Chapter 20

A few days later, three mages arrived at the Tiara Adventurers Guild.

In their late twenties in terms of age, one was a muscular and tall young man with blond hair, quite atypical for a mage. The other two, standing behind him, both had chestnut-colored hair, and their grins and slender builds gave off a distinctly scholarly vibe.

“Is there someone named Mitarai Mizuki here?”

They approached Carol’s counter, raising their voices.

I looked up, and Carol had a perplexed expression as if something strange had just walked in.

“Are you Mitarai Mizuki?”

Since I started working at Tiara, I’ve noticed that their way of speaking hasn’t really improved.

I can understand why the chief appreciated the fact that I can speak politely and intelligently when he hired me.

And here are three arrogantly confident men—probably mages from their appearance.

They were dressed in long garments similar to what Coolmin wore.

It resembled the long coats worn by cheerleading squads.

Sure, it looks cool, but it would be inconvenient to wear something like that in the forest.

They really seem like a bunch of idiots.

Nevertheless, they are customers… I walk over to Carol.

“I’m Mizuki. What can I do for you?”

“You’re the one who can use magic, right?”

Wow, information travels fast. The warnings from the chief become a reality, and I become more cautious.

“Uh, who might you be?”

“We heard you can use magic. Heard you got attacked and fought back.”

The blond man raises his voice, trying to intimidate.

The staff and even the customers in the store are watching us.

If this had been me half a month ago, I might have been intimidated and teary-eyed. However, I just crossed the line of death a few days ago.

My anger gauge is steadily rising.

“I’m not obliged to answer. Please leave.”

“Just show us at the training ground. I’ll show you mine too, you know?”

They have a mocking attitude.

The two behind them have been grinning all along, looking around at the staff.

Is there even a training ground here…?

“I’m at work right now. Besides, it’s bothering other customers.”

“Oh? I’m a customer too, you know! I told you to show me, so just do it!”

A typical delinquent tone… These types of people exist in this world too.

Even if I’m confident that I won’t lose with magic, being intimidated is still scary.

The anger gauge is now full thanks to this situation.

Now, what should I do…?

The chief tried to come, but I stopped him with my hand and took out my smartphone, switching it to camera mode.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

“Huh?”

*Snap*

In an instant, the flash went off, and the blonde magician flinched.

“W-What the heck!”

I didn’t care and took consecutive shots of the two people in the back.

*Snap, Snap*

“What the…!?”

I showed him the photos I had taken.

“Take a look at this.”

He was momentarily startled by something in the photos.

Then, with irritation, he reluctantly peered into the smartphone as instructed.

“U… Uwaaaaah!”

Seeing his own figure there, he was shocked, took a step back, and accidentally bumped into the person behind, causing all three of them to fall.

It was the same reaction Lily-san had when she saw the photos for the first time.

“People in this world can’t comprehend photos.”

I showed the photos to the other two behind as well. Just like the blonde guy, they also recoiled in fear.

“This, well, it’s a tool for dealing with trash bastards like you.”

The three remained lying on the floor, dumbfounded.

Sensing the dangerous atmosphere, the other customers in the store quickly left.

“What… Customer… what?”

“Customer harassment. In our country, it means ‘customers causing trouble.’ It refers to customers who make strange demands or exhibit violent and insulting behavior.”

I showed Carol the photos I took of those guys.

“Ah, photos! So that’s how you take them!”

Come to think of it, it was the first time I had shown someone the process of taking photos with a smartphone.

Since Carol was delighted to learn how to take photos, I smirked and showed off.

“Now, I’ve captured your images. If I submit these to the police, you’ll be arrested.”

“Police? What’s the police?”

I continued without paying much attention.

“When your image is captured with this tool, you’ll be under constant police surveillance. I mean, all the time—when you’re walking outside, when you’re sleeping, even when you’re using the toilet. If you commit a crime, the police will arrive immediately to arrest and execute you.”

I glared at them, emphasizing my words.

“I’ve just taken your images. As long as I don’t erase them, you’ll be under continuous police surveillance.”

They had absolutely no understanding of what was happening.

　◆ ◆ ◆

The confident magician who was feeling spirited was now plunged into the depths of fear.

What is he talking about…? I don’t understand at all.

First of all, what happened to me? What is that tool?

“When it flashes, your image is captured by that tool.”

W-What happened to me? What am I in that tool…?

The receptionist had said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Capture… what?”

Is this how they always deal with troublesome customers?

They said the police would be monitoring. All the time. They even mentioned monitoring in the bathroom.

So what is the police!?

The magician looked at the man and remembered—

“He’s the one who killed those three.”

Certainly, he just said, “Execute.” He did.

According to the story I heard, “He could use magic just by reading a magic book.”

But there’s no way such a story could be true!

I heard he killed with lightning magic… that’s a lie!

No one can use lightning magic in the first place. I’ve never heard of such a thing.

Blowing off a face with stone magic?! Impossible! At most, it would cause a lot of broken bones.

That’s it… that magical tool.

They took my image. They took me. They took something of mine.

I don’t understand what the police are. But being monitored, I’ll surely be killed. That’s what this tool is for.

“If your image is taken with that tool, you die!”

Aaaaaaahhh!

The other two were also caught up in similar thoughts.

　◆ ◆ ◆

The three magicians had already forgotten why they had come here and were trembling.

And they moaned in a hoarse voice.

“Uuuh… ah… aaaaaahhh…”

Looking down on them, I declared,

“Well… if you promise not to cause any more trouble for me or our guild—”

“I’ll delete these photos. Pretend it never happened… What will you do?”

At that, the other two started apologizing through tears.

“U… uh… sorry, it’s just… we were told to… to do it without thinking…”

“Ahh, I… I’m soooorrrryyyyy.”

The effect was remarkable!

“What about you?”

He had turned into a thoroughly frightened puppy, and with a face like he had just bitten into a bitter insect, he nodded slowly.

I deleted the photos and showed them the black screen of my smartphone.

“The photos are gone. It’s all okay now.”

Upon hearing that, the three of them slumped as if their strength had drained away.

Then, in a slightly louder voice, I spoke so that those around us could hear.

“You guys have a position as adventurers too, right? You wouldn’t want embarrassing incidents like this to be known, would you?”

They no longer had the energy to respond.

“So… I hope you understand. I’d like you to keep quiet about what happened here today, about the photos and all.”

I conveyed this to them in a manner that suggested they knew what would happen if they spoke. Then, I glanced around the store. Other adventurers must have heard.

‘Don’t talk about them! Don’t talk about the photos! If you do, I’ll take pictures of you too! If you’re captured in a photo, you’ll die!’

I wanted them to think that.

And with that, the magician trio crawled away, leaving in a subdued state.

The chief is suppressing laughter.

“Mizuki-san, is that how photos work?”

“Yeah, that’s right!”

I laughed while raising my smartphone.

I’m glad I had heard the story from the supervisor in advance. If it had come out of the blue, it would have been overwhelming.

After explaining to everyone about “customer harassment” and the “police,” the Japanese adventurers realized how incredible the security measures were.

Since we’re here, I suggest taking a photo of the three.

I ask Lana, Lily, and Carol to face me for the shot—

*Snap*

They are startled by the flash.

I hand over the smartphone and show them their photo. They break into big smiles, pleased with each other.

Then, Carol jokingly asks,

“Mizuki-san, are we going to get arrested too?”

“That’s right!”

Everyone laughs, and the atmosphere lightens up.

I feel relieved by her cheerfulness.

Though I managed to handle it well, there was still a sense of fear deep down. My body feels oddly light.

And from that day on, the magicians never bothered the guild again.

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