Absolutely Do Not Touch Eldmia Egga – Chapter 16

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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After repeatedly instructing Lagnis not to go outside the inn, I roughly asked for Alisha’s understanding and decided to stay at the inn for a while.

When I told her that I was going to keep an eye on things because it seemed there was trouble with the back-alley punks, the lady who burst into a string of curses while holding a kitchen knife readily gave me a room.

Of course, reporting to Asirye was the top priority, so I rode my horse straight home. I couldn’t even remember the last time I had ridden at full speed like this.

“I thought it had been quiet for a while.”

Asirye’s face, holding her temples, started to fill with worry.

“Don’t worry. I won’t die. I won’t kill them either. If I kill them in this kind of problem, they might find fault.”

“How do you really… No. You’re right. You’re judging well. So this time, just focus on being careful.”

When I hugged Asirye, who sighed deeply and spread her arms, she slowly opened her mouth after a brief pause.

“Once you’re entangled in the factional strife of nobles, you should never take it lightly. Once they target someone, they’ll try to take them even if they have to order a knight to do it. I agree because I know better than anyone that your beliefs are sustaining you now.”

“I know.”

“Honestly, I want to run right away, search thoroughly, and help, but my little brother wouldn’t want that, right?”

“Yeah. That’s right.”

Now she’s playing the role of my nanny, but in the end, she was an adventurer and at the same time an elf who had lived for over a century.

What I had learned from her so far was literally focused on general knowledge and survival skills encompassing all aspects of life. Combat-related things were extremely small in comparison.

Her specialty, magic, was a weak area for me, spirit arts couldn’t be used for killing in combat against humans, and she didn’t know much about swordsmanship.

At most, she would tell me what was good when I cobbled together the knowledge and basics I had from my previous life and taught me a little bit of the swordsmanship used by elves.

Even though I had the characteristic of burning mana to strengthen my body, I was extremely lacking in technical aspects, and naturally, I could say that I was much weaker than her. It was natural that her mere presence next to me would serve as a deterrent, no matter who came looking.

However, that would make her face known as a person involved. I couldn’t let her directly take actions that might turn the nobles of a kingdom into enemies when we have no idea what could happen in the future.

I didn’t have the hobby of driving my savior into danger.

“Levi’s birthday is in half a month, so if they want to make a move, they’ll do it within that time. I’ll finish it quickly and come back.”

“Half a month… Actually, there’s not that much leeway. Wouldn’t their goal be to announce it in their favor from the position of a guardian while having the underage Levi? Even if you ride a horse to Laheira, which has transport wyverns, and take the fastest wyvern, it would take 3 days to reach the capital. Of course, if you change horses and wyverns at each scheduled point, you could get there in a day, but I don’t know if they’ll go that far.”

“Oh.”

Come to think of it, that was true. I almost made a big mistake by overlooking the travel time.

“Even if they’ve finished all the other preparations, I think they’d want to wrap things up within a week from their standpoint.”

“You’re right, sis. Thanks to that, we’re in a slightly more advantageous position.”

“Hoho. That’s right. The side that gets impatient is bound to make mistakes.”

I almost missed something important and proceeded with the matter. Asirye finished the hug, and looked me over again and said,

“Sigh… It’s really amazing. When I used to go on adventures in the past, I would wander alone for a month… Half a month feels really long.”

“It’ll be a week at the earliest. I’ll come back quickly, so cheer up.”

“As if it’s up to you.”

Asirye, who smiled while stroking my hair, saw me off without saying much.

After riding my horse back like that, retrieving the sword I had left with Yance, and purchasing a belt to wear it, when I returned to the inn, the bustling area in front of the inn had been neatly cleaned up.

“Oh my? You even brought a sword?”

Alisha, who was organizing the tables she had lent to the priests of the Holy Cross Society, looked at me as if she was dumbfounded. Even though she must have been tired from standing and cooking since dawn.

“I always carried a sword, didn’t I?”

“Who are you trying to fool? The one you always carried on your back was a practice sword, right? Judging by the way you’re wearing it on your waist, you sharpened the blade or something. It’s a special day indeed.”

When I unknowingly widened my eyes and gaped at her unexpectedly sharp deduction, she snorted and said,

“Your expression is fucking ridiculous. My husband was a swordsman. He died like a swordsman though.”

“I really couldn’t have imagined. Wasn’t sis an adventurer too?”

“That’s right, you bastard.”

“Wow, I really couldn’t have imagined!!”

It’s Lady Alisha’s unimaginable past! I haven’t been this shocked in the past 6 years!

“Stop talking nonsense. Did you eat breakfast?”

“No, not yet.”

“Come and eat. I made extra, so I was going to eat with the kids.”

Following the gesture of Lady Alisha, who was always overflowing with benevolence, I entered and saw about ten children, who had been busy cooking and distributing earlier, all sitting around preparing to eat.

“Huh? Is brother eating with us today?”

“He said he’s staying here for a while. Levi. Later, after eating, show him an empty room. I’m going to give some stew to the priests and come back.”

“Yes, auntie.”

So she’s called auntie among the kids. It’s a series of new facts. Thinking that there were really surprising things happening since the morning, I sat down and the kids kindly took care of this and that for me.

“Brother, have this.”

“Oppa, have this too.”

“This too.”

But they’re trying to give me too much!

“You brats. I can eat by myself. Am I a kid?”

Seeing them take care of me because I solved their food, clothing, and shelter, I could really feel that the kids had some leeway now. Even so, all I did was secure a place for them with a few copper coins, so their kindness was too much.

“By the way, bro. Why are you staying here? Did you get scolded by sis Asirye?”

“Even if I get beaten to death, I would never do anything to get scolded by sis.”

“Then why are you staying here?”

“Levi beat up the back-alley punks who messed with her. I’m keeping an eye on them in case they retaliate.”

It was a joke I made to see Levi jumping up and down in denial, but far from jumping up and down, Levi smirked instead.

Moreover, the smarter boys simultaneously tilted their heads and expressed doubts. Are the boys tilting their heads?

“That can’t be right? Did new guys come or something?”

But that reaction is a bit strange. That can’t be right? Why are they saying that when the punks got beaten up and are grinding their teeth?

“What are you talking about? New guys?”

“No, the back-alley kids don’t touch the inn people?”

“Huh?”

Have I been too indifferent to the village lately? Why do I not know so many things? When I sent a gaze demanding an explanation, the boy chewed on a stew-soaked bread and added an explanation.

“Because you’ve been stirring things up, they don’t even come near this area. Rather, they avoid it.”

Oh no! The little kids laughed when they saw my expression.

“Ah! Bro, you were lying to tease sis Levi, right?”

“What, it was a lie? Eldmia oppa can’t be a mage then!”

The effect of the back-alley belief indoctrination class I occasionally held must have been tremendous. I was surprised by the unexpected answer, but it was already spilled milk. Stroking the giggling little kids, Levi said,

“That’s right. Eldmia oppa is a liar, so he can’t be a mage.”

Kuk…! Levi is… smiling…!

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After getting a hearty meal, I helped with the cleanup and dishes, then took Levi to the adventurers’ guild. As Lagnis readily walked out at my suggestion to go out, she asked,

“Didn’t you tell me not to move from the inn earlier?”

“That’s when I’m not around. From now on, you have to periodically go back and forth on the same path with me for the remaining period.”

“T-together? W-why?”

“So that they realize there’s no opportunity and either give up or make a reckless move.”

Half a month is not a long time to find someone. Of course, it would be crazy if you had to search for someone across the entire kingdom, but if it’s finding someone who wasn’t originally a villager, was a vagrant, or is a vagrant within Ogwen, it’s not that difficult.

Even I could find them without much trouble if a few characteristics matched.

“A place with many eyes. A place where the guards openly strut around. A place with many adventurers. We’ll wander around those places and show that there’s no gap for kidnapping or threats.

It doesn’t matter if they don’t notice your changed appearance, and it doesn’t matter even if they do.”

In the first place, the temple of the Holy Cross Society is right in front of Alisha’s inn. The priests there may look kind and simple, but in the face of injustice, they become fanatic holy warriors.

Tailing and then kidnapping, they’ll crush their heads with bare hands as soon as they’re discovered. Even if there’s a slightly big commotion, they won’t be able to do such a bold thing in front of people who would come out wondering what’s going on.

“Just because there are rumors that they’re looking for you doesn’t guarantee that they haven’t found you yet.

They might have already found you and were just waiting for the right opportunity, and I might have found out before that. Now, what should we do then?”

“W-well?”

“We have to roam outside. Among as many people as possible.”

We need to stay for a long time in a place where we can call for help at the top of our lungs at any time.

Putting my arm around her shoulders and sweeping the air with my palm as if telling her to look at the vast city, I felt Lagnis’s shoulders stiffen in my hand.

“In this town, the only ones who would ignore us if we shout for help are probably the adventurers.”

“Ah!”

Lagnis, who finally understood properly, widened her eyes.

Still, she’s a kid who has lived diligently for 3 years. Moreover, a kid who always works hard, taking on any job.

Ogwen has a lenient atmosphere towards people who work hard. Whether they’re outsiders or other races.

“Well, let’s take this opportunity to eat this and that and look around. I’ll handle the expenses later, so pay me back when you have some leeway after we go back.”

“T-that’s right! Then we s-shouldn’t get separated, so we n-need to stick together!”

“Of course! Let’s act as lovers for a while.”

“L-l-lovers!”

Like a smart kid, she understands as soon as I say it. It’s always a good feeling when communication is smooth, so I grinned and walked down the street with my arm around Lagnis’s shoulders.

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