Chapter 33: Mine
The girl who appeared behind him was about 15 or 16 years old.
She had light pink eyes and long, pink twintails. She wore a gorgeous light pink dress and small leather shoes. Even her charming and cute little face was flushed a light pink from anger.
"I've finally caught you, you despicable thief! How dare you make me look so pathetic!"
She chased after him angrily, shouting at Kobayashi, "I don't know how you stole my wallet, but I'm definitely taking you to the guard station and having the guards arrest you! I'm telling you, you're finished!"
No one would be in a good mood after being suddenly yelled at, especially when it was a misunderstanding. But Kobayashi knew that this was not the time to say anything. The more anxiously he tried to explain, the more the other party would think he had a guilty conscience, which would only fuel her anger.
The best method was to let the girl vent until her brain cooled down.
Kobayashi stood perfectly still.
After she had run out of energy from scolding him, he said lightly, "Are you finished?"
"Huh?! You thief..."
"Stop calling me a thief. Don't you know it's rude? Besides, what evidence do you have that I'm a thief?"
Kobayashi's retort left the girl speechless. Although she was very unhappy, she couldn't find a reason to refute him. She could only glare at him angrily.
"I got this coin pouch from an old woman with bad legs and poor eyesight... Oh my, it seems you've figured it out too."
Seeing her expression change drastically, Kobayashi couldn't help but let out a small, slightly mocking laugh.
"H-how could she... I was just being kind and helping her..." The girl seemed to be in disbelief that her kindness had been taken advantage of.
A moment later, she came back to her senses and said to Kobayashi in a boorish and unreasonable tone, "Then you should still give the wallet back to me! That's my wallet!"
"Yours? Do you have any proof?"
"There are 9 gold and 15 silver coins inside the wallet. You can open it and see if you don't believe me."
She seemed very certain of how much money was inside.
Kobayashi opened the pouch and did a rough count. It was indeed as she said. Not only that, but there were also many copper coins at the bottom. The amount of money was only more, not less.
"Heh—, you're right."
"I wasn't wrong, was I! Doesn't this prove the wallet is mine... Wait, what are you doing?!"
Under the girl's disbelieving gaze, Kobayashi took a gold coin from the pouch and leisurely put it into his own pocket.
"There. Not anymore."
"HUH?!"
"Now it's 8 gold and 15 silver. The money in here doesn't match what you said."
The smile on Kobayashi's face widened.
Accusing me indiscriminately... you really think I'm a pushover? How could I not make things a little difficult for you?
"Anyone can guess how much money is inside. It's possible you just got lucky with your guess. If you can't produce some crucial proof, I won't be returning it to you."
"You...!"
The girl gnashed her teeth as she stared at Kobayashi. She had never met such a shameless person, yet she was powerless against him. For a moment, the terrifying thought, 'I really want to blast him with one shot!' crossed her mind.
But she had to get her money back.
The girl pursed her lips, clenched her fists, and said reluctantly in a low voice, "On the inner lining of the wallet, my name is sewn: Mine."
He opened the coin pouch and found that two small characters were indeed sewn on the inner lining. Although this was the first time Kobayashi had seen this kind of script, he inexplicably knew what the characters said.
—Mine.
It seemed the coin pouch was indeed hers.
He took the gold coin from his pocket and tossed it to her along with the pouch.
"Huh?"
Mine was very surprised. It seemed she hadn't expected him to return the money after only making things a little difficult for her.
"You don't want it?"
"How could I not!"
Mine clutched the coin pouch tightly, afraid it would be stolen again. Seeing this, Kobayashi couldn't help but let out a light laugh.
Mine knew she had made a fool of herself, but she still put on an act, holding the hem of her skirt and assuming the reserved posture of a noble young lady.
"In any case, thank you."
"You're welcome. If you could just rein in your temper a little, I think we could get along much more amicably."
Kobayashi provoked her slightly, a small act of revenge.
"You...!"
Mine was momentarily furious, but having just been put at a disadvantage, she could only say sullenly, "I know. Thank you for your advice."
"However, if you really want to thank me, why don't you treat me to a meal? I happen to be hungry."
Kobayashi raised an eyebrow, as if hinting at something to Mine.
"Hmph, just a meal? No problem!"
Mine wasn't stingy and agreed readily.
--- In a certain small tavern ---
"Let's order first."
The three of them sat in a corner, ordered some food, and then began to talk. For the most part, it was Kobayashi asking and Mine talking.
According to the information he gathered, this country was an ancient nation with a thousand-year history, and also the most powerful nation in the world. The supreme ruler of the country was the Emperor. The power structure was divided into civil officials who managed politics and military officials who managed the military. The head of the civil officials was the Prime Minister, and the head of the military was the Great General.
The city Kobayashi was currently in was the Imperial Capital, where the Emperor and the Prime Minister resided. Although it was the center of the Empire, it was thoroughly corrupt, and the people's lives were very difficult. There were rumors that the main culprit behind the people's poverty was the Prime Minister, who manipulated the Emperor from behind the scenes.
When Mine spoke of the Prime Minister, the way she gnashed her teeth made it seem as if she had a deep-seated hatred for him.
But this was just a background introduction. What interested Kobayashi the most was something Mine mentioned called "Teigu."
According to her, a thousand years ago, the founding Emperor, in order to maintain his long rule, used the Empire's immense wealth and power to gather the world's most skilled craftsmen. Using legendary and super-dangerous creatures as materials, along with rare metals like Orichalcum and a large number of long-lost secret techniques, they developed forty-eight unique, unreplicable weapons, which were collectively known as Teigu.
Teigu, Empire, Imperial Capital, Prime Minister, Mine, and the darkness hidden beneath the prosperity...
Kobayashi knew which world he had arrived in.
"You don't even know something so basic?!" Mine's mouth was dry from talking. After drinking a large glass of water, she couldn't help but retort, "That's incredible. Are you some kind of country bumpkin?"
"Ah, I am indeed a country bumpkin."
Kobayashi didn't deny it. "I came from my village to the Imperial Capital to make a name for myself."
"A country bumpkin?"
Mine looked at him strangely, then at RyuZU, who was wearing a dress even more gorgeous than her own. But everyone had their secrets, so she didn't press the matter.
When she saw RyuZU sitting quietly without saying a word, she took the initiative to say politely, "Is the food not to this young lady's liking? Why don't we let her order something else?"
"No, that's not necessary."
Kobayashi politely declined her kind offer. "She doesn't need to eat. She doesn't even need to drink water or sleep."
"Hmm? How can a person not need to eat, drink, or sleep... Wait!"
Mine was about to scold him but suddenly stopped. She remembered Kobayashi's strong reaction when he heard about Teigu and seemed to realize something.
"Could it be that she's... a Teigu?"
"...Mmm."
Under Mine's tense and expectant gaze, Kobayashi fell silent for a moment before giving a slow nod.
She's really a Teigu?
Mine's eyes widened with excitement. She had actually encountered a wild Teigu user!
As everyone knew, Teigu were all extremely powerful. If they could get one more Teigu user, they would have a better chance of getting rid of the Prime Minister and overthrowing the Empire's corrupt rule!
They absolutely could not let a single Teigu user get away!
Mine remembered her boss's words. She cleared her throat and said to Kobayashi, "I remember you said you were a country bumpkin who came from your village to make a name for yourself?"
"Mmm, that's right."
"Then do you need my help? Consider it a thank-you gift for helping me get my wallet back."
"Well..."
"Don't be so indecisive!"
Seeing him hesitate, Mine slammed the table and said angrily, "This young lady rarely thanks others! Since I said I'll help, you should just obediently accept it! Otherwise, starting as a common soldier, how long would it take for you to become a captain or a general? In the Imperial Capital, connections are the most important thing!"
"Connections are what get you promoted quickly?"
"That's right!"
"...Alright, I accept."
Seeing Kobayashi accept her help, Mine was secretly overjoyed.
He took the bait!
(End of an book)