Anyway, we got back to where the carriage was parked and I racked my brains.
Originally, I would inform the guards and ask them to capture him. Or, if I informed Cortina or Maxwell, they would be able to take them down without any problem.
But there doesn't seem to be time to do that.
They said they would leave the city just before the gates closed. There are only a few minutes left before the gates close.
Even if I were to sneak them out, I can't open the coffin with my arms.
It would be next to impossible to rescue them on my own.
Then, do I defeat them?
That is also quite difficult. There were three of them. I might be able to take one of them by surprise, but with my current physical abilities, it would be very difficult to take more than that.
' Then there's only one thing I can do: ......' ......
They leave the city at nightfall because that's when the gatekeepers are less watchful.
In other words, they are not doing enough to embrace the guards.
If that is the case, then they will hesitate to leave when the watch is tightened.
And once the gates are closed, they won't be able to leave the city until the next morning, giving them time to report back to Cortina.
'Break the wagons. That will buy us some time."
This is such a large tree - hollowed out inside - but it must still weigh a lot.
If the carriage that is currently loaded is broken, it will have to be reloaded onto another carriage, which, if done by three people, will not be possible in time for the closing time.
And the next morning, merchants would be coming and going from the morning, so they would avoid that time.
In other words, if they can get through now, they can buy time until tomorrow evening.
Of course, if I take over the carriage and leave this place, I can easily settle the matter, but the truth is that I can't operate a carriage.
I can ride a horse, but when it comes to a two-horse cart, I wasn't confident at all.
Besides, the men would run away if I just took the wagon.
I looked around and found a hanging machete, which had been left unattended.
Also known as an eel machete, it is a blade with an L-shaped curved tip.
Probably a tool needed for regular work. It would be used to cut the ropes that hold them in place, or to hook and pull on the wood.
'Is this all you have? At least if I'd brought my katana--'
They were not armed as they originally planned to just visit Maxwell's.
But even this could be sabotaged. First of all, it would take time just to cut the ropes holding the 'coffin' in place and then to re-secure it.
But that is not enough. We need to inflict more time-consuming damage.
So I got under the coach and started to remove the metal fittings that hold the axle in place.
If the axle comes off, it won't be able to run for long and will be visibly faulty.
I need to start the work of replacing it immediately, which should buy me a great deal of time.
The tip of the sledge hooked onto the fittings and started to pull it off by gouging it out.
Although I was not very strong, I was able to use the principle of leverage with the L-shaped curved tip and succeeded in removing one of them, although it took a long time.
If one of the ends holding the axle had come off, I wouldn't have been able to run more than a few metres.
Then I crawled out of the wagon - and that's when I came eye to eye with the men who had come out of the jam.
Apparently I took longer than I thought I would. Or maybe it was my fault for not activating the gift of stealth.
I've been away from the actual battle of covert surveillance for so long that I've become quite sluggish, it seems.
''What the hell, you little brat!''
"Whoa, I'm ...... that--"
In the short time I've been searching for a good excuse, the men seem to have made another decision.
'Well, wait a minute. I don't know if you were trying to prank me or not, but this is a good sucker that wandered in here, isn't it?"
" Huh?"
'Look closely. It's a bit dirty, but it's still a top ball."
'An ......? Certainly a different-coloured eye would be worth its weight in gold."
Now I'm just dusting off my travelling clothes and protecting my legs with a short skirt and thigh-high socks.
My sturdy cotton shirt and blue-silver hair were stained with dirt from working under the wagon.
But you can see the red-blue eyes of a different colour and the sculpting of his graceful face.
Seeing this, these kidnappers seemed to have decided to abduct me too.
'Look, if you don't behave yourself, you won't get hurt...'
'Old man, you're making decisions fast!'
Not hearing the man's words until the end, I slashed at him with a hangman's machete in my hand.
A mere sword might not do much damage, but if I hit it with the L-shaped curved tip, I should be able to inflict a decent amount of grievous wounds.
''Whoa...?"
But instead of making the man sit back, he takes a step forward to block the slash.
Only by reflexively stepping forward did this man seem formidable.
Another man, perhaps not expecting me to suddenly slash at him, hurriedly drew the sword at his waist.
One of the men even rushed into the room on the spur of the moment.
'You little brat, grow up!'
''What the hell do you think you're doing, slashing at me out of the blue?
''You don't say that, you kidnapper!''
I didn't expect these guys to be able to take the piss out of me, so I reflexively said something back.
But apart from that, the situation is worse.
Even though one of them has pulled up to the jam, I'm surrounded by two men.
I think they know I know these men are kidnappers, because of my earlier rebuttal.
If that's the case, then I have to get rid of them somehow here, so that I can escape immediately and - no, that's impossible?
If so, if I manage to escape, at least I should be able to secure the kidnapped elves.
'Somebody, ah! We are being abducted!"
I shouted for help to get rid of the men.
If the men get scared and run away, that's good. If not, the more people that gather, the worse the situation will be for these guys.
However, my plan was quickly dismantled.
Despite my loud shouts, there was little reaction from the people around me.
The men were also smiling and looking relaxed.
I was puzzled by the situation, but one of the men began to tell me about the situation in a confident manner.
'That's too bad. What do you think our job is? Soundproof silenced magical equipment in a secluded location. It's places like this where we could deploy our equipment so easily."
That's when I perceived the reason for these guys' leeway.
My earlier voice hadn't reached the outside at all.
It was just as they had assumed, that this place was deliberately located in a secluded position off the gate, and that they had chosen a lumberyard.
If you're processing wood in the city, you're going to have a noise problem.
That is why it should have been a natural progression to prepare a magic item that automatically activates magic, a magical tool.
Silence magic tools, which would be suspect if purchased by the general public, can be installed here, in a blacksmithing and processing factory, without any particular suspicion.
In other words, help from the outside is not expected.