13
My Villains Chapter 13
4. South Harbor (4)
"Why? Didn't you say you'd blow up the area if someone acts up? Go ahead, try it."
Oreg silently stared at Ellen, unsure if her words were just bravado or something else.
Then, after examining the robe she was wearing again, he swallowed hard.
"Could it be... A real magic item?"
"If you're curious, try testing it."
Oreg slightly stuck out his tongue to wet his dry lips.
What's this about? Was Ellen's robe something special? I thought it was just an ordinary brown robe...
As Mr. Oreg glared at her with sunken eyes, Ellen grinned and crossed her arms.
"What? I said try testing it. Is your life too precious?"
"Hey, watch your mouth," I tried to restrain her while trying to remember what equipment I had given to the 'ABCDEMagician' character, but...
Ah, I can't remember at all. It's been a good six months, how could I remember such details?
But if that robe is an item I put in, it's definitely Rare or above, no, it's Unique.
Unique items drop three or four per hour when farming with a character above level 90.
So there's no way I would have kept a Rare item. The inventory is too limited, and it's troublesome to move them.
I probably chose a Unique item that suits an Elemental Mage and has good performance.
Well, since I'm not very interested in farming, I can't guarantee it's the best, but at least it's not just a unique item in name only.
While I was thinking this, Mr. Oreg was examining Ellen and the robe with careful eyes.
I glanced at the robe... Now that I look closely, it does seem well-made, but I can't tell if it's a unique item or not.
"What are you doing, old man? Are you scared?"
Ellen's expression was so relaxed it was hard to believe it was an act, so Mr. Oreg took off his brown hat, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and said, "...Three silver coins. It's a bit more expensive than the market price, but consider it the cost for the advice I gave you. Business has been so bad lately, I'm on the verge of dying."
Just as Ellen, furrowing her brow, was about to say something, I quickly stepped in to block her.
"Oh, of course, Mr. Oreg. Information about an unfamiliar place is valuable, after all."
"...Thank you for understanding."
This old man seems to have aged several more years just now.
Poor Mr. Oreg received the silver coins I handed over and added one more thing.
"It might not be much of an exchange, but... If you find anything useful in the sewers, bring it back. I'll pay you well for it."
Wow, to make such an offer even after being threatened with burning down his shop. Not only Ellen, but this old man is no ordinary person either.
I put on a forced smile, said goodbye to Mr. Oreg, and led Ellen out of the shop. Then I immediately gave her a knock on the head.
Thwack!
"Ow! That hurts!"
"It hurts? You know what pain is?"
"Why are you freaking out again!"
Ellen's unreasonable attitude made my anger surge. Carrying two backpacks, I grabbed her cheek without a word and started walking.
"Ow, let go!"
With her cheek pinched, Ellen struggled to break free from my hand. Of course, it was impossible for a useless person like her to shake me off.
"Ah! You're crazy! Let me go!"
"Shut up. You really need to be taught a lesson."
With the heart of a mother dragging her disobedient elementary school son, I strode forward.
Near the less crowded dock area, I roughly threw down the backpacks and stood face to face with Ellen.
"Ouch, it hurts!"
Thwack!
"Ow!"
This time it was a bit harder, causing her to grab her forehead and tear up a little.
As much as I'd like to spank her, she's not that young, so I held back.
"What on earth makes you act like that?"
"Why are you suddenly like this!"
"You explain first. What's this about a magic item? That robe, was it really a magic item?"
Ellen, rubbing her forehead, glared at me with teary eyes and said, "Yes, it's a magic item, so what!"
"What's its effect?"
"...Fire immunity and stuff."
"Hah, and you relied on that?"
I'm genuinely fuming inside. This kid, can I really keep her as a companion?
Honestly, if the robe's ability was something like 'Sanctuary' that could spread a protective barrier, it would have been somewhat okay.
Even if it was something that unleashed a storm of cold around, I would have been angry but understood.
But just, what? Fire immunity?
"Then if Oreg had really detonated an orb, what about me?"
"What?"
"Me. Wouldn't I have died?"
At my question, she looked bewildered for a moment, then quickly retorted.
"Did you believe that threat?"
"What if I didn't?"
"What kind of idiot would blow themselves up for a few extra coins?"
"What if he had? Can you guarantee that?"
"But he didn't in the end!"
Ah, it's really hard to be patient. Truly, if she were a guy, I would have beaten her half to death.
"Is this what a companion does? 'I don't care if your life is at stake. Whatever the outcome, I won't get hurt!' Is this how a companion acts?"
At my emotional words, Ellen flinched for a moment, then tried to appear calm as she shot back.
"I didn't gamble, I just accurately assessed the situation. And thanks to that judgment, we saved a silver coin!"
"That's just looking at the result. You risked my life for just one silver coin? Without even discussing it with me! Don't you realize how selfish and irresponsible that is?"
At my words, she avoided my gaze and pouted.
"Huff."
Let's be patient. They say if you endure three times, you can avoid murder.
"And that's not all."
"...What else."
"What if Oreg decides to take revenge because of how you acted? Or if he covets your robe?"
"It's not that difficult. He could just give a couple of gold coins to some local thugs and tell them to kill us and steal the robe. How easy is that? We're just outsiders who are going to leave anyway, right?"
"Does that robe stop knives or clubs? It doesn't seem to stop spears, does it?"
Ellen bit her lip for a moment, rolled her eyes, then looked at me and widened her eyes.
"...How could someone who's been doing business in the city all his life do such a thing? That old man can't do it himself, and if he gets someone else to do it, word would get out."
"Aren't all other people potential robbers or murderers? How can you be so sure?"
"That's..."
"It's just as bad if Oreg just spreads rumors. What if everyone in the city finds out your robe is an incredibly valuable item? Is that okay?"
"Well, that's not good, but..."
As she fumbled for words, I sighed and sat down on some wooden planks nearby.
I took a moment to catch my breath and calm down, then patted the spot next to me.
"...What."
"Sit down."
When I gestured firmly again, she hesitated for a moment but eventually sat down beside me.
Remembering how my mother used to scold me, and how my sister scolds her kids, I held out my hand.
"Give me your hand."
"What for?"
When she answered grumpily, I sighed and said seriously, "If you know you did wrong, give me your hand."
"...Why the hand?"
"Quickly. If you don't, we're completely done here. You go your way, and I'll go mine."
When she finally held out her hand after hesitating, I stretched out both of my hands and overlapped them above and below. Her small, delicate hand flinched and shrank.
Holding her hand between mine, I began to speak.
"There's something we must absolutely keep to be companions. What do you think that is?"
"It's trust. Trust that we won't put each other in danger. What I want from you isn't difficult. I'm not asking you to die for me, or to blindly follow what I say."
"Trust isn't always that difficult. We just need to be a little considerate of each other. Just think about whether what you're doing might put the other person in danger, what actions would keep us both safe. That's all you need to think about."
She remained silent, but from her downcast eyes, it didn't seem like she was completely ignoring my words.
Physical contact has a powerful effect, and just the simple act of holding hands can narrow the psychological distance between people.
Of course, this assumes there's a basic level of trust.
And in my opinion, although Ellen constantly grumbles, she clearly trusted me to some extent.
Ellen saved me as part of her efforts to save her own life, but when I saved Ellen, it was an end in itself.
Ellen must have known this difference.
Hoping that body heat would be transmitted through our overlapped hands, I said to Ellen, "So, something like today should never happen again. It was an action that could have hurt me, even if by chance. It's better to just pay one silver coin than to take such a risk."
"And I'll act the same way. I mean, I won't take unnecessary risks with your life. Understand?"
"...Yeah."
Good, it seems to have had some effect.
Now if I finish with a warm hug...
Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!
"What's that?"
Suddenly, the sound of bells rang out from the tower.
Though it had no particular melody, the urgent rhythm alone was enough to create an ominous performance.
"L-look over there!"
Ellen pointed towards the sea.
As soon as I turned my eyes in that direction, I felt a chill run down my spine.
"Pirates...!"
Just as Ellen whispered like a scream, the entrance to the bay leading into South Harbor was filled with ships of all sizes.
The small boats we had seen earlier were countless, and there seemed to be at least ten large sailing ships with two or more masts.
"Run!"
I quickly picked up and shouldered the backpacks, then grabbed Ellen's hand. Then we started running like mad.
"Where are we going?"
"To the tower!"
The official name of the Lord's tower is 'Salt Castle'.
Comparing it to what I've seen on Earth... It had a structure similar to the Tower of London in London. Of course, it was much smaller and lacked a moat or castle walls.
Anyway, Salt Castle is where the Lord resides. Naturally, numerous soldiers would be guarding the surroundings.
Glancing back, I saw the small boats were already attacking the docks. However, a considerable number of soldiers had already gathered at the dock, so it didn't look easy to break through.
Meanwhile, even though we were running quite fast, Ellen was keeping up pretty well.
We were just about to leave the street lined with street vendors when we had been running like crazy.
A group of soldiers was running towards us in formation. They seemed to be heading for the dock.
While continuing to run, I tried to gauge the size of the soldier group. As they were running in a 4-column formation, it wasn't difficult to count their numbers.
By the time I had counted to the thirteenth row, suddenly a man who looked like an officer or non-commissioned officer shouted at us.
"Hey, you two! Are you mercenaries?"
...I instinctively felt that we were screwed.