Autumn break.

Nee-san and I have come to Outlaw City.

“This is Outlaw City? It sure smells.”

“There’s no helping it. It’s a slum, after all.”

So answers Nee-san while intimidating vagrants with her glare.

In the distance stands three towers. The fact that they look like bowling pins just makes me want to knock them all down.

“So we just have to go to that tower?”

“You silly. What do you intend to do by immediately crashing into the enemy’s main base? The Magic Swordsmen Guild has set up a base of operations, so we’re going there first to gather information.”

“Heeh~”

I stay close behind Nee-san as we make our way through the slum. After a while, we come out to an area with lines of stalls.

It is extremely lively here, what with the buying and selling of strange foods and suspicious medicines and stolen goods and pets.

“That beautiful young lady over there! Come take a look! I just restocked with some lively pets!”

“Me?”

“Yes, yes, the world’s prettiest young lady over there!”

“Hmph, he sure has a good eye. Won’t hurt to take a short look, I suppose.”

“Nee-san, that was just lip service.”

“Shut up.”

I am dragged towards the stall.

“Come, come, here is the lively pet that just arrived!”

What the shop owner drags before us is a blond-haired young man with a slave collar on his neck.

“Magic swordsman slave, Goldoh-kun! What do you think? It’s quite handsome, won’t it make a rather fine pairing with the beautiful young lady?”

Goldoh-kun’s face is black and blue and all swollen, as if he was subjected to a mass lynching. He seems to be trying to say something with his “U—, U—” cries.

“It seems quite beat up, though?”

“Ha ha ha! I guess there was a little bit of mishandling during the transporting. Alright, I’ll knock down the original 30 million Zeny to 27 million Zeny, just for you!”

“That’s expensive.”

“No, no, young lady. This level of a magic swordsman, it would go for more than double if you buy it outside! This is a huge sale bargain, one that you can only find in Outlaw City!!”

“Nah, I don’t want it.”

“You sure are a good haggler, young lady! Alright, you win. Today, I’ll specially add another one for you!”

“Why are both of you using the ‘it’ pronoun?”

“Come, come! This is also a lively magic swordsman, its name is Quinton-kun!!”

What the store owner brings out this time is a man with a face that looks like an evil pro wrestler who has a big wound on his stomach. It seems that at least the minimum amount of treatment has been applied to the wound.

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Quinton-kun is going “Mu—, Mu—!” as if trying to say something.

I kind of feel like I might have met this one somewhere before also……

“Goldoh-kun and Quinton-kun, two of them together for the price of only 40 million Zeny!! You won’t find a deal this great outside of Outlaw City!!”

“Its stomach looks wounded, though?”

“Oh man, this one also got mishandled during the transportation?! Alright, 37 million Zeny for the both of them in a set! I really can’t do down any further than this!”

“On second thought, I don’t want either of them.”

“Ehh?! Come on, you can’t say that, young lady!”

“I already have all I need.”

So saying, Nee-san roughly brushes my hair.

“I see, so the young man is this young lady’s sla—”

“No I’m not.”

“Let’s go.”

Nee-san drags me away by the scruff of my neck.

At that time, we hear someone else addressing the store owner.

“Store owner. If you’re really selling the two as a set for 37 million, then I’ll buy.”

“Of course I am! Thank you for your patronage! Nn? C-, could you be?!”

“U—, U—”

“Mu—, Mu—!”

It seems that the two of them got sold.

Both of them had faces that seemed slightly familiar to me so I was a bit worried, but now I’m relieved with knowing that they properly found someone who would buy them.

Wait.

If they were bought, then wouldn’t it mean that right now, inside that store, there is now at least 37 million Zeny in cash? In other words, if I attack that store……

No, I cannot lower myself to become satisfied with such a small sum.

I need to dream bigger.

“Start walking by yourself already.”

“I would be able to if you would stop dragging me like that.”

“If I don’t do this, then you’ll get lost.”

“Wh-, I won’t!”

I look up at the three soaring towers in the distance while walking.

One red, one white, and one black.

Well then, which should I pick?