Even so, she could have cut their heads off cleanly like the first two pigs, but she deliberately attacked in a way that made them suffer.
As I turned my gaze toward the ruthless blue-haired woman, her eyes suddenly glared sharply in my direction.
"How long are you planning to stay hidden? Did you really think I hadn't noticed you?"
The blue-haired woman had completely detected my presence. I didn't know since when.
But even without thinking too hard, it was obvious that hiding right next to a woman being assaulted was not a good situation.
If I stayed hidden any longer, I would probably end up dead like the pigs in front of me.
I raised both hands and slowly stood up, stepping out in front of the blue-haired woman.
"You might not believe me, but I'm just a passerby…"
"What kind of person walks through a place like this?"
"Well, that's…"
I considered making up some convenient lie to get through this, but the blue-haired woman still hadn't sheathed her slender sword. That meant she hadn't cleared her suspicion of me.
Moreover, I was someone who hadn't come out until she called me. Any normal passerby would have run away the moment they saw this gruesome scene. The fact that I was still here made me extremely suspicious in her eyes.
I decided that, as shameful as it was, telling the truth would be better than lying.
"I was walking on the main road when I heard a woman's voice coming from this alley. So I came to help… but as you can see, there were three huge pig demi-humans. And as you can also see, I only have this pathetic outfit. I couldn't move. I feel bad for the woman who was being assaulted, but I prioritized my own life over a stranger's."
"Then why didn't you go call for help instead of her?"
"I couldn't move. That's all…"
"So what you're saying is… you were standing there doing nothing, not even trying to do anything, while a helpless woman was being violated by three giant pigs right in front of you."
"Yeah… That's exactly right."
To be completely honest, I had even gotten excited watching the scene. There was no need to mention that, so I kept quiet. But the guilt I felt was so strong that I almost wanted the woman in front of me to kill me right then and there.
"I see. Understood."
"Eh?"
The blue-haired woman sheathed her slender sword, turned on her heel, and walked over to the blonde woman who had slumped to the ground.
"You're not going to kill me?"
"Why would I kill you?"
"Well, because… I was just watching while a woman was being raped right in front of me…"
"It can't be helped. Even I would abandon an adventurer being attacked by a dragon if it meant saving my own life."
While fixing the disheveled clothes of the woman who had apparently lost consciousness at some point, the blue-haired woman spoke to me.
"Your judgment wasn't necessarily wrong. It might be wrong as a man, but only a hero or a complete idiot would throw away their life for a complete stranger."
After straightening the blonde woman's appearance, the blue-haired woman wrapped a robe-like garment around her and turned to look at me.
"If you still want to do something for this woman, would you lend me your back?"
"…Of course."
I walked past the fallen pigs and approached the blonde woman, then lifted her soft body onto my back.
"Follow me."
"H-hey. Is it okay to just leave these guys like this?"
"We're heading to the Adventurers' Guild now, so I'll report it then and have them contact the military police. By the way, I still haven't asked your name."
While walking, the blue-haired woman gave a light nod and introduced herself first.
"I'm Lisa. I'm an adventurer. And you?"
I wondered if the custom in this world was to state your name and occupation when introducing yourself. I decided to follow her example.
"I'm Takuma Takahashi. I'm planning to become an adventurer soon."
"An adventurer? You?"
"Yeah. Is something wrong with that…? Well, I guess it does sound weird."
Compared to me, Lisa's outfit was far more revealing, but she still had proper armor protecting her chest and other vital areas. In contrast, my "equipment" was just sweatpants and a sweatshirt. I didn't even have a weapon like hers.
Plus, from the way I had been cowering earlier, I probably looked ridiculous as a potential adventurer in her eyes.
We stepped out onto the main street and walked side by side toward the Adventurers' Guild.
Naturally, the stares directed at me were painful. Carrying a person wearing a robe on my back while dressed in sweatpants made the gazes even more intense, but since Lisa walking beside me didn't seem to care, I decided not to mind it either.
Well… it still hurt mentally.
"Can you use any magic?"
"No, not at the moment."
"Um… How old are you, Takuma?"
"Probably twenty-two."
"…I see."
I could feel Lisa looking at me with complete pity as I calmly realized just how bad my current situation was.
"I know it's rude to ask a woman this, but how old are you, Lisa?"
"I turned nineteen this year."
"Y-you're a minor…"
"Huh? I'm a full adult. What are you talking about, Takuma?"
"So… does that mean you become an adult at eighteen here?"
"That's right. Obviously."
"Sorry. In the place I lived, you became an adult at twenty."
"At twenty? I don't know of any country that does that…"
Of course Lisa wouldn't know about my original world. Besides, even in my country there had been talk of lowering the age of adulthood to eighteen, so I was probably the last person to be isekai'd while still thinking twenty was the adult age.
"Just for future reference, at what age can you drink alcohol here?"
"Eighteen."
"What about marriage?"
"Also eighteen."
"For both men and women?"
"Of course. Why?"
"No reason. Just asking to be sure."
So in this world, eighteen was the line between child and adult.
That probably meant the so-called "18+" stuff also started at that age.
…Not that I knew for sure.