It's a child.
There's the possibility some neighborhood child somehow or other decided that I was conceited and therefore a villain, then started play following me.
I won't even bother thinking for what sake.
I'm sure there are children who suddenly start up with that kind of play.
I wonder if I should hide somewhere, then when they come up and start panicking after losing me, jump out and yell "Wah!"
No, in this world there's also the hobbit race that have a short height.
Negligence is forbidden.
I decided to lose them somewhere.
While thinking that I crossed over two crossroads and turned right into a bit of a small alley.
"...Hnn?"
Suddenly, I felt like something was out of place.
But, without worrying about it much, I created an earth wall.
Using my magic power a 3 meter or so wall suddenly came up out of the ground, turning the alley into a dead end.
On the other side of the wall, I heard the sound of panic and hurried movements.
And then, the sound of hitting the wall without power.
There was no sign that they were going to try to destroy the wall with Magic or Swordsmanship.
I thought it could be Eris chasing after me, but if it were her she could jump right over a wall of this size.
I wonder if after all it was a prank by some children from the neighborhood.
After being satisfied with that conclusion I started to walk away from there.
Well then, I ended up coming a bit deep into this alley in order to break away from that child.
Which way was it to the main street?
It seems like I'm a bit lost.
Well, if I can find some sort of large road then I'll quickly find my way back.
While thinking that, I walked around various twists and turns of the alley, but I wasn't able to go in the direction I wanted and kept circling around.
The main street of this town is bent and twisted.
It's a huge difference from Milishion which has roads like a Go Board.
Even I, who doesn't have the attribute of a lost child, am surely on the verge of being lost right now.
In the worst case it would be fine if I use magic and jump up onto the roof.
Come to think of it, the scene Hitogami showed me was similar to an alley like this.
"Ah!"
Then, I remembered back to that out of place feeling from a moment ago.
That wasn't feeling out of place.
It was feeling something you've experienced before, déjà vu.
I quickly returned to where I left.
I ran through the many turns of the alley.
While getting lost in the forked roads, I continued to turn around and returned to the path from just now.
"No, stop it!" I heard a young girl’s scream.
The earth wall I created entered my field of vision.
"Give it back!"
I put my hand on the earth wall and started to concentrate on my magic power.
Using earth magic I manipulated the wall and created a fissure in it while simultaneously using wind magic to launch a shock wave through the center of the wall.
[BANG] a loud sound let out and the earth wall shattered into tiny pieces all over the place.
In my field of vision that scene entered.
A single young girl was violently captured.
The ones with their hands holding her were soldiers.
There were two of them.
The one who wasn't holding the young girl was tearing up a piece of paper taken from her.
"Don't rip up the letter I was sending it to father!"
The two soldiers looked at me with dumbfounded faces.
"Wh-who in the world are you...?"
Young girl.
Traces of Lilia could be seen in her face, she wore a ponytail with the same brown hair as Paul, while wearing a small maid outfit.
That face gave off the impression of normally being lively and aloof and it was currently distorted with tears and a dripping nose.
Looking down on that, those vulgar faces...
No, the two soldiers weren't making a vulgar face.
If you were to ask which, they were making apologetic faces.
They were just doing their jobs to the end, and their intention didn't seem to be in it.
"Who are you?! Name yourself!"
"I'm that child's..."
Oh wait, I'm not supposed to name myself right.
Umm.
"My name is the Knight of the Moon's Shadow, Shadow Moon Knight!"
"What do you mean Knight, no matter how you look at it you're a magician!"
"Uguu…"
I was hit with a precise tsukkomi[5].
Damn it.
Next time, I'll make sure to name myself with Magician Ebiru.
Well, it's fine.
"Listen here boy. It's fine to play make believe as an ally of justice, but even if we look like this, we old men are soldiers of the Royal Palace. Since she's lost, we're just trying to take her back home."
In the end they even looked at me with eyes of a rowdy child and gently gave me a warning.
I'm sure these words have a few lies mixed in, but after looking at Aisha sobbing on the side of the knight, she was making a bit of a troubled face.
I'm sure they're not bad guys.
There might have been some problem in the Royal Palace, and even though Aisha and Lilia are being detained, it's not something that the knights consider a bad thing.
It could be that, it would be bad to create hostility with these soldiers.
I might not be supposed to fight, solving this with conversation could be better.
"Even though it seems like you're tearing up the letter she was holding?"
"Ahh~... That is, well, what. There's various things, adult things."
That's right isn't it, there are a lot of different adult things, right?
"Ah!"
Then at that moment making use of a single gap, Aisha shook off the hands of the soldier.
"Pw-pwease shave me!"
She ran straight over to me, hid behind my back, and with a crumpled face covered in tears and snot she clung onto me.
After looking at the desperation in that face, I started to feel like it didn't matter if I turned a kingdom or two into enemies.
"Th-those pweople, foshefully, my letta, and teard..."
I have no idea what she's saying, but at least the desperation is being conveyed.
I give up, I give up.
A middle aged adult like me can't do something like a young ally of justice play.
I'll go about it in my usual way.
"...Hnnn!"
I suddenly raised my hand up and used voiceless incantations to send a rock bullet flying.
"Ah!"
The knight noticed the sudden rock bullet, unsheathed his blade in an instant and deflected it.
Uooh, their reaction was good!
Water God style, huh.
That's hard to deal with.
But, well, it's not like rock bullet is the only thing I can use.
With this much distance there's plenty of margin for error.
Fufu, avoiding my rock bullet, that makes you the 4th one you know.
"Voiceless incantations!?"
"Then this guy, could it be Roxy-dono’s!?"
"He really came!"
"Call for reinforcements!"
"Under, uooh!"
I created a pit fall at the foot of the knight who was about to run off.
Rejection shot.
Simultaneously I fired off rock bullets in succession at the other knight to keep him in check, while asking Aisha a question.
"We're going to run, are you alright?"
"Hick…hiku, yeah...!"
Aisha nodded while continuing to sob.
Alright, alright.
After this we just need to knock out one more and then break away.
Just at the time I thought that.
[Whistle~?!]
Suddenly I heard a high pitched sound ring out like a birds cry.
The sound came out from the center of a hole.
It's a whistle.
They let out an alarm.
And then, from a bit of a distance away as well as nearby alleys I could hear the same sound of a whistle blowing.
[Whistle][Whistle][Whistle]!!
Each of the whistling methods and sounds were slightly different.
Most likely, they're letting each other know their position so they can meet using the sound.
After checking to see that my hand that was launching rock bullets had stopped, the soldier opened his mouth wide.
"All of the paths around this area have been sealed off! Soon soldiers will come here as well. Stop with the pointless resistance, hand over that girl! We won't treat you badly!"
"..."
This is bad.
He's called for allies.
Most likely, knights and soldiers will quickly be flooding into here.
But, I still have one hand left.
"Aisha, please hold onto me tightly!"
"Eh!!?"
"No matter what you must not let go!"
While Aisha was bewildered, she put her hands around my waist and tightly held onto me.
I grabbed her clothes with my left hand, and with my right hand started gathering magic power.
I released an earth spear [Earth Lance] centered at the flat point below my feet.
Using that momentum I flew into the air like a human bullet.
"Wha-what?!?"
"Kyaaa!"