Chapter 177 ⤞ The Old Man in Turtle Shell Bondage

I'm dead!

I'm dead! I'm dead! I'm dead!

Kazuma attacked once, failed, and immediately fled!

He knew all too well what a thief should do after a failed attempt — how could he possibly stay and fight with a Goblin Priest? The deeper he was in enemy territory, the more each second of delay increased his danger!

Run quickly!

But...

"What the hell is going on? Why did the sleeping potion suddenly stop working?!" Kazuma couldn't figure out where things had gone wrong.

Everything started so smoothly, so why did he fail at the last step? This wasn't how he imagined it!

"#*&#...!" The Goblin Priest behind him was shouting incomprehensible words, but the angry tone was unmistakable.

No doubt the shouts were filled with curses.

Under his command, Goblins from the tribe swarmed out of their tents and chased after him.

"Damn, since when are these goblins so disciplined?" Kazuma cursed under his breath.

But in the next moment, his face broke into a sinister smile.

"Hehehe, come after me, come on then — I'll show you Goblins what's what."

As an experienced adventurer, especially a crafty veteran like him with his cunning schemes... Having a backup plan wasn't too much to ask, right?

On the outskirts of the Goblin Village, along a small path leading to Axel, he had set up layer upon layer of traps. No exaggeration — even if all the Goblins caught up to him, they might not make it out alive!

The traps would definitely wipe out these Goblins. Once he reached them, he'd be safe.

But now, a problem stood before him. How exactly should he escape?

Kazuma darted like a slippery fish between the tents in the village, evading the Goblins' search. Thanks to the random arrangement of these tents, he could hide successfully.

'Seriously, what should I do?' He knew he needed to find a way out quickly.

If he delayed any longer, the goblins would surround all the exits, and he'd have no chance of escape!

"Young man..."

'What to do? Just run for it? With skills like Lurk, Scent Elimination, and Enemy Detection, it shouldn't be a problem.'

"Hey, young man."

'...Plus the life-saving Veil skill for emergencies — I could create confusion and escape.'

"Hey, young man!"

'So annoying! Who keeps calling 'young man' over and over? Don't you know I'm thinking?!...Huh?'

Only then did Kazuma realize there was someone else in the tent!

He turned around in panic and made eye contact with the person sitting cross-legged inside. For a moment, they just stared at each other.

After a silent pause, Kazuma said nothing and turned to leave.

"Hey, young man! Wait, wait!"

"No, I won't wait."

"Wait! Why are you leaving just like that? Isn't it an adventurer's duty to help civilians in danger?"

"But! Nobody said I had to save a pervert!"

Kazuma looked at the middle-aged man sitting there with a disgusted expression, like he was watching Darkness in one of her episodes.

This old man had messy black shoulder-length hair like a bird's nest and a rugged face covered in stubble. His clothes were tattered and stained with various colors — it was impossible to tell what had left those marks.

He exuded a strong aura of dejection, just like those middle-aged, greasy men from Japan whose lives had gone nowhere!

If that were all, it might have been fine!

But this old man was tied up — in turtle shell bondage, no less!

An old man in turtle shell bondage... It was truly shocking!

Ah, my eyes!

"Pervert." Kazuma had already labeled him with this tag.

As a man, you're socially dead. No need to defend yourself — even if you claim it's performance art, it won't work!

An old man thrown in here in turtle shell bondage — even that idiot Aqua wouldn't believe there was nothing strange about it.

No way! Kazuma was already in enough trouble — if he brought along a perverted old man who'd slow him down, they'd definitely never escape!

Better to leave him and go.

"Wait, wait! Let me explain, let me explain!" Seeing his disgust, the middle-aged man quickly tried to explain, hoping to be taken along, "Actually, I'm a magic item craftsman."

"Oh?!"

"Three days ago, I was making items at home, but due to using too much of a reagent, an unknown error occurred."

"Oho~"

"Then there was an explosion."

"Oh, oh..."

"But when I regained consciousness, I found myself captured and tied up by these Goblins."

"..."

"So, I'm really not a pervert! I didn't tie myself up in this turtle shell bondage!" The old man explained with a flushed face.

He was trying to prove he didn't have such interests, but the evidence before them made it hard to believe.

"Alright, alright, I believe you, I believe you." Kazuma's tone indicated that everyone has their own lifestyle — no need to judge others — just do whatever makes you happy.

But this seemingly considerate response was the least acceptable form of comfort for the middle-aged man.

"Hey, I...!"

"But old man, I'm just a low-level adventurer who can barely save himself — I can't take you with me." Kazuma stated this harsh reality.

Indeed. When he wasn't even sure of his own escape, how could he promise to save someone else?

Bringing the old man along would be unwise. Better to leave first, then find someone to rescue him later.

"Ah, about that, don't worry — I'm actually a Grand Archmage too."

"Eh? EHHH?!!"

Forgive Kazuma for crying out in surprise despite the risk of being discovered — he'd just heard something unbelievable.

"You're a Magic Item Craftsman?"

"Yes."

"And also a Grand Archmage?"

"Yes."

"Then why are you still trapped here? Speaking of which, as a magic item craftsman, don't you have any gadgets to save yourself?"

"...I'm sorry. The explosion was so sudden, I was knocked unconscious before I could react. So..."

The old man didn't continue, but Kazuma understood.

He must have had an accident when completely unprepared, been knocked unconscious by the blast, and then ended up in turtle shell bondage.

Miserable! A big "MISERABLE" has appeared above your head, old man!

"But even if I untie you, there's no way to escape from here." Despite saying this, Kazuma still untied the old man.

At a time like this, any extra help increased their chances of escape. How could he not understand this principle?

"Ah, about that, I can use Teleport magic!"

"...Huh?" Kazuma wondered if he'd misheard.

Someone who knows〘Teleport〙magic but remained tied up here — what's going on?!

Perhaps... He suddenly remembered the turtle shell bondage he'd seen earlier.

You really are a pervert, aren't you!

"Young man, though I feel you've misunderstood something, there's actually a reason I didn't use Teleport magic."

"What reason?"

"Due to certain special circumstances, if I don't have a magic staff in hand when casting spells, they'll most likely fail."

"Oh~ By the way, what happens if the Teleport spell fails?"

"...It's better if you don't know."

"Hey—!"

"Well, at worst, you might be split in half — one half at the destination, one half left here."

"Wait, wait! That makes me even more scared!"

Kazuma tried to get away from the old man, but was grabbed and held tight. Despite using all his strength, he couldn't break free from the embrace.

Forceful Man Lock! Man on Man!

Not good — philosophical implications were approaching!

"Old man, didn't you say you were a Grand Archmage? Why are you so strong?"

"Hahaha, have you forgotten that I need strength to craft excellent magic items?"

"Damn it." Kazuma's legs were trembling.

He could already imagine himself split into pieces.

I'm dead!

I'm dead! I'm dead! I'm dead!

But he wasn't ready to give up and decided to struggle once more. He'd try to persuade with words!

"Listen, old man. Since the magic might fail, why don't we skip it? Actually, I have a cheat skill that can get us out of here easily."

"Don't lie to me, young man. If you had such a powerful skill, you wouldn't have been so reluctant to save me from the start."

The old man was truly experienced. It wasn't just his age that had increased — his wisdom and experience had grown too.

{T/N: Older people have more time to accumulate knowledge and wisdom, just as they also have plenty of time to accumulate stupidity...}

He immediately saw through Kazuma's lie and, without giving him a chance to speak further, activated the magic.

A magic circle burst into bright light inside the tent.

"You see, I was afraid to use Teleport magic because it might fail. But when I saw a young man who needed help, I somehow found my courage!"

"You just wanted a companion, didn't you, old man? So if the magic fails, you won't leave this world alone!"

"Young man, I have one more secret I haven't told you."

"What is it?"

"I am at my strongest when I'm working hard for others!"

"That's a setting you just made up, old man!"

The light grew stronger, and the magic was about to activate.

"Ah! AHHH! AHHH! NOOO!"

Amid Kazuma's terrified screams, they transformed into light!

And vanished from the Goblin Village.

✧✧✧

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