Chapter 145
Chapter 145
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 145
Chapter Title: The Name "Parrot" (3)
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“Hmph, they're just thugs. Don't you worry about a thing, just wait for us to get back.”
Jis shared what he knew. He didn't want to frighten them as they were leaving to save his sister, but he felt he couldn't bear the guilt if he let them go without telling them.
“Those guys showed up out of nowhere and took over the island in three months. They're not just some simple organization. I heard from one of Falcoa's direct subordinates that they were called the Parrot Bandits before they came to the island.”
“The Parrot Bandits?”
Shirone's eyes widened. Amy, too, seemed surprised this time and fell into thought.
The Parrot Bandits was the group the man named Lucas, who had stormed the academy with Arcane, belonged to.
Amy had witnessed Lucas's martial prowess. From the memories that surfaced as the effects of Abyss Nova wore off, he was a formidable foe that even the combined efforts of Iruki and Nade couldn't handle.
If not for Shina's sudden intervention, they couldn't have even dreamed of a situation where all the students escaped unharmed.
In any case, knowing their identity didn't change the situation. An innocent girl's life was at stake, so it was crucial to leave as soon as possible.
“It's fine. We've fought and won against the Parrot Bandits' vice-captain before.”
Jis swallowed his tears and clenched his teeth.
“Thank you. To think you'd go this far for someone like me.”
The nobles Jis had met until now wouldn't even treat back-alley gangs like human beings.
Perhaps it was only natural. Why would those who monopolized the world's wealth and fame even spare a glance for people from the dark, shadowy corners of society?
But these people were different. They were willing to fight for him, someone who had only thought of swindling them with his shallow words.
“This debt… I don't know how I'll ever repay it.”
Amy, flustered by Jis's continuous thanks, placed her hands on her hips and sighed.
“I told you, it's fine. When you think about it, you're the one who saved me. We're the ones who received help.”
“But something this dangerous…”
“There's no need to overthink it. We're not strangers anymore. Besides, I'm doing it because you asked so manfully.”
Jis stared at Amy with a bewildered expression.
How could the word "manfully" fit this situation? Shouldn't it be the opposite?
“Tch, if you're pitying me, just stop. 'Manfully,' my foot. What man in the world would beg so shamelessly? My pride is completely shattered.”
“What are you talking about? You cast aside your pride to ask for help to get your sister back.”
“Well, that's true, but…”
Amy smiled and gently pushed Jis's forehead.
“That's exactly what it means to be a man, you idiot.”
As Amy walked away after saying that, Jis felt a lump in his throat and his eyes welled up with tears. But he felt he had to hold them back. He thought that if he started crying now, it would be like pouring cold water on their resolve.
Rian patted Jis's shoulder and followed Amy.
“Don't worry. You saved my friend, so we'll definitely save your sister.”
Tess added.
“But when we get back, you have to give us a proper tour. I'm going to get my money's worth for all this trouble.”
Shirone turned to look at Jis from the doorway and said.
“Trust us. We'll bring your sister back safely, no matter what.”
In the end, Jis couldn't hold back his tears. He ran to the door, too distraught to even think about his bandaged wounds. He shouted at Shirone's group as they walked away.
“Be careful! You really have to be careful! If you don't come back safe, I'll never forgive you!”
Shirone's group didn't look back. But their gradually quickening pace was a more certain answer than a hundred words.
* * *
Shirone's group rented four horses from the western commercial district. It was Tess's opinion that they wouldn't make it in time if they chased in a carriage, which lacked mobility.
They had spoken boldly to Jis, but the actual situation was turning against them.
Above all, the late discovery of the Freeman organization's true identity weighed heavily on their minds.
Lucas, the vice-captain of the Parrot Bandits, was a B-class criminal.
The class of a criminal was not just a measure of the severity of their crimes, but also an indicator of their martial strength.
Even a serial killer who had thrown a city into chaos wouldn't be imprisoned in the western prison, Inferno, if they were a mentally ill person without significant martial strength.
Shirone had a gut feeling that he was caught up in something quite serious.
Something was definitely strange. After the Arcane incident, he had heard that the captain of the Parrot Bandits was an A-class criminal who was currently wanted.
Then who was this Freeman of the Freeman organization they now had to fight?
“Amy, do you really think it's the Parrot Bandits? Don't you feel like something's a little off?”
“I was thinking the same thing. How could a wanted organization establish a base in a tourist destination? Especially since the pursuit of the Parrot Bandits would have intensified because of the Arcane incident.”
Tess, who was riding a horse to Amy's right, interjected into their conversation.
“They're not the Parrot Bandits.”
“Huh? Do you know something?”
“The Parrot Bandits is probably a name they adopted after coming over to the Tormia Kingdom. Their original name was the Parrot Mercenary Corps.”
“Mercenary Corps? They were mercenaries? Then Lucas, too?”
“I can't be sure about that. But I do know how they became bandits.”
“How so?”
Shirone asked immediately. But Tess was afraid to tell him.
On its own, the story was nothing special, a common tale. However, she worried that in this situation, where they had to fight a fierce battle, information about their enemies might break Shirone's will to fight.
“Tess, if you know something, just tell us.”
When even Amy, unable to contain her curiosity, made the request, Tess had no choice but to begin her explanation.
“There's a case related to the Parrot Mercenary Corps that was quite a big issue on the continent. Have you guys ever heard of the Flower Vase Incident that happened in the Airon Kingdom seven years ago?”
“Oh? I know about it. I heard about it at the academy.”
What Shirone knew was this: At a gathering of nobles in the Airon Kingdom, an upper house nobleman named Valtes declared that he would give his prized flower vase to anyone who could prove they had more courage than him.
In response, a lower house nobleman named Mus challenged him. His method was to throw the very vase offered as a prize against a wall.
On the surface, it looked like a drunken incident between nobles, but if you delved deeper, it was an event that exposed a long-festering political conflict.
“Airon's noble system is bicameral. The upper house conveys the king's will, and the lower house represents the commoners. Thanks to this, Airon became a wealthy nation, but the conflict between the nobles is severe.”
Involving commoners in politics weakens the authority of the nobility. But as more commoners gained autonomy, the nation's wealth was bound to become immense.
“The upper house's power comes from authority, and the lower house's power comes from taxes. In the end, a clash between the two factions was inevitable. When Mus, a lower house noble, acted arrogantly, Valtes was furious. It was smoothed over at the time, but the resentment must have remained.”
“But what does that have to do with the Parrot Bandits, or rather, the Parrot Mercenary Corps?”
“Three months after the Flower Vase Incident, a civil war broke out in Mus's territory. An unidentified army invaded. From here on, this is information I heard through intelligence, but the one who started the civil war was Valtes. He hired mercenaries, not his private soldiers, to attack Mus.”
“Then, don't tell me, the mercenaries who were part of that were…?”
“That's right. They were the Parrot Mercenary Corps. Of course, many mercenary groups participated, but the Parrot Mercenary Corps displayed overwhelming power and broke through Mus's defensive walls. But just as they were about to breach the inner castle, Valtes's private soldiers suddenly swarmed in from the rear and ambushed the mercenaries instead.”
Shirone could imagine the situation at the time.
Hire mercenaries to attack the enemy, then use your own soldiers to attack the mercenaries. That way, you could achieve both victory and innocence at the same time.
“Valtes never intended to eliminate Mus from the beginning. The power of the lower house, supported by the commoners, is stronger than expected. He probably just wanted to teach him a lesson. In the end, the mercenaries were disposable pawns from the start. Have them attack the territory and then eliminate them—a perfect plan.”
“But if it ended like that, the lower house nobles wouldn't just stand by, would they?”
“Of course, but they can't bring it up openly. After all, the upper house nobles are under the king's protection. There was probably an agreement. The fact that Mus hasn't mentioned what happened, even after seven years, is likely because he received some form of compensation from Valtes.”
Having heard that much, Rian frowned in displeasure.
“So in the end, only the mercenaries were abandoned? I just can't understand the way politicians think. It's a violation of chivalry.”
“It's natural to think that way. But in my family, I've come across intelligence reports on things far worse than this. The world doesn't always go the way we think it should.”
Everyone fell silent at Tess's words. One day, they would have to advance into a world where great powers were at play. The Flower Vase Incident wasn't their problem, but it wasn't someone else's problem either.
“Anyway, they were abandoned like that. The mercenaries who attacked Mus's territory were all executed under the charge of treason, and naturally, the Parrot Mercenary Corps was disbanded.”
Amy said.
“But they survived in the end. That must be why they came to the Tormia Kingdom in exile.”
“Right. The mercenary corps was disbanded, but a small number of skilled members escaped the battlefield. This is just speculation, but wouldn't it have been difficult for them, branded as traitors, to maintain a mercenary corps? So they degenerated into bandits, and when they were eventually branded as criminals, they must have drifted to this island.”
Tess's reasoning was logical, but Shirone felt uneasy for some reason.
Above all, for them to keep the name "Parrot" while fleeing from a charge of high treason, they would have needed considerable capital, power, and an exceptionally skilled leader.
“Couldn't it just be a coincidence? I mean, there are countless guilds in the world, and the name 'Parrot' isn't that uncommon.”
Tess hesitated to answer. The situation she had been worried about had finally arrived.
“Shirone, that woman you told me about before?”
“Huh? You mean Marsha?”
After rescuing Amy from the royal palace, while they were having a late-night snack, Shirone had briefly mentioned Marsha.
Of course, he hadn't revealed every single detail.
Above all, he intended to take the story of almost being subjected to a terrible act by his foster father to his grave.
“When I heard what Jis said, I thought it was just a guess too. But there's a reason it can't be. The name of the captain who led the Parrot Mercenary Corps back then came to mind.”
“The captain's name? It's not Freeman?”
“Clay Marsha. That was the captain's name.”
When Tess finally revealed it, Shirone's expression went blank. The kind Marsha, who was like an older sister to him, and Marsha, the captain of the mercenary corps, wouldn't properly merge in his mind.
“At first, I thought it was just someone with the same name. But when I heard she was raised by mercenaries, I had my suspicions. Then, after hearing what Jis said, I was certain. The ones ruling this island are the remnants of the A-class mercenary corps that was betrayed in the Airon Kingdom seven years ago.”
“That can't be right. How could Marsha…? I explained it to you then. She's not the kind of person to do bad things like this.”
“Are you sure?”
Tess stared at Shirone with an intense gaze. It was different from her usual self. They were the eyes of an intelligence agent who could see through a person's psyche.
“Do you really think that? About the Marsha you think you know.”
Shirone bit his lip. In truth, he knew. No matter how much he tried to believe in her, his insight was already doubting everything.
“I'm sorry. You're probably right. It definitely… seems that way.”
When he considered it piece by piece, all the circumstances fit. He could now understand her reaction, the sneer she wore when talking about the collusion between nobles and criminals.