Chapter 193: [Story of the Red-Haired Hero] The Hero Troubling the Town!?

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Nebo Town.

Located right in the middle of the Saikanan Highway leading to Ashgo, their next destination, this town has developed as a small but historic post town.

It is famous for its rare specialty, the Ahate River Shrimp caught from the nearby Ahate River, and the dishes made with it are so delicious that even the gourmet Mochakki has praised them.

The town is always bustling with travelers seeking that taste.

A small but lively town.

That is Nebo Town.

"......Or so it should be, but?"

The slender former thief Zydeo muttered while folding his arms and tilting his head.

That's because the Nebo Town they are currently walking through doesn't seem lively at all, no matter how you look at it.

First of all, there are no people.

Even though they should be walking on the main street in the center of town, they hardly pass by any people.

And the few residents of Nebo Town they occasionally see show a smile to Zydeo and the others, who are lodging guests from outside, but they seem somewhat tired.

"I wonder what's going on?"

The hero Torch frowned anxiously.

Nenesane, the wandering magician, is also pondering with her hand on her chin.

"Torch-kun! At times like this, there's no use worrying! The best thing to do is ask the townspeople! I'll show you an adult's information gathering skills!"

The one who ran off energetically saying that was Chiron, a petite blonde woman wrapped in the white robes of the Church of the Holy Goddess, even smaller than Torch.

"Excuse me! Thirteen servings of grilled shrimp, please!"

Chiron charged into a famous Nebo grilled shrimp shop facing the main street.

"Huh......? You're noisy. Shrimp? I don't have any."

"What? You're sold out? Ah, I don't mind if they're misshapen! Irregular ones are fine too! Thirteen servings of grilled shrimp, please!"

"I-I told you, I don't have any!"

However, the man who seemed to be the owner polishing the grill had a grim expression and bluntly refused Chiron's request.

Indeed, no shrimp were lined up on the grilled shrimp grills arranged in front of the store facing the main street.

The charcoal wasn't even lit.

(As I thought, something is odd.)

Torch thought.

"Shishi, sorry bro, our companion made an unreasonable request. Hey, kid, apologize too! Don't trouble the store owner! And what information gathering are you talking about! You just want to eat shrimp, don't you!"

"No, I'm not! T-This is what they call a conversation starter! How dare you say I'm greedy for food!"

"You are, aren't you?"

"How rude to a lovely maiden! Repent! Repent!"

"Ow!"

A sharp body blow sliced through the air and dug into his stomach, causing Zydeo to inadvertently kneel.

"Sorry for the commotion."

"N-No...... It's my bad too. I was irritated and took it out on the customers. How unsightly of me."

Seeing Torch bowing his head apologetically, the grilled shrimp shop owner also apologized with an embarrassed look.

"Still, what does it mean that you don't have shrimp? I heard it's this town's specialty. Does it have something to do with the town's lack of energy?"

"Ah...... yeah, well...... you know, that......"

The owner scratched his head, checked that there was no one around, then sat down on a chair and began mumbling while polishing the grill.

"A huge monster we've never seen before appeared in the Ahate River......"

"What did you say!?"

Upon hearing those words, the fire of justice was lit in Torch's heart, and his eyes shone sharply!

Torch is a hero.

He can't just leave people suffering from monsters alone!

"What kind of monster is it!? Do you know its name!? How big is it exactly!? What kind of attacks does it use!?"

"C-Calm down! Calm down, boy! Your voice is too loud! Shut up!"

"S-Sorry, but......"

"And don't worry, that monster has already been defeated. Just recently. So you don't have to worry about the monster......"

"W-What~......! That's good, then there's no problem, right! The customers will return soon, and this town will be back to normal!"

Torch said that and sighed in relief.

"............"

However, the grilled shrimp shop owner's face remained grim.

Seeing that, Zydeo, who had recovered from the pain, interjected.

"......But it probably won't turn out that way. There's some other problem plaguing this town, right? Old man."

"Eh!?"

"............"

Torch was surprised.

The grilled shrimp shop owner remained silent.

In other words, he affirmed Zydeo's words.

"W-What do you mean?"

"Shishi, listen Torch, the old man said 'you don't have to worry about the monster.' In other words, there's something else to worry about besides the monster. And if defeating the monster solved everything, it'd be strange for there to be no shrimp lined up in front of the store now, wouldn't it?"

Zydeo calmly analyzed the situation and explained it to Torch.

Then he glanced at the grilled shrimp shop owner's face.

The grilled shrimp shop owner, whose eyes met, sighed and then brought his face closer to Torch and the others, explaining the situation in an even lower voice.

"Listen, this is just between us......? It's good that the monster was defeated, but the problem was with the ones who defeated it."

"......What do you mean?"

"Those guys are sticking around in this town, making a big deal out of their favor and extorting us...... Right now, all the good stuff like shrimp and alcohol has to go to them."

"What did you say!?"

The one who was most indignant upon hearing that was Chiron.

"I won't forgive anyone who takes shrimp away from me! Why don't you just drive out such people! Why are you going along with them!?"

"From our perspective as ordinary townspeople, they're incredibly strong...... Plus, they have titles that we can't just ignore......"

"Titles?"

To Chiron, who tilted her head, the grilled shrimp shop owner continued while sighing deeply for who knows how many times today.

"Those guys...... are the heroes' party traveling to defeat the Demon Lord."

"""Huh!!?"""

At those unexpected words, Torch, Chiron, and Zydeo all raised their voices in surprise.

『The wandering magician Nenesane is also pondering with her hand on her chin.』

......Wait, who?

Who is Nenesane............?

Perhaps a new member who joined without our knowledge.

They have their own adventures......