Chapter 244
Chapter 244
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 244
Chapter Title: Iris
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Iris was utterly dumbfounded as she was dragged deeper into the alley. She never imagined some man would dare to forcibly grab her—of all people—and haul her off to a dark, secluded spot out of sight.
Of course, if he knew who she really was, he wouldn't have had the guts to try something like this. But no one in the city knew her true identity. To them, she was just a mute waitress working at the shop called Light's Curtain.
Even so, dragging a defenseless woman into an alley like this was sheer madness anywhere in the Byron Empire.
Judging by the stench of booze wafting off him, the alcohol had clearly stripped away any fear. Iris pretended to go along limply while signaling her hidden subordinates lurking in the nearby shadows with her free right hand.
Stay put.
Just before this drunken fool had dragged her into the alley, her eyes had met those of the man who had tried to help her back at the shop.
His name was Judah, if she remembered right?
She hadn't heard it directly from him. It was from one of his companions, who had mentioned wanting to learn cooking at the shop.
In any case, their eyes locking by chance in that moment had thrown her off, leaving her unable to react.
If their gazes hadn't met?
She would have instantly grabbed the man's hand, twisted it backward until it snapped, and walked away without a second thought. And one of her loyal subordinates shadowing her would have either killed him or beaten him half to death and dumped his body in the alley.
As she was pulled along limply by the wrist, she glanced back over her shoulder. At the alley's entrance stood Judah. He pulled his hand from his coat pocket and strode toward them purposefully.
"......"
A faint smile tugged at Iris's lips as she watched him approach. If she wanted, she could shake off the hand gripping her wrist right now. Hell, she could kill the man silently without breaking a sweat. But she didn't.
Though the pressure on her wrist annoyed her enough to furrow her brow, Iris waited obediently.
Perhaps she was finally about to meet the prince she had long sought and waited for. She had mistaken others for him dozens of times before, but this time felt different. Her intuition had never burned with such certainty.
Suddenly, the booze-soaked man shoved her against the wall. Iris, who had been going along limply, hit the wall back-first. As she scowled and glared up at him, a hand slammed into the wall next to her head with a sharp smack. His face loomed close, the reek of alcohol hitting her full force. He had a handsome face, but the drunken haze in his eyes and the lust gleaming there repulsed her.
"I realize my sudden actions must have startled you greatly. Beautiful..."
"Hey."
"...Hey?"
Despite the distance, Judah had closed in unnoticed and now placed a hand on the man's shoulder from behind. The man, mid-whisper, turned in startled confusion, frowning.
"Why'd you drag her back here?"
"Hah, who the hell are you, punk? Just scram."
Visibly irritated, he waved Judah off with a scowl. But when he turned back to Iris, he was smiling again.
"Shall we head deeper in, just the two of us?"
Like hell I'm going anywhere with you.
The words rose in Iris's throat, but she couldn't voice them. Judah, who thought she was mute, was standing right behind the man. As the guy reached for her wrist again, Iris pulled her hand free and clasped it prayer-like over her chest. Trembling dramatically, she drew his narrowed gaze down over her.
"Urk!?"
In that instant, Judah seized the man's hand from behind, wrenching it upward while nudging his leg with a knee. With a short yelp, the man pitched forward, his face slamming into the ground under Judah's pinning force. The cold, filthy dirt against his cheek snapped him sober.
"Aaaagh! Hey, you bastard!"
Pain exploded through his twisted arm as he screamed. It hurt—like really hurt. The merciless twist made it feel like his arm might pop out of the socket. No, at this rate, it could snap any second. He had to break free somehow, but no matter how hard he strained, it was impossible. His face crumpling, he finally swallowed his pride and begged for mercy.
Should I just snap his arm?
Judah stared down silently at the man pinned beneath him, lost in thought. Then he applied pressure, angling it so the back of the hand was visible without breaking it. A sickening crunch echoed, and the man's screams cut off briefly. As they erupted again, Judah examined the hand. No emblem of the Shadow Kingdom. Not everyone branded the back of their hand, but it was the most common spot.
Not certain yet, but it seemed her being dragged into this alley really was just coincidence.
'She was about to twist his hand off earlier.'
Thinking back, right before being pulled in, she had started to counter as the man grabbed her wrist—but froze when their eyes met. Sure, Iris tested men she took a liking to by probing their character and resolve, but this didn't feel like that. He checked her status cautiously.
[Favorability: 50 (Interest)]
[Trust: 20 (Average)]
The low trust made sense; he hadn't done anything particularly trustworthy. But her favorability had shot up fast—from 35 just yesterday, it had jumped 15 in moments thanks to his actions. At "Interest" level... her tests might begin soon.
"......"
A tug at his coat collar made him turn. He watched her shake her head side to side, wondering what she meant. The sun had set, leaving the alley in dim twilight, but reading her expression was easy enough. Her gaze drifted downward.
"Oh."
The man had passed out, gone limp. Judah hadn't hit him that hard—not even a chin strike. But he was definitely unconscious. Judah released the forced twist on his arm. Footsteps approached—not one or two people.
'Soldiers?'
They were on patrol. Judah glanced down at the man.
"Patrol soldiers are coming. Want to run?"
"......"
She shook her head at his wry question, still clutching his coat collar. She slipped her right hand into her pocket, as if to pull out her notepad—but thought better of it in the growing dark and emerged empty-handed.
"Wait here, then?"
Iris nodded. Moments later, soldiers poured into the alley. More rushed in from the opposite end, blocking escape routes with impressive coordination. Swords and spears leveled, they ordered them to freeze. Judah waited calmly. Iris nodded reassuringly, as if to say not to worry.
One soldier approaching cautiously recognized Iris and reported to the patrol captain that she was a waitress from Light's Curtain. They stepped out of the alley to talk. The streets were now lit by magical lamps, bright enough to read her notepad easily. After scanning the note, the captain spoke to his men, dropped their guard toward Judah, praised him, and left.
-Thank you.
Iris showed the notepad and bowed nearly ninety degrees.
Then she scribbled below the "Thank you."
-Where were you headed? Sorry if I made you late.
"I was on my way to the temple. How could I just walk past seeing you dragged back here? Had to help."
-Sorry.
"Nothing to be sorry for. He was the one in the wrong. If you feel bad about it, want to come along to the temple? I'm heading back to the shop with Arhil after."
Instead of writing, Iris nodded. It was a smile utterly unlike Arhil's broad, toothy grin—just a faint line at the corners of her mouth suggesting amusement. They walked to the temple in silence, side by side.
As the temple came into view, Iris pulled out her notepad.
-Moon
She started to write "Moon—" probably Moonlight or something, but scratched it out vigorously and wrote below.
-Iris. That's my name.
Judah, reading the proffered note, realized belatedly they hadn't exchanged names.
"Pretty name. Doesn't 'iris' mean good tidings in flower language?"
Huh?
Iris's eyes widened round. Everyone knew Iris was a flower, but few knew its meaning.
-How did you know?
"The flower name?"
-No, the flower language.
"Read it in a book. I like reading, so as a kid I'd hit the library when bored."
Meeting her gaze, Judah smiled and pointed to himself.
"Belated introduction. I'm Judah Arshe. Nice to meet you."
Iris stared at his extended hand for a moment before clasping it slowly. On the first knuckle of her right index finger gleamed an intricate black crown tattoo.
========== Afterword ==========
1) Heartless people... I'll definitely get a girlfriend no matter what.