I Wished for Romance, but it Turned Out to be a Romance Fantasy

EP.44

The one who introduced himself as Jack was prostrated right in front of me.

“W-who would have thought you were a high-ranking member of the Imperial Knight Order!”

“If you didn’t know, does that make the crime non-existent?”

“I’m sorry!”

“Does saying sorry fix anything?”

I spoke to him with the tone used by the senior knights of Brandenburg when teaching the rookies, moving him around as I pleased.

For the moment, I had achieved my objective. It was clear that the poor fool I had caught this time was undoubtedly connected to a crime organization.

Those kinds of people would attempt to kill someone in the heart of the Holy Kingdom. Of course, there were many incidents that happened in this entertainment district, but it wasn’t a place that would simply overlook murder.

However, the fact that they could commit such acts without hesitation meant, without a doubt, that they had a solid backing. They must have had enough confidence that their lives would be spared for them to engage in such activities.

Though, that no longer mattered now. The story had ended at the point where I had been completely robbed and my ambush had failed.

Maria watched Jack as he squirmed on the ground, impressed.

“…This actually works.”

“See? I told you it does.”

Responding like this, I picked up Jack’s crossbow and inspected it. I could sense some magical energy, indicating it was enchanted in some way, though I couldn’t tell what it was. Maria might have known, but I saw no need to ask.

The type of magic these kinds of people would use was clear.

It was likely magic to increase draw weight and enhance the speed and penetrative power of the arrows.

Anyway, even if the crime organization hired a magician, most would be tier-four, meaning they couldn’t use incredibly complicated spells.

A quick glance at Maria’s reaction showed the same. She didn’t seem particularly interested in the crossbow. Considering she must have felt the magic cast upon it, her indifference suggested that it wasn’t anything of significance.

I casually threw the crossbow into a corner and called out to Jack, who was still in a position akin to a downed soldier.

“Hey.”

“Yes, yes!”

“Where are you from?”

“I’m f-from the Empire!”

“I thought as much.”

His accent clearly hinted he hailed from the Empire, and it seemed he indeed did originate from there.

In truth, there were hardly any locals in Osodox. Considering the influx of outsiders into the heart of a religion that engulfed the continent, it was only natural. While people might think of religious folks when it came to foreigners in the capital of the Holy Kingdom, it seemed the situation wasn’t that different for criminals either.

“Then, why are you doing such things here?”

Jack hesitated for a moment, glancing around as he answered.

“To, to support my family—”

“That’s a lie.”

Thwack!

I kicked his shin. Since I was holding back due to being a knight, it wasn’t a full-on kick, but even a light tap on the shin could be excruciating.

“Ahh!”

Jack screamed and rolled on the floor, yelling deliberately loud enough for anyone outside to hear. However, with Maria having cast a silence spell, there was no worry of sound escaping.

“Why do you think it’s a lie?”

Maria seemed genuinely curious about the basis for my judgment.

Well, I didn’t possess any special skill to determine truth from lies just by listening to someone’s words. If I hadn’t known someone for a long time, I wouldn’t even pick up on their habits or quirks—how could I make a judgment?

“If you really cared about your family, you wouldn’t be going all in at a casino.”

“Ah.”

In other words, the moment he brought up family, it confirmed he was lying.

I had met enough people of this kind to have a rough idea of their repertoire, and those who tended to mention family were usually all liars.
“You’re out.”

Moreover, those who boldly lie in front of someone holding their life and death in their hands are inherently untrustworthy.

If they could at least come up with a lie that wouldn’t get them caught, it might be different, but typical con artists like him were just too risky to partner with.

I casually glanced to the side.

‘Especially with someone else around, it’s even more so.’

“What do you mean?”

“There’s something.”

While the truth was irrelevant, if he could come up with something at least convincing enough to satisfy me, I might have considered sparing his life. However, if he’s so openly trying to deceive me, then there was no need for me to rescue him.

“Lead the way. To where you got the crossbow.”

“Cough, I understand.”

Unfortunately, Jack wouldn’t be able to accompany us going forward.

Not every rat living in a sewer is a sewer rat, but it seemed he was just an ordinary sewer rat.

―――

The place Jack guided us to appeared to be an ordinary restaurant at first glance. However, it was clear just by looking.

This was a place with a lot of hidden secrets.

“There’s something inside.”

Maria seemed to sense it too, whispering softly in my ear.

Of course, the building didn’t have a sign saying, “This is a suspicious place.” It would be weirder to hang up such a sign while disguising as a normal structure. Those who would openly advertise themselves as suspicious are typically amateurs looking to attract attention, ready to flee the moment any authority shows up.

Nevertheless, the detection of something unusual was, indeed, due to magical energy.

Despite being a restaurant, there was a palpable aura of magic wafting from beyond the door. If there was this much magic emanating even before entering, it felt like they could probably activate a fifth-tier spell if they pooled their energy together. Considering that from the fourth tier onwards, the required mana to cast spells increases exponentially, that was a staggering amount.

“Are you sure this is the right place?”

“Yes, yes!”

“It would be good to speak the truth. If this goes well, I might just return the money you staked.”

With that, the sound of him swallowing hard echoed, and his body stiffened. From earlier observations, threats of death didn’t faze him much. After all, if he couldn’t recover the money, the outcome of dying was already guaranteed.

So I tossed out a bait. The effect was immediate.

“Y-yes, this is definitely the right place! If you’re still unsure, I can go in first!”

It seemed he was telling the truth after all.

Gaining confidence, I whispered to Maria.

“Can the barrier magic you showed me last time cover both of us?”

“I can adjust the area of effect while chanting. Although it might be a bit challenging if we’re too far apart…”

“That should be fine.”

I moved close enough for our shoulders to touch.

“Is this close enough?”

“Yes.”

Maria seemed accustomed to my sudden approach, not flinching this time. I was a bit disappointed.

“Can you be ready and cast it as soon as I give the signal?”

Maria paused for a moment in thought.

“Well, I’ve never done that before…”

She glanced at Jack from the corner of her eye, reached out with her hands at an angle he couldn’t see, and began to cast a spell.

“―――, ――――.”

Then she quickly muttered something and stopped. I could feel the change too. The mana surged in a bulk, as if stuck in something, and then it remained stationary.

After maintaining that state for about thirty seconds, Maria spoke again.

“Fireball.”

Whoosh.

A small yet intensely hot flame burst forth, gone in an instant, but I could almost feel the scorch.

“It’s possible. While the mana will deplete as I hold the spell in place, I think I can maintain it for about ten minutes.”
“That’s enough.”

With this, all the preparations were complete.

We entered the building with Jack leading the way. The interior was, quite literally, an ordinary restaurant. Maria looked puzzled.

“Isn’t this just a restaurant…?”

It was certainly a valid question. There were many people who appeared quite normal and ordinary dining there—a couple, a family of four, an elderly couple—individuals who would be hard to suspect.

And it was precisely this misunderstanding that they capitalized on.

“Just because they’ve disguised it as a restaurant doesn’t mean they’re actually running one.”

As if to prove my point, Jack placed an order with the staff.

“One pineapple pizza, please.”

Clearly, that was a menu item that didn’t exist. The name was so bizarre that it even made Maria grimace.

“Pineapple pizza, really?”

Fortunately, this world seemed to have escaped the clutches of that wicked Canadian invention. Kudos to Maria for her noble background, I silently applauded her.

Before long, the waiter approached us. However, he grimaced upon seeing Jack’s face.

At that moment, I realized.

This guy is the one who handed over the crossbow.

As soon as my certainty solidified, I stood up and upended the table with a loud crash.

“What kind of service is this?!”

“Guh?!”

The waiter was taken aback by the sudden turn of events. All eyes in the restaurant turned towards me.

“What are you doing…?”

Maria was no exception. She seemed even more startled, as she had been preparing to cast the barrier at my signal.

“Get the owner out here!”

I continued to wreak havoc.

But, just like everyone else, he couldn’t react quickly to an unexpected situation. Judging from his experience with various types of humans, this might be the first time he faced a ruckus due to a clandestine operation instead of regular restaurant business.

He stammered, trying to subdue me.

That was the reaction I had hoped for.

“Oh my! The waiter is trying to exert strength over a customer! Never in my life did I expect to be disrespected by such a lowly individual!”

As I proclaimed this, I shoved the waiter away and hurled a chair.

“Ah!”

Though it went flying into an empty space, the whole situation was already far from normal. The customers screamed and hurriedly fled the restaurant.

Multiple people rushed out, trying to calm me down, but a Sword Expert isn’t someone you could easily restrain with a few ordinary folks.

Soon, what seemed to be guards rushed in wielding clubs. They were probably alerted by another waiter. As their numbers increased, Jack’s face turned pale.

“Stay calm!”

Without hesitation, they charged at me, swinging their clubs.

“Oh no!”

The initial waiter who came to greet us shouted.

He must have realized something was off.

Confirming that people were fleeing, he started fighting back against the ruffians while subtly glancing at the staff.

‘He seems to have some awareness.’

Watching his comrades fall one by one, he dashed inside. Not outside, but inward.

It was as if he clearly understood what he needed to do.

Looks like I just found a candidate for the one to take with me.