!”
“Father!”
“Are you all right!? Did they do anything to you?”
“I’m fine!”
Mido ran to Tanta’s side and hugged him before he checked that Tanta was unhurt.
As expected, Tanta was not injured at all.
When we were brought over, he only had some signs of rope burn from having his hands tied.
I applied ointment on Tanta’s abrasion.
“Although I was shocked when I was suddenly arrested, I was not hurt in any way. Ademi’s father also apologized and said that he didn’t intend for this.”
Tanta was in a room in the military station.
The door was locked and the window was so small that a child would not be able to squeeze through it but it was an ordinary room with a chair, a table and a wooden jug with water in it.
“Ademi’s father asked me all kinds of questions to find out if I have any clue as to Ademi’s whereabouts. He’s also worried about Ademi.”
“As expected ... !”
So it was an unfounded rumor that Ademi was being sheltered by the guards after all.
I’ll have to hear the side of the story from Ademi’s father, the Guard Captain, as well.