"……eh?" (Mitsuha)
I couldn't believe my ears.
"W-what? now?" (Mitsuha)
"That's why, the thugs in the town were talking about kidnapping a noblewoman..."
"What on earth is that?!!" (Mitsuha)
One of the orphans for whom I gave various tasks came running into General Store Mitsuha (me) to report something unbelievable.
"Place, time, situation! Be precise and concise!!" (Mitsuha)
"Ah, yeah..."
Those I asked to gather information were trained on what was needed for urgent reports.
"I heard three thugs talking in an alleyway. They were going to gather two more and attack some noble ladies on their way home from a soup kitchen in the slums... I was in their blind spot, so I don't think they knew I had overheard them."
Well, that's probably true. If they knew that such a plan had been overheard, there was no way they would let the person who heard them go unnoticed. The fact that this child was here, alive and safe, was proof that they didn't know they were heard.
"The soup kitchen is located in the eastern slums, in a vacant lot near the secondhand shop. They should have finished cleaning up and are starting to head home by now…"
"Whaaaaat?!" (Mitsuha)
I, too, was aware of the soup kitchen schedules being held by other organizations. At that time, I would need to refrain from asking the orphans to do work and changed the days on which I provide food.
And there was no plan for a soup kitchen today. This meant that it was likely the work of a beginner who had no knowledge of how to announce things and do the necessary groundwork to avoid clashing with other organizations.
Furthermore, the keyword "noble lady"... And if five thugs were to kidnap someone, that would mean there would be no guards at all.
If there were guards, they would either gather more of them or give up on the kidnapping in the first place.
After all, thugs and scoundrels were not strong enough to become soldiers or mercenaries, and they were not serious or diligent enough to take up other jobs. So, of course, they didn't train in swordsmanship or martial arts.
However, they were just a bunch of guys brandishing knives and showing off, so if they were accompanied by properly trained guards, there was no point in fighting them, even if there was a significant difference in their numbers.
Despite this, the criminals attacked, and gathered people in such a hurry, probably seeing them on their way to or in the middle of serving food, realizing that there were no guards there, and suddenly deciding to commit the crime.
...It's bad.
It's bad bad bad bad bad bad!
There's an extremely high chance that the target is those two!! No, even if that wasn't the case, it doesn't change the fact that someone was targeted.
There weren't many people in this city... no, in this country, who would dare lay hands on me or anyone associated with me. However, Sorority had no track record that would make its name known to the general public, and was only known among the nobility. The commoners, especially thugs and ruffians, were not even aware of its existence. And even if they knew of its existence, that didn't mean they would know the faces of its members.
That's not the case with New Continent's Society... At this point, it seemed that Sorority's low profile backfired... In any case, kidnappings needed to be prevented in the first place.
Since it was a kidnapping, there was zero chance that they would be killed on the spot, but as long as it was shown that they were kidnapped safely, it would be no problem to demand a ransom no matter what happened after the abduction.
They wouldn't bring any hostages who would get in the way when they received the money, and returning anyone who knew their faces or the location of their hideout would only increase the danger.
The safest and most profitable option was to receive the money and then either kill the person or sell them in another country.
Besides, even if the hostage was returned properly... once they were kidnapped, their life was ruined. If a noblewoman spent a long time with a villain, she would be treated as having her virginity defiled, even if nothing had happened. Whatever it takes, we must prevent the kidnapping in the first place.
...In the first place, if rumors spread that a member of Sorority was attacked during volunteer activities, our reputation would plummet!
No, that didn't matter.
It didn't really matter if Sorority, which was just a social organization, went bankrupt or whatever. Now I just had to protect their honor at all costs, or their lives would be ruined!
I knew the vacant lot where the soup kitchen was located. I had also used this location several times for relief efforts.
...Okay!
"Transfer!!"
This was my weapon storage area that I rent within Wolffang's home base. I transferred there and grabbed one of the weapons I had ready to use, a low-lethal semi-automatic launcher I'd used before.
If Theresa-chan and Lastena-chan had already been captured by the bandits, I wouldn't be able to shoot just the enemies with my skill level, so I couldn't shoot with a normal gun.
...Well, even with this launcher, it's only said to have low lethality, but that doesn't mean it won't kill you. If it hits you in the wrong place, you'll probably die. But, well, as long as it doesn't hit anything above the neck or on the heart, and as long as it doesn't hit small children, elders, or people with illnesses, it should be okay. ...Probably...
In order to prevent 100% catastrophe, it would be unavoidable to take a few percent risk.
The launcher's magazine is loaded with 15 sabot rounds. There are five enemies, so three shots per person. If I shoot at close range, two shots will hit. They won't fire back, so I can aim calmly, right?
Besides, even if I missed a shot, if I shot without hesitation even if there was a hostage, the other side might think that holding a hostage is pointless and let go of him because holding on to him would get in the way of the fight. If that happens, the Walther PPS equipped on my left armpit and thigh will burst into flames!!
It would be great if they realized they were dealing with Lightning Archpriestess (me) and would just surrender obediently, but I guess that's unlikely... If this was a case of theft, the possibility of that happening was quite high. However, if you try to kidnap a noblewoman's daughter, even if it was just an unsuccessful attempt, you will undoubtedly be sentenced to death if you are caught.
Severe penalties are necessary to deter crimes that should never be allowed to happen. Therefore, any acts of harm against nobles or royalty, or betrayal of the country, will be punished with capital punishment without question. And sometimes the consequences can affect not only the person in question, but also their family and entire clan. In a world of this level of civilization, this is a given.
So, there's probably no surrender. No matter how much the goddess favors me, I'm just a young girl. If I'm cut down by a sword, I'll die. And if they could escape safely, then they would be fine. Since their identities were not known... I guess that's what they would think, maybe...
...I was thinking a lot of things, but I was not saying them out loud, I was just thinking them in my head, so it only lasts for a moment. During this time, I completed the minimum checks, such as making sure the sabot rounds were fully loaded, the CO2 was filled, and the safety was released...
"Transfer!!"
Translator's Note
I tried a new style. I merged some paragraphs (sentences) that are too short and with no gap (empty line) between them, because I think the paragraphs is too short, and if you look the raw chapter, it looks like a paragraph is defined by an empty line. What do you think?