Slipping the Noose (5)
“Need an escort?”
“No, I’ll manage. I don’t want to drag you into more danger, Flavio. You and your sister have already done more than enough. The rest is on me. I’ll leave as quickly as I can so I don’t cause you any more trouble.”
“Now that’s the kind of talk I like to hear,” Flavio said with a broad grin.
Kelly’s face was etched with worry. “You don’t have to go right away. You can stay here until things calm down. If you need food or anything else, I can bring it for you.”
“There’s no toilet here. What about… you know?”
“We can just use a bowl.”
Flavio burst out laughing. “Haha! That’s a bit much, don’t you think? You’re not even his wife. Hell, even a wife wouldn’t do that. Way too much.”
“I-is it?” Kelly’s cheeks flushed as she looked away, embarrassed.
“Your brother’s right, Kelly. You’ve already repaid any debt by giving us a place to rest. I’ll handle the rest myself. I won’t let either of you get hurt because of me.”
I couldn’t drag innocent people into this. No matter how hard it got, I had to solve this alone.
A pained groan drifted from the bed. “Ugh… Harry… Phelton…”
Marcus was already searching for them. He must have known.
I glanced at the old man lying on the bed, then turned back to Kelly.
“I’m sorry to ask for one more thing. Do you think you could find medicine for someone with heavy bleeding?”
“Medicine?” Kelly’s eyes lit up as if she’d remembered something. She jumped to her feet and grabbed her purse. “Got it. I’ll go buy some right now. Just wait here.”
Flavio also stood, picking up the spear he’d leaned against the wall. “If I stay away too long, they’ll accuse me of slacking. I should head back. You really don’t need anything else?”
Anything else… I thought for a moment. I’d need something to carry Marcus when we moved.
“If you could find a handcart or something to carry the old man on, that would help. Think that’s possible?”
“That’s easy. This is a fruit shop, after all.” Flavio smirked.
Kelly hurried out to fetch the medicine while I followed Flavio up through the ceiling hatch onto the roof. The sprawling city stretched out before us. We crept carefully along the edge of the slanted roof.
“See that down there? Remember where the cart is.”
Behind the building, in front of the warehouse, sat a two-wheeled cart used for hauling fruit, left carelessly in the open. I nodded.
“That’ll do just fine.”
“Nothing else you need?”
“No.”
“Then I wish you a safe escape. I’m heading back. If you ever need to find me again, just tell my sister.”
“I will. Be careful on your way.”
Even as he climbed down from the roof, Flavio kept talking in that casual tone. “If you make it back alive, put in a good word with your boss for me, yeah? Soldier pay isn’t enough to live on. I’m good at looking the other way—smuggling info out of the unit, pretending not to see things. I can even cover up a murder right in front of me if I have to.”
No. I wasn’t interested in that. Go back. Don’t treat me like some middleman. His personality was nothing like Kelly’s. Or maybe most people in this city were just that lenient toward crime.
After Flavio left, I stayed on the roof a while longer, studying the layout of the slums and mapping out the best route.
“Extra! Extra! Princess Piria of the neighboring kingdom of Ferus is fleeing after a rebellion broke out in her country! Extra! Extra! Word is a band of thieves has appeared in our city! If you see anyone suspicious, report them to the guards immediately!”
A young boy ran through the streets shouting the news. Rumors about us were already spreading among the citizens. The entire city had become our enemy. The thought of thousands of people hunting me with fire in their eyes sent a chill down my spine. I clicked my tongue and climbed back down.
“……”
I stared silently at Marcus lying on the bed. I wished he could give me some advice, but he was still fighting for his life. If I wanted to survive in enemy territory, I had to figure things out myself.
Grumble.
My stomach suddenly roared in protest. I reflexively scanned the room for food. There was no kitchen, but on the desk sat a piece of bread Kelly must have left behind days ago. Mold had already begun to grow on it because she hadn’t been home to clean up. I scraped the moldy bread into my mouth anyway. I vaguely remembered hearing that bread mold wasn’t very toxic. I even picked up every crumb that fell to the floor, licking it off my fingers. The philosopher Goethe once said that those who have never eaten bread soaked in tears don’t understand the true meaning of life. I was starting to understand what he meant. As I ate, tears streamed down my face without warning. I missed my mother and father back on Earth more than ever today.
I left a note for Kelly saying I’d be back soon, then stepped outside. Even with the city on high alert, I was confident I could slip through like an eel if I was alone. Even if I wasn’t, I had no choice but to go out and find a way. Just breathing in this city made me feel like I was developing a neurosis. I wanted out as fast as possible.
I pulled my robe low over my face and stuck to the least crowded streets. Occasionally I saw soldiers stopping hooded passersby for inspection, but the maze-like alleys let me avoid them without much trouble. After several heart-pounding close calls, I finally arrived at a shabby inn.
I pushed open the door and walked in. The table near the entrance—where the prostitute I’d met before usually sat—was empty. It was still daytime. I passed the laborers eating lunch and headed deeper inside. A plump man wearing an apron emerged from the kitchen. Last time it had been a woman. Maybe her husband. He spoke gruffly.
“Here to eat?”
“I came to ask about something.”
Asking outright whether this place helped thieves with their escape felt too risky. I needed to phrase it carefully. Still, I led him to a corner and spoke bluntly in a low voice.
“I need to leave the city without being seen. Can you help me? Or at least introduce me to someone who can?”
“Hmm?” The innkeeper raised one eyebrow and studied me carefully, his gaze clearly asking, What kind of guy is this? I swallowed hard, wondering if I’d come to the wrong place, when he suddenly poked me in the chest.
“You came to the right place.”
We moved into the kitchen and got straight to business.
“How many people need to get out?”
“Two, including me.”
“Then it’s three hundred beni per person. Total of six hundred beni.”
“Six hundred?”
“That’s right.”
The amount was so large it left me stunned. I pulled out Marcus’s wallet—the one I’d brought when I went out—and showed it to him.
“I don’t have enough.”
There were only one hundred eighty beni inside. Could he do it on credit? I watched the innkeeper’s expression as he looked at the contents of the wallet. The wrinkles between his brows deepened. I couldn’t give up, though. I had to live. I racked my brain for anything that might help and spoke with as much confidence as I could muster.
“You know Marcus, right? Phelton and Harry too. They were regulars here. Could you let me pay later? We ran into trouble and I don’t have any money on me right now.”
“Ah, so you’re one of Marcus’s men?”
The innkeeper spoke as if he knew Marcus well. I nodded vigorously, like a fish that had found water.
“Marcus told me to come here. He said you were reliable and trustworthy.”
“That’s nice of him to say, but the whole city’s in an uproar because the soldiers are looking for you. I heard Phelton and Harry are dead?”
So the rumors had already spread in detail. I nodded quietly. Then I forced a relaxed smile onto my lips.
“It’ll die down soon enough. People like us have been through this kind of thing more than once or twice.”
Anyone watching would think I was a professional. Where was I getting this nerve from? I was really fighting desperately to survive.
The innkeeper crossed his arms and thought for a moment before speaking.
“Fine. If it’s Marcus, I can trust him. I’ll let you pay later.”
“You made the right choice. Once things calm down, I’ll definitely come back and pay.”
Thank goodness. I finally had a way out of this hellish city. I let out a sigh of relief.
“Come here with Marcus by seven in the evening. I’ll take you to the docks.”
The docks. Since every city gate was sealed tight to catch us, the only remaining option was the waterways. The plan was simple: ride a barge carrying timber that would depart at eight o’clock tonight and slip out of the city through the canal. There were locks on the canal just like the gates on land, but once we were safely on the boat, we wouldn’t have to worry about running into soldiers again.
The moment I left the inn, I clenched my fist.
“No matter what happens tonight, I’m getting out of this city!”
Things were going well, but a sigh escaped me right after.
“The mountain stronghold feels like home now… I guess that’s the only place I have left. Ah, what a pitiful life I’m living.”
I was really turning into a full-fledged bandit. It felt like I was clearing a tutorial. This world seemed determined to tame me. No, not the world—Golden Ball. Golden Ball, what the hell are you? Why did you send me here to struggle like this?
***
After the young half-elf left the inn, the innkeeper let out a regretful sigh.
“Sorry for lying to you. I’m not in any position to look after anyone else either.”