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I stopped by Loser (Bizef)’s house once, equipping myself with armor, before we headed to the Eville District. The armor was the chainmail that I wore when fighting the gangsters way back when. It provided defense even against the most powerful punches from beastmen and dragon folks.

By the way, Loser (Bizef) also equipped himself with some first-class armor and a sword.

Yup, even Loser (Bizef) looked like some legit escort in that. This should intimidate any riffraff.

With that, we arrived, the Eville District…

Heeh~ I didn’t know a place like this existed in the same city I had been living in for some time. Some whorehouses and slave markets were something I expected, but…

Well, this is kind of erotic. I mean, this is basically a red-light district with those kinds of shops lining up the streets. Moreover, well, I don’t know if they’re their shops’ number one girls or maybe just the poster girls, but there are some very sexy ladies in very raunchy clothing provoking the men nearby.

This is what you call a sight for sore eyes. Everything I see is pink. That’s kabukicho, the town that never sleeps alright. I’m getting dizzy just looking at it.

Aah, geez, it’s so erotic, erotic, erotic!

What’s more, these people get it. These women wear clothes specifically designed to draw the eyes of the men.

Ah! That nice lady over there is a good example. You can almost see the shouldn’t-be-seen through the slit in her clothing. How very raunchy.

And look, all those men are trying to peek through the slit to see the unseen.

Huh, now I want to know how much for a night. Does she accept girls too?

Wait, no, no, no, no, no. What am I thinking? Why the hell am I opening my wallet and counting my money? I even drolled, how shameful.

What would Timu say if she saw me? My dignity as her older sister would be in shambles. I give myself a good slap and get rid of my worldly desires.

“Oh, that’s a nice-looking girl! Hey, sister, how much is your rate? Heck, I’d pay twice the market price for you.”

While I was going through a mild culture shock, two drunken men came up to me. Well, if this isn’t the baptism of a drunken district.

Now, what do I do with them?

These two drunkards are all grinning and staggering. They look like just some middle-aged men, they don’t look strong at all.

Well, if they’re just drunkards, I should be able to knock them out with my fist. I roll up my arms, scoffing.

“Stop it. Tilea is not that kind of girl.”
“Who the hell are you?”

Wait a minute, Loser (Bizef). I appreciate you trying to man up, but you’ll just faint ag—

“O-, oy, stop! H-, Hello, Bizef, sir. I didn’t know you were back in town.”
“B-, Bizef?! Y-, you mean, Bizef the Mad Dog?!”
“You two better get lost before I lose it.”
““Eek! W-, we’re sorry!””

Wh-, what…

Did I just see Loser (Bizef) chase away these drunkards?

C-, could it be, does Loser (Bizef) actually have some use? And what’s with the Mad Dog?

What a dangerous and chuuni-sounding moniker he has. Don’t tell me, his fangs were dulled and he acted like a loser because he’d been living idly in the countryside?

“Are you okay, Tilea?”
“Th-, thank you very much. That surprised me. I didn’t expect you to have some reputation around here, Mister Bizef.”
“Well, I was young back then. I used to do nothing but try to reach higher and make a mess.”
“Th-, that’s why they call you Bizef the Mad Dog, isn’t it…”
“Heh. I can’t even remember who said it first. That name used to give me all sorts of trouble. Some people even pissed their pants at the mere mention of my name. …heh, even the most well-known crooks would avoid me, you know? Heh, even more so…”

This Loser (Bizef) sure loves to talk about his sagas even though no one asked. Not to mention, he keeps saying “heh”, “heh,” like, don’t you know it gets annoying the second time you say it?

And I was this close to seeing you in a new light, you just had to dig your own pitfall. Besides, I don’t have the time to take his nonsense.

“U-, umm, Mister Bizef. Maybe we can save that for later…”
“Really? This is where the fun starts, you know…”
“No, thank you. Please take me to the place where the information is gathered.”
“Got that. Leave it to me.”

After that, the good-for-nothing led me to a bar where we can gather information. We got tangled up with drunkards again, but the moment they saw this Loser’s face, those two-bit villains skedaddled with their tails between their legs.

Hmm, seems like I really need to revise Loser (Bizef)’s ranking after all. His abysmal power level aside, having clout is strength too.

With that, we arrived at a bar Loser (Bizef) frequented.

I didn’t enter the establishment, the deal is being dealt by Loser (Bizef). I wanted to talk too, but the bartender who’s also the informant doesn’t accept first-time customers. In fact, he doesn’t even allow people to wait in front of the bar. It’s only thanks to Loser (Bizef) giving his word that I’m allowed to be here. Furthermore, they even provided me with a guard so no drunk customers would mess with me while I wait.

I’m getting sick of drunkards trying to mess with me, and Loser (Bizef) surprisingly proves himself to be somewhat dependable, so I followed what he said just like that.

The guard is a macho man with a thick beard. Yup, very dependable alright. Well, he’s stuffy to be around, but no one would try to hit on me if there’s someone glaring at them with such a scary face.

“U-, umm, nice to…”
“Shut up and wait.”
“Y-, yes.”

Yup, talk about a taciturn guy. Well, I’ll just stay silent as he said. Though, I am curious about what they’re talking about there.

I sneak a peek through the window of the door. The two of them hold each other by the shoulders, smiling as they talk. I can’t hear a word from here, but I can tell from their faces they’re on amicable terms. Right, I did hear that Loser (Bizef) and the bartender are old friends.

Yup, they’re having a good time there. In fact, they’re having too much fun.

Loser (Bizef), you are bringing up Timu, right? You do understand that’s the purpose of our outing?

Well, he can’t be that irresponsible, can he? I’m sure he’s not that cruel of a man who enjoys talking about his own old stories so much he’s leaving Timu’s case out in the cold.

They must be talking about Timu with a desperate look on their faces—actually, that doesn’t look like a desperate look.

Hmm, but why?

If the rumors about Timu were true, then Loser (Bizef) wouldn’t have looked so loose.

Ah, I see! So I am overreacting about Timu’s case, after all!

Loser (Bizef) knows that, and that’s why he’s grinning like that. I mean, of course, Timu would never go to a dangerous place like this district.

Well, now that makes me feel better. And I have Mr. Guard here so I don’t have to worry about people trying to mess with me.

I take a breath of relief and look around.

The area around the bar is a crossroads. To my right is a road that leads to brothels and slave markets, and to my left is a road that leads to taverns and gambling dens.