The Abandoned Saint I Picked Up is a Side Character in an Otome Game and Turns Out to Be the World's Strongest Mage. I Plan to Rescue the Heroine Who Couldn't Achieve Her Happy Ending in a Dungeon. - Chapter 4

I left Ariel back at the hideout and returned to the royal capital of Andarencia.

There was no way I could let her stay in his-robe-mode forever—it just wouldn’t feel right.

I visited several clothing shops, looking for outfits that might suit Ariel, and eventually made my purchases.

Some shop assistants gave me strange looks, as if silently asking, Why is a guy buying women’s clothing? I ignored them.

One bespectacled saleswoman even said, “It’s not so unusual nowadays! I’m rooting for you!”
I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of scenario she had imagined.

By the time I finished shopping, it was already midday.

As I walked down the main street, the delicious smell of grilled skewers wafted over from a nearby food stall.

“Well, it’s lunchtime. Might as well grab some skewers.”

I bought a few skewers from the stall and, wanting to eat them while they were still hot, prepared to use the Key to Anywhere to return to the hideout.

…Or so I planned, but I noticed the distinct sensation of being followed.

I decided against using the key and instead began weaving through the city, attempting to shake off my pursuers.

No matter how many turns I took or detours I made, they didn’t lose me.

They were clearly professionals—highly trained and experienced.

“Two, three, four… there are a lot of them.”

They were probably comrades of the assassins who had come after Ariel yesterday.

Their coordinated movements left no doubt that they’d undergone rigorous training.

…This is getting annoying. Maybe I should just kill them.

“Hey, to the people tailing me: you’ve got ten seconds to show yourselves. If you don’t, I’ll assume you’re hostile and kill you all.”

I stopped in a deserted plaza at the edge of the city and shouted my ultimatum.

The plaza was surrounded by abandoned buildings, and there wasn’t a soul in sight. No innocent bystanders to worry about.

This was their final warning.

As much as I disliked unnecessary bloodshed, I wasn’t above dealing with threats decisively.

If they attacked, it would confirm their hostility, and I’d eliminate them on the spot.
But tailing me? That was still a gray area.

By issuing this ultimatum, I was giving them a chance to declare their intentions.

After a moment, my warning seemed to have an effect. One of the pursuers stepped out into the open.

“Hand over the girl you’re harboring.”

“Wait, hold on. Before we get to that, I have one question.”

“What?”

Without answering, I conjured a weapon using my magic.

This time, it wasn’t a revolver.

The weapon I created was massive, equipped with six rotating barrels—a gatling gun.
I conjured multiple copies of the weapon, each one floating and aiming in different directions.

“W-what are you planning to do?!”

“I warned you. If you didn’t show yourselves, I’d assume you were enemies. Which means the ones still hiding are fair game.”

As if in response to my killing intent, the barrels of the gatling guns began to spin.

And then, in an instant, it rained bullets.

“YEEE-HAAW! Cleansing filth with fire!”

The barrage tore through the surrounding buildings as though they were made of paper, demolishing everything in its path.

Occasionally, I heard faint screams of “Stop!” or “No!” from my hidden pursuers, but I didn’t care—they were enemies.

When the smoke and dust cleared, nothing was left.

The once-sturdy medieval stone and timber structures were now rubble, and the pursuers who had been hiding within them were nowhere to be found.

It felt oddly satisfying, like cleaning up after a messy room.

I turned back to the one man still standing.

“Now then, you’re still alive because you haven’t proven yourself an enemy—yet. But depending on your answers, that might change. So, let’s start with a question.”

“W-who the hell are you?!”

Ignoring his question, I conjured a revolver and shot him in both arms and legs, one bullet per limb.

“Gah!”

“I’m the one asking the questions here. You don’t get to demand anything.”

“Ugh…”

He seemed to realize I was serious and, sweating profusely, braced himself to answer my questions.

Now then, where to begin?

“…Why are you targeting Ariel’s life?”

Based on my game knowledge, I already had a pretty good idea of why Ariel might be hunted.

In fact, there was really only one reason.

But this world wasn’t a game—it was far more complex. There might be other factors at play.

That’s why I needed to hear it directly from him.

“…”

Chapter 4: The Side Character Interrogates a Pursuer

“Oh, you don’t have to answer, but depending on your response, I might let you live. Life is precious, isn’t it? Surely you have family or a lover waiting for you.”

“The witch… must be eliminated.”

It seemed the man’s survival instincts had kicked in, and he grudgingly answered my question.

Ah, of course. The witch, huh?

“So, she really did lose control of her magic and injure people.”

In the game, Ariel’s magic would spiral out of control after someone insulted her parents, driving her into a fit of rage.

If Ariel’s affection level with any of the love interests was high enough, the one with the highest affection would intervene and stop her.

While there were still casualties, the intervention prevented things from escalating further.

But if her affection levels with all the love interests were too low, the story would veer into a bad ending.

There were several routes that led to Ariel’s bad ending, but given the location and timing, I had suspected this was the one.

When my prediction turned out to be correct, I couldn’t help but clench my fist in a small victory pose.

Why does it feel so satisfying to be proven right?

The man’s eyes widened in shock at my words.

“H-how do you know that?! The incident with the witch’s magic running out of control isn’t public knowledge!”

“Hey, I’m the one asking the questions here. Speak out of turn again, and you’re dead.”

“U-understood.”

I pressed the barrel of my gun against his forehead. The meaning was clear, and he seemed to grasp it.

“Next question: are you acting under the king’s orders?”

“Th-that’s… uh…”

“Answer quickly, or I’ll kill you.”

“It’s… under orders from His Highness, the Crown Prince! He commanded us to eliminate the witch who threatens the kingdom!”

“…I see.”

This was unexpected.

In the game, Ariel disappears shortly after the incident and is later found dead.
But the reasons and events leading to her death were never explained.

Now I finally had an answer.

The Crown Prince, being the archetypal do-gooder, wouldn’t tolerate anything that might harm the kingdom.

If he hadn’t built a strong relationship with Ariel and didn’t understand her personality, it made sense that he would see her as a threat after her magic ran wild.

“The Crown Prince, huh?”

It was time to consider the worst-case scenario.

It’s likely that Andarencia’s shadow operatives have already figured out that I’m harboring Ariel.

I don’t know how they tracked me down, but the fact that I was being followed confirms it.

Sheltering Ariel in the dungeon means directly opposing Andarencia’s shadow forces.

And opposing the shadows could escalate into open hostility with the Andarencia Kingdom itself.

Even I would find it troublesome to take on an entire kingdom.

However, handing over Ariel was not an option.

She had already been dealt an unfair hand, and I couldn’t let her suffer more indignity.

For a moment, I entertained the thought of destroying Andarencia entirely.

It would be a hassle, but not impossible.

I’d need to contact some of the magicians I know and secure their cooperation, but…

It’s doable.

“Maybe I should talk to Ariel about this.”

I had no more questions for the man.

I pressed the barrel of my gun against his forehead and rested my finger on the trigger.

That’s when he began to panic, begging for his life.

“W-wait! This wasn’t part of the deal! You said you’d let me live if I answered your questions!”

“Didn’t your parents teach you? Never trust the kind words of a magician—they’re the most untrustworthy words in the world.”

“Wait, sto—!”

A single shot silenced him.

Another lifeless body added to the pile.

It’s probably people like me who make it so easy for the kingdom to paint magicians as villains.

Well, whatever. The pursuers have been dealt with. Time to head back home and have some lunch.

After that, I’ll talk to Ariel.

“…Damn, the skewers I bought are cold now.”

Oh well. Maybe it’s time to invent a microwave.

Microwaves use electricity, which is essentially a form of Light Magic. With Ariel’s help, I could probably make one.

It won’t be an instant project, but it’s worth a try.

Thinking about how my hideout could become more modernized fills me with a strange sense of excitement.