Welcome to the Special-Grade Guild! ~ The Beloved Elf Poster Girl Soothes Everyone’s Hearts ~
Chapter 178

178. A Dire Situation

To our relief, Ravi-san returned before sunset as if nothing had happened. I was relieved, but… Ravi-san!? Y-Your hair…!

“Ah… Well, I was put on a wanted list, so I cut it.”

Her ponytail was gone, her hair now chopped short, barely reaching her shoulders. “Does it look strange?” she asked, scratching her head with a shy laugh. She didn’t seem too bothered, but…

“Eh, w-w-Meg?”

I couldn’t say anything and ended up clinging to her waist. Even Licht and Ronny were speechless, just staring in shock.

“Ravi-san, you did nothing wrong!”

An apology wouldn’t be right, neither would thanks. Pity would be wrong, and anger even more so. I didn’t know what to say, so that’s all I could manage.

There are women with short hair in this world, even on the human continent, so I don’t think there’s any deep meaning behind cutting your hair… But still, I felt a bit uneasy about her suddenly cutting off her long, beautiful hair for a disguise. I’m sure Ravi-san doesn’t mind, but still. Still! I unconsciously tightened my grip on her.

“Ahh… I didn’t want to make you make that face…”

Ravi-san must be smiling with a troubled look on her face right now. And then she patted my head. Why am I the one being comforted? Ravi-san’s so strong…

“Hair grows back quickly, don’t worry about it. See? It’s the same length as yours now, right?”

Even her words are kind.

I’m sure the best way I can repay her is by safely returning home. And then.

“Ravi-san, once I’m safely back on the Demon Continent, come with me! I’ll ask evewyone at the guild!”

I said this, my face buried in her waist. Now that she’s on the wanted list, Ravi-san will have to live in hiding on the human continent. That’s not okay! It’s not okay for her to make sacrifices for us!

“…Ah, that’s a tempting offer. I’ll think about it. Thank you.”

Ravi-san’s eyes seemed a bit moist. That’s why I’m determined to somehow convince Dad and the others, I thought.

Gathering in Licht’s room, we listened to Ravi-san’s report. …My report? I got scolded thanks to Licht’s snitching. Ravi-san’s quiet anger was terrifying…! Uu, I won’t do it again~!

“It seems that the knights dispatched from the Eastern Castle were headed straight for this city. It’s no wonder they caught up to us so quickly, considering we were going through all those villages.”

Ravi-san figured that they must have decided there was a high probability we’d stop here, since it’s a large city. And also because of the number of personnel. She figured they were probably sending out knights in all directions, a few at a time. This country is incredibly vast, so it’s not like they didn’t have the manpower.

My reaction to that was, “Seriously!?” To think they’d put that much effort into finding us children. I wonder if it’s because they used a lot of money, effort, and magic power to use that teleportation magic circle. I shuddered, sensing their determination.

“There’s more bad news. It seems that knights from other castles have also been dispatched to search for us. In other words, it’s not just the East acting on their own.”

At that piece of bad news, Licht and Ronny both paled. I must be the same. It was that shocking.

Because it means this whole country has become our enemy.

It means this plan to get their hands on children with magic power is the will of the country, Tortiga. It means that they’re acknowledging this illicit human trafficking, of non-criminals, behind the scenes.

“Is that… really okay!?”

Ravi-san, at my unintentional words, crossed her arms and groaned.

“It’s possible that they’re not after you for trafficking.”

“Not for trafficking…? Then why are they targeting us? It doesn’t make sense for a country to go this far…”

“That’s why.”

Ravi-san quickly cut Licht off.

“I don’t think they’d go this far just to sell you. It would be a huge loss, I don’t think they’d mobilize the knights just to get three children back, even if they are valuable.”

It’s true… it makes sense. When she says that, it does make sense… But would they really make a profit by mobilizing so many knights to capture us?

“I’m sure they have something in mind. What they’re planning to do with you after they capture you. They’re not just trying to sell you, I’m sure they’re planning to make you do something…!”

“Something…?”

Ronny spoke up when Licht, furrowing his brow, asked this.

“Something that involves… using magic.”

Magic. That’s right, it has to be. If it wasn’t, they wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of selecting those with magic power and teleporting them. And it cost them a lot of magic power. Because there would have been many more children, if they were targeting anyone with even a little bit of magic power. They would have teleported many more from the Demon Continent.

“So the country wants us, or rather… a lot of magic power.”

“I think that’s the closest to the truth.”

Silence fell upon us. We’d been traveling leisurely, but it seems like the situation is more serious than we’d thought.

But, you know?

“We’re still heading for the mine, as quickly as possible, wight?”

That’s right, our goal hasn’t changed. We’ll need to be careful about the route, and more cautious, but basically, all we need to do is get to the mines as quickly as possible. …Of course, we’re not sure if we’ll be able to go to the Demon Continent from there, but with Ronny, maybe they’ll let us stay there for a while.

“Yeah, that’s right. None of the knights here noticed Ravi or Meg, so it’s been proven that those disguises work.”

“Yeah, nothing’s changed.”

Licht and Ronny agreed. To cheer myself up, I tried to smile.

“Fufu, you guys are so reliable! Alright, let’s eat dinner before it gets crowded, then get to bed early! And then we’ll leave first thing in the morning. Licht, will your magic power recover?”

“Hmm, well, I think so. Worst case, I might have to ask Meg for some of that medicine…”

“No pwobwem! It’s not that much of a burden on your body, as long as you don’t keep taking it every day!”

But still, it’s not good to keep taking it, so we promised that it would be a one-time thing. He might recover if he eats and sleeps properly! It’s just insurance.

We reaffirmed our plan and determination, and immediately headed down to the dining area for dinner.

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