Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: Priorities (2)
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“Haha! No. Thinking about it, I think I was in the wrong earlier today. Honestly, I did overcharge you. I don't normally ask for that much; I guess I got greedy. Let me restore my honor. I’ll show you a really fun place.”
Tess said, hands on her hips.
“Not interested. I’m already in a foul mood as it is. Amy, just kick him out.”
“You heard her. Well then, goodbye.”
As Amy tried to close the door, Jis thrust his hand in, a desperate look on his face.
There was no script, but as someone seasoned in this line of work, the words came out quickly.
“W-wait a minute! If your friends don’t want to come, you can come alone.”
“Why should I? This is a bit suspicious.”
“Fine! I’ll be honest. The truth is… I got in a lot of trouble.”
“From who?”
“Even street touts have an association, you know. Word of what I did must have reached the higher-ups. So they told me to guide the guests I was rude to around the island. They said if word got out, tourists wouldn't use touts anymore. Can't you just stop by for a little while? If you don’t, my livelihood is completely cut off. I might really have to beg like a beggar.”
“Hmm.”
Amy didn't let go of her suspicion. Jis, already terrified, anxiously awaited her verdict.
“Fine, I could use a little air anyway. I’ll go change, so wait here.”
Jis’s head shot up. Of course, this was why he had come, but he hadn't expected her to agree so easily.
Tess, on the other hand, was dumbfounded. She never imagined Amy would fall for such a tout's words.
Thinking she must be upset about Shirone, Tess quickly followed Amy.
“Amy! What are you doing, going with him? How can you trust that guy?”
“It’s fine. If I think it’s dangerous, I’ll just come back.”
“Don’t. Let’s think about this a little more. What about Shirone?”
“Forget it. Let him do whatever he wants. Rian must be hungry too, how long are you going to make him wait? This is actually for the best. I’ll eat out, so you two can have a nice time together.”
After changing her clothes and fixing her hair, Amy went down to the entrance. Tess tried to persuade her until the very end, but she was adamant.
“Do you really have to go? Then you have to come back quickly, okay? Just get some fresh air. If you’re late, we’re coming to find you.”
“I got it. Rian, I’m heading out for a bit. If Shirone comes back, make sure he starves.”
Rian was cautious. His piranha-like hunger had vanished, and he was now observing the situation seriously.
Was it right to let her go? But it wasn't as if she were being dragged away; it would be ridiculous to step in and stop her when she wanted to go.
“You said your name was Jis, right? Let’s go.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah!”
Jis was dazed. From the moment she descended the second-floor staircase in a girlish black dress, he couldn't get a grip on himself.
With Amy gone, the villa felt empty. Tess, her mind a jumble, sighed and shook her head.
“Sigh, how did things turn out like this? The mood was so good just a little while ago.”
“Would it have been better if I went with her?”
“You idiot, do you really not understand a woman’s heart? How miserable would Amy feel if someone else’s partner escorted her? Anyway, where on earth is Shirone?”
Rian walked to the window and watched Amy get into the carriage.
The stars above the sea glittered as if they were about to pour down.
* * *
Jis sat opposite Amy. Now that he had her in the carriage, he considered the operation more than 80 percent successful.
“Alright, alright! Let’s get going! Hey, let’s move!”
The coachman nodded and shook the reins, and the two-headed horse shot forward, rattling the carriage.
Jis chattered nonstop. As expected of a local, he rattled on about every trivial detail one wouldn't care to know. What did she care if the vegetable shop owner was having an affair with a widow?
Amy hadn't said a word, only gazing at the night scenery outside the window. Lost in thought, Jis’s words didn't even register.
At some point, Jis realized this and fell silent.
In truth, just looking at Amy’s face like this was his greatest happiness. Her calm, subdued expression was completely different from the angry one she’d had during the day.
Was Falcoa really planning to sell this beautiful girl? It hadn't felt real at first, but now that she was in the carriage, fear crept over him.
“This is taking a while. How far are we going?”
Amy spoke for the first time. Coincidentally, her question hit the heart of the matter, and Jis jumped, fabricating a reply.
“Ah, well… it’s a bit far. It’s the best place in Galliante. Really, you’ll see when we get there.”
“Is that so? Did the boss who picked me out tell you to bring me there?”
Jis’s heart sank.
How long had she known? Could it be from the very beginning? If so, why on earth did she get in the carriage, and why hadn't she said a word until now?
Jis’s face froze, unable to relax. His mind went blank, and he couldn't think of any lies.
“Well, that is…”
“No need to lie. I can tell just by looking at your eyes. It’d be foolish not to know when you were practically begging in fear. Anyway, do your best. I'm only letting you fool me this one time.”
“Letting me… fool you?”
“That’s right. I don’t know why you became a scapegoat, but quit after this is over. I’m saving you because I feel so sorry for you.”
Jis’s face flushed hot.
“What! You feel sorry for me?”
“Would I be envious of you instead?”
“Th-this is really…!”
Before Jis could get angry, Amy asked.
“You threw the gold coin at me, didn’t you?”
“Th-that’s…”
Jis averted his gaze. Just thinking about what happened earlier made his body flinch. He had been beaten to a pulp by Falcoa because of that. It was a trauma he would never forget.
“Guys like you don't last long in this world. People with a lot to protect just get used and thrown away.”
“Hmph, what would you know about that? A noble who’s lived a life of luxury thanks to her parents.”
“I know a lot more than you, at least. I used to dabble in this world myself once. Though, of course, I was at a much higher level than you.”
Jis bit his lip. In the end, that was how it was. No matter how much he asserted his pride or raised his voice, it was impossible to face her on equal footing.
“Are you pitying me?”
“Yes.”
“I don't want your pity. Ever.”
“So leave this world. This might be your last chance.”
Jis hung his head, feeling defeated. She was right. If she hadn't taken pity on him, he and his sister would be going through hell right now.
“Tch.”
As Jis clicked his tongue, Amy looked out the window. A cool sea breeze seemed to blow in, gently closing her eyelids.
“I don’t dislike guys like you.”
“What?”
“I'm talking about you throwing the coin at me. A man should have that much backbone. If you were just some back-alley punk, I would never have gotten in this carriage.”
Jis’s face turned red as a beet.
“Damn it. Are you giving me the disease and the cure? This is why I don’t like nobles. It was the same earlier. One of you scoffs, the other tries to stop him. So damn self-centered.”
Amy, chin in hand, smirked.
“Ah, Shirone? He’s a commoner too. That’s probably why he tried to stop you.”
“What? A commoner? You mean he wasn’t a noble, but a commoner?”
Jis’s eyes widened. At first, he thought it was a joke. Otherwise, there was no reason for such a beautiful girl to be with a man of lower status than herself.
“Yes, a commoner. What’s so important about that? Or maybe it is important?”
“But wasn’t he your partner? It looked like you were on a couple’s trip.”
“That’s right, my partner. The partner who brought me to this remote island across the sea and then disappeared somewhere… my partner.”
Amy smiled sadly with her cat-like lips. As he watched her distant gaze, Jis’s mind became a tangled mess.
Maybe he had been wrong from the start. He should have just picked up the gold coin from the ground. If he had, his pride might have been hurt, but something like this would never have happened.
‘Damn it! This is bullshit! She’s risking danger because she pities me? Does she even know what danger is?’
This girl was thinking too simply.
Falcoa was an enforcer for the Freeman organization. And what was the Freeman organization? They were the rulers of Galliante, commanding a fearsome elite force.
When Jis was young, the island's commerce was divided among several organizations. There were occasional power struggles, but the balance of power was never broken.
But the situation changed drastically five years ago when the Freeman organization landed on the island.
They expanded their influence at an incredible speed, and the existing organizations were dismantled without being able to put up a fight. Eventually, an alliance was formed to stand against Freeman, but it was crushed with absurd ease.
The time it took for the war to end was a mere three months.
The Freeman organization was a combat group of monsters that had dismantled all other organizations in just three months.
‘It’s not just Falcoa. The gangsters above me are all terrifying bastards. And that's where I'm taking this girl.’
Jis clenched his fists. He wanted to stop her, but the words wouldn't come out.
Since she was a student at a magic academy, she might be able to escape. But his sister couldn't. If Falcoa wanted to, he could make the sister of a street tout disappear without a trace.
‘I have to protect her. My sister… I must!’
* * *
After parting with Marsha, Shirone arrived at the beach. He had run without rest, and his legs were trembling, but the real challenge was just beginning. The villa was halfway up a mountain, so he had to climb an upward slope.
“Hah, what’s with my luck today? I just keep having to run.”
Since the sun had set, Rian and Tess would be making food.
If Amy was still waiting, he had to deliver the bad news as quickly as possible. The bad news that he had left the shopping basket behind.
‘Either way, I’m dead meat.’
Shirone gritted his teeth and dashed up the slope. By the time he reached the villa, he was completely out of breath.
Walking to the entrance as if he would collapse, Shirone bent over and knocked on the door.
“Rian, Amy, Tess. I’m here. Open the door. Ugh!”
The door suddenly opened, and Shirone fell forward. The response was much more immediate than he had expected.
“Shirone! Where have you been all this time? Do you know how long Amy waited?”
“Ah, sorry. There were circumstances. Let’s talk inside. My legs are trembling.”
There was no smell of food in the villa. Shirone, who would have preferred it if the three of them had eaten first, felt even more sorry.
“You waited a long time because of me, right? By the way, where’s Amy?”
Tess didn't know how to explain. Should she say Amy got tired of waiting and went out to have fun? Or that she was disappointed in a man named Shirone and followed Jis?
“What’s wrong? You don’t look so good. Did something happen?”
“Well… ah, this is awkward.”
The reason Tess couldn't speak was that she didn't want to cause any unnecessary misunderstanding between the two.
But Rian understood the core of the situation.
“She went out with that guy named Jis we met at the port.”
“Huh? Jis? You mean the guy who overcharged us? Why would Amy go with him?”
“I don’t know. The guy suddenly showed up while she was waiting for you. He said he wanted to make up for what happened earlier. So they left in a carriage.”
“Amy went with him willingly? Without any reason?”
Tess chimed in.
“Yes! This is all because you came back late. Do you know how lonely Amy was? Tell me, what on earth happened?”
Shirone deferred his answer. Now was not the time to be arguing about such things.
“Let’s go. Do you know where they went?”
“How would we know? Why are you so anxious? If you were going to be like this, you should have treated her better from the start.”
“She didn’t leave because of me.”
“What are you talking about? She was so angry!”
“Amy is hot-tempered, but she doesn’t act on emotion. Even if she was angry at someone, she wouldn't do something that would make them worry. She would have waited for me to come back and beaten me to a pulp instead.”
Tess’s face went blank. Coming from Shirone, who knew Amy well, it was probably true.
And thinking about it, it seemed plausible. Wasn't she the type to get angry easily but have a soft heart, to seem prickly but be very considerate?
“S-still, surely nothing will happen, right? He’s just a tout. And isn't Amy one of the best at the magic academy?”