Chapter 28: Defeating Thieves On A Date

We were walking through the market.

The crowd of people around us was swarming. If I'm not careful, I might get separated from my daughter.

And that's when it happened.

My eyes caught a figure out of the corner of my eye.

They were three men.

They were dressed in cloth, with no distinguishing features whatsoever.

But....

I couldn't help but stop and take a look at them.

「Papa, What's, wrong」

Anna asked suspiciously.

「Father, The people who just passed are...」

「Did you noticed it too Elsa?」

「Yes. There was something disturbing about it.」

「Oh. They made no sign or sound of footsteps. They were trying to blend their presence among the crowd .」

「I'm surprised both of you noticed. I didn't realize it. Just as what you expected from experiences swordsman.」

Anna said admiringly.

「Meryl. Did you notice that?」

「Munya? Did you say something?」

「This girl is full and napping」

Anna smiled as if she was amazed.

「This is just from my experience, but I have a bad feeling about this」

「Aaa, Yeah...」

Elsa and I had a hunch, almost a certainty.

The man I just passed has some ill-advised plans. There seemed to be a hint of a dark feeling leaking out.

That's when it happened.

「Uwaa! A thief!」

I turn around in response to the scream.

I saw the men from earlier coming out of the jewelry store. He is carrying a bag and he was trying to escape with wind-like speed.

「I knew they were up to something nefarious.」

「Father. They are probably the thieves who have been robbing jewelry stores around the Royal Capital recently. There have been several reports of damage so far. The Knights have been strengthening our vigilance, but we haven't been able to catch them. We won't let them escape today!」

「Elsa. I'll help you. We'll go after them.」

I left Meryl on my back to Anna and started running after the thieves.

Elsa quickly followed suit.

I pushes through the crowd and followed the back of the thieves.

The thief seemed to have noticed that we were following them.

「You fool. Don't think you can keep up with our speed.」

The thieves kicked the ground and sprinted down the wall of the building.

The passersby around us applauded, as if they thought it was a performance.

We didn't lag behind either, and ran up the wall of the building. Rather than letting them get away from me, I started to close the distance between us.

「Fast.....! If they keep this up, they'll catch up...!」

「Damn! Now that it has come to this!」

One of the men in the gang spotted a passerby nearby, a parent and a child. He takes out a knife from his pocket and throws it at the child.

Hyu~tsu!

(T/N: I dont know how to translate this ヒュッ!probably the sound of the thief throwing the knife I think)

「Kyaaa! Miina! Look out!」

Before the tip of the knife could pierce the girl, I stepped into the line of fire and grabbed the handle of the knife to stop it.

「I'm glad I made it in time. Are you hurt?」

「U..Un..... Thanks, big brother.」

(T/N: should i use oniichan instead?)

「I'm not even old enough to be a big brother.... Anyway, I'm glad you're okay. Although I lost track of them.」

(T/N: I'm a bit of confused on this line お兄ちゃんって年でもないんだがな....)

「What a cowardly way to use a child to run away....!」

Elsa clenched her fists tightly, revealing her anger. She will not tolerate anyone raising their hands against the weak, such as women, children, and the elderly.

She seem pretty pissed off about it.

But if we lose sight of it...

「Papa. Can you hear me? It's Anna.」

「Anna? Where's that voice coming from?」

「I'm using Meryl's magic to communicate with you. I've got a map of the entire city and their locations. I'll give you instructions.」

「That's dependable," I said.」

「You have excellent sisters.」

「Good grief.」

「Can you wait until we catch the thieves before you say that?」

Elsa and I follow Anna's instructions and run through the intricated alleyways.

Then, as we rounded the third corner, we spotted the thieves again. They looked dismayed when they saw us.

「Wha..., Why are you guys here!」

「I have a very good daughter. No matter where you run to in the Royal Capital, you can't escape the siege of my daughters.」

Eventually, the thieves were cornered at the end of an alley. The place was unpopular, dank and empty.

It's perfect for delinquency and violence.

「There's nowhere left to run.」 I say.

「I'm not going to let them get away with robbing us of our money again and again, and I'm not going to let them get away with sacrificing an innocent little girl. I will take full responsibility by sending you to jail.」

「You're the ones who got cornered.」

The thief twisted his mouth into a grin.

Then..

From the shadows of the dimly lit alleyway, a number of men suddenly appeared. At a quick glance, there were probably ten of them.

「Originally, I was planning to meet my friends here. You thought you were setting me up, but you were set up.」

「That's very convenient. Hey, Elsa.」

I smile at Elsa.

「Yes. If you all come together, we won't have to go through the trouble of finding the remnants. We'll round up every last one of them here.」

「Are you guys even paying attention? There's such a big difference in numbers. You think you can beat us all with just two people?」

「That's my line」 I said, smiling wryly.

「Get them!」

The thieves jumped on us all at once.

A few minutes later..

The thieves were lying in front of me and Elsa. All of them were losing their will to fight and were groaning like insects.

「What the hell are you guys.....too strong....!」

「It's like a monster....」

「Of course, Elsa here is the Knight Commander of Royal Capital. No matter how many of you guys get together, you'll never be able to match her.」

「So this girl is the S-rank adventurer...」

With a gulp, the thieves fainted.

Every last one of the thieves was put in jail.

「I ended up being involved in the knight's work even on my days off.」

「That's right. But if you enjoy your holiday with thieves on the loose, Elsa won't like that, will she?」

「Of course. I'm a Knight Commander.」

I smile when I hear the words.

She has grown up to be a good daughter, honest and responsible.

It's just too good for me.

「Well. It's good, isn't it? This is a good way to spend a holiday once in a while. I had a lot of fun chasing down those thieves, too.」

「Anna is a sadist. She loves to push people around.」

「Hmm? Meryl. Did you say anything?」

「It's nothing?」

And so our date came to an end.