The Second Pursuit: Hyunwoo vs. Adelia (2)
“What do you mean by that?”
“You’re an other-race, so you’re mysterious, and you’re good-looking, so I’m helping you out of personal interest. You idiot. That’s how people are. The kindness and favor shown to something beautiful is incomparably greater than what’s shown to something ugly. And besides, you two already did that.”
That? Ah, that. This old man really knows how to make things awkward.
“Right now that girl’s behavior is no different from a woman who’s completely fallen for a man and offers up her liver, her gallbladder, and every last coin she owns.”
I wanted to deny it. I wanted to deny it fiercely.
“Marcus, you’ve been a bandit for too long. You’ve developed some nasty prejudices. Don’t go doubting people’s good intentions when they just want to help others.”
Marcus snorted.
“Think whatever you want. Either way, it works out for us. I’m not in the mood to argue about what that girl is thinking. But since things have turned out this way, why not keep the connection alive and use her as your personal informant? She used to be a secretary, so she must have a decent head on her shoulders. She could be useful.”
Already thinking about how to exploit someone—typical of a veteran, cold-blooded bandit. I snorted dismissively.
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
I answered coolly, as if I had no interest, but… hmm. It was tempting. Marcus had a point. Having a secret informant who would move only for me would actually be a good thing. In this world where I had no decent network at all, it could be a great opportunity to expand my influence. From what I’d seen of Kelly so far, she seemed obedient and likely to follow orders well.
I mulled it over for a moment before shaking the thought away. That wasn’t the important thing right now.
“Let’s get some sleep until Kelly arrives. We’ll need our strength for moving at night.”
While Marcus lay on the bed and I sprawled on the floor, taking turns snoring, Kelly and Flavio came in and woke us.
“Agh……”
I shouldn’t have slept. I felt even more tired. When I got up, my back, waist, arms, and hips were all stiff. My mood was terrible too.
“Your face looks awful. It’s all swollen.”
Flavio snickered. I dragged my sluggish body over, pulled him into a corner, slipped him the 180 beni, and laid out the plan I’d been keeping in my head. He responded enthusiastically and even filled in the gaps I’d missed. A little later he returned to his unit.
Marcus insisted he wouldn’t feel safe without at least some kind of weapon and decided to make paprika bombs. He grilled Kelly until she prepared six bombs—pouches the size of a fist filled with spicy paprika powder. Marcus and I each tucked three into our belts.
Once night fell, we began the operation in earnest. After exchanging a final, worried farewell with Kelly, Marcus and I stepped quietly outside, hearts tense.
We fetched the cart that had been left behind the fruit shop—the one we’d spotted earlier—and loaded Marcus, who still limped, onto it before covering him with a black cloth.
“Don’t fall asleep just because it’s comfortable.”
“Not funny, you brat.”
I’d made a joke to ease the tension, but he answered seriously. I stuck my tongue out at him when he wasn’t looking.
“Let’s go.”
Pulling the farmer’s hat low over my head, I began pushing the cart toward our destination. Finally, we were escaping this wretched city. Would we really make it back to the Elk Bandits’ mountain stronghold alive? The face that came to mind most clearly at that moment was the female leader’s. She was the only one who called me Hyunwoo instead of Hyeonu. I wondered how she would react when we arrived. Would she welcome me back? Would she mourn our fallen comrades with me?
While I was lost in thought, walking along the main road, Marcus’s urgent whisper came from beneath the cloth.
“This isn’t the way to that inn. Why are we going this way? It’s the complete opposite direction.”
“Why would we go there? That place is crawling with hyenas just waiting to devour us.”
“What are you talking about? I thought we were escaping by boat?”
His flustered expression was so amusing that I grinned. Sorry, old man. I kept quiet until now because I wanted to see that look on your face.
“That was the original plan, but it turns out that fat innkeeper had some very dark intentions. So I decided to use a different escape route.”
“What? That bastard betrayed us?”
“Yes.”
“Damn him.”
While Marcus cursed, I heard several sets of footsteps and looked up. A squad of soldiers in full armor was jogging past us in formation, heading somewhere in a hurry. The corners of my mouth lifted on their own, and I shrugged.
“Right now every soldier in the city is probably converging on that inn. We’ll slip out in the gap they leave behind.”
I had racked my brain to escape this city, using every means available—even committing my first deliberate crime in this world by buying a soldier with 180 beni.
“What’s this other escape route?”
“The city wall. We’re going over the wall.”
“Isn’t the security tight there?”
“That’s why I prepared in advance……?!”
As I rounded a building corner without thinking, I flinched and shrank back. Soldiers in dazzling armor were galloping toward us; we nearly collided. The lead horse reared with a shrill neigh. If they had been a second slower to stop, they would have trampled both me and the cart.
“Whoa! Whoa, whoa! Calm down! Calm yourself!”
While the captain struggled to settle his horse, I recognized his face and my eyes widened. I quickly lowered my head. It was her—the blonde woman who had been chasing us. Was she also heading to the inn?
One of the higher-ranking soldiers shouted at me sharply.
“Hey! Are you trying to get yourself killed? Keep your eyes open when you walk!”
“I-I’m sorry, my lords! I’ve committed a grave offense! Oh dear……!”
“Get out of the way, quickly!”
***
Adelia glanced at the farmer hurriedly pushing the cart away. His face was hidden beneath a straw hat, but she suddenly noticed how sharp his jawline was and how fair his skin looked. Just as her curious gaze began to follow him again, her adjutant called out.
“Lady Adelia. We should depart. There’s no time.”
“…Understood.”
She had no leisure to waste attention on trivial matters. Capturing the other-race youth caught in their trap was the top priority. At Adelia’s signal, she spurred her horse and urged it forward once more.
Before long they halted near the inn in the slums. She climbed to the second floor of a building opposite the inn, from where the entrance was clearly visible through the window. Sinclair, who had arrived earlier to direct the operation, spoke quietly while watching the street.
“Current time: 6:40. They’re scheduled to meet at seven, so they should arrive soon.”
“What about the soldiers’ deployment?”
“Some are disguised as passersby, others as guests inside the inn. We’ve stationed plainclothes soldiers throughout the slums and all the way to the docks. It’s only a matter of time before they’re caught.”
Adelia narrowed her eyes, gaze fixed on the inn entrance.
“I will capture the other-race youth myself. Tell the soldiers not to lay a hand on him.”
“As you command. I already instructed them beforehand not to arrest him, only to block his escape routes.”
“Well done, Sinclair.”
“Thank you.”
Sinclair smiled silently, like a puppy praised by its master.
“It’s almost time for them to show themselves.”
When the appointed hour arrived, the soldiers grew tense and alert. At exactly seven o’clock the tension peaked; everyone swallowed nervously. But as time passed and the clock reached 7:20, their sharp gazes began to waver. By 7:40, soldiers were exchanging puzzled glances and murmuring among themselves.
“Why aren’t they here? Maybe the information was wrong.”
“That innkeeper probably lied to us.”
“The ship leaves at eight. They should’ve shown up by now if they wanted to make it on time.”
“Maybe they went straight to the docks instead?”
“We’ve got soldiers all over the docks too. If they’d gone there, we’d have heard something by now. But it’s quiet. Something’s off.”
Adelia’s expression, hidden by the window, had also hardened. She realized things were going badly and felt a foreboding that simply waiting would lead to failure.
What are they planning?
While she anxiously bit her lip in thought, the image of the farmer she had passed earlier suddenly flashed through her mind. Her eyes widened.
That man’s skin was far too clean for a farmer working under the blazing sun! How could I have missed that, you fool……!
Clicking her tongue, Adelia shot to her feet and immediately summoned her adjutants to explain the situation.
“We’ve been tricked! They’re attempting to escape through another route! Search the entire Second Commercial District!”
Adelia burst out of the building like lightning and mounted her horse. While her adjutants reorganized the troops, she galloped alone toward the Second Commercial District street where she had encountered the farmer. Upon arrival she raced through the area, shouting at passersby.
“I’m looking for a man wearing a straw hat and pulling a cart! If anyone has seen him, raise your hand at once!”
Luckily, reports came flooding in from all directions.
“About thirty minutes ago I saw him enter that alley.”
“I saw him passing in front of the opera house fifteen minutes ago.”
“When I saw him, he was already leaving the Second Commercial District……”
Following the witnesses’ accounts, she soon caught sight of the northeastern city wall. Adelia finally understood their intention.
“They mean to go over the wall!”
This time, she would not let them escape. She cracked her whip and spurred her horse to greater speed.