ISEKAI? More like I See Crap!-Chapter 56: Shadows in the Crowd ( )

Ellyn’s ears twitched.

For a split second, her sharp eyes flickered toward the crowd.

Someone was watching her.

No—

Following her.

Without hesitation, she grabbed Hazuki’s hand and pulled him forward.

"Uncle, let’s go eat. I’m hungry."

Hazuki stumbled a bit, confused by the sudden urgency.

"Huh? What’s with the rush?"

Ellyn kept walking, not looking back.

"Umm... nothing. I’m just really hungry."

Hazuki narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Haaaa... fine. Where do you want to eat?"

Ellyn gripped his hand tighter.

"Just follow me."

Hazuki shrugged.

"Oh... okay?"

But—

"Why do I feel like something weird is going on...?"

As they hurried through the town, the figure in the crowd subtly adjusted their path...

And continued following.

The mysterious figure moved faster, weaving through the crowd.

Ellyn’s heart pounded, but she kept her face calm.

She didn’t want Hazuki to notice.

"They found me..."

She gripped Hazuki’s hand tighter, trying to suppress her fear.

She had to act normal.

"Uncle?"

Hazuki turned to her, oblivious.

"Yes?"

Ellyn smiled softly, pretending nothing was wrong.

"What do you want to eat?"

Hazuki tilted his head.

"Hmm? I just ate, but I guess I could go for some meat."

Ellyn nodded.

"Ohh... okay..."

But her eyes kept shifting behind them.

The figure was getting closer.

Her grip on Hazuki’s hand tightened.

Then—

The figure suddenly moved—charging straight at Hazuki.

But—

"Oi, Wheelbarrow Guy!!!"

A loud, familiar voice boomed through the street.

Hazuki froze.

"You running from us, huh!?"

The two guards from the town gate had found him.

Ellyn immediately felt relief wash over her.

The figure stopped mid-charge.

Then—

They turned and disappeared into the crowd, retreating.

Ellyn exhaled silently, her grip on Hazuki finally relaxing.

The guards patted Hazuki’s shoulder, grinning.

"We were waiting at the tavern, you know. Thought you ditched us!"

Hazuki groaned.

"Damn it, I was gonna come later!"

Ellyn remained quiet.

But—

Her eyes subtly scanned the crowd one last time.

The figure was gone.

For now.

One of the guards grinned slyly, crossing his arms.

"Oho~ You kidnapped a kid, huh? Come on, Wheelbarrow Guy~ That’s a crime~"

Hazuki choked.

"HELL NO! SHE’S MY—"

Before he could finish, Ellyn suddenly stepped forward.

She smiled sweetly and gave a polite bow.

Then—

She spoke in the most innocent voice possible.

"My name is Ellyn."

She raised her left hand, showing off the shimmering ring on her finger.

"I’m his fiancée."

Silence.

Then—

"OHHHHH!!!"

The guards exchanged knowing glances.

"The Pinky Promise couple, huh?"

They grinned at Hazuki.

"Damn, Wheelbarrow Guy, you’re locked in for life."

Hazuki’s eye twitched violently.

"H-HEY! STOP MAKING IT SOUND LIKE THAT!!!"

One of the guards sighed dramatically, patting Hazuki’s shoulder.

"Well, we’re both thirsty, you know~"

The other nodded, rubbing his throat.

"Yeah... since you’re so lucky, why don’t you treat us to a drink?"

Hazuki clutched his head in pure frustration.

As he groaned over being extorted again—

One of the guards suddenly nudged the other, whispering.

"Hey."

The other guard glanced over.

"Hmm?"

"Be casual."

The second guard grinned.

"Oho~"

Hazuki tilted his head, completely confused.

"Hmm? What are you two whispering about?"

Then—

"HYAAAAARRRHHH!!!"

The first guard SUDDENLY tackled a man nearby, pinning him down.

Hazuki jumped back in shock.

"What the—!?"

The man struggled.

"No! I’m innocent!!!"

The second guard leaned down, smirking.

"Oh really?"

He patted the guy down, pulling out a blade, then another blade, then a dagger, then another dagger... and finally—

A small pouch of coins.

The guard held it up, shaking it.

"Oho~ Lucky~~ This is crime money!"

The other guard grinned.

"Yeah! That means it belongs to us now!"

The first guard pulled out his whistle and blew it loudly.

Within seconds, more guards arrived, surrounding the area.

"This guy is suspicious! He’s carrying poison blades, illegal weapons, and a whole arsenal under his coat!"

The newly arrived guards quickly restrained the man.

"Yes, sir!"

As the suspicious man was dragged away, the first guard dusted off his hands and turned back to Hazuki.

"Ah, sorry, Wheelbarrow Guy! Looks like we’ve got important business now."

The second guard patted Hazuki’s shoulder with a big smile.

"Guess we’ll take that drink later. But don’t worry... we’re going to enjoy this."

Hazuki watched as the two guards grinned at their newly acquired ’confiscated’ money.

He sighed deeply.

"Yeah, yeah... have fun, you damn thieves."

The first guard smirked, tossing the coin pouch in his hand.

"Hey~ don’t blame us, Wheelbarrow Guy."

The second guard nodded, grinning.

"Yeah, we have the right to take any suspicious money."

The first guard pointed at the suspect being dragged away.

"Besides, this guy said he was innocent, but look at all the weapons he had!"

The second guard crossed his arms.

"Poisoned blades. Illegal daggers. A whole damn arsenal. And this much money?"

He grinned wider.

"I’d say he’s a hired assassin."

The first guard shrugged dramatically.

"Yeah! And that means we, as guards, have the right to take anything we find suspicious."

Hazuki facepalmed.

"Yeah, yeah... and how much of that suspicious stuff is going straight into your pockets?"

The guards both whistled innocently, looking away.

"We don’t know what you’re talking about."

"Yeah, we’re just doing our jobs."

The first guard smirked, casually tossing the coin pouch up and catching it.

"Well, it’s not like he had ’the money’ when we first grabbed him."

The second guard nodded, grinning.

"Right! When we tackled him, all he had were weapons." frёewebnoѵēl.com

Hazuki raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? So where did that big pouch of coins suddenly come from, huh?"

The guards both coughed, quickly switching topics.

"Ahem! You’re our witness, right?" The first guard turned to Ellyn with a sly grin.

The second guard gave her a thumbs-up.

"That’s right! You saw us capture him fair and square, yeah?"

Ellyn smiled sweetly and nodded.

"Yes."

Hazuki immediately turned to her, eyes wide.

"WAIT, WHAT!?"

The guards cheered.

"See? Perfectly legal. Nothing to question here."

"Just good ol’ fashioned law enforcement."

Hazuki groaned, covering his face.

The first guard grinned, crossing his arms.

"Besides, we noticed that guy the moment he entered town."

The second guard nodded seriously.

"Yeah, we’ve been on full alert since then."

Hazuki narrowed his eyes.

"Oh? And you just happened to wait until he was near us before you arrested him?"

The first guard coughed.

"Ahem. Timing is important."

The second guard quickly continued.

"That guy refused to remove his cloak the entire time. We kept watching, and sure enough—"

He pointed at Ellyn.

"He was following this young lady."

The first guard crossed his arms dramatically.

"So when we caught him carrying weapons and poison, our suspicions were confirmed!"

The second guard nodded firmly.

"Adventurers can carry one or two weapons, but they must show their adventurer card, right?"

The first guard grinned at Hazuki.

"And non-adventurers? They’re only allowed to carry one weapon, and it must be visible—worn on the belt where everyone can see it."

The second guard smirked.

"But this guy? He had multiple hidden weapons. That’s a crime."

The first guard jingled the coin pouch in his hand.

"So naturally, we confiscated everything for ’investigation purposes.’"

Hazuki crossed his arms, staring at them blankly.

"...Riiiight. ’Investigation.’"

The guards nodded in perfect sync.

"Exactly!"

Hazuki sighed deeply.

Ellyn just smiled and held his hand.

"Come on, Uncle~ Let’s go eat before you start complaining more~"

Hazuki groaned but let himself be dragged along.

Meanwhile, the guards happily walked off with their "confiscated evidence."

( End of Chapter )