"Oh... I screwed it up."

　Ray mutters while walking around the city.Next to it is Seto, as usual.
　After sending Elena out, Dusker, the lord of the town of Gillum, prying into various things, and escaping from the house with papers to fulfill his request, Ray was strolling around the city with Seto.
　Originally, I wanted to hand over the documents in the guild and get paid, but now it's only past 9 a.m.It must be hard for them to get paid by the crowd of other adventurers who came to the guild to ask for help.Then I thought it would be better to waste a little time and head for the guild after the congestion had subsided... but I was worried about how to use the spare time in the middle.

"Well, what are you going to do? I don't have enough time to peel off the ingredients, but I'm going to take a rest at the inn."
"Grull".

　As Ray walked around the city watching Sett nod, I suddenly saw several figures.
　If there were only a few people, they would have passed by.However, four boys about 15 years old, about the same age as Ray, surround a 10-year-old child, and when they see him take him to a deserted place, they stop looking.
　In the city of Gilm, where there are many adventurers who are rough, many people act like force is everything.And as long as children grow up watching adults say and do things, it is only natural that they are influenced by their behavior.They were boys, but the biggest misfortune for them was that Ray had too much time on his hands.Usually, the sight of a child being taken into an alley turned out to be a good waste of time for Ray, who now has time left in the middle.

"Set, shall we take a peek?"
"Glu".

　Perhaps Seto was free as well, but he sang in his throat while eating meat skillfully with a stick from Big Boa skewer that Ray offered him.

"Well, it's a very common pattern in safe places, I don't think, in fact, that the child was a secret child of a nobleman or a great merchant."

　Four boys and a child in front of me.Each dress looked like an ordinary citizen in the neighborhood, and it didn't look like a reason.
　No, it may have been for many reasons to themselves, but to Ray, who had just experienced something as big as the Viscount Sailes, who betrayed the Empire of Bestia, it seemed to be nothing more than a children's play.... though Ray himself was about 15 years old, not much different from the people he was looking at.
　I'll follow you away from you so that you won't be seen by the five people who are going forward.Even if they were so far apart, Ray's physical ability and five senses would not make it so difficult to listen to the conversation.

"Kumito, did you bring what you told me?"
「……」
"Well, if you ask me, answer me."
"...none,"
"What?"
"I told you I didn't bring it! Who would listen to you?"
"Slip!"

　A child surrounded by four boys thrust a 20-centimeter horizontal bar out of the blue into the dove of the boy he had been talking about, and when he quickly returned the horizontal bar to his side, he looked at the boy next to him.

"Oh, that's dangerous,"

　Before being hit in the ribs with a horizontal bar, hold the child's hand and stop the movement.
　The first blow to the pigeon tail was taken unexpectedly, so he succeeded without any trouble, but if his arm was pressed down, he would not be able to do anything about it, so he was easily pressed down.

(But they are strangely skilled.)

　muttered Ray inwardly, chasing the sequence of events.Of course, it's not enough to be an adventurer, even though I'm good at it.However, compared to people who have grown up in ordinary households, they are clearly different and used to the situation.

(Well, I think it's safe to say that they've received some training from the adventurer's acquaintance or family.)

"Grull?"

　"Can I leave it as it is?" asked Seto, leaning his head slightly.
　He nods a little and holds up a skewer that Seto has eaten up.

"d*mn it! You've done a dirty job of surprise! I'll teach you where you stand!"

　The boy, who had been stung by the dove, stood up and tried to kick the rest of the child in the face...
　Hmm!
　At that moment, Ray's swift skewer, rubbing it against the boy's cheek, ran deep into the brick house behind him.

"...what?"

　The boy, not knowing what had happened, gently put his hand to his cheek, and found a few centimeters of scar on his cheek, blood on his palm.

"Who is it?"

　It was not the boy who was trying to kick the child, or the boy who was holding him down.It was one of the remaining two.

"Huh? Oh, it's me... is there any problem?"

　Say so, it was Ray who emerged from behind, but there was no Seto.Sure enough, he thought it would be a great disturbance if Gryphon appeared here, and told him to wait quietly in the shade of a little distance before he appeared.

"Oh, of course.What are you doing all of a sudden?"

　We appeared as much as we did.The boy, who judged himself to be younger than him by his height, exclaimed cheerfully, but the last boy next to him looked at the skewer stuck in the brick in amazement.
　Normally, it is impossible for a wooden skewer to stick into a brick.Perhaps it's because they understand it that they don't know what happened.

(...it worked out well)

　muttered Ray in private.for he threw the wooden skewers with all his might.Originally, unless it was a special metal that could pass through magic, magic would be lost immediately, but in any case, it was impossible to believe that a wooden skewer would stick into a brick as a result of throwing magic into a ray which had magic beyond the standard.

"Well, I don't know what to say at times like this.Ah, yes, did you say that it was brave not to see righteousness?"
"Huh? I'm not saying something I don't understand.What, are you fighting with us?"
"No, just killing time."

　It is easy to say that it is brave not to see righteousness, that is, a person who knows righteousness but does not do it is bravely.
　She must have thought she was being teased by Ray's appearance.The boy who was holding the child back released the child on the spot and moved forward.

"Well, we're busy, as you can see.I'm sorry, but will you disappear because I'm in the way? You don't want to get hurt, do you?""Well... well, about 20 points."
"What? What are you saying..."

　The boy was about to say something and found Ray's fist in front of him.For the boy, only for a moment, or even for a moment that seemed long, his fist appeared in front of him.

"If you have as much ability as yourself, you can tell the difference in power as I do.Are you still motivated?"
"What!"

　A boy holding his breath, clenched his fist and hesitating to hit Ray, understanding that the man in the robe standing in front of him was not a half-hearted user because he was the best of the four boys in the room.
　. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"...what shall I do?"
"Oh! Here we go!"
"Oh, hey! Why?If we had one of those guys together, we could do anything!"
"All right, let's go!"

　As the boy spat out, two boys followed him, one whose cheeks were sliced thin with a skewer, and the other who saw a skewer stuck on a brick, and the other boy, who had remained until the end, thought he had no chance of winning by himself, spat on the ground and followed him.

"Oh, this is it... Hey, are you all right?"

　He saw the four people leaving behind him and looked at the children who had been pressed down on the ground.

「……」

　But the child stands up silently, without any particular thanks, wiping the dust off his clothes and turning to Ray.

"You're strong, aren't you?"
"Huh? Oh, well.Even so, being an adventurer, he is as powerful as those around him....and,"

　Ray glanced back, and the child glanced back at the Gryphon, who had appeared there, took his breath away.

"Is that... Gryphon?"
"Haven't you heard of it? It's pretty popular in the city of Gilmoo.
"No, it's only recently that I came to this town....don't you bite me?"
"It's all right as long as you don't approach him maliciously."
"...can I stroke you?"

　Ray, who had just seen Seto for the first time, turned his eyes to the child's face without thinking of the sudden remark.
　There are many people who come in contact with Seto several times and ask him if he can stroke him after knowing that he has a gentle temper, but he rarely says so at first."Grull".

　It seems that Seto was the same, and he sits there, looking at the child, in order to make it easier to sing and caress.

「……」

　gently, but surely reaching for Sett's head...

"Wow, it's soft."

　and at last stroked his head.The child had been caressing Seto for a while, but then Ray opened his mouth.

"And what should I do? Why should I ask them why you were entangled?"
"...no, this is something I have to solve."
"Well, I just popped my head in to kill time anyway, so if you say so, I won't ask any more."
"Well... it's a little late.Thank you for your help."
"Don't worry, it was a little time-losing, as I said."

　He says so with a smile to the child who bows his head, and takes a freshly cooked skewer from Mistyling and hands it over to the child.

"Look, eat this for now,"
"Oh, yes. Thank you."

　They take out one skewer for themselves and one for Seto, and they sit down in an empty box nearby, where Seto lies on the ground and holds the skewer in his cheek.

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah
"Well, I have a magic item that I can put away."

　Ray answered the child's words, smacking his lips on the skewer, and suddenly noticed the object lying on the stone pavement.
　It's the thing that this child just got on the dove of one of the boys.
　It is not a knife without a blade, but a purely elongated iron bar.It was something like a short club.It's about 20cm, which is not long enough, but from Ray's knowledge, it's like a baton.
　He was interested, picked it up from the ground, and looked at it intently.

"Oh..."

　The child who was concentrating on eating skewers must have noticed this.He reached out in a hurry.

"Give it back!"

　Ray, who didn't intend to take it away from him, does not hesitate to give it to the child.

"Huh? Oh, look, you've got something unusual.Was it made for you?"
"Oh, yes. My father made it just in case because it's a dangerous city."
"Did your father make it? What? Is your father a blacksmith or something?""Yes, I just came to this town recently and it's getting a good reputation for being good.Have you ever heard of Pamidor?"

　The child looks at Ray with expectant eyes, but Ray shakes his head slightly.

"I'm sorry, but it was yesterday that I came back to this city.And after that, I was tired and slept soundly in the inn."
"Well..."
"I'll drop by if I have a chance. By the way, where is the store?"
"Well, there was a library nearby!"

　Listen to the details and confirm that it is a 10-minute walk from the library.If it was in that position, Ray could understand it in his own way because it was within his sphere of action.

(for my weapon is a death-size one made by the magic of sorcery.If this is an ordinary magic item, I think I need to have my blade sharpened.Oh, no, but considering the dagger for demolition and the spear for throwing...)

"Well, I'll drop in next time I have a chance."
"Yes. I'm sure you'll never lose to them, so be sure to come."

　I can almost predict why this child was involved in that word.Perhaps the boys were threatening to bring weapons or something made by the child's father.that the blacksmith's children could bring them to him without his father's knowledge, and that if they were children, they could not go against themselves, who were older than themselves.

(It's just a prediction, but it's not that wrong.)

　After finishing the last piece of skewer, they stand up from the empty box where they were sitting.

"Well, I'm going to kill time for my purpose, but... what about you? If you stay here, you'll be entangled with them again."
"That's right. I'm going home too."
"That's better,"

　He nodded a little and tried to get out of the alley with Seto, who had finished eating a few skewers...

"Give me your name, brother!"

　He was approached from behind.

"It's Ray. This Gryphon is set."
"Ray, thank you for saving me! I'm Kumito!"

　He waved his hand lightly to his voice, and Ray and Sett walked out of the alley.