My childhood friend, who I promised to marry in the future, came back as a swordsman

 

Chapter 72: The worst assumption becomes reality

(TL: By Creed}

"What does that mean!?"

Even though the report of finding Aisha was a lie...

I never expected Aisha to really be captured by Doctor.

Truly, I did not anticipate this development.

Surprise, impatience, and doubt.

I unintentionally glare at Cliff.

Not only me, but Sofia and Licorice also cast stern gazes at Cliff.

"I'm sorry... I never thought they would be such idiots."

"What do you mean by that? Please explain in detail what happened."

"Yeah, of course. I have a responsibility to explain... and also, I have a duty to help that child. I want to talk about that too."

After apologizing once again, Cliff explained the situation.

Cliff entrusted Aisha to someone he could absolutely trust.

Someone akin to his right-hand man, skilled in both work and combat abilities, and also a longtime friend.

Since Cliff needs to take various actions publicly, protecting Aisha is difficult.

However, he thought if it was his friend... and entrusted him with protecting Aisha.

However, a problem arose here.

Doctor's associate, Falz Lutzbein, made a move.

According to hearsay, Falz had been failing repeatedly recently.

He seemed to be in a hurry to restore his reputation somehow and was considering a desperate plan.

And...

He came up with a reckless and absurd plan to attack Cliff's right-hand man.

It would significantly weaken Cliff's power to lose his friend, but...

If he did something so reckless without reason, even though he's a high-ranking member of the Adventurer's Association, he wouldn't escape punishment.

However, Falz seemed to be such a fool that he couldn't even consider such things, and he proceeded with the plan.

As a result, his friend suffered serious injuries, and Aisha was abducted... that's what happened.

"I'm really sorry! Even though I promised to protect her properly... I know that apologizing isn't enough, but still, I'm really sorry!!!"

"That... yeah. It's not Cliff's fault."

"I agree too. From what I've heard, Cliff seems to have been fully prepared..."

"If the idiots were too idiotic, isn't it understandable not to anticipate their idiocy? In fact, it would be strange if you could predict such idiotic behavior."

Licorice's words make sense.

Ordinary people don't usually take such thoughtless actions.

On the contrary, it's a bit strange to be so cautious as to consider such possibilities.

So, I don't think Cliff is at fault but...

"Anyway, let's leave discussions about who's responsible for later. Right now, we need to think about Aisha."

"Yes, you're right. If things continue like this, Aisha will be sold as a slave. We must prevent that."

"Yeah. That's absolutely unacceptable... we can't allow that!"

Perhaps I'm empathizing with my own situation.

That's why I'm concerned about Aisha, I can't just leave her alone.

Cliff puts his hand on his chin and starts thinking.

"I shouldn't be saying this, but we can't afford to be leisurely. It might be better to prepare immediately and then invade Doctor's mansion."

"Is it really okay to do that?"

"...It's not ideal."

Cliff makes a bitter face but doesn't stop speaking.

"Even if we invade, we won't be able to subdue him immediately. Doctor will dispose of or hide the evidence... worst case scenario, he might escape. And then, he might retaliate later."

"In that case, isn't it bad for Cliff? The purpose is to crush that Doctor guy, but it could end up with the exact opposite result."

"Yeah, that's not desirable. That's why I want you to wait until we can definitely crush Doctor."

"When is that?"

"The day of the auction. If we can secure the scene, it will be the most conclusive evidence. Even if we strike earlier, it might be insufficient evidence or just a temporary setback for Doctor. He might gain strength again and target Aisha once more."

"..."

Cliff's reasoning is valid but...

"But, during that time, Aisha might suffer greatly."

"..."

"It's not guaranteed she won't be sold through another route. Considering that, we don't have time to waste. We have to go help her right away."

That's my conclusion.

Even if Doctor comes after her again, this time, we'll protect her.

"No, can't you wait? There's no problem with Aisha's safety."

"What do you mean?"

"According to reports from our spy, Aisha seems to be receiving favorable treatment that doesn't seem like that of a slave. There's no report of her experiencing any violence either."

"That's..."

"What...?"

"Normally, they wouldn't do such things to slaves, right?"

We all tilt our heads in confusion.

"Truth be told, I'm not entirely sure either. I had thought Aisha was being targeted because she's a valuable beastfolk, but... maybe it's not just that. Doctor might have been searching for her for a different reason, not to sell her as a slave."

"What could that reason be?"

"I don't know. But I don't think Doctor intends to harm Aisha. I doubt he plans to sell her off either. On that point, I'm absolutely certain this time."

"..."

What do you think? I look at Sofia.

After a moment of contemplation, she nodded, giving off a feeling of maybe it's okay to believe.

"Yeah, I understand. I'll trust Cliff."

"Thank you."

"Just make sure to provide information about Aisha every day. If it seems like she might be in danger at any point, we'll act immediately."

"Understood, that's fine. After all, we're the ones asking for the impossible here. I promise to support you with all my might when the time comes."

――――――――――

After finishing the strategy meeting...

Cliff went elsewhere to make preparations.

We returned to Doctor's mansion.

And visited his office.

"We're back."

"Ah, it's you."

Doctor, upon seeing us, momentarily sharpened his gaze.

He must have received word from Falz about securing Aisha.

I think he's suspicious due to some discrepancies in our explanation.

So, before he becomes decisively suspicious, we need to take action.

"I'd like to report something about Aisha..."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"It seems that she arrived in town sooner than we anticipated. She got lost and visited the Adventurer's Guild, but we lost track of her afterwards..."

"I see... Well then, there's no need to worry. My friend found Aisha just now."

"Is that so? That's a relief."

"In any case, we couldn't have welcomed Aisha without both of you. I'm deeply grateful."

Doctor said with a smile.

We still harbored some doubts, but it wasn't conclusive yet.

It felt like something we could still manage to cover up... That's how I felt.

This might still work out somehow.

"In that case, consider the request fulfilled. Do you have any further tasks?"

At this point, it's best to be tasked with something related to the auction.

If it's another job, we'll pretend to handle it while gathering information about the auction.

If there's no job, we'll still gather information.

"Well... In fact, there's a slightly significant job coming up in a few days. However, according to the information I've obtained, there are some unruly individuals who intend to interfere with that job."

Those unruly individuals are referring to Cliff.

Let's deliberately leak information suggesting that Cliff is active, and stir up Doctor's vigilance.

And then...

"So, could you assist with the job? Mainly for security."

Let's ensure that the job falls into our hands.

That's the objective.

Cliff possesses powers equivalent to or surpassing S-rank.

If Doctor's going to make enemies like that, he'll surely rely on Sofia.

"Understood."

"If you're okay with us..."

For now, the plan is going smoothly.

Aisha... we'll rescue you soon, so hang in there.

TL Note: Let's not raise any other flag.

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