I Was Reincarnated As An Instructor In An R18 Game... - Chapter 93

I was running down Third Street, out of breath.

I stopped running once I got close enough to almost see the bakery, placed one hand on the wall, and began to regulate my rough breathing.

My body was drenched in sweat and I felt terrible, but now wasn’t the moment to complain about it.

While catching my breath, I looked toward the distant bakery to check the situation, but I didn’t see any customers going in.

The time was around 2 o’clock, which made this strange. There should usually be quite a few customers at this hour.

The bakery run by Linare’s family is quite popular, famous enough that even the adventurers at Suzuya talk about it.

Being close to the industrial area’s first street might be a contributing fact to its success.

Precisely because of that, it’s odd that no one is entering the store right now.

As my breath began to steady, I recalled Linare’s words and stepped into an alley.

…She definitely said she was going to be sold.

If selling is the plan, they would go for kidnapping rather than attacking.

If the product gets damaged, it might not sell for a high price.

In this kingdom where human trafficking is forbidden, I’ve never heard even a whisper of it happening.

But if they intend to sell her, they would avoid leaving any damage.

Even if a wound is inflicted, it likely wouldn’t be something permanent.

I peeked into an alley wide enough for one carriage, hiding myself, and saw a single carriage stopped at the bakery’s back door.

A cheap carriage used for transporting goods or travel.

Just when I looked into the alley, the carriage started heading toward me.

I jumped out of the back alley, startling the horses and forcing the carriage to a halt.

A man about the same size as me, the driver, was handling the reins and calming the horses.

I whispered quietly to Sharle to check the cargo area, and she gently signaled by stroking my cheek with her hand.

The driver looked at me in panic and froze, and I too was a little surprised when I looked at him.

That man was the one who ran a bakery near Suzuya, after all.

That bakery was doing quite well, and I had procured goods from it at Suzuya on multiple occasions.

Recently I heard by rumor that he had a baby…

“…What are you doing?”

“Re‑Reid? No, I was asked to transport some cargo…”

I moved one step closer to the man smiling nervously, and he seemed on guard.

He wiped his sweat streaming from his forehead with one arm, ready to fight at any moment.

Then, bracing myself so as not to be noticed, I inched closer.

“Did they ask you, a fellow baker, to take care of something?”

“Y‑yes! They said they needed a man’s help…”

“…Shouldn’t their husband be here?”

“No… I heard he was out?”

“Is that so…?”

Cautious about me closing the distance inch by inch, the man took on a desperate expression.

Even though there were other shops in the alley, no one was around, yet I felt several glances watching me from behind.

…Do they think I haven’t noticed? Hide your presence at least, you fool.

I cursed inwardly, kept a neutral expression, and got close enough to touch the horse.

Then suddenly there were shouts from the carriage bed, and the man turned around in surprise.

I took that as my signal, dashed forward, leapt onto the driver’s platform from the side, and struck the man hard on the cheek.

“Urgh!?”

“You, just sit still in the back!”

I grabbed the man by the collar, hurled him into the cargo area with brute force, and quickly seized the reins to get the carriage moving.

As I began to speed up, figures tried to emerge from the shadows just like I had.

However, a water-based spell shot out from the back of the wagon and intercepted them.

The figure struck by the water spell was blown away and slammed into a wall, no longer moving.

It was probably Sharle’s magic. The power was quite something.

As I controlled the reins, I went past the person who had been knocked away and looked at them from the corner of my eye.

Put simply, he looked like a thug, but he was strangely well-dressed.

I kept accelerating to reach the main street, and every time a figure appeared, water magic shot out.

When I caught sight of the traffic on the main road, the man’s voice came from the cargo area, likely realizing what was going on.

“What are you doing? Stop it!”

“Shut up.”

“I’m doing this for my family!!”

“I told you to shut up!”

I raised my voice toward the cargo areaand then dashed out onto the main street.

As soon as I jumped into the road, I controlled the reins, slowed the carriage, and dodged pedestrians startled by my appearance.

Not wanting to involve anyone, I worked up a cold sweat on my back, driving cautiously yet urgently to bring the carriage to a halt.

Thankfully, I avoided involving any civilians, and on the halted driver’s stand, I exhaled a deep sigh of relief.

Suddenly, maybe because of Sharle the white cloth surrounding the cargo bed came loose and fell to the side, revealing the inside of the bed.

The sound of the cloth hitting the ground made me turn and examine the cargo area with a grim look.

In the back, two rough-looking men lay bleeding and unconscious, and next to them lay a woman who resembled Linare.

The two bleeding men showed no chest movement, but I could see the woman’s chest gently rising and falling.

Seeing that the woman who looked like Linare’s mother was alive, I sighed even louder and climbed down from the driver’s platform.

I loudly asked the crowd of onlookers to fetch the guards, then glanced at the trembling man on the cart as I checked on the woman.

The woman showed no signs of having been undressed, and at first glance had no visible injuries.

Judging from how peaceful she appeared, she must have been drugged.

The man who had been crouching and trembling suddenly raised his face, glared at me with fury, and grabbed my collar.

I didn’t resist, met the eyes of the man bleeding from his mouth, and let him do what he wanted without breaking eye contact.

“You! because of you! My family is in danger!!”

“…”

“My baby was just born! You probably wouldn’t understand, would you!?”

“…”

“Someone like you with no children, uuugh!?”

“…Knock it off, okay?”

I hit him in the face, grabbed him by the collar, and dragged him out of the cart.

Holding back the rage boiling in my gut, I shake the man while keeping both hands on his collar.

So what if I don’t have children… what does that even mean?

I have never forgotten the will or resolve to protect something important!

While shaking him, I speak calmly but with deep anger in my voice.

“Did you… did you report this to the kingdom? To the guards?”

“Th- that’s…”

“Did you talk to your family?”

“…I didn’t.”

“Why… why didn’t you say anything? You say I wouldn’t understand? You did nothing you should have… you chose the worst possible move, so what exactly do you expect me to understand?!”

The man averts his gaze from me, stumbling over his words.

He was the family’s breadwinner, a man’s pride, a father’s dignity, the man continued to mutter his excuses.

I throw the man forcefully to the ground, glare down at him, and spot out of the corner of my eye that the guards are pushing through the crowd toward us.

As the guards hurried over to me, I pointed to the alley where the cart had come from and explained the situation.

When the guards went to take the crestfallen man away, I looked him in the eyes and spoke softly to the guards.

“There’s a chance this man’s family is being held hostage or under surveillance. Could you head to his house quickly? …He has a newborn child.”

At my words, the man lifts his head and looks at me in shock. The guard hurriedly asks the man for his home’s location and issues orders to the other soldiers.

Since it was someone else who informed the guards, his punishment may be a bit lighter.

I didn’t do it for him. I did it for his wife and child who are probably waiting at home.

A few guards run off, and I turn away from the man to carry the woman from the cart in a princess carry.

Still carrying the woman, I approach the man and speak to him with a sharp glare.

“When you’re protecting something important, things like your petty pride… they’re meaningless. Even if others are disappointed or think you’re weak… if you gave it your all and protected them, that’s what counts.”

The man dropped his head at what I said, and I turned my gaze away and started heading toward the academy.

It is not that I intend to deny a man’s dignity. I just want to say, do not use it in the wrong place.

The same goes for pride. It often becomes one’s source of strength.

But if used the wrong way, it can lead to something terrible, just like with that man.

I glanced briefly at the woman’s face but didn’t let my guard down as I headed quickly toward the academy.

I doubt anyone will chase me all the way here, but I keep my guard just to be safe.

Driven by the desperate wish to reunite with Linare soon, I head toward the academy.

While heading there, I whisper softly to Sharle.

“I’m grateful, Sharle. Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. I’m just happy we managed to save her.”

“Ah… really.”

I finally smiled and looked at the woman’s face.

–

“Moooom!!”

“Ah, Linare. Thank goodness. I’m so glad you’re safe!”

In the Headmaster’s office, Linare and her mother embraced, crying tears of joy at seeing each other safe.

I stepped outside the room once and used the cloth Erika gave me to wipe my upper body and change clothes.

I was soaking wet with sweat and felt uncomfortable; honestly, I didn’t want to dirty the headmaster’s office.

After changing and coming back in, Erika and Corana were looking at Linare and her mother with warm expressions.

I heard from Erika that Fia and Lea had gone to check on the safety of their loved ones, just in case.

Erika noticed me enter the room and smiled. I smiled back in response and looked at Linare and her mother.

Chapter length 3817 characters.