第４２５堀：頑張ったよ (Part1)
**Chapter 425: I Did My Best**
**Side: Hiiro**
"Catch them!! Don't let them escape!!"
The man’s voice was terrifying. It was the kind of voice that made it clear—I absolutely could not let them catch me.
"A-au..."
"Hiiro!! Hurry!! Come over here!!"
Vilia-onee was calling out to me, but my legs were frozen, refusing to move the way I wanted them to. It’s scary, it’s so scary...
"Hiiro!! You—!"
Suddenly, Dore-onee threw a trash bag at the people emerging from the window. While they were distracted, she rushed back, scooped me up, and started running.
"Why are we moving away from the main street!?"
"I can't help it!! I just ran this way on impulse!!"
I was being carried by Dore-onee, and the world was shaking so violently that I couldn't tell where we were going. But it seemed like they were heading in the opposite direction of the main street.
"Which way!?"
"Right!!"
They were darting through the alleys, trying to shake off the men chasing us. But I was reaching my limit. The constant, jarring shaking was making me feel sick...
"Dore-onee, put me down, I’m going to be sick..."
"W-wait, seriously!?"
"Oh, right! Dressa, the roof!!"
"I see!! That’s the way to go!!"
With that, Dore-onee and Vilia-onee leaped up in one motion, landing on the roof of a building and setting me down.
"Au-u... The world is spinning. I feel gross..."
"I know you feel sick, but stay quiet. We’ll be found."
"Shh!!"
"Hbu—"
Vilia-onee covered my mouth with her hand, but I still managed to let out a strange noise. Then, voices drifted up from the alley below.
"Did we lose them? What should we do?"
"Let's split up. Some will stay to search, while the others join the Minister to report this and testify at the Adventurer’s Guild that the children acted rudely."
"I see. So the Minister intends to get there first and make sure they’re barred from the Guild?"
"Exactly. Either way, the kids will be caught. But it’s better to catch them sooner rather than later."
What does that mean? Are they going to frame us? Why? We were just doing our jobs! How can they say such things with such expressionless faces? It’s so scary...
"This is bad. If they testify that we were the ones who were rude, there’s nothing we can do..."
"...That won't be a problem. I have a recording of the evidence."
"Oh, right. If we have that, we can prove that they were the ones who attacked us because it was inconvenient for them."
"...So, should we stay here until they’re gone?"
I’m scared, so that would be a relief. Those men didn't have any killing intent like bandits or monsters. They were just treating this like a job, completely devoid of emotion. That’s what made it so terrifying.
But Vilia-onee’s response was different.
"I am going to beat those pieces of trash into the ground."
"Huh?"
"Eh?"
Before I knew it, an incredible amount of magical power was radiating from Vilia-onee. This was the "serious punishment mode" Vilia-onee.
"C-calm down. Our top priority is gathering information. Vilia told us strictly not to do anything dangerous, remember?"
"That’s right, Vilia-onee. It’s too risky."
But it seemed our voices weren't reaching her...
"T-to think they would frame us as the ones in the wrong... I cannot forgive this. We were trusted by Onii-sama with this task—I will not let such trash get in our way..."
She turned toward us, swaying slightly. Standing there was a Vilia-onee who was truly, genuinely furious. I thought to myself, *She’s a Demon Lord.*
" "Hii!?" "
"Don't be afraid. We’re going to launch a surprise attack from above. After we capture them, we’ll drag them to the Adventurer’s Guild, seize that trash Minister as well, force him to kneel and apologize to Onii-sama, and then drag him through the streets for execution."
Ah, it’s over. She’s completely snapped.
"Now, let’s go. If you don't follow, both of you are getting punished."
Spitting out those terrifying words, she didn't even wait for us to stop her before leaping down.
"W-wait!!"
"Ugh... I have no choice. Dore-onee, let’s go!!"
"Ehh!?"
"Mauve-ojisan said we’d have to do hand-to-hand combat eventually, so I’ll do my best."
"Oh, geez!! Fine!! Hiiro, don't you dare let go of me!!"
"Okay!!"
We steeled ourselves, chased after Vilia-onee, and jumped down.
"Hup."
"There."
We landed safely. Okay, I’m fine. Unlike before, my body is moving the way I want it to. If I stay calm, it’s not scary. It’s not scary.
"What is the meaning of this?"
Hm? Are the men angry? Ah, maybe it’s because Vilia-onee crushed one of them when she landed. The person she stepped on isn't moving, so I think he’s just... unconscious. She didn't kill him, right?
"You ask what the meaning is? We’re just cleaning up the trash. It’s our job."
Vilia-onee answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world. But she was clearly picking a fight.
"…Trash, you say? Well, fine. It was a mistake for you to step out in front of us playing hero. I heard from *him* that you were adventurers, but I suppose you’re just children after all."
Saying that, they surrounded us, holding pieces of lumber instead of weapons.
I see! In Weed, weapons are sealed with talismans and forbidden, so I was wondering what they would do, but they have methods like this. Even a piece of wood hurts if you get hit, so it’s a perfectly good weapon.
But I’m going to fight using the martial arts I learned directly from Deryu-onee. Actually, there’s nothing around us that could be used as a weapon. The men took everything. I’ll have to reflect on that later.
"Unfortunately, you won't be leaving here alive. You’ll die in an accident involving falling lumber."
Ugh... those eyes are so scary...
But Vilia-onee didn't care about their threats at all. She stepped in instantly and struck one of them in the chin with a palm heel.
*Snap!!*
A satisfying sound echoed, and the man collapsed.
"Wha!?"
"Both of you, move. They’re perfect targets. If you can't move, your future training will be even stricter."
Vilia-onee didn't even look at the men surrounding us; she just stared at us.
"Don't look down on—Gopeh!?"
The man who tried to hit her from behind was knocked out instantly by a backfist.
"Don't let me defeat them all by myself."
"O-okay!"
"Y-yeah!"
This is bad. The most dangerous enemy here is Vilia-onee. If I don't defeat at least one of them quickly, I’m going to die! Vilia-onee is way scarier than these men!!