The Tough-Faced Owner of A Fluffy Cafe ~ The Strongest Mercenary Feared as the Headhunter, Living Leisurely Surrounded by Little Girls and Cute Monsters ~ - Chapter 35

Episode 035: Dark Organization, Keeping an Eye on the Little Girl

Let’s rewind to when Ack arrived in the town. In a certain room, several people had gathered. The faint light of a few candles illuminated the room, barely revealing each other’s faces. Eventually, one of them started talking.

“Boss, a new target has arrived.”

“Oh? What are the details?”

The man referred to as the boss raised an eyebrow with interest.

“It’s a girl with white hair and blue eyes. Despite being a young girl, she’s already as cute as an angel. She’ll fetch a high price for sure.”

“We’ll need to confirm that.”

They were the criminal organization known as “Dark Eye” lurking in this town. While Farmrest in the Kingdom of Karm boasted good security, just as crime was frequent in Japan, despite its reputation for safety, Farmrest was no exception. They were a vile group involved in human trafficking.

And this time, their target was Tina, brought by Ack.

Tina, who had just met Ack, was dirty, her hair unkempt and messy. Her face was hardly visible and she didn’t look particularly cute.

However, after washing her body, she transformed into something beautiful, and her previously emaciated body had improved somewhat by the time she arrived in Farmrest.

Her extraordinary cuteness attracted the attention of passersby.

It was no wonder that Dark Eye had set their sights on her.

“Boss, the target we talked about has arrived.”

“Understood.”

Ack returned to the town with Tina once again after a while.

The boss and his subordinates watched from the shadows of a building.

“That one could definitely sell for a high price.”

“Do you think so?”

The boss agreed with his subordinate’s observation after looking at Tina.

Her appearance was indeed exceptional.

“When should we abduct her?”

“Not for a while. It’s impossible right now.”

“Why is that?”

The subordinate, who had thought they would snatch her right away, looked at the boss with a puzzled expression.

“Look at the man next to her.”

As per the boss’ orders, they looked next to Tina and saw a man exuding an intimidating aura like a monster.

Just by looking at him, it was evident that he possessed overwhelming combat power.

Indeed, if that man was nearby, there was no way to approach Tina.

“Does that mean we’re giving up?”

However, it would be a waste to give up just because of that.

If Tina was as cute as she was, there would be buyers everywhere, even among the nobility. With such demand, it would be possible to raise the price.

It could amount to a considerable sum if successful, enough to live without working for a while.

“No way. We’ll thoroughly monitor them and gather information. There might be a chance eventually. That’s what we’ll aim for.”

“I see. As expected of the boss.”

There was only one opponent.

They might be together most of the time, but there was still a possibility of them separating somewhere.

Criminals operating in a secure environment were cunning.

Information gathering was essential. With enough information, the target’s lifestyle patterns would become apparent.

They planned to quietly observe and strike when the target let their guard down.

“Put someone on them.”

From that day on, the boss had his men watch over Ack and his group.

Gradually, Ack’s lifestyle began to come to light.

Although they had been living in an inn for a while, they had the best craftsman in town renovate a house in the outskirts, and after having furniture and interior decorations made, they moved in.

Shortly after that, they opened a café.

While Ack had a few opportunities to be away from Tina, it was a period of significant changes in their lifestyle, and since there were many people at the inn, Dark Eye didn’t do anything.

From then on, Dark Eye patiently continued to observe Ack’s group.

After opening the shop, their lifestyle stabilized, and they never left the shop during business hours. It was discovered that they periodically visited the town on their days off.

There were only three customers, but they were the best craftsman in Farmrest, a male employee of the guild, and the third squad leader of the knight order.

However, so far, there had been no sign of Ack and Tina separating on their days off.

At this rate, a chance didn’t seem likely to come.

Dark Eye was beginning to grow impatient.

“Boss!!”

At that moment, one of the subordinates rushed to the boss with a changed expression.

“What’s wrong?”

“Y-yes. We obtained information that the shopkeeper will go to Great Blizzard Mountain on the eve of the next day off.”

The subordinate had good hearing and had managed to catch even distant sounds. It was information obtained with that ability.

“Is it true?”

“Yes. However, it’s believed that she will be accompanied by Maria, the third squad leader of the knight order.”

The boss pondered the information for a moment upon hearing it.

Maria was also a considerably skilled individual, and he’d prefer to avoid clashing with a knight if possible.

However, waiting any longer would likely not create an opportunity.

“I see… for now, make sure we’re ready to move at any time on that day.”

“Understood.”

So, hoping for something to happen that day, they gathered their members just in case.

A few days later.

As the subordinate said, on the eve of the holiday, Ack set off for the Great Blizzard Mountain.

Maria took Tina back home.

After that, the Dark Eyes began surveillance on Maria’s house, but so far, they couldn’t make a move.

The Dark Eyes waited patiently for their chance.