Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 014
Chapter Title: What Kind of Big Sisters Do You Like? #2
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Ezekiel unbuttoned the top of her chest with a soft pop.
It was a round gold button engraved with an eagle.
Anyone could tell it was valuable just by looking.
"Yor, you've got a great eye to covet this button. It's a custom-made piece—there are fewer than ten like it in the world."
"You're really just going to give me something like this?"
It was astonishing.
I'd been racking my brain over how to steal that button, but if she was handing it over, there was no need to bother.
That said—
My hand didn't move right away.
"By any chance, is there something you want me to do in exchange for the button?"
Getting freebies always backfires later.
It was a rule I'd learned the hard way while shitting blood, so it was best to stick to it.
"This is your reward for outperforming expectations on your first mission. So you're just receiving what you rightfully earned."
"Ooooh!"
Only then did I relax and take the button in hand.
It was round.
Yellow and shiny.
Everyone loves things like this.
It seemed even more special knowing it had been on Ezekiel's chest.
It probably even smelled nice.
I was admiring it intensely when Ezekiel, having finished her meal, elegantly dabbed her lips with a napkin.
"Exchanging goods through fair payment is such a pleasure, isn't it? But there are wicked people in the Empire who try to ruin that joy."
"Those guys are real scum."
I chimed in right away.
Agreeing with Ezekiel was more fun than I'd expected.
And if she smiled at my reaction?
My luck might hold out all day.
Sure enough, Ezekiel gave a slight smile.
"It's about time. Shall we go?"
"Huh? Go? Where to?"
Oh no, I hadn't finished my food.
But with Ezekiel's golden button in my hand, I wasn't hungry anymore.
And so I followed Ezekiel.
We climbed to the top of the Great Wall, and as I marveled again at the vast view, a sound like boiling water came from somewhere.
"Grrrrr, grrr...!"
I turned to see a blood-soaked man in uniform being held down by soldiers, gasping for breath.
Ezekiel calmly beckoned me over.
"Over there."
What the hell was that?
The fresh mood from moments ago turned to tension in an instant.
"Guys who secretly sell Ether for gold keep popping up. Don't they learn from the deaths? Even a stupid monkey would get it by now."
Ezekiel knelt to meet the man's eyes.
That's when I got a good look at him too.
An unfamiliar face.
Even if I'd known him, the beating had turned it into a bloody mess, hard to recognize.
But seeing his severed fingers brought last night's events flashing back.
It matched exactly the description of the guy who'd tried to grope Germain and lost fingers for it.
Noticing my confusion, Ezekiel asked.
"Yor, do you know him?"
The answer came first from the fingerless man before me.
"Keh heh heh, check this out—a real tender little thing. Ezekiel, you bitch, is this your new boy toy? Our general's got some classy tastes."
"......"
"Whoring yourself out to dirty old men to climb the ranks, now you wanna taste young meat? Too bad. If it were me, I'd—"
His words cut off.
The man lunged at Ezekiel like he was about to rip her throat out.
"Don't move!"
Somehow, he'd gotten a blade in hand and aimed it at Captain Ezekiel's neck.
Everyone gasped in shock.
"That bastard, when did he hide that knife...!"
"We searched him thoroughly!"
"Get a carriage ready now! Unless you want a hole in this bitch's neck! Hurry!"
A sudden hostage situation.
I was totally flustered, but the most surprising part was how Ezekiel's expression remained as calm as if she were out for a stroll.
"Hangman, wasting a golden opportunity like this—you're a real idiot."
"What do you—"
Roll... Splash—.
Suddenly, the man's head tumbled across the ground, and Ezekiel straightened her disheveled clothes.
She casually wiped the blood from her lips with her white-gloved hand.
Smooch—.
Her already striking lips, now painted redder, drew the eye even more.
What the hell just happened?
There was still so much in this world I didn't know.
Back in my room, I replayed the events in my mind.
A sudden thought hit me.
'Did she cover for me?'
That man whose head got cut off earlier.
Maybe he'd muddled our connection to Ezekiel—just a hunch.
What if I'd said I knew him?
Would my head be rolling on the floor too?
The thought made me deeply depressed all of a sudden.
"Why the long face?"
Felix had just finished showering after training and asked me.
I told him what happened.
"Ezekiel didn't even blink when that guy died. I had no idea... she's gotta be super scary and cruel, right...?"
"From what I know, he's killed at least 32 people."
"...Ezekiel!?"
"The guy who got his head chopped today. Name's Hangman. Why? His hobby was wrapping a noose around victims' necks, tying it to a beam, and yanking hard till they died."
"What?"
"His rapes, arsons, and robberies are beyond counting."
Fuck, he was total scum?
Any sympathy vanished.
"I think Ezekiel's too soft and merciful for giving trash like that a second chance. You got her grace too, so you should know."
Fair point. I'd been locked up, waiting to die.
Then Ezekiel pulled me out, fed me, and even brought me to the Great Wall.
A rapist murderer of 32 people.
Ezekiel, who killed that rapist murderer.
Comparing them felt like an insult.
People die anyway.
Here, there, everywhere.
Just because you roll the dice a few times wrong, your neck ends up in a noose.
So I couldn't hate Ezekiel for executing a vicious criminal.
'Ah, no need to overthink it.'
Conclusion.
Time to sleep.
That night, I had an incredibly erotic dream.
I couldn't remember who was in it, but I woke in the pitch-dark early morning and had to change my underwear and pants.
"Days I see someone die always end like this."
Might as well shower while I'm at it.
Slept sweating buckets—feels sticky.
Wandering the dark hallway toward the bath, I spotted the restroom.
I knocked on the door.
"Germain sis, you in there?"
"You think I live in the toilet or something?"
Gah—.
When did she sneak up behind me?
I jumped, and Germain laughed softly.
"You think a little beer mug training lets you sense the Thieves' Guild Wall Branch leader's presence? So, why'd you call for me?"
"I saw a guy get his head chopped today. Selling Ether for gold—if you get caught, does your head fly off? You didn't warn me!"
"Yor, the Thieves' Guild itself is illegal. The Empire strictly bans private Blessed organizations outside the Wall exploration battalions."
...What?
A world where selling Ether for gold gets you killed.
My dream of hoarding gold for a lavish retirement was fading...
"So, that's all?"
"Heh heh heh, no way. I brought the button you wanted. Here."
Gulp—.
Heart pounding, I pulled a button from my pocket.
Germain took it and examined it closely.
"You really got it? Honestly, this exceeds expectations."
"You said you'd train me next if I brought it. You'll keep your word, right?"
"But you just got this from Ezekiel, didn't you? You didn't steal it."
"Gah—."
How'd she know?
Still, I had to make excuses.
"You said bring a button, not steal one."
"Where's this punk kid mouthing off? Fine, I admit it! I didn't say steal it. Who'd guess that Ezekiel would just hand it over."
"So, the training?"
Training to build resistance to women.
Essential for me to become a better thief.
I trembled with anticipation, but Germain sighed.
"Fine, a promise is a promise."
Swoosh—.
Germain unzipped her top.
She reached into her sweat-dampened cleavage and pulled out a scroll.
"Ta-da."
It was a picture.
Of a woman's body.
"Look at this every night to build resistance to women's bodies. Might be too stimulating for a virgin—don't stare too long!"
What.
I felt massively ripped off.
A gold button for a crudely drawn scroll of a naked woman?
I scowled, and Germain had a retort.
"A button you got as payment from Ezekiel only rates this much. We're thieves. Stuff you get legitimately has no value."
"No value?"
"Yor, if you work worth 100 Ether and get 100 Ether pay, it nets zero, right?"
"...Yeah, sure."
"But theft? 20 Ether effort for 200 Ether haul—pure thrill!"
Oh, that made sense.
Clicked perfectly!
"So next time, steal something proper. No deadline, take it easy. I'll hold onto this button till then?"
Slick—.
Germain slipped the gold button into her cleavage.
My mind lit up like a firework.
I shoved my hand in my pocket and pulled out another button.
"What about this? Snagged it when Hangman was thrashing before his head came off. Heh heh heh!"
It was the gold button from the left sleeve of Ezekiel's uniform.
The second button.
I'd wanted to keep it for myself, but with Germain like that, I had no choice!
Germain's eyes narrowed.
"...You little squirrel bastard, trying to fool your big sis? Your future's shining brighter than yellow—gold. From now on, you're Golden Yor."
Golden Yor?
Whatever.
My face burned in all directions.
"Now, go fetch your button yourself."
Germain thrust out her chest.