"Heeheeheeheehee!!!!! I have now transcended even Her Majesty's laws!!!!!!"
"Uwaaaah!!! Hand our boss over to usssss!!!!!"
".......Huh?"
".......Eh?"
The two who burst in through the wall—namely, the fairy horse I had hired last time and Miss Ainsel in the cart he pulled—left Capris and Baban Si speechless.
"W-wait, what is this, ugh?!!"
The loan shark who had been aiming a crossbow was buried under the debris from the shattered wall, and as a bonus, the crossbow he had been holding went clattering across the floor.
"Um... sorry, but do you know who we are...?"
"Ah, yes. Friends I traveled with? No, employees? Something like that, I suppose..."
"Mooheehee. Pleased to meet you. I am Holstein, a new species that has transcended the limits of the fairy race."
".....????"
"Th-that... please ignore what he says. He's a fairy horse, so he's just like that... haha... Ah, I'm Ainsel."
"...A-ah, yes. I'm Baban Si."
Haha, what a pretty name. Haha, yours is too. Hahaha. Do you have any more fish-shaped pastries? We've run out of filling. Wait, it's already gone? Mr. Holstein got really into them... haha....
And so, while still not understanding the situation, they each exchanged awkward, bizarre conversation. A collapsed wall? A loan shark pinned under rubble? Fighting outside? No idea. We didn't even understand this situation ourselves, so what were we supposed to do?
After talking like that for a few minutes,
"Y-you damn fools!!! Kuhak?!!"
"Oh? And what are you doing now?"
"Can't you see I'm pinned because of you lot?!!!"
Fortunately, the loan shark, who had survived being crushed under the wall rubble, got up and shouted something while pretending to fire his crossbow. But...
"...Huh, what? My crossbow, where's my crossbow?"
"Aha—are you perhaps talking about this?"
Clack, I mimed loading an arrow.
Honestly, you should always have something like this for self-defense. A heated iron plate was way too heavy and too hot, after all.
"..........Huh?"
"...When did you take that...?"
"I picked up the one he dropped when that friend of yours got crushed earlier. Looks like the bow is good, even if the arrows aren't..."
With a grin, I applied silent pressure.
So, are you going to shut up after getting hit by this bow, or are you just going to shut up? The Queen's knights wandering around outside are making enough noise already, and that makes me a little uneasy.
"...I-I'll shut up... haha, love and peace, love and peace!"
"G-ood choice. Haha, love and peace, love and peace."
Hahaha, hahaha, hahahahahaha!
"...Then,"
If I thought about it a little, this was the perfect opportunity in many ways.
The companions who had disappeared had returned, there was a fairy nearby I could at least exchange greetings with, and although the sound of us smashing through the wall had somehow been glossed over, the Queen's knights and the lord's forces were outside the closed door, purging the criminals.
Of course, if this scene were discovered, it would be a little troublesome.
There would be an investigation to hear the details, and even if Baban Si testified and this loan shark pinned under the rubble were offered up as a sacrifice, we might still end up suspected of helping the criminals escape.
And above all, if those notoriously strict Queen's knights found out I was human, this would go beyond complicated and straight into the territory of needing to change my body and face completely.
So, it was about time to leave.
".......Haa...... so that's how it is after all... Baban Si."
"Ah, yes!"
"This may be rude, but... would you perhaps consider coming with us?"
So, before leaving, there was one thing I had to say.
With a serious expression, I spoke, and neither I nor Baban Si, nor the young lady, nor even Holstein said a word.
Baban Si was the one being asked in the first place, the young lady was silent as if she already knew the outcome through her peculiar foresight, and Holstein was making a "????" face, but he was good at reading the room.
The only thing they had in common was that all of them looked as though they were wondering why I was suddenly saying this.
But I felt I had to say it.
You can call it hypocrisy if you like. You can criticize me for not consulting the others. You can say I was acting without thinking it through. But to this fairy, and to this fairy alone, I couldn't not say it.
This freezing-cold Darlington not only slapped absurd markups on prices at will, but also treated Baban Si with collective ostracism and harassment as though the entire street had conspired together.
Even when that fire broke out, no one came to warn Baban Si or help her. That was how cruel the treatment was.
It wasn't just selfishness. It was as if they were looking at her as something entirely different from themselves.
...So, yes. At the very least, not here. Wherever you go, it'll be better than this damned city. You can live while enjoying the rights you deserve, too. So—
"No, thank you for the offer, but I can't do that. I'm 'Baban Si,' after all."
"...........Ah, I see. An obligation passed down from your ancestors."
"Yes. And besides, I made a promise with the lord here as well... haha, so even for that reason, I can't go with you..."
With that, Baban Si lifted the corners of her mouth and smiled, her eyes narrowing. There was a trace of regret in it.
I see. If that's what she decided, then there was nothing to be done. I've always thought that in matters like this, the person's own opinion matters most. If that's how she felt, then there was no way for me to change it.
"I understand. In that case... thank you for feeding us, giving us a place to sleep, and coming all the way out here, Baban Si. I sincerely hope we meet again someday."
"Yes, and thank you too for keeping me company like this, and for saving me from that fire. I hope we meet again as well!"
"Haha, thank you. Then..."
Now I turned to the young lady and Holstein standing behind me.
The young lady simply nodded without saying anything, while Holstein stared blankly for a moment before understanding the situation and snorting as he kicked his legs.
Good, then...
"All right, let's go! Please be happy, Baban Si!"
"Ah, and thank you so, so much for coming to help this boss! Baban Si!"
"Puhihing, I don't really understand what this is, but thank you, Baban Si!"
"Ah, yes!! Capris, Ainsel, and Holstein too, please all take care!! Thank you!!!"
As we climbed onto the cart, we exchanged smiles and thanks. And once our farewells were done, Holstein kicked off powerfully and began running toward the destination we had originally been headed for.
Cambridge.
As an aside, Baban Si's face, lit by the brilliant sunlight, was shining brighter than any expression I had ever seen on her before.
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