Chapter 128
Chapter 128
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: Galliante Island (5)
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“Hey! Stop that!”
Shirone shouted as he took a step forward.
Gamos turned to look at Shirone, a look of disbelief on his face. He had been wondering what kind of clueless fool had popped up, only to find a boy who wasn't even twenty, holding grocery baskets in both hands.
“What are you? Who do you think you are, you little brat?”
“Let that woman go. Everyone is watching, and the guards will be here soon.”
“Puhahaha! Guards? Do you have any idea who I am?”
“What difference does it make who you are? If you keep this up, I’ll go get the guards myself.”
“Hmm…”
As Gamos loosened his grip, the woman quickly broke free and hid behind Shirone. He was just a boy, but in this massive crowd, he was the only one she could rely on.
“Please, help me. That man… he was going to…”
Gamos scowled and stepped closer.
“Some damn pest is getting on my nerves. Hey, kid, I’m a merchant here on Galliante Island. That woman stole my merchandise. Not only that, she tried to steal a high-end piece of pottery and ended up breaking it.”
“What? Pottery?”
Shirone blinked. If the man’s words were true, then the woman behind him was a thief.
So, he was trying to make her pay with her body because she stole his goods. While the right and wrong of it could be sorted out, it was a tricky situation to take sides in.
“That’s right. Of course, I used it as an excuse to demand her body. But since she damaged my property, I have to get compensation one way or another, don’t I? If you call the guards, she’s the one who’ll be arrested.”
When Shirone looked back, the woman met his gaze and quickly looked away.
“Is what he’s saying true?”
“Yes, I’m sorry. But I really needed that piece of pottery. I truly did.”
“Hahaha! No one in this world *needs* a piece of pottery. What you need is money. I was just trying to help her earn some. Do you get it now, kid? It’s best not to get involved with women like her. Unless, of course, you’re looking for a one-night stand. Isn’t that right, everyone?”
The onlookers burst into laughter along with Gamos. It wasn't a particularly funny situation, but the tension that had been building from various factors was released all at once.
“Looks like you’re here with friends. Go cook yourselves a nice meal. If you meddle in adult affairs, you’ll end up in a mess like this.”
The woman shook Shirone’s arm, pleading.
“Please, don’t go. If you leave, I don’t know what that man will do.”
“Why don’t you just turn yourself in? If you talk to the guards, they’ll sort it out.”
“Absolutely not. That man has this whole island in his grip. Please, trust me.”
“How much was the pottery?”
“I’m not sure of the exact price, but it’s probably around 50 silver.”
Shirone fell into thought. It wouldn't be hard for him to part with 50 silver for the woman. But was it right to pay for her crime just because he had the money? He believed that just as he had no right to judge someone’s sin, he also had no right to pardon it.
Shirone made his decision and approached Gamos.
“I will compensate you for the pottery. So please, let the woman go.”
Gamos narrowed his eyes, surprised. Of course, 50 silver wasn't a huge sum for a noble. But what was his motive for protecting the woman, even if it meant confronting him, a powerful figure on Galliante?
“Oho, so you plan on taking her for yourself? I suppose a punk like you wouldn't find a beauty like that for 50 silver anywhere else.”
Shirone’s brow furrowed. He was disgusted by Gamos’s words, treating him like a lecher just because that’s all he could see.
“I have no such intentions. Do you think everyone is like you?”
“Then why are you getting involved? That woman is a thief. All you have to do is hand her over to the guards.”
“Whatever this woman has done is not for me to judge. The reason I’m offering 50 silver is because I believe no one should have to pay a price greater than the crime they committed. If you have any other intentions for this woman, please take this money and let it be the end of it.”
Hearing Shirone’s words, the woman’s eyes lit up as if she’d realized something. Gamos, on the other hand, scoffed. Why so many complicated thoughts just to pay a mere 50 silver?
“Here, 50 silver. Now, will you forgive the woman?”
Gamos stared intently at the silver coins resting on Shirone’s palm.
Honestly, he wasn't pleased. Not only was the woman a catch he was reluctant to let go of, but he also disliked Shirone’s attitude.
To him, it looked like a naive punk who didn't know the ways of the world had lost his mind over a pretty face.
“I don’t need the compensation. I have more than enough money. But I have one condition.”
“A condition? What is it?”
“I see you’re a fine man willing to sacrifice for a woman. If that’s the case, you should be able to apologize to me on her behalf, right? I want you to bow your head to me in front of everyone.”
The crowd’s attention focused on Shirone. Enduring humiliation for another was not a common sight, but Shirone readily stepped forward.
“Alright. If that will earn your forgiveness, I will apologize.”
“Don’t just say it, bow your head. Offer a very polite apology.”
Shirone bent his waist in a deep bow.
“On behalf of this woman, I apologize for her stealing the pottery. Please, I beg you to forgive her.”
“Hmm.”
The man looked down at Shirone with arrogant eyes. Then, he let out a smirk, took a step forward, and threw an uppercut.
Seeing the fist rushing toward him, Shirone instinctively stepped back. The large man’s knuckles whistled as they grazed past his nose.
“Wh-what are you doing?”
Gamos clicked his tongue as if he knew this would happen and pointed at Shirone.
“See that? You dodged. Your apology wasn’t sincere. If you had taken the punch, you might have been able to save that woman. But you dodged. Because you were afraid of getting hit. Do you get it now? The world isn’t that easy. Refute it if you can. You’re just pretending to be a good person.”
The crowd agreed with Gamos’s words. If he had truly intended to save the woman, he could have just closed his eyes and taken the hit. But Shirone had dodged. It meant he was just putting on an act.
Voices of contempt flew at him from all directions.
“I knew it. He put on such a show, but now his true colors are showing. And here I thought some great saint had appeared.”
“Kids these days are so full of themselves. They think acting like that makes them look so cool.”
Shirone couldn't understand the crowd’s reaction.
“What’s wrong with me dodging?”
“Have you no shame! Even the people watching here are disappointed in you. You acted like some great champion of justice, but it was all a sham!”
Shirone’s expression turned to one of bewilderment.
“What on earth are you talking about? Isn't it far better to do a good deed, even if it’s just for show, than to do something bad like you?”
“What? That’s…”
Gamos was struck dumb. The people who had been hurling insults at him also couldn't hide their surprise.
The woman, who had stepped back to watch the situation unfold, came to a conclusion that was close to certainty.
‘I was right. This boy… he’s a mage.’
Mages didn't argue about ‘who is right.’ They argued about ‘what is right.’
This boy wasn't trying to justify himself. His way of acknowledging the facts and deducing the correct answer was a thought process common among mages.
The woman shot a scornful look at the speechless crowd.
‘Hmph, not a single one of you thought to help, yet you’re all so quick to tear down someone else’s good deed. That’s why you’ll never amount to anything.’
In any case, it was time to move. The best course of action was to slip away while everyone’s attention was focused on Shirone and Gamos.
Moving slowly along the wall, the woman reached a certain point before quickly rounding a corner and disappearing.
Meanwhile, Gamos’s face was flushed. The boy, who had been getting on his nerves since the moment he appeared, was now insulting his entire philosophy on life.
And in front of so many people.
“Kid, I think you’ve picked a fight with the wrong person.”
Gamos’s voice dropped, heavy and low. It was his true voice, stripped of the merchant’s facade. At that, his quick-witted bodyguards drew the real swords from their waists.
Killing intent is merely a concept, but it's a force that can affect reality. The mere presence of sharply honed longswords in the space was enough to make one imagine death.
“What are you just standing there for? Go and beat him to a pulp!”
At Gamos’s command, the bodyguards rushed in from both sides. They wouldn't kill him recklessly, but they were ready to cut him down if need be.
At that moment, a spray of dirt flew into one of the bodyguard’s eyes. Another stone followed, striking the other bodyguard squarely on the forehead.
Shirone turned to see where the stones had come from. At the entrance to an alley, the woman from before stood with a pile of stones in her arms.
She unleashed a continuous volley of stones. Then, as the bodyguards faltered, she grabbed Shirone’s wrist and bolted down the alley.
“Let’s run! Follow me this way!”
“Huh? Wait…”
Shirone had known for a while that the woman had slipped away.
He had pretended not to notice because he thought it was for the best.
Having spoken to him directly, Shirone knew Gamos was the type of person who would inflict a punishment far harsher than her crime deserved.
“But why did you come back?”
“Hurry! We’ll be in trouble if we get tangled up with them!”
The two of them dashed through the maze-like alleyways. Thanks to the woman’s intimate knowledge of the complex paths, they quickly vanished from the bodyguards’ sight.
Gamos’s voice carried over from the market.
“Chase them down and catch them! I’ll absolutely destroy them!”
***
The warehouse was hot with the heat of violence. Falcoa’s kicks rained down mercilessly on Jis’s side as he lay curled up on the floor.
It felt like his heart stopped with every blow. He was so terrified he couldn't even remember where he was being hit. All he could feel was the sensation of impact and the lack thereof.
“You worthless scum. Feels good to get hit, doesn't it? Huh? It must feel good. So take some more.”
Jis’s friends were kneeling in a corner of the warehouse.
Their eyes were swollen from crying, but the tears showed no sign of stopping.
“Please, forgive us! We’ll go out and earn the money! He’s really going to die at this rate!”
“Oh, really? Then how about you take his place?”
His friends froze. Falcoa’s face, with his mismatched eyes glaring murderously, looked like that of a demon.
He could kill Jis if he wanted to. But Falcoa deliberately avoided hitting his face. That fact was even more terrifying.
Falcoa grabbed Jis by the hair and yanked him up. Even in his weakened state, Jis shot to his feet.
Though he hadn't been hit in the head, his eyes were unfocused. It felt as if his brain was paralyzed from the psychological shock alone.
“P-please, spare me. I was wrong…”
“Does it hurt? Does it? Tell me. Does it hurt? Does it?”
Falcoa slapped Jis’s cheeks repeatedly. Though the blows weren't particularly powerful, Jis convulsed with every hit.
Seeing this, his friends burst into tears again.
‘Ugh, that psycho. He’s really going to kill someone.’
Falcoa slammed Jis onto the ground. There was no particular reason for it.
If he had to find one, it was that he could feel the effects of the Loop he had taken starting to wear off.
“You returned the 5 gold because your pride was hurt? Well done. Truly well done, Jis.”
“I’m sorry! I’ll never do it again!”
Jis felt wronged. He wanted to fight back. But he was too scared. Pride was useless in the face of Falcoa’s madness. He felt like he would do anything just to get out of there.