ISEKAI? More like I See Crap!-Chapter 100: A Whiff of Trouble ( )

"Achooooo!!" Hazuki sneezed loudly, echoing through the forest.

"Waaahh!! Oi, the fuck!" Ridan screamed from inside the sword, clearly startled.

Hazuki blinked. "What? It’s just sneezing, pervert spirit."

"Don’t just suddenly sneeze out loud like that! You gave me a heart attack!"

"You’re a spirit, idiot. You don’t have a heart!" Hazuki snorted. "Besides, aren’t you too busy peeking on naked men in streams to care?"

"OI! I’m not!! Stop saying that! I told you—I have standards!"

"Yeah, perverted standards." Hazuki smirked, clearly enjoying this.

"Ughhh!! One day, I swear, I’ll haunt you properly!"

Hazuki shrugged. "Until then, enjoy being my overpriced butter knife."

"So where are we going?" Ridan asked, his voice echoing faintly from the sword.

Hazuki lazily swung the blade over his shoulder. "I don’t know... maybe Hazlin Town?"

"Oi, buddy!! Better not go there. No beauties around that place."

Hazuki raised a brow. "Oh? I thought you were into guys."

"WHO SAID THAT!? I love melons, okay!? Jingling, bouncing melons~!"

"...Right." Hazuki rolled his eyes. "Well, I don’t care. As long as I can see some... meloonnnsss~" He trailed off, grinning like an idiot as certain images filled his mind.

"Halfling girls are cute, but not enough melons!" Ridan whined like a melon-deprived ghost.

Hazuki snapped back to reality. "Oi, enough about melons. I still need to buy food!"

"Haaa!? You don’t need to! Hunt while walking! You got me now!!"

Hazuki looked suspicious. "Huh!? No way! I’m going back to Hazlin Town."

"Hmph! Suit yourself!" Ridan huffed, masking the tension in his tone. He could sense something bad about going back there—but couldn’t say it directly.

"Yeah, yeah... now..." Hazuki glanced around the trees. "Which way to Hazlin Town again?"

"Oh! I know this forest! Go left!" Ridan quickly said, pointing Hazuki in the completely wrong direction.

Hazuki blinked. "Oh? If you say so."

And just like that, the idiot and the lying sword marched deeper into the forest—farther and farther from Hazlin.

While Hazuki and his sword were getting farther from the actual road...

In Hazlin Town...

The wind carried a faint dust trail as a group of cloaked figures approached the town gates. Sharp eyes and twitching tails betrayed their beastkin origin despite their humble appearance.

A town guard stationed at the border squinted at them and stepped forward, hand resting on the hilt of his blade.

"Ah, travelers. Welcome to Hazlin Town. What business do you have here?" he asked, glancing over the group with measured suspicion.

One of them smiled faintly. "Oh, nothing much. Just some minor business to take care of."

The guard nodded slowly. "Alright then. Identity cards, please."

Without a word, each of the beastkin handed over a card. The guard took them and checked quickly, eyes flicking across names and crests.

"...You’re all good to go." He handed them back with a slight nod.

"Thank you," one of them said with a polite smile, before they silently passed through the gate—each step carrying the hidden weight of a mission cloaked in shadows.

Their leader lowered his hood slightly, eyes scanning the streets of Hazlin.

"Don’t do anything rash," he whispered to the group, his tone calm but firm. "Just find the human with black hair."

"Yes, leader," they replied in unison.

He gave a quick glance around before continuing.

"Now, scatter and act casual. No sudden moves. When you find him, don’t approach—just inform the rest of us. We’ll plan the next step from there."

With that, the beastkin group split up, vanishing into the crowd like leaves in the wind—each of them silently hunting for one man.

"Ah, Mr customer!" the halfling lady called out, waving him over with a warm smile. "Come to my stall and have a look—fresh fruit, cheap and sweet!"

The beastkin glanced around, then casually approached her humble stall.

"Oh... how much is this?" he asked, picking up a ripe-looking fruit.

"That one’s two copper for three pieces. How many would you like?"

"Just give me two copper worth." He handed over the coins, then leaned in slightly. "By the way..."

"Yes, mister customer?" she replied cheerfully, bagging the fruit.

"Have you seen a human with black hair around here?"

The halfling lady tilted her head thoughtfully, then chuckled. "Oh, I have. You mean that loud guy who keeps trying to charm the halfling girls? Always flashing that ’handsome’ smile of his."

"Yeah... probably him," the beastkin said with a small nod.

The halfling lady raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why do you want to know? Is he a criminal or something?"

The beastkin forced a little smile. "Ah... yes. A bad criminal. Very dangerous."

She paused, looking at him closely.

"Hmm? But if he were really a criminal, the guards would’ve already caught him, no? Our town has decent security... You folks seem a bit suspicious yourselves."

She folded her arms, tail flicking slightly behind her. "You’re not bounty hunters, are you? Or something worse?"

"Ah, no, lady... I’m not. I’m just a traveler," the beastkin said, trying to sound casual.

The halfling vendor narrowed her eyes. "Hmm... suspicious. You say you’re a traveler, but this town’s pretty close to the Beastkin border. Not exactly a tourist hotspot."

"Ah... well,..."

Suddenly, the beastkin straightened up and looked over his shoulder.

"Oh! You called me? Coming!" he shouted, pointing to no one in particular before turning and speed-walking away like a guilty dog.

The halfling lady stared blankly at his retreating back, then muttered under her breath, "...Definitely suspicious."

Hmm... those beastkin folks are suspicious.

The halfling lady furrowed her brow, glancing over at the group trying way too hard to look casual.

She turned to her daughter. "Anna, watch the stall, okay?"

"Yes, Mama! Huh? Where are you going?" Anna blinked in surprise.

"Nothing serious. I just want to let your papa know about these shady-looking beastkin." She dusted her hands off on her apron. "Your father is still with the town guard today, isn’t he? Those beastkin are really suspicious. We should report them to your father."

Anna leaned forward, peeking around the corner of the stall. "Which group?"

"Those ones, near the fruit cart. Acting way too calm for travelers."

"Yeah..." Anna nodded slowly. "I noticed it too."

"You watch the stall—and your little sister too, okay?" the halfling mother said while adjusting her shawl.

"Yes, Mama, I will. Be careful," Anna replied with a small, worried nod.

The mother gave her a gentle smile. "Don’t worry. I’m sure your papa will handle them soon."

The halfling woman weaved her way through the bustling marketplace, quickening her pace as she headed toward the town’s guard station. Her instincts told her something wasn’t right about that group of beastkin—especially the way they kept scanning the crowd like hunters stalking prey.

Meanwhile, the beastkin group had split up as instructed, pretending to browse stalls and admire the scenery. But their sharp eyes were busy—searching. Watching.

"Any sign of him?" one of them whispered as he passed by a fellow scout near the town’s water fountain.

"Not yet," the other replied under his breath. "But someone mentioned a loud human who flirts with halfling girls... might be our target."

"Keep your eyes open. The boss doesn’t want a scene... yet."

They nodded subtly and blended back into the crowd

( End of Chapter )